Category: Sports News

Well, it was fun while it lasted, huh?

So LeBron James isn’t a Timberwolf. That’s unfortunate. But life moves on! We checked the rules and the Minnesota Timberwolves will, in fact, still need to participate in the 2026-2027 NBA season without The King. Wolves-centered publications can all stop writing offseason filler content about him, so I think we can all agree to be happy about that.

Let’s move on to the next overplayed commonly discussed topic of the season: Who will be the stopgap fifth starter for the Timberwolves?

Barring another vintage Tim Connelly surprise before the start of the season, the Wolves currently have filled 16 of their 18 maximum roster spots (including the two-way spots). They have just about enough money to spend on a minimum contract or two for the last openings if they wish to stay under the second apron.

Let’s do a quick review in order of contract size (percent of cap):

1. Anthony Edwards (29.7%)
2. LaMelo Ball (24.7%)
3. Rudy Gobert (22.1%)
4. Jaden McDaniels (15.9%)
5. Ayo Dosunmu (11.7%)
6. Josh Green (8.9%)
7. Donte DiVincenzo (7.6%)
8. Joan Beringer (2.7%)
9. Jaylen Clark (1.9%)
10. Bones Hyland (1.7%)
11. TJ Shannon (1.7%)
12. Trey Lyles (1.5%)
13. Isaiah Evans (1.5%)
14. (Vacant)
15. (Vacant)

1. Rocco Zikarsky (TW)
2. Zyon Pullin (TW)
3. Enrique Freeman (TW)

There isn’t a traditional “power forward” that jumps off that list to join Ball, Edwards, McDaniels, and Gobert. You can make the argument that the only player who naturally plays that position is recently signed Trey Lyles, who is on a veteran minimum contract and was not on an NBA roster last season.

This conversation naturally flows to: Do we start Jaden McDaniels as the power forward and bring another wing into the starting rotation?

I’ve decided to fixate on that question and the potential solutions. The Wolves have an awful amount of “wings,” or even guards, that I wanted to categorically compare. Most of the options only check certain boxes of what an ideal candidate should have. Some overlap. I realized a visualization would be helpful to a simpleton like myself.

Let’s talk stopgaps, or more like “Wing Stop.”

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Table of Contents

1. Menu of Wings
2. Wing Flavors
   • Scorer/Creator
   • Shooter/Spacer
   • Defender/Hustle
3. Conclusion

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Menu of Wings

When looking at players that could slide in as a shooting guard or small forward, I sorted six players between six foot four inches to six foot six inches. Upon pulling measurements from NBA.com and databallr, I decided to include Bones Hyland due to his abnormally long wingspan, and you can’t just include one half of the Twin Turbos without the other. I also looped in the aforementioned Jaden McDaniels and Trey Lyles just for reference.

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Wing Flavors

Obviously basketball players shouldn’t and can’t just be deduced down to just three subjective “flavors.” However, for the sake of this exercise, I’m going to do it anyway. I created a Venn diagram of “Scorer/Creator,” “Shooter/Spacer,” and “Defender/Hustle” and categorized the players named above.

Scorer/Creator

^{*Isaiah Evans statistics from last season in NCAA
*Trey Lyles statistics from last season in NBA}

First and foremost, I opted not to pick the low-hanging fruit of “points per game” as it doesn’t necessarily capture what I was looking for here. This category is meant to capture who initiates the offense, whether it’s for themselves or others. Thus, I pulled usage percentage, assist percentage, and percentage of field goals that are unassisted.

Bones Hyland obviously pops here. He’s the only true ball handler of the bunch and is functionally a point guard. Two-thirds of his two-pointers are unassisted, the third highest on the team behind Anthony Edwards and Johnny Juzang. Bizzy Bones was also second on the team in AST% among rotation players. He’s not a realistic starting wing option, but I’ve listed him here just for comparison more like I have with Jaden and Trey.

Then comes TJ Shannon. The playmaking numbers aren’t great for him, but he creates a ton of offense for himself. Finch famously mentioned after the Wolves eliminated the Denver Nuggets in the postseason that he had been using Shannon wrong as a spot-up player instead of putting the ball in his hands. He had the third highest percentage of unassisted three-pointers behind the aforementioned Edwards and Juzang. The soon to be 26-year-old is nearly unstoppable once he gets a head of steam, which is even more impressive when you consider he’s as left hand dependent as Julius Randle.

If you score 43 points in a playoff game where two of your team’s most important players go down, you automatically qualify as a “Scorer.” Those are actually the rules. Ayo Dosunmu has also demonstrated an ability to create for others, especially in the postseason where he shouldered a heavier load. He averaged a team best 4.1 assists per game in the 2026 playoffs. Ayo’s ability to be an offensive hub is why many are hoping he remains a sparkplug off the bench especially in lieu of Naz Reid.

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Shooter/Spacer

^{*Isaiah Evans statistics from last season in NCAA
*Trey Lyles statistics from last season in NBA}

Shooting ability is a must in today’s NBA roster construction, and the Wolves have no shortage of that (Hi, Miami!). This may not be the Dynasty Warriors vs Morey Ball days of chucking up as many threes as possible (Hi, Boston!), but teams are wiser as to how to generate efficient three-point shots. I looked at general three-point shooting ability (overall three-point percentage, catch-and-shoot three-point percentage, and corner three-point percentage), as well as volume (three-point attempt rate).

Let’s all take a minute to pour one out for Donte DiVincenzo. He’s one of the premier volume three-point shooters in the NBA and the Wolves will surely miss his floor spacing gravity next season. He had the second highest three-point rate on the team (Shoutout Mike Conley, besting him by literally 1%) and converted at a good rate, despite a down year. In clutch situations, he was never shy.

The “throw-in” that came in the LaMelo Ball trade needs to be discussed. Josh Green posted elite numbers across these categories. Converting on 42% of your triples with a three-point rate of 76.2% is bonkers. The Aussie is excellent at catch-and-shoot opportunities, and is one of the best corner three-point shooters in the game. This is something he relentlessly developed over his basketball career. He was known in high school as a non-shooter, then grinded his way during his time at University of Arizona to become respectable. Now in the NBA, he’s a dangerous weapon from beyond the arc.

Bones Hyland deserves a shoutout here too. Again, he won’t be a starter, but his strength as a floor spacer is still undeniable. He takes and makes them at a very high rate. It’s impressive especially considering how he often has the ball in his hands. The offense talent is there.

We 👁️👁️ you Bones Hyland!

Handles.
Deep 3.
Celly.

Timberwolves lead in the 3Q on Prime! pic.twitter.com/f5p3UqWcDo

— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2026

I mentioned Twin Turbos earlier, right? The case for Ayo Dosunmu as a “Shooter” is interesting. His three-point rate is on the low end, but he converts them at a premium caliber. We’re talking team-best caliber (Sorry Joe Ingles and Enrique Freeman). He’s amazing as a catch-and-shoot threat to boot. Ayo isn’t usually in position as a corner shot taker, but his strong numbers at converting threes overall makes me feel comfortable labeling him as a shooter.

The Wolves rookie Isaiah Evans will remain an unknown for now. He was one of the best three-point shooters in the NCAA last season (3rd in ACC), but struggled in Summer League (26.7%). Evans likely won’t be in the rotation for now, but considering that shooting is the main reason he was drafted, we can give him the benefit of the doubt for now.

ISAIAH. EVANS. pic.twitter.com/PrdEkOEF8W

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 18, 2026

Veteran Trey Lyles is by-and-large a stretch big. His numbers weren’t great during his final season with Sacramento, but that team was a mess and his role had diminished at that point. The season prior, he had a much higher conversion rate (38.4%) on higher volume (68.2% 3PAr). He was also 40% on catch-and-shoot opportunities from perimeter. More recently, Lyles shot 39% from distance last year overseas with Real Madrid.

I struggled to determine if TJ Shannon deserved to be here. Similar to Ayo, he shot over 40% from perimeter last season on a slightly higher three-point rate. However, I would categorically consider Shannon to be more of a threat attacking the paint as opposed to as a spacer. His catch-and-shoot numbers were significantly lower so it just didn’t feel right to label him a “Shooter.”

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Defender/Hustle

^{*Isaiah Evans statistics from last season in NCAA
*Trey Lyles statistics from last season in NBA
*Stocks & deflections listed are per 36 minutes}

It has historically been difficult for box score statistics or a singular catch-all measurement to determine a player’s overall defensive impact. Simple “blocks and steals” numbers aren’t close to capturing one’s complete defensive footprint. Even deflections, which has become a more popular statistic recently, though useful, is just looking at one aspect of defense. Based on what was available to me, I did pull Defensive Win Shares and Defensive Box Plus Minus numbers for reference.

Based on these measurements, you can still squint and see some patterns. You have Jaylen Clark, who is clearly the highest overall achiever in this category (DWS is impacted by how many minutes someone plays). He’s elite at getting deflections or finishing defensive plays. It’s as obvious as when he swoops in to steal an inbounds pass, as it is when rides an opponents hip into a tough shot. There’s not much debate here for Clark County’s placement here.

Jaden McDaniels putback layup + Jaylen Clark on-ball defense to force the jump ball pic.twitter.com/OtBcpZ9u2Q

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 1, 2026

Then you have Josh Green and Donte DiVincenzo. They’re similar in their ability to muck things up on the defensive end. They’ll get in your jersey even if it forces the official to call a foul. Dive for a loose ball even if your legs are in the way. Run down a rebound way outside their zone which sends them flying into the first row. They’re here to irritate you. That said, they still differ in their own unique ways. DiVincenzo is more athletic and agile, while Green is more physical and strong. It’s no surprise that Connelly targeted someone like Green this offseason with DiVincenzo out.

Love the defense by Josh Green pic.twitter.com/WBJVGPciRI

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) November 1, 2024

Similar to his case as a “Shooter,” Ayo Dosunmu as a “Defender” can also been debated. The numbers don’t paint a plus defender. He’s never been elite at generating steals or blocks, but he’s one of those “solid as they come” players. Ayo might not wow you, but he will stick to the assignment. He can fight over screens well. He can contest without fouling. He can make quick and on time rotations. He can finish possessions with defensive rebounds. This singular play sequence against Jaylen Brown last season always left an impression on me. It’s why I’m a believer in him as a defender, even if not a top percentile one. Ayo takes pride on defense.

His Twin Turbo brother Bones Hyland is an interesting case too. By the eye test, he is surely a weak link on defense. He struggles to keep his man ahead of him, fouls a lot (second most behind Jaden McDaniels per 36), and is often lost on rotations. However, he generated a surprising amount of deflections and stocks, probably due to his absurdly long wingspan. Remember all those chase-down blocks he had? All to say, it still doesn’t feel honest to put Bizzy Bones in the “Defender” category.

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In Conclusion

Does this exercise help us determine who the final starter will be? It may depend on what the matchup calls for. Coach Chris Finch alluded to this as much, going to far as to show hesitation with inserting Jaden as the full-time power forward.

If you want to skew towards defense and spacing, you may be looking at Josh Green.

If you want to skew towards offense and creation, you may be looking at TJ Shannon.

If you want a more well balanced approach, you may be looking at Ayo Dosunmu.

We all know our friends over in New York is still celebrating his 2026 championship. The Knicks famously acquired defensive-minded wings on their team who were integral to raising a banner. They had previously earned the nickname “Wing Stop.” Do the Wolves have their own “Wing Stop” brewing? It might be a little early for that, but they have options.

Maybe this is just a stopgap.

Maybe it’s just “Wing Stop, Just Young”.

LeBron James wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t care about money when assessing his options in NBA free agency. Any team in the league could have landed James for essentially the veteran’s minimum if they could make the case that they gave him the best chance to win a fifth championship.

In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers won the LeBron sweepstakes. James is joining a lineup that already includes Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. The bench is pretty strong too with Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Labaron Philon, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona, Justin Edwards, and Ariel Hukporti. I predicted the Sixers were the favorites to sign James last weekend, but it’s still hard to believe it actually happened.

The Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers have to be heartbroken over James’ decision. The Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves must be kicking themselves that they couldn’t make a couple more moves to woo LeBron. Do the Boston Celtics suddenly regret the shocking Jaylen Brown to Philly trade that set LeBron’s decision into motion?

I released by way-too-early NBA power rankings two weeks ago, and now they’re already irrelevant after LeBron’s decision. With the Oklahoma City Thunder also trading Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal, it feels appropriate to refresh the rankings. Here’s our latest power rankings for the 2026-2027 NBA season. One note: this is based on championship chances, not regular season performance. We’ll have more notes on the changes after the table.

Rank	Team	Change
1	Oklahoma City Thunder	—
2	San Antonio Spurs	—
3	New York Knicks	—
4	Minnesota Timberwolves	—
5	Philadelphia 76ers	Up 7
6	Boston Celtics	Down 1
7	Los Angeles Lakers	Down 1
8	Denver Nuggets	Down 1
9	Detroit Pistons	Down 1
10	Toronto Raptors	Down 1
11	Houston Rockets	Up 2
12	Cleveland Cavaliers	Down 2
13	Indiana Pacers	Down 2
14	Atlanta Hawks	Up 3
15	Miami Heat	Down 1
16	Orlando Magic	Down 1
17	Portland Trail Blazers	Down 1
18	Utah Jazz	—
19	Phoenix Suns	—
20	Dallas Mavericks	—
21	Charlotte Hornets	—
22	Memphis Grizzlies	—
23	Golden State Warriors	—
24	New Orleans Pelicans	—
25	Brooklyn Nets	—
26	Los Angeles Clippers	—
27	Washington Wizards	—
28	Chicago Bulls	—
29	Milwaukee Bucks	—
30	Sacramento Kings	—

Let’s dive into some changes from the last edition of power rankings.

The Thunder have a weak grip on No. 1 after the Lu Dort trade

The Thunder traded Lu Dort to save on their tax bill, and even Sam Presti admitted as much. I thought Dort was borderline unplayable late in the playoffs last year with a shaky handle, poor passing vision, and an inconsistent three-point stroke, but his defense was still impactful to opponents who feared his physicality. Losing Dort means more minutes for Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace, and Jared McCain, which should be a very good thing for OKC. It also means some of the young guns need to step up behind them, and the pressure is now on Nikola Topic and Bennett Stirtz, as well as Aday Mara and Thomas Sorber, to turn into decent rotation pieces.

I thought about moving OKC off the No. 1 spot with this update. The Spurs whooped them all season, right? The Knicks deserve the benefit of the doubt after a championship run, don’t they? The thing that keeps bringing me back to OKC is that we didn’t really get to see this team fully healthy all year, not with Jalen Williams and Mitchell both suffering untimely injuries. I hate the way Chet Holmgren looks in the Spurs matchup against Victor Wembanyama, but to me he’s still a top-15 player against anyone else. At the end of the day, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still the best guard in the game, and I’ll take my chances with him fully in his prime.

There is part of me that thinks losing Dort could be addition by subtraction for the Thunder. Their season will be determined by Williams’ health, Holmgren’s mindset, and Mitchell’s ability to level up again. I still think this is the strongest roster in the NBA, so they’re No. 1 entering the season to me.

The Sixers’ postseason ceiling is real, but can they get there?

I don’t love the fit with LeBron on the Sixers. Sorry. There are a lot of guys here at their best with the ball in their hands, with Philly’s five projected starters totaling 140% in usage rate. The defense is even more worrisome. Scaling down can be as hard as scaling up, and I just don’t think Jaylen Brown or Joel Embiid as it in their game to do it. Those two will need to prove me wrong for Philly to walk away from this season with a championship.

Can Brown adjust to a more off-ball role where he maximizes his three-point rate and locks in off-the-ball defensively? He only hit 33.1% on 2.5 catch-and-shoot attempts from three per game last year, and he’s always been inattentive defensively when he’s not guarding the ball. Can Embiid forgo his need for post touches and instead use most of his energy to get back to being a monster rim protector? I’m skeptical he’s interested in doing that. The Celtics shopped Brown to the entire NBA and no one wanted him enough to beat Philly’s offer. LeBron is seeing something that the nerds in rival front offices aren’t seeing, and that makes this move feel like a big bet on “Jaylen Brown, the superstar” as much as anything else.

The media is going to expect this team to be really good, but there’s quite a bit of downside here. James is going to need to have a big time shooting season after hitting just 31.7% from deep last year. He’s going to need to push himself as a leader to get Brown and Embiid to buy into their best roles. I still trust LeBron’s ability to problem-solve in the biggest moments, and this team will need it. I like Philly a lot better as a playoff team than a regular season team, but only if they’re healthy. That’s a big if with this collection.

Miami and Cleveland are the big losers of LeBron’s decision

Don’t look now, but the Heat and Cavs might be fighting to just get out of the play-in tournament after LeBron decided against a reunion with both franchises.

The Heat landed Giannis Antetokounmpo, but their depth is poor and they don’t really have any future assets left to continue building out the team. Miami is always so good at developing players on the margins, and this will be the biggest test yet of their ability to do it again. The Cavs are coming off a decidedly unconvincing run to the Eastern Conference Finals, and they’ve only gotten worse this summer. Dean Wade is gone, and the only addition to the roster is second-round pick Meleek Thomas. I don’t care how great Thomas looked in summer league, this roster is in big trouble, and James choosing to go elsewhere is a huge indictment.

I’m liking the Hawks roster as much or more than the Heat and Cavs’. With New York, Philly, Boston, and Toronto (assuming they land Kawhi) all looking like better regular season teams, the pressure is on the front offices for Miami and Cleveland to pull a rabbit out of their hat at some point to up their ceiling and give their teams a real chance come playoff time.

Julian Champagnie has been with the Spurs now for just over three seasons. This summer he signed a 3-year/$45M contract that should keep the 3-point assassin decked out in Silver & Black for the foreseeable future. Never one to shy away from the community aspect of the Spurs Organization, Champagnie made a surprise visit to USAA recently to spend some time with families who have lost a parent serving in the military.

Julian Champagne surprised military families at USAA, to bring hope and healing to children who have lost a parent serving in the military.

“Champagnie helped volunteers pack back to school supplies and faced some of the Gold Star kids in a Smash Bros tournament. He says the… https://t.co/TR0WoL9iFlpic.twitter.com/pP75Aqw4QW

— Wemby Alien Era (@WembyAlienEra) July 24, 2026

During his presser, he expressed his interest in playing with the Spurs for the rest of his career.

Sure, every player is semi-required to say that where they are is where they always want to be, but considering the mutual respect between Champagnie and the Spurs, this makes sense. He was pulled off waivers two days after being released by the Philadelphia 76ers while they cleared a roster spot for Mac McClung. The Sixers got a Dunk Contest winner and the Spurs added a key piece to their team. Champagnie has not only been one of the best shooters in for the franchise, his rebounding has become an essential element of the Spurs defense.

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LeBron James has chosen the Philadelphia 76ers as the next team he will play for in his illustrious career. As James has been wont to do over the past two decades, he once again took his time in making a decision before joining up with the newly reloaded 76ers who benefited from the acquisition of Jaylen Brown earlier in the offseason.

It was widely believed that James all but halted the offseason for the entire league, as other transactions were put on hold pending the outcome of his latest decision. Some teams, including the Dallas Mavericks, operated around such roadblocks, but now that there are at least four more teams – more than 10% of the league – no longer in play for James’ services (the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves were all rumored as serious suitors), it’s widely expected further transactions will now take place.

As things took shape, the Mavericks were doing work. They quite literally scoured the earth for talent in an effort to get younger and more athletic around franchise cornerstone, Cooper Flagg. Much of those efforts took place in the margins, but with James’ stranglehold on the proceedings now released, Dallas may very well be poised to move some of their now-redundant pieces as they continue to rebuild. Following are arguably the three most likely candidates to find themselves in different uniforms by the start of next season.

Klay Thompson

Thompson may be the most obvious candidate to be moved off the Dallas roster. He came to Dallas as the missing piece in a championship team, only to watch those prospects dissolve mere months later at the hands of Nico Harrison. Since that time, Thompson’s presumably limited remaining playing career has been spent on an oft-injured 26-win team. He has remained a professional through it all, but one has to assume he’d like a chance to join a team on his own terms and pursue immediate playoff basketball.

Where Thompson would go is anyone’s guess, but a reunion with the Golden State Warriors (who are now free of James’ hold) would be charming, assuming Thompson reconciles his differences with them. The Miami Heat (also out of the James running) make a lot of sense, too. Both clubs offer Thompson a chance to win now, rather than spend the remaining years of his career in a rebuild. Whatever the case, it would be nice to see Thompson get a chance to play past April, and it would afford Dallas the chance to let their younger players get necessary reps. Moving Thompson is a win/win.

Daniel Gafford

I am a fan of Daniel Gafford and have long been an advocate for keeping him in Big D. While I remain a fan, one of the biggest reasons I wanted him to stick around was because the prospect of having zero capable centers on the roster was far from ideal. That scenario has now changed with the acquisition of Santi Aldama, the return of Moussa Cisse, the selection of Morez Johnson, Jr. in this summer’s NBA Draft and an overall influx of size. Not all of these players are centers in the truest sense, but the Mavericks have gotten taller and longer overall and should be more than capable of going big even in the absence of Gafford. If Derek Lively returns healthy, they will be better positioned still.

It feels as though the writing is on the wall for Gafford, as rumors have swirled around him since last season’s trade deadline. At this point, it is probably for the best for both sides to find a new destination where he fits the timeline better, and where the Mavs can restock some draft capital or obtain some guard depth. The latest rumors have him packaged with none other than…

P.J. Washington

Whether or not Washington is packaged with Gafford, it seems there is a real chance he could be shipped out. He (along with Gafford) is one of the higher paid players on the team but still has a tradable contract. Moving him, especially in light of the glut of forwards on the team, which has only increased in size this offseason, could potentially offer the Mavs financial flexibility or at least the opportunity to pick up some equally-paid talent or picks. It’s difficult to envision the Mavs stripping out all of their veteran leadership, but with Naji Marshall’s presence and his ability to ball-handle and create his own shot, there is a strong case to be made that he sticks around over Washington.

Rumors are now circulating that both Washington and Gafford could be moved in the same transaction, albeit to different locations. The rumored framework sends Washington to the Portland Trailblazers, Gafford to the Utah Jazz and Jrue Holiday to the Mavericks along with a lottery-protected first round pick and three second round picks. If such a transaction comes to fruition, it would be a solid move for Dallas. They would move out two slightly older players that don’t necessarily fit long term for an even older player, but one that fits a current need and comes along with much needed draft capital. Holiday could be a boon for the Mavericks, as they work Kyrie Irving back from injury. He would also replace the veteran leadership lost in Washington and Gafford, while serving as a mentor to young guards Sergio De Larrea and Marcus Sasser. He has two years remaining on his contract, which frankly, is massive ($35 million plus each year) and the primary drawback to such a deal.

For now, all we have are rumors and speculation, but with the brakes off for the remainder of the summer, it’s fair to expect one or more of Thompson, Gafford and Washington will be playing elsewhere come October. Stay tuned to Mavs Moneyball for all the latest transactions as and when they become reality.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

Good morning, BBN!

It finally happened: LeBron James has decided where he wants to play next, and he’s pairing up with former Wildcats Tyrese Maxey and Justin Edwards with the Philadelphia 76ers.

If you’re a LeBron fan, like me, you have to be on cloud 9. 

If you’re not, but you’re a Kentucky fan, you should still be very excited. The last time LeBron teamed up with a former Cat, it resulted in a championship. LeBron and AD were unstoppable when they first teamed up with the Los Angeles Lakers; I wish we could’ve seen them healthier together. 

Nonetheless, it looks like this will be LeBron’s last stop before retirement, and what better way to finish it than with Maxey, Edwards, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid. 

If this doesn’t make them the favorite in the East past the defending champion Knicks, it certainly makes them 2nd. 

It should be an absolutely wild 2026-27 NBA season, and I, for one, can’t wait. Bring all the madness, and please, everyone, stay healthy! 

Are you excited about LeBron heading to Philly?

Tweet of the Day

Wonderful day and wedding for the big guy! Congratulations to Aaliyah and @Oscartshiebwe34 , what a fantastic journey…just getting started!!! pic.twitter.com/gR8P81nbuO

— KentuckyCards (@KentuckyCards) July 25, 2026

Congrats to Oscar Tshiebwe, who also just signed with the Houston Rockets!!!

Headlines

As Summer Practice Nears End, Pope ‘Excited’ About Cats – UK Athletics

After all of the controversy we’ve seen, it has been a pretty good summer.

Craig Skinner to be Inducted into Delaware County (IN) Athletic Hall of Fame – UK Athletics

Very well-deserved.

Lance Heard, Willie Rodriguez Earn Preseason Media Days All-SEC Honors – UK Athletics

Excited for these two.

LeBron picks 76ers as ‘last decision,’ to sign 2-year, $8M deal – ESPN

Love that he took less money to pursue a championship.

Michael Kim shoots 59 at the 2026 3M Open, joins historic group on PGA Tour with 16th sub-60 round – CBS Sports

Insane round.

Andy Reid: Patrick Mahomes has been cleared to fully participate – NBC Sports

Wow.

Dribble Handoff: Which new college basketball coach will have the most successful long-term career? – CBS Sports

Love Mike Malone with North Carolina.

Bryson DeChambeau: I could have fought for Open win without penalty – ESPN

Sure, Bryson, sure.

Ranking NFL contenders by backup QB situations: Mac Jones, Davis Mills headline best insurance policies – CBS Sports