Category: Sports News

Some moments are bigger than basketball.

LeBron James posted an Instagram reel on Thursday night that captured his summer, as it featured multiple photos and videos of him playing golf alongside his son Bronny James, while the song “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” by Roy Ayers Ubiquity played in the background.

Seeing their summer recapped on the golf course was a touching moment. But it was the message that was written in the caption that really felt touching.

“Can’t tell you how special times like these are for me being a dad! S–t damn near had me in tears out there yesterday afternoon,” LeBron wrote. “Never had these moments growing up so it REALLY means EVERYTHING to me. LOVE BEING A DAD!”

The pictures and videos of the James family spending their summer golfing together were captured by former Lakers photographer — now freelancer — Abigail Keenan Field. James tagged her in the post and wrote: “Thank you for capturing the moment.”

While everyone knows the James family for their continuous love of playing basketball, both LeBron and Bronny have been spotted playing rounds of golf over the summer.

After the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the father-son combo was seen out on the golf course in May, with Jay-Z playing in the background.

Bronny’s golf swing caught the attention of everyone that day, as NBA fans were saying he has a better swing than his father, and was even compared to having a similar swing to Rory McIlroy.

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Professional golfer Michael S. Kim commented on the comparison and said Bronny has “a really solid swing.”

While the two of them have been enjoying their time on the golf course, all good things must come to an end. Including teammates.

Damnnn. Slightly over the top but a really solid swing

— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) May 20, 2026

LeBron is about to embark on a new journey as he won’t be wearing a Lakers uniform for the first time in eight years, after he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers over the offseason.

Bronny is entering his third season in the NBA and it will be the first time since he was at USC, that he won’t be playing on a basketball court alongside his Dad.

Kyrie Irving went 19 months without talking to reporters. When he finally did on Friday, Sept. 24, he said the torn ACL that kept him out of the NBA all that time was "probably the best thing that happened to me."

He said he is done rehabbing. The Dallas Mavericks guard told reporters at the team's media day that he has no physical restrictions in his left knee, which he injured March 3, 2025.

"I'm ready to go out there and kick some butt," Irving said. "I know that naysayers or some of the questions around where I'm going to be are going to be inevitable. But for me, I have the confidence of a champion."

All that time away also gave him a lot of time to think. Irving, 34, said he spent it considering "where I want to be as a player and most importantly where do I want to be as a man.

"How can people look to me to be a better leader, a better communicator, be more emotional, more vulnerable," Irving said.

Kyrie Irving's comeback by the numbers

■ 19: Months he's been sidelined. A typical ACL recovery takes nine to 12 months.

■ 34: His age and he knows that isn't on his side. "Being 34 years old, I'm going on Year 16," he said. "Been through a lot, been through a lot of ups and downs as a person."

■ 9: All-Star selections

■ 1: Championship, won with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016

■ 0: Reasons to doubt his effort, according to Irving. "You never have to worry about me falling short of (putting) my best foot forward out there."

MAVERICKS SEASON PREVIEW: Lineup, roster, prediction, biggest question

When does Kyrie Irving play next?

The Mavericks open the preseason with two games against the Houston Rockets in Macao, China on Oct. 9 and 11. The regular season starts Oct. 21 in Houston. The home opener is Oct. 24 against the San Antonio Spurs.

Irving expects it all to come back quickly. He's looking forward to lacing up his shoes, getting on the court with his teammates and, as he put it, showing "everybody what I got again.

"It's just like riding a bike."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyrie Irving healthy and ready to 'kick some butt' for Mavericks

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

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This is now an open thread

With training camp starting next week, the Lakers’ front office has been quietly busy in recent days. They signed Anton Watson, Chase Ross and Meechie Johnson Jr. to Exhibit 10 deals, although they waived Watson one day later. Ross and Johnson were not far behind as they were waived on Sunday night for Cole Swider and William Kyle III.

What’s the point of signing someone only to waive him the next day? Why are the Lakers signing these guys when they already have 16 players on standard contracts? In essence, they’re using the expanded roster limits for training camp—teams can have up to 21 players until the regular-season cutdown—to build out their G League roster.

Exhibit 10 contracts effectively allow the Lakers to funnel a bit of extra money to players as long as they stay on the newly branded Coachella Valley Lakers for at least 60 days. They’re eligible to receive anywhere between $5,000 and roughly $90,000 from the Lakers if they do so, and that money won’t count toward the Lakers’ team salary, so it won’t impact their luxury-tax bill or their proximity to the first apron. In essence, there’s no downside for the Lakers unless you’re an heir of Mark Walter, Bob Iger or Josh Kushner.

The Lakers do have to waive Ross and Johnson prior to the start of the regular season for them to be eligible for that bonus. But since the Lakers already have 16 players on standard contracts, both players would be facing an uphill battle to make the regular-season roster as is. The Lakers might want to keep them around for training camp to see if they merit either a standard roster spot or one of their three two-way slots, because players on Exhibit 10 deals can’t be converted to two-way contracts once the regular season begins.

The Boston Celtics originally selected Watson with the No. 54 overall pick in the 2024 draft. They signed him to a two-way deal that offseason, but he never appeared in a regular-season game for them before they waived him in March 2025. The Knicks claimed him on waivers two days later, and he played a grand total of 22 minutes across nine games for them at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

The Lakers signed Watson to an Exhibit 10 deal last year as well before waiving him prior to the start of the 2025-26 regular season. He averaged 11.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 50.0% overall and 33.2% from deep for the then-South Bay Lakers across 50 appearances last year.

Ross went undrafted out of Marquette this past summer after averaging 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a senior. He was named to the Big East All-Defensive team this past year.

Johnson also went undrafted this past summer after bouncing between Ohio State and South Carolina in college. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game as a super senior, although he shot only 41.4% overall and 32.6% from deep.

The Lakers have now signed six players to Exhibit 10 contracts, which is the most they’re allowed to have. Watson, Ross and Johnson figure to join Robbie Avila, Williams Kyle III and Robert McCray in the G League within the next few weeks to fill out the Coachella Valley Lakers’ roster. If any of them manage to stay on the roster through Christmas, they’ll likely have a few extra bucks to dole out around the holidays this year.

These signings might all sound like inconsequential moves around the margins, and they very well might be. The odds of any of them becoming impactful players for the Lakers one day aren’t great. But the Lakers are smart to take advantage of Exhibit 10 deals to get as many players as possible into their developmental ecosystem, especially if the cost of doing so is effectively a rounding error for their owners.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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What Steph Curry's less-than-max $116M extension means for Warriors' future originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen Curry could have waited until December, when he could gather enough intel on this Warriors season to have at least some idea of its direction.

He could have remained patient until the Feb. 11, 2027 NBA trade deadline, giving Golden State CEO Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy four-plus months to buttress the roster or simply consider that deed completed with the anticipated midseason returns of Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody.

Curry, however, decided to put pen to paper on Friday, signing a two-year contract extension worth a reported $116 million, $20 million less than the maximum $136 million he became eligible for last month. He holds a player option for Year 2 (2028-29). 

Curry has consistently said he wants to be a Warrior for life, and there is every reason to believe him. This extension, however, indicates the most decorated player in franchise history wants to give himself leverage after he turns 40.

Two days after Curry said his contract status would not be a distraction, this guarantees it.

More significantly, though, Curry’s willingness to take less than the max gives the Warriors considerable room to maneuver next summer. They could have at least $60 million in cap space in the summer of 2027.

Curry reportedly will earn $55.7 million in 2027-28, nearly $6 million less than he will be paid ($62.6 million) for the upcoming season. Consider this a roughly 10 percent sacrifice for the sake of building a stronger roster.

The heat now turns up on Lacob and Dunleavy, as it’s up to the front office to do the work.

“I’m pretty sure just knowing the dynamics of our team, where we’re at, and all that,” Curry said on Wednesday. “It’s not really an obvious type of let’s-just-do-this-and-keep-it-moving type situation. This is one of the rare ones in my career that you’re trying to make sure you have just peace of mind with it all. I don’t know if there’s any more new information. It’s just the conviction of I’m doing the right thing for me, for the team, for now, for the future, like all those things.

“And it’s obvious I don’t have that many more bats at the plate. So just want to make sure I’m doing right by me and by the team.”

Curry, 38, acknowledges that the sun is setting on his career. The extension pushes his career to 20 years, and he’s big on the significance of numbers – just as he committed to retire having worn only one jersey.

Curry for many years has done his part to boost the Warriors. This is yet another effort.

So, now we wait.

Wait to see how the Warriors look in the first three months of the season whether there is a quick reaction. Wait to see if Lacob/Dunleavy find a way to bolster the roster at the trade deadline. Wait to see if they use their optionality – the word often used by Dunleavy – to reshape the roster next summer.

It would be a shame, however, if the waiting is in vain.

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