Berube, 60, was sporting a major black eye when he addressed the media on Friday, Jan. 23, before his team took on the Vegas Golden Knights that evening.
He said it was from an accident in the gym on Thursday.
"The other guy looked way worse," he joked. "There were three of them."
He then lifted his cap to show a major gash on his forehead that had been stitched up.
"It was stupid," he said. "It was this bad accident. It's all on me. It's my fault, and I'm fine."
Leafs HC Craig Berube reveals a massive gash on his head as the result of an accident in the gym. 🫢🤕 pic.twitter.com/zVQ25tDGVi
Coming off a tough loss against the Houston Rockets, the Spurs traveled to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz. Luke Kornet did not play due to an adductor injury, and Lauri Markkanen did not play due to reconditioning. After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Spurs started the second quarter on a 15-0 run. They outscored the Jazz 34-22 in the quarter and took a 12-point lead into halftime. The Jazz mounted a comeback and tied the game, but the Spurs still held a seven-point lead going into the fourth. That lead quickly dissipated, and the game was tied once again with 10:28 remaining. Then, the Spurs finally locked in on both ends to shut the Jazz out. After a 9-0 run by the silver and black, the Jazz countered with bits of scoring. However, the lead kept growing, and De’Aaron Fox caught fire from three. The Spurs outscored the Jazz 29-17 in the quarter, closed the game on a 9-0 run, and ultimately won 126-109.
De’Aaron Fox led the way with 31 points (10-13 FG, 6-9 3PT, 5-6 FT), five rebounds, five assists, and a block. D-Fox dropped his highest scoring game since December 3rd versus Orlando, and most of his damage came in the fourth. The former Clutch Player of the Year cashed in 11 points in the quarter, including swishing three three-pointers in the span of two minutes. Without his clutch heroics, this young Spurs team may have once again struggled to close out a game in which they held a double-digit lead.
D3’AARON! D-Fox knocks down the corner three early in the first!
Victor Wembanyama dropped a double-double: 26 points (9-14 FG, 4-7 3PT, 4-4 FT) and 14 rebounds to go along with five blocks and three assists. After struggling against Houston, Vic shot efficiently from the field and was even better defensively. He recorded his first five-block game since December 27th against the Lakers. As far as the buckets go, Vic scored in the paint, from the midrange, from the three, and even converted all four of his free throws. Because of Kornet’s injury, Wemby played 33 minutes, which is the most he’s played since November 14th versus Golden State.
W3MBY! Vic gets his early scoring going with a three in the first!
Keldon Johnson dropped 21 points, five assists, a rebound, a steal, and a block. KJ attempted a season-high 19 shots and drained nine of them. There was a stretch in the fourth quarter where Mitch Johnson deployed a small-ball lineup where KJ played center and guarded Nurkic. KJ held his own and drained buckets by cutting off screens and using his patented spin move, driving in the post. He is currently one of the favorites for Sixth Man of the Year.
KJ BIG BODY AND-ONE! After the block by Dylan Harper, the Spurs pushed the ball up the court in transition to a leaking KJ who fights through the contact from Cody Williams for the and-one!
Julian Champagnie dropped 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-9 3PT), three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. After catching fire in Houston with 27 points on eight threes, Julian continued his hot shooting against the Jazz. He provided the Spurs with a scoring boost in the first quarter, swishing most of his threes. He has done an excellent job since Devin Vassell’s injury, and it looks like he may receive an invite to the 3-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend.
On the board! Julian scores the first points for the Spurs on a sniper three from the wing!
Stephon Castle dropped 16 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals. Steph played a season-high 38 minutes and filled the stat sheet. Despite struggling from the field, he did a decent job limiting Utah’s guards from having an explosive game. Steph also got his money’s worth at the free-throw line, making seven of 10 attempts. It is clear Steph is still trying find consistency on his shot, but this team’s shooters will continue to give him assists.
Keeping them honest! Steph knocks down the three-pointer after the defender left too much space!
Carter Bryant dropped seven points, four rebounds, an assist, and a block in just 13 minutes. The game is slowing down for Carter, as he showed a solid 3&D performance in a short burst. No matter who was in front of him, he showed no fear defensively. As far as the offense goes, he drained a three and pulled out this eurostep move on a fastbreak layup!
This was a nice bounce-back win for the silver and black. Even when it looked like the Spurs might blow another game in which they held a double-digit lead, the team buckled down defensively in the fourth and used their two best players on offense down the stretch. The Fox/Wemby pick-and-roll was deadly, and it might spark more usage for the rest of the season, especially in the fourth. Remember the cold streak of games where the Spurs could not buy a bucket from three? Well, 18 made threes against the Jazz has cemented a hot streak of at least 14 made threes in the last week.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs return home to take on the New Orleans Pelicans this Sunday at 6:00 P.M (CST) on FDSN-SW.
RAIPUR, India (AP) — Ishan Kishan and captain Suryakumar Yadav blasted half-centuries for India to beat New Zealand by seven wickets and lead their Twenty20 series 2-0 on Friday.
Kishan smacked 76 off 32 balls with 11 boundaries and four sixes. Yadav top-scored with 82 not out off 37 balls, with nine fours and four sixes.
Shivam Dube finished off the chase with an unbeaten 36 off 18, including three sixes, as India reached 209-3 in 15.2 overs.
New Zealand put up a sub-par 208-6 on a beautiful batting pitch.
Asked what par was, captain Mitchell Santner said, “Against these guys, 300 maybe?”
Rachin Ravindra led the Black Caps top order with 44 off 28 without much support. Santner added 47 not out off 27 to push New Zealand past 200.
Guwahati hosts the third T20 on Sunday in the five-match series.
India started off 6-2 after seven balls.
Kishan then steamrolled to 50 off 21 and the fastest T20 half-century for India against New Zealand. In the 100-run stand with Yadav, Yadav contributed only 19.
The pair blew away the New Zealand bowlers for 122 off 48 balls when Kishan was caught at square leg off Ish Sodhi in the 10th over.
“I don't know what Ishan had in the afternoon for lunch but I have never seen someone batting that way at 6 for 2 and ending the powerplay on 60-odd,” Yadav said. “I was angry he wasn't giving me strike in the powerplay but I was able to get a hold of the conditions.”
Yadav took up the charge with with a 23-ball half-century, his first in 24 T20s stretching back to October 2024. Yadav had some luck; he was dropped on 43, 64 and 70.
He and Dube gave New Zealand no respite as they combined for 81 off 37 balls to round up the innings.
India won with 28 balls to spare, the most by a full member chasing 200-plus in T20s.
New Zealand was made to bat first and openers Devon Conway and Tim Seifert showcased the easy nature of the pitch with a shared 43 off 20 balls.
Ravindra hit four sixes and set the stage for a tall total but India struck at regular intervals — in-form Glenn Phillips was out for 19 off 13 and Daryl Mitchell for 18 off 11.
New Zealand was down to 125-4 in the 12th over and, despite a good scoring rate, suffered when Ravindra was caught off Kuldeep Yadav in the 13th over.
Kuldeep Yadav, playing for the injured Axar Patel, took 2-35 in four overs.
We made it to another Friday. I had my birthday yesterday and didn’t really do all that much differently than a normal Thursday, which made it a nice day. I had a cardio tennis class, which is just a run-yourself-into-the-ground-for-an-hour thing, and squash last night, which, again, is run-yourself-into-the-ground. And there were calls from our kids and friends mixed in. Tonight it is drinks with friends.
There isn’t much for news, yet again, today.
The Jays are going to wear a patch celebrating their 50 years in the MLB this seasson:
As always, my first reaction is that it can’t be 50 years because I remember the first season. My second is I’d like to get a pin of that.
Bo Bichette sent Jays’ fans a message through Hazel Mae:
Whit Merrifield has decided to tell us that Bo “loves Toronto, loves the Jays, loves the city, loves the fans.” And “that there was some stuff along the way that happened with Bo and the coaching staff.” I’m sure that Bo did love Toronto and all. I don’t believe that the reason he signed with the Mets had anything to do with a problem with the coaching staff. I think it had more to do with the $42 million a season the Mets offered. The Jays weren’t going to match that.
Whit also told us that Kyle Tucker wanted to sign with the Jays, they just wouldn’t offer enough money. I’ll believe that. I believe that Tucker wanted to sign with whatever team offered the most money. The Dodgers decided to offer what I think is an insane amount of money, so he signed there.
There are three Blue Jays on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list:
10: Trey Yesavage
62: Arjun Nimmala
68: JoJo Parker
About Parker they said:
Scouting Report: Parker is a physical shortstop who stands 6-foot-2 with a strong, muscular build and room to add more strength. He was one of the older players in the 2025 high school class but shows arguably the best balance of hitting and power among his prep peers. Parker sets up with an open stance and a narrow base. He rests the bat on his shoulder, then engages his load with a leg kick that feeds into an aggressive stride. Parker shows plus bat-to-ball skills and a patient approach. He can get overly passive at times, taking too many hittable pitches in the zone. He does a good job of pulling pitches located on the inner half of the plate and shows plus raw power. His swing is more geared toward hard line drives than lofted fly balls, but he should grow into above-average power at peak. Parker is an average runner who gets out of the box well, but he’s unlikely to impact the game much with his speed. Parker is a shortstop at present but is likely to move to third base. He lacks the quick-twitch mechanisms and range needed to play shortstop. He does have a strong internal clock and an above-average arm.
The Future: Parker projects as an above-average regular at third base who could one day grow into an all-star.
They also had LHP Johnny King on their ‘just missed out’ list. He was a third-round pick in 2024 and struck out 105 in 61.2 innings spilt between Dunedin and the FCL.
The Jays announced their non-roster spring training invites.
There are just 13 days until the NBA trade deadline, and while this is often when talks heat up, this year is seeing some cooling as well — this could be a quiet trade deadline (at least for those wanting to see a blockbuster deal). Here is the latest from around the league.
No Karl-Anthony Town talks
Knicks fans' frustration with Towns may be at an all-time high, but that doesn't mean the New York front office is looking to move on from him, according to multiple reports.
Sam Amick at The Athletic was definitive in what he wrote on Friday, recalling what team owner James Dolan recently said in a radio interview.
"According to league and team sources, the Knicks have not engaged in any discussions about a possible Towns trade this season and plan on persevering with him during this challenging time. That intel is consistent with what Dolan said in his interview, when he insisted that 'This group can win a championship; I believe that.'"
Based on conversations with various league sources, my read on the New York Knicks with Karl-Anthony Towns, the Memphis Grizzlies with Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Charlotte Hornets with LaMelo Ball is that those teams are not actively seeking to solicit offers on those players at this point.
If the Knicks fall short of Dolan's stated goal of at least making the NBA Finals this season, there will be changes. Mike Brown's job as coach would be in jeopardy, but Towns might be the biggest scapegoat. Just remember, it's a lot easier to match Giannis Antetokounmpo's salary in a hypothetical trade if Towns is in the deal.
Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga is back in the Warriors rotation (although he had to leave Thursday's game early after tweaking his ankle, a concerning sign). It's not that Steve Kerr had a change of heart, nor is this to boost Kuminga's trade value, this is all fallout from the devastating injury that ended Jimmy Butler's season.
None of that changes anything for Kuminga, he still wants to be traded, something Chris Haynes talked about on NBA Prime.
“Kuminga has no desire to remain a member of the Golden State Warriors.” @ChrisBHaynes reports on the relationship between the Dubs and Jonathan Kuminga pic.twitter.com/PfHNxA8GYn
The reality on the ground has not changed either: Both the Warriors and Kuminga are ready for a divorce, but the market for the wing is not strong. Maybe the Warriors find a trade they like, maybe they keep him past the trade deadline, pick up his option for next season and use his salary in a larger trade this offseason (Golden State wants to be in a Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, if there is one). The divorce is coming, just maybe not as quickly as either side would hope.
Ja Morant
League sources continue to tell NBC Sports that there isn't much of a market for Ja Morant's services, and he likely is in Memphis past the deadline. For example, Toronto is out of the sweepstakes, according to multiple reports, including Michael Grange at Sportsnet in Canada. However, Sam Vecenie at The Athletic is hearing something a little different.
Some executives would say that he has negative trade value because of his history of injuries and inability to stay on the court. Others look at him as a terrific buy-low candidate where they'd be willing to give up something to get a player who, when he's at his best, still looks like a serious difference-maker.
Those executives may want to buy low, but do the Grizzlies want to sell low?
Anthony Davis
There is an intentionally vague timeline on Davis’ hand injury and return (he is not having surgery and is being re-evaluated around the All-Star break) in part to keep the hopes of a Davis trade at the deadline alive. Davis' agent, Rich Paul, is pushing to find him a new home sooner rather than later.
However, the market for Davis has cooled in the wake of the hand injury, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. Davis remains more likely to be traded as part of what is shaping up to be a blockbuster summer, not before Feb. 5.
Other trade rumors
• Golden State is keeping an eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James, and would only trade Jimmy Butler for one of them (or a player of that level), reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.
• Speaking of the Warriors, they checked in with the Nets on Michael Porter Jr. but the asking price was higher than they were willing to spend and those talks are over, reports Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
• LaMelo Ball isn't going anywhere at the trade deadline (there isn't much of a market for him, at least at the price the Hornets would seek), but a deal for wing Miles Bridges is more possible, reports Sam Amick at The Athletic. He reports Bridges is "drawing significant interest" from teams including Milwaukee, Golden State and Phoenix. Of that trio, the desperate Bucks make the most sense.
• Houston has had some struggles of late where it became obvious how much they miss Fred VanVleet running the point and his shooting. With that, the Rockets are eyeing Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado, reports Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime.
While the Rockets have been linked to bigger names, the Rockets are hard-capped at the first tax apron and only have about $1.3 million in wiggle room below that, making a big move difficult to pull together. Alvarado makes $4.5 million (and has a matching $4.5 million player option for next season) and making that trade work is a lot more feasible.
• It's no secret Minnesota is looking to upgrade at the point guard position. Three names to watch areTyus Jones (Orlando), Malik Monk (Sacramento), and guard Collin Sexton (Charlotte), Siegel reports.
• Indiana is looking for a center and one potential deal to watch for is New Orleans to trade Yves Missi to the Pacers for wing Bennedict Mathurin, although that needs to be worked out with other players to fit under the CBA, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.
The Atlanta Braves had what can only be described as a woefully year. They were wracked with injuries to their rotation and lineup which led to a 76-86 record. good for 4th in the NLE. It was the first time Atlanta has missed the playoffs since 2017 and spelled the end for long time manager Brian Snitker. It’s clear the Braves are at a crossroads, especially with a farm system considered weak, yet the roster does include some formidable talents and some excellent young players along with established stars? Was this just an injury generated blip that will see the Braves return to power in the NLE or has the organization between eclipsed by the Mets and the Phillies?
I reached out to Ivan the Great, one of the editors at Battery Power, and he was kind enough to answer some questions about his take on the Braves offseason and the issues they face going into 2026.
So far, the Braves have added Ha-Seong Kim, Robert Suarez, Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubón and Jorge Mateo this offseason. Is this likely it and if not, what are the key areas that still need addressing?
It’s probably it. The Braves could probably use a lower-risk starter given that pretty much their entire rotation is high variance due to missing time with injury last year, but prices for durable starters have gone off the rails over the last few years, so I don’t think it’s necessarily something to expect. The flip side is that the Braves tend to operate by drawing a line in the sand about acquisition prices, but then being very opportunistic if they see something that comes in below that price – so you can’t rule out a late-breaking roster shuffle if an opportunity presents itself. That said, as prices for quality players of all stripes continue to rise, don’t bank on that, either.
The 2025 season was the least successful for the Braves since 2017. Is that largely attributed to injuries to key players or are there any underlying issues the team is facing to be competitive in 2026?
There was a point last season where I asked our community this question – framed as a binary choice between either the roster needing to change, or everything but the roster needing to change. To a person, every single respondent said the latter. Injuries are injuries, but the team was also horrendously injured in 2024 and weathered it okay, all things considered.
To avoid beating around the bush, I think the most succinct-if-a-little-too-glib correct answer is that the Braves have a very well-built roster, but do (or did, or have done) a lot of stupid stuff with it, and that level of “stupid stuff” hit a new high in 2025. The team consistently snubbed its nose at stuff like the times-through-the-order penalty and leverage, but was usually fine because the bats were outslugging everyone. The coup de grace, then, came in the offseason, when the powers that be, apparently spooked by a catastrophically large input-output gap on offense for much of the 2024 season, wheeled around to an offensive approach that was directly at odds with what the team had implemented from both a roster construction and coaching perspective from 2019-2024. A team of sluggers was asked to draw more walks and fight the ball off the other way, and it basically destroyed the season.
None of us have any idea whether “doing stupid stuff” is an underlying issue, or if things will magically be fixed with some turnover in the coaching staff in the offseason. We’ll have to wait and see. In general, you don’t expect a team’s talent to play down because who would bother with such a huge unforced error, right? But that’s what we’ve seen on the pitching end from this team here and there over the last few seasons, and then we saw it on the hitting side last year.
Which players really took the biggest steps forward this year for the club?
I think it has to be Drake Baldwin to start. He wasn’t really even in the conversation for the Opening Day roster, but Sean Murphy’s injury led to a Rookie of the Year campaign. Baldwin’s approach to hitting sort of goes against the grain of his teammates but also happened to dovetail really well with what the team was hoping the bats would do offensively. Given Sean Murphy’s bizarre status (playing through worse than a run-of-the-mill hip injury for multiple years), Baldwin has leapfrogged his way to being a key cog in this machine.
Hurston Waldrep had a nice run down the stretch last year, but he looks like he has a bunch of stuff to work through. That’s true of most young pitchers, but I think Baldwin took a definitive, huge step forward, and everyone else, Waldrep included, isn’t really in the same tier.
The Braves’ farm system is generally considered to be weak at the upper levels compared to most other clubs. Is there a likely world where one of their top prospects like Richie or Caminiti has a legitimate shot at the bigs this year, or is it most likely they’ll stay put until 2027 at the earliest?
One thing we know about the Braves is that they’ll promote you when they think you’re ready. They don’t care at all about outside evaluations, and they don’t seem to care about anything that you could likely garner from a stat sheet either. They have internal benchmarks and once you hit them, you’re going to be thrown into the fire, irrespective of innings at level or whatever. To that end, I don’t know how to speculate about a legitimate shot at promotion, since it depends on Caminiti and company hitting benchmarks that are totally opaque to me. Didier Fuentes got a promotion last year and didn’t stick – one of the few times a prospect call-up who appeared rushed to the majors by this regime didn’t.
The one thing possibly working against another out-of-nowhere promotion is that the Braves have a bunch of rotation options, at least until injuries strike. Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez could start or relieve depending on health and needs, Bryce Elder is kind of like the proverbial bad penny, and AJ Smith-Shawver should return eventually. That means that if prospect promotion were a combination of “readiness” and opportunity previously, the opportunity may be more constrained this time around.
Of the remaining FAs, which would fit best for the Braves, even if it’s a bit of a stretch they’d land there?
The QO and personality issues probably pose a challenge with regard to Framber Valdez, so I guess Chris Bassitt is the next man up in that regard. Whether Bassitt is truly a “fit” is hard to say, because it depends on whether the Braves consider him good enough to start a playoff game – that seems to be their (self-professed) bar for shelling out for a starter acquisition. If he is, then I think it’s not even a stretch that they add Bassitt eventually, as he helps smooth out the innings burden across the rotation. If not, then I have no idea – Zac Gallen also requires the loss of a draft pick. Maybe Zack Littell? Bassitt seems like the easy answer, though.
Assuming you could put on the ‘accept all trades’ button, what would an ideal but still realistic target be for you before ST starts?
Once upon a time this offseason, I would’ve said Otto Lopez, as he fits pretty much everything the Braves like, want, and need: undervalued relative to inputs and production, an approach that fits with 2025-Braves but could also benefit from the instruction of 2019-2024 Braves, and at a clear position of need. That ship has not only sailed with the Braves re-adding Ha-Seong Kim, but was probably never really tied up at the pier anyway.
The alternative is for some starters that aren’t really on the trading block but would’ve been nice if they were: Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, the largely unheralded Jose Soriano, that sort of thing. Other names that I could throw out in this tier would be MacKenzie Gore, Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Yusei Kikuchi, and Sandy Alcantara – none are perfect but that’s the sort of thing I expect from the Braves if “force trade” were a reality and they couldn’t go too off the rails. (In other words, they didn’t abuse their power to get Cole Ragans or something.)
I want to do a post about the Gore MacKenzie trade that talks about the prospects the Rangers give up. And as part of that, I was going to go through and look at who else the Rangers have traded, in terms of prospects, to get a major league return since the start of the 2023 season.
But such a list would be unwieldy in the middle of a post, and really, has value outside of the discussion of the Gore trade. So instead, I’m doing a separate post about it.
I’m not listing guys lost on waivers or sold for cash considerations to clear up a 40 man roster spot, since my focus is just on guys traded in actual baseball deals designed to make the present team better, not guys who are lost for procedural reasons. I’m also including guys who had technically lost their prospect eligibility because I’m not being pedantic about it.
Here you go:
Cole Ragans — 6/30/23 to Kansas City for Aroldis Chapman
Roni Cabrera — 6/30/23 to Kansas City for Aroldis Chapman
Luisangel Acuna — 7/30/23 to NY Mets for Max Scherzer and cash
Tekoah Roby — 7/30/23 to St. Louis for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton
Thomas Saggese — 7/30/23 to St. Louis for Jordan Montgomery and Chris Stratton
Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa — 5/8/24 to ChiSox for Robbie Grossman
Liam Hicks — 7/28/24 to Detroit for Carson Kelly
Tyler Owens — 7/28/24 to Detroit for Carson Kelly
Joseph Montalvo — 7/30/24 to Detroit for Andrew Chafin
Chase Lee — 7/30/24 to Detroit for Andrew Chafin
Brayan Mendoza — 12/11/24 to Miami for Jake Burger
Echedry Vargas — 12/11/24 to Miami for Jake Burger
Maximo Acosta — 12/11/24 to Miami for Jake Burger
Garrett Horn — 7/31/25 to Minnesota for Danny Coulombe
Mitch Bratt — 7/31/25 to Arizona for Merrill Kelly
Kohl Drake — 7/31/25 to Arizona for Merrill Kelly
David Hagaman — 7/31/25 to Arizona for Merrill Kelly
Skylar Hales — 7/31/25 to St. Louis for Phil Maton
Mason Molina — 7/31/25 to St. Louis for Phil Maton
Jaiker Garcia — 12/10/25 to Pittsburgh for Carter Baumler
Gavin Fien — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
Abi Ortiz — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
Devin Fitz-Gerald — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
Alejandro Rosario — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
Yeremy Cabrera — 1/22/26 to Washington for MacKenzie Gore
The guy who resuscitated the Los Angeles Lakers after a six-year playoff drought had to field questions about his relationship with Jeanie Buss?
The guy who won the team their first championship in 10 years had to address reported criticism from its governor?
LeBron James was peppered with questions about his relationship with Buss and his commitment to the team. Spectrum Sportsnet
The guy who devoted eight years of his career to the Lakers (his longest continuous stint anywhere) and is in a two-horse race with Michael Jordan for the greatest player of all-time, had to be in the hot seat?
As James stood by his locker following a 23-point, six-rebound and five-assist performance in the Lakers’ 112-104 loss to the LA Clippers on Thursday, he was peppered with questions about his relationship with Buss and his commitment to the team.
“Quite frankly, I don’t really get involved in that, or the reports, or whatever the case may be,” James said. “I’ve seen a lot of it, obviously, but I don’t really – I don’t really care about the reports, to be honest. You guys know me. You guys know since I’ve been here, my eighth year here, been in this league 23 years. It’s gonna be another article tomorrow, especially involving me.
The inquisition came after a wide-ranging ESPN story was published Wednesday which included claims that Buss has a myriad of frustrations with the superstar, including his “outsized ego,” his influence over the team, his lack of accountability over the Russell Westbrook disaster and his lack of gratitude over the team drafting his son.
As for James’ relationship with Buss?
Buss was not quoted in the story. And she issued a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday taking issue with the assertions in the article. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“I thought it was good,” he said. “But somebody could see it another way, so it’s always two sides of the coin. At the end of the day, how I represented this franchise, and what I wanted to do to represent this franchise from when I got here to now has been with the utmost respect, and honor and dignity and I would say loyalty. I mean, s—, I have played here longer than pretty much any other franchise I’ve played for besides Cleveland and that was a seven and a four.”
As for whether he wants to finish this season with the Lakers?
“I’m good,” said James, who has a no-trade clause in his contract. “I’m good. I’m good.”
But how could he be good?
LeBron dismissed the latest media storm as yet another deluge he has to weather. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Imagine pouring your heart out for an organization after joining it in free agency in 2018, winning them a championship in your second season with the team, becoming both the league’s all-time leading scorer and the league’s longest-tenured player while wearing a purple and gold jersey…. and then hearing that the team’s governor was frustrated with you.
That she “privately mused” about trading you in 2022. That she begrudgingly signed you to a two-year, $104 million contract extension in 2024.
Buss was not quoted in the story. And she issued a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday taking issue with the assertions in the article. “It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama. To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
James, of course, is no stranger to criticism.
He has been at the center of it since entering the league as an 18-year-old. He dismissed the latest media storm as yet another deluge he has to weather. He claims he’s unperturbed by the inclement weather.
“It really don’t bother me,” James said. “I’m 41 years old and I watch golf every day. I don’t care about an article. I don’t care how somebody feels about me. If you know me personally, then you know what I’m about. These guys know what I’m about and that’s all that matters. I could care less how somebody feels about me.”
LeBron said he came to the Lakers with one goal: Restoring them to excellence. AP
James went on to say he came to the Lakers with one goal: Restoring them to excellence.
“The things that I’ve seen growing up with the Lakers, obviously I didn’t get an opportunity to watch The Showtime [teams], but I know this history. And then in the early 2000s with Shaq and Kobe, and then what Kob did, and those couple runs with him and Pau. My whole mindset was how can I get that feeling back to the Lakers organization.”
James more than delivered.
He won the Lakers their 17th championship. He took a franchise that was languishing in basketball purgatory following Bryant’s torn Achilles’ tendon in 2013 and made them a success again.
And now he has to deal with this? In his 23rd season? When he’s contemplating retirement?
It’s a shame. The only thing more spectacular than James’ accomplishments on the court are his standards off of it. He avoids drama. He represents organizations with class.
And he gets repaid by this shadow over the final one-third of his career?
So what if James has an ego? You think one of the greatest players of all-time wouldn’t?
James shrugged off the drama, as he has done so many times in his career. He claimed none of it mattered to him. NBAE via Getty Images
So what if he had a lot of influence over the Lakers? Ultimately, Buss had the final say.
So what if James didn’t take accountability over the Westbrook trade? He’s not the general manager.
So what if James wasn’t overly gushing about the Lakers drafting his son, Bronny, with the 55th overall pick in 2024? Buss knows better than anyone about a father’s devotion to his children.
Even if Buss has legitimate reasons to be frustrated with James, the bottom line is he breathed new life into an organization that considers anything short of winning a championship a failure.
He has spent hours a day making sure he’s available night after night. He has given this organization his all. Really, what more could anyone want from their superstar?
James shrugged off the drama, as he has done so many times in his career. He claimed none of it mattered to him.
But this time, his tone and body language told another story.
Thelo Aasgaard has scored in three of his past four starts in the Scottish Premiership (three goals), including both of his latest two at Ibrox, with three of his four league goals for Rangers this season coming at home (75%).
Just 27% of Dundee's points in the Scottish Premiership this season have come away from home (six out of 22), the lowest ratio of any side, although they did pick up their first away league win of the season most recently at Dundee United (1-0).
Rangers have won their past five league matches, last winning more on the spin in February 2024 under Philippe Clement (nine).
Dundee are winless in 20 away games at Rangers in all competitions, although their 1-1 draw most recently (August 2025) ended a 19-game losing streak.
Rangers are unbeaten in 19 meetings with Dundee in all competitions (W15 D4) since a 2-1 defeat in November 2017.
Let’s try something new. We’re just going to pretend that the last game didn’t exist. We never played the Knicks two nights ago. We are on a clean slate right now. Everything is okay, guys!
Tonight, Brooklyn will be taking on Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics as the Nets will look to get back in the winning column after losing three straight (I mean two straight, wink wink.) Brown’s career year has propelled Boston to be the second best team in the Eastern Conference, even though they haven’t had Jayson Tatum all season. If the Nets ever needed a victory that to change the energy for the entire team, it would be this one.
Where To Watch
Check out the action at 7:30 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass, as well as streaming on the Gotham Sports App.
Injury Report
The G-League guys — Ben Saraf, Tyson Etienne, E.J. Liddell, and Chaney Johnson — will all be on Long Island duties. Haywood Highsmith is out as well. Highsmith, still recovering from his off-season knee surgery, was expected to be trade piece at the deadline, but with less than two weeks left, that seems uncertain.
For the C’s, Jayson Tatum continues to be on the bench due to his achilles surgery, but it looks like he ciykd possibly return soon, which would be huge of the Beantown title hopes…
Derrick White will rest this one out, which is a blessing for him. Out of the 43 games the Celtics have played, he has only missed one while leading the team in minutes. Josh Minott (left ankle sprain) will sit as well.
The Game
This is the third game between the Atlantic Division rivals. Back in November, the teams split two games. The Celtics won the first contest on November 18 at TD Garden, then it was the Nets turn three days later at Barclays.
During the approach of the start of the season, it had seemed that the Celtics had finally ended their reign of terror in the East. Aside from Tatum, giving up their championship pieces in Jrue Holliday and Kristaps Porzingis was seen as a sign that their dominance had come to an end, calming many between Toronto and Miami. Fast forward to this week and you wonder how anyone could have thought that. After all, they are the Celtics. But it’s not just the greenies history. Jaylen Brown, the highest paid player in the NBA (ever) has made the transition to legitimate superstar.
Through the season, Brown is averaging 29.8 points on 48.8 % from the field. In the last three games, Brown is averaging 34.3 and nine. Not to mention his leadership. After long being looked at as a second option, Brown is proving that he has the skillset and mindset to lead a team of his own. Other members of the Celtics have been making big leaps as well. Derrick White is still one of the best two-way players in the game, Payton Pritchard has emerged as a starting point guard, and Luka Garza, the former Iowa superstar, is contributing well as a stretch five. He’s currently shooting 47.1 % from the 3-point line. If he had enough shot attempts, he’d qualify as the NBA’s second best from beyond the arc. Who knew? Apparently Brad Stevens did.
If the Nets have a chance in this one, it all starts with MPJ and his shooting struggles as of late. Even though he did say to the media that he has been dealing with an MCL sprain, it matters how he can continue to play through it, since he is choosing too. And even though he is only a rookie, Egor has to be better as well. We were riding high when things were going good for him. Now it is time for him to value consistency in his play.
Player To Watch: Payton Pritchard
Pritchard is making the most of his first year as the starting point guard for the Celtics. He is averaging a career high 16.5 points along with 5.4 assists, also tops in his career. Even though he is shooting a career worst 33.7% from downtown, you still have to get up on him as soon as he crosses half court. Where he is most efficient, though, is on isolation situations, where Egor Demin and/or Cam Thomas will have to pay attention to him….
As Hardwood Houdini’s Tyler Watts wrote recently, it’s not just his individual numbers that are stellar.
The advanced metrics are strong for the 27-year-old guard. He has already produced a 0.8 value over replacement player (VORP) and sits well above league average in win shares per 48 minutes. The Celtics have won Pritchard’s 1,051 minutes by 121 points and have the fourth-best offensive rating in the NBA.
Not bad for a 6’1” combo guard who was taken at No. 26 in the 2020 Draft.
From the Vault
If you’re looking for a start date to the Nets current rebuild, February 14, 2024 is as good a date as any. The Nets lost by 50 (sound familiar) to the Celtics, a game which Lucas Kaplan wrote that the Nets had “soiled themselves.”
Days earlier, at the deadline, they had disappointed fans. They had secured Dennis Schroder rather than someone who could be the No. 1 to Mikal Bridges No. 2 and Cam Johnson’s No. 3 … or alternately, trade Bridges and Johnson for picks. There were plenty of offers.
As Mikal Bridges said post-game, “You gotta fix it.”
And fix it, they did. Five days after that monumental loss, they fired Jacque Vaughn, eating a not insignificant piece of his contract. More importantly, they realized that trying the middle road wasn’t working and so the rebuild was on. By April, they had hired Jordi Fernandez, By June, they had sent Bridges to the Knicks for five first rounders, a first round swap and a second while simultaneously getting the Rockets to rejigger their draft picks.
So, sometimes, a 50-point loss can clear the air, change the dynamic.
BROOKLYN — The Celtics could be without multiple starters when they face the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Derrick White (rest) has already been ruled out, and Neemias Queta was a Friday morning addition, listed as questionable to play as he deals with a non-COVID illness.
In addition, Josh Minott (left ankle sprain) continues to be sidelined, as does Jayson Tatum (ruptured Achilles tendon).
The Nets, meanwhile, will be without Haywood Highsmith, who is recovering from right knee surgery.
The Celtics enter the game with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 27-16, while the Nets have the third-worst at 12-30. The Celtics have the second-best net rating in the NBA (+7.6) while the Nets have the 5th-worst (-6.3).
Celtics Injury Report Update vs. Brooklyn (1/23):
Josh Minott – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT Neemias Queta – Illness (Non-Covid) – QUESTIONABLE Jayson Tatum – Right Achilles Repair – OUT Derrick White – Rest – OUT
The Celtics and Nets face off for the fourth time this season
The Celtics and the Nets have faced off twice this season, with each team coming away with one win. The Celtics are coming off a 15-point win over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Nets are fresh off a historic 54-point loss to the New York Knicks.
At Celtics shootaround in Brooklyn on Friday morning, Luka Garza said he expected the Nets to come out with energy after such a lopsided defeat. But, he also recalled the last time the Celtics and Nets faced off in November, the Nets came away with a 14-point win.
“I think every time a team takes a loss like that, you expect them to come out with a lot of energy, a lot of fire,” Garza said. “But for us, we also remember the last time we played them, and they beat our ass. So, we have a lot of motivation coming into tonight, too.”
MLB Network dropped their top 100 players list entering 2026, with four Athletics named following the team’s first season in West Sacramento.
Young stars Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson are each coming off sensational rookie seasons, so it’s no surprise that Kurtz found himself at No. 23 after snagging AL Rookie of the Year back in November. Meanwhile, the budding shortstop Wilson, who was the runner-up behind Kurtz, came in at No. 76.
With that duo at the forefront, the A’s quietly have built one of the best young lineups in the league. Kurtz’s 4-homer game in Houston and Wilson getting the starting nod for the 2025 All-Star Game were key moments that spotlighted the Athletics’ overall improvement.
Veteran power hitter Brent Rooker and catcher Shea Langeliers also have cemented themselves in the Athletics’ everyday starting lineup. Rooker’s durability was highlighted in 2025 after he played all 162 games, while Langeliers’ improvements on defense and pitch framing made him one of the best backstops in the American League. Ranking each at No. 91 and No. 92, respectively, seems understandable with a sub-.500 team record last year.
Rooker, Kurtz and Wilson were featured on Kings Pregame Live on Sunday and expressed their excitement to build on the Athletics’ 2025 season. Manager Mark Kotsay is eager to expand the roster’s young core following the MLB Winter Meetings.
The A’s front office has been moderately active so far during the 2025 offseason. The team added some infield depth by acquiring veteran Jeff McNeil in a trade with the New York Mets. However, free agent third baseman Nolan Arenado signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which will force the A’s to look at other options to seal the left side of the infield.
The A’s have some interesting options to look at in order to fully fill out the 2026 roster. The offensive foundation seems solid, so starting pitching and prospect development remain high priority. Until then, pitchers and catchers will report to spring training on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Williams not ready and will miss next week’s first test
Lewis Hamilton has emphasised the scale of the challenge facing drivers and teams as Formula One enters a new season with a regulation reset which the British driver described as the biggest of his career, as his Ferrari team look to a new start after a disappointing 2025.
The Scuderia launched their new car, the SF-26, with Hamilton driving it at the team’s test track at Fiorano for the first time on Friday. He was optimistic, having been involved in the development of a Ferrari for the first time but acknowledged that a huge task lay ahead.
