The story had details into the sale of the team that made her look like a cutthroat businessperson who got rid of her family, and also gave her inner circle huge bonuses once the deal was finalized.
It also stated that her relationship with the franchise’s biggest star, while she’s been in charge, LeBron James, isn’t a good one.
Jeanie didn’t delay responding to this article, telling “The Athletic” that she didn’t like LeBron’s involvement in her family drama and that she appreciates the star.
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss issued this statement to @TheAthletic in response to today’s ESPN story, which includes reporting about her relationship with LeBron James.
“It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled…
For starters, it’s good that Jeanie said something. She could’ve just let this hang and put LeBron in the awkward position of having to speak on it, which would’ve been unfair since it was really a story about Jeanie and the Buss family.
However, how much Lakers fans agree with her words compared to the reporting will be up to public opinion.
She doesn’t have to answer for everything stated in the story, but the idea that the Lakers considered parting with LeBron isn’t too far-fetched.
In 2022, the year in which Holmes’ article indicates the Lakers considered dealing LeBron, there were reports that Phil Jackson might’ve been brought back to the Lakers and that he would want to trade James.
Now, ultimately, that didn’t happen, but there was smoke to this story before, and while LeBron was never dealt, it seems likely that the idea was at least considered.
In the NBA, countless trade conversations amount to nothing. If there was a thought from Jeanie to trade LeBron, she clearly never went through with it.
Still, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been jealousy or envy from the Lakers about how much credit LeBron gets for the 2020 title, or how much blame he does or doesn’t get for a lack of one since.
Jeanie is working on her PR spin on this story, and her on-the-record statement is that she appreciates LeBron.
Her future actions will likely also support her claim. My guess is that Lakers fans can expect a jersey retirement for LeBron and a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena once his playing days are over.
And, even if every word in Holmes’ story is accurate, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for the Jeanie-LeBron dynamic. The Lakers’ Governor wouldn’t be the first boss, nor the last, to not appreciate what her best worker does for her organization.
The difference is that this is the Lakers, and every ounce of drama gets massive attention, making it very messy.
While Jeanie has denounced this reporting, don’t expect this story to go away anytime soon.
The Knicks are sliding and they need a win in the worst way. Enter: the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn can stay the course with the tank and help both sides get what they want. A win-win. Or they can kick the enemy while they’re down; maybe remind them with every kick that the Nets control their first-round picks in 2027, 2029, and 2031, plus a 2028 first-round pick swap.
For now, we stay humble. Knicks have won nine straight against the Nets entering Wednesday.
🏀 KEY INFO
Brooklyn Nets (11–27) at New York Knicks (23–17)
When: 7:30 PM ET Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY TV: YES Network / MSG Radio: WFAN Sports
⚠️ INJURY REPORT
Highsmith: OUT – Right Knee Surgery, Injury Recovery Etienne: OUT – G League Two Way Johnson: OUT – G League Two Way Liddell: OUT – G League Two Way Saraf: OUT – G League Assignment
💬 Discussion
Share thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.
The Buffalo Sabres are currently fourth in the Atlantic Division standings with a 27-17-5 record. With this, they certainly have a chance of snapping their 14-year playoff drought this year.
With this, it would not be surprising in the slightest if the Sabres looked to add to their roster ahead of the trade deadline. When looking at this year's potential sellers, the struggling St. Louis Blues stand out as a possible trading partner for Buffalo.
Because of this, let's go over two Blues forwards who the Sabres should strongly consider making a push for.
Robert Thomas, C
The Sabres could use a true No. 1 star center, and Robert Thomas would certainly give them just that if acquired. With the Blues struggling, the 26-year-old has been creating a lot of buzz in the rumor mill as a trade candidate.
If Thomas would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Sabres, he would be far more than just a rental for Buffalo. This is because he is signed until the end of the 2030-31 season, where he has a $8.125 million cap hit. This adds to his appeal.
In 42 games this season with St. Louis, Thomas has posted 11 goals and 33 points.
Jordan Kyrou, RW
Kyrou is another notable Blues forward who St. Louis is willing to listen to offers about. With Kyrou being a proven top-six winger who has recorded at least 70 points in three out of his last four seasons, he would be a big-time addition to Buffalo's roster.
Kyrou has had a bit of a down year on an all-around ice-cold Blues team this season, though. In 40 games this season, he has recorded nine goals and 21 points. Yet, when noting that he has scored at least 31 goals in each of his last three seasons, he is a prime candidate to bounce back.
Kyrou also has an $8.125 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season and a no-trade clause, so he would need to okay a move to Buffalo or any other club.
The active New York Mets acquired ace pitcher Freddy Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers from Milwaukee on Wednesday night in a trade that sent two top prospects to the Brewers.
Milwaukee received pitcher Brandon Sproat and minor league infielder/outfielder Jett Williams.
We have acquired RHP Freddy Peralta and RHP Tobias Myers from Milwaukee in exchange for RHP Brandon Sproat and minor league INF Jett Williams.
Peralta gives the Mets a frontline starter after their rotation faltered in the second half of a disappointing 2025 season. The move came hours after the Mets formally introduced free agent addition Bo Bichette at Citi Field, and one night after they obtained talented center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.
Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA last season, when he led the National League in wins and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting. He earned his second All-Star selection after getting his first nod in 2021.
The 29-year-old right-hander is set to make $8 million this year and can become a free agent following the World Series. He becomes the latest former Brewers player acquired by Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who ran Milwaukee’s front office from 2015-23.
Myers, 27, was 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA as a rookie in 2024 before going 1-2 with a 3.55 ERA in 22 appearances last year.
AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Milwaukee and AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
The active New York Mets acquired ace pitcher Freddy Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers from Milwaukee on Wednesday night in a trade that sent two top prospects to the Brewers.
Milwaukee received pitcher Brandon Sproat and minor league infielder/outfielder Jett Williams.
We have acquired RHP Freddy Peralta and RHP Tobias Myers from Milwaukee in exchange for RHP Brandon Sproat and minor league INF Jett Williams.
Peralta gives the Mets a frontline starter after their rotation faltered in the second half of a disappointing 2025 season. The move came hours after the Mets formally introduced free agent addition Bo Bichette at Citi Field, and one night after they obtained talented center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.
Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA last season, when he led the National League in wins and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting. He earned his second All-Star selection after getting his first nod in 2021.
The 29-year-old right-hander is set to make $8 million this year and can become a free agent following the World Series. He becomes the latest former Brewers player acquired by Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who ran Milwaukee’s front office from 2015-23.
Myers, 27, was 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA as a rookie in 2024 before going 1-2 with a 3.55 ERA in 22 appearances last year.
AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Milwaukee and AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
Outfielder Kyle Tucker at his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. Tucker signed a four-year, $240-million contract to join the Dodgers. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
This was pretty audacious, even by the Dodgers’ standard. Their $17-million left fielder flopped last year, so they threw $240 million at another corner outfielder to supplement the three most valuable players already in their lineup.
Still, as Kyle Tucker smiled for the cameras at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, it was hard to imagine this one man could sign here and take down the 2027 season.
On Tuesday the Athletic quoted one ownership source that portrayed the Tucker signing as a tipping point that made it “a 100 percent certainty” owners would push for a salary cap when the collective bargaining agreement expires this fall. Owners have been complaining about the Dodgers’ signings of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell and Tanner Scott, and on and on, and it sounds silly that the signing of one Kyle Daniel Tucker would turn the owners in a direction many of them already indicated they want to go.
“I agree,” said the man who signed him, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
If baseball comes up with new rules next year, the Dodgers will abide by them. Until then, Friedman said, their “only focus” is on delivering the best possible product to the fans who pack Dodger Stadium every night and shop the team store like crazy. In return, he said, the Dodgers can sell themselves to stars like Tucker.
“A destination spot is where players and their families feel incredibly well taken care of,” Friedman said. “If they're playing in front of 7,000 people, they don’t feel that as much.
“Playing in front of 50,000 people, and seeing the passion and how much people live and die for the Dodgers each summer and each October, I think, adds to the experience and allure of playing here.”
He also said this, which might infuriate some fans and perhaps some owners outside Los Angeles: “This isn’t just about, let’s spend a lot of money.”
If the Dodgers’ spending habits border on satire to you, well, the Onion got there first. Two decades ago, when fake news actually meant fake, the Onion ran this headline: “Yankees Ensure 2003 Pennant By Signing Every Player In Baseball.”
The Yankees led the major leagues in payroll that year and for the next 10 years. They won the World Series once in that span, in 2009. They have not won since.
So, when the Dodgers splurged last winter, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner offered a measured response.
"It's difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things that they're doing," Steinbrenner told YES Network. "We'll see if it pays off."
It did. The Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series. They made more money on ticket sales alone in 2024 than roughly half the 30 teams made in total revenue. Same for their local television revenue.
There’s more: an estimated $200 million in sponsorship revenue last year — thank you, Shohei. In all they took in an estimated $1 billion last year — an MLB record — meaning they spent close to $600 million in player payroll and luxury taxes and still made money.
At that level the cries that owners of other teams should just spend more start to ring a bit hollow. They should spend more, of course. But the issue is how to persuade owners to spend another $100 million when the Dodgers still might outspend them by $300 million.
The Yankees can do the kind of things the Dodgers do, and the San Diego Padres have shown how fans in a small market turn out when an owner is more concerned with winning than profit. However, the implosion of cable and satellite television means that local media revenues have cratered for teams outside large markets.
More than half of MLB teams never have paid anyone the $240 million the Dodgers committed to Tucker. The Dodgers committed even more to Ohtani, Yamamoto and Mookie Betts.
The owners could agree that teams should share more revenue, with luxury tax penalties not just in cash but also in restrictions that would hamper the ability to compete, something more significant than the loss of a couple of draft picks.
But that Tucker deal: The Dodgers committed $64 million in a signing bonus — never mind the salary! — to a player they arguably did not need. Owners will be very happy to argue the luxury tax has failed and only a salary cap will stop the Dodgers and New York Mets.
Kyle Tucker's contract includes a $64-million signing bonus. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
This was part of that Onion satire in 2003: “Yankees manager Joe Torre, whose pitching rotation prior to the mass signing lacked a clear seventh ace, now has the luxury of starting each of his hurlers twice a season.
“ ‘As they say, you can never have enough pitching in this league,’ Torre said.”
Let’s see: Yamamoto, Ohtani, Snell, Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan. That might be six aces. And, since you never can have enough pitching: Ben Casparius, Kyle Hurt, Landon Knack, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, Justin Wrobleski. There might be a seventh ace in there, or on the trade market during their coming walk year: Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers, or even Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.
A salary cap would provide cost certainty that likely would enable owners to sell teams for more money. Whether a salary cap would solve the issue of competitive balance is questionable — in the capped NFL, the AFC championship game has included either the New England Patriots or Kansas City Chiefs for 15 consecutive years — but that would be the owners’ pitch.
So would this: You could compete with the Yankees for the first two decades of this century, but you just can’t compete with these Dodgers, even if that reflects less on payroll and more on management, a dash of October randomness, and that horrendousfifth inning of Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
In 1994, when owners called off the World Series rather than surrender their pursuit of a salary cap, the following season started a month late, and even then the owners did not get a cap. If they really want a cap, baseball insiders say, the owners will have to vow to stick together and support doing what the NHL owners did to secure one: calling off an entire season.
For the Dodgers and their fans, that is someone else’s problem, at least for this year. In Los Angeles, the prevailing question is not “Salary cap?” but “Three-peat?”
Tucker likely will bat “second or third” in the Dodgers’ lineup, manager Dave Roberts said. He’ll better the defense by playing right field, allowing Teoscar Hernández to move to left field.
Of all the potential offseason acquisitions the Dodgers discussed, Friedman said, “There was really nobody that moved our World Series odds for 2026 more than Kyle Tucker.”
I asked Tucker how he felt about supposedly having so much power that his signing could shut down what owners say is a troubled sport.
“I think baseball is in a good spot,” Tucker said. “We have phenomenal attendance around the world. … Fans are being very supportive of their teams and their players and their organizations. I think it’s a good thing having that interaction with everyone, and I think it’s just going to grow the game from there, as long as we can — as a league and as players — continue growing the fan base.”
Ohtani and the Dodgers are rock stars, as evidenced by the team selling out of $253 seats next to the on-field stage at the annual fan festival next week.
The players will not be playing. They will appear for short interviews with team broadcasters.
Seats in the stands are available from $28 to $153, for an event that was free three years ago. While fans and owners of other teams complain, the Dodgers shake it off and find ways to make even more money.
Life is good when you’re the champions. Enjoy it this year, Dodgers fans. If a lockout is happening next January, as it likely will be, the fan festival will not be happening.
Last season, the Phoenix Suns managed to turn disappointment into an art form. The most expensive roster the league has ever seen could not even sniff the Play In, let alone the postseason. A masterclass in how fast things can go sideways. Most of us have tried to memory hole that year and move on, but every so often, a new detail leaks out. Another breadcrumb. Another explanation. Another quiet “why”.
This time, it came from Brent Barry. He popped up on an episode of the No Dunks Podcast and peeled back the curtain a bit on how that team actually functioned behind the scenes. And the picture he painted helps explain how something with that much talent unraveled the way it did.
“The situation there overall, I would tell you guys, being on the inside, was it was a team that just didn’t know how to get along,” Barry stated. “They were all cordial towards one another. They all came to practice and were friendly, but it was one of those situations where you’re just not invested.”
“I thought it was going to be a slingback from what happened with Frank Vogel and the disappointment from the year before that there would be some piss and vinegar in the team and that these guys would want to show like, hey, we’ve got the highest salary in the league,” he continued. “We’ve got to figure this thing out together. Let’s use our superpowers to do that. Let’s use our superpowers for good. Unfortunately, they used them the other way and found ways to dismantle that roster. And sadly, they just didn’t commit to one another.”
“If clearly those guys don’t have a hierarchy and you’re not, as a member of the team, as a player, you’re not aware of which of the guys were leaning on the most, it confuses the rest of the team. And I think we had a lot of guys who didn’t exactly know what the expectations were. And again, this comes back to really good coaching and leadership. You have to define those for a team. And at no point did we do that for the Phoenix Suns last year.”
This was incredibly revealing. It highlights the contrast between last season and this one in bold print.
Starting with Bradley Beal, it became clear that he never fully bought into operating within a true team structure. He had been the alpha in Washington for so long that the adjustment never really took. When reports surfaced that he took offense to his head coach asking him to play more like Jrue Holiday, that told you everything you needed to know. That was a crack in the armor.
I have said it plenty of times. I liked the player. I did not like the contract or the situation. But once that detail came out, it reframed things. This was not only about fit on the court. It was about mindset. When a player resists being part of something collective, when the instinct is “me” over “we”, the whole thing starts to wobble. That mentality bleeds. And last year, it bled everywhere.
And if you take Barry’s comments one step further, they also shine a light on the challenge Kevin Durant brought with him.
You can talk all day about his greatness on the court, and none of that is up for debate. But the laissez-faire approach, the mentality of wanting to hoop and nothing else, showed up in exactly what Barry was describing. That disengagement, that singular focus, warped the hierarchy of the team and bled into the locker room. That’s the lack of investment.
With great power comes great responsibility, or at least it is supposed to. That has never really been Durant’s lane. He wants the praise. He wants the contract. He wants the freedom. He does not want the accountability that comes with steering a group. Last season made that painfully clear. When the players carrying the largest financial weight do not define or embrace their role, everyone else drifts. Structure erodes. Accountability disappears.
What you end up with is a roster full of mercenaries. Guys playing for themselves, not for each other. The coaching staff never had a chance to pull it back together because the egos were too big and the buy-in was never there. That was last year’s Suns in a nutshell.
Devin Booker was obviously part of that group too, and he even said early this season that last year was the toughest stretch of basketball he has ever lived through.
"Definitely the toughest two years of my career."
Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker discusses why the last couple of seasons were more difficult to navigate than even the lean years when winning didn't come easy.@BurnsAndGambopic.twitter.com/AgcUrJubYK
We do not know how much responsibility to pin on him for what did or did not happen, but one thing is clear. His voice was muted. Just ask Coach Bud, who, when the team was struggling, reportedly told Booker to “tone it down”. He’s not free of sin, but he’s the only one who appeared to try to vocalize the issue and was muted. When you stack that many stars together and no one clearly owns the room, even the franchise guy can get drowned out.
That is the clearest contrast to this season. This team works because everyone knows where they stand. There is a hierarchy. There is clarity.
You can hear it when guys like Jordan Goodwin, Collin Gillespie, Mark Williams, and Ryan Dunn talk on The Old Man and the Three Podcast. The reverence they have for Devin Booker. The respect they show for what Dillon Brooks brings. That stuff matters. It sets the tone. And it is a big reason why this version of the Suns feels connected in a way last year never did.
"There was a lot of noise outside last year." — Collin Gillespie + Ryan Dunn talk about the Suns this year vs. last year pic.twitter.com/OwIL7MORRH
The difference is obvious, and you see it every night on the floor. When there is a clear hierarchy behind the scenes, it shows up in how the team plays. Roles are defined. Effort lines up. Execution follows.
This team has already won 27 games. Last season, it took until February 22 to get there. 59 games. This group did it in 44. That is not coincidence. That is structure. That is buy-in. And it traces back directly to the issues Barry pointed out. When everyone knows who they are and how they fit, winning stops feeling accidental and starts feeling repeatable.
With the Houston Rockets coming to town Thursday the Sixers released their injury report and it’s filled with the usual suspects. After playing in the front end of their back-to-back earlier in the week, Joel Embiid is listed as probable. Instead of left knee injury management though the reason given in right ankle injury management, the same reason he missed that second game against the Phoenix Suns. That ankle issue has popped up on the report here and there for the past month or so, but hasn’t caused him to miss significant time.
What was surprising was Paul George missing both legs of that back-to-back, he was listed with the usual left knee injury management. The first game against the Pacers, George was ruled out right before pre-game press availability. The second against Phoenix he did make an attempt to warm-up, but was obviously ruled out for that one as well. Before the Suns game, Nick Nurse didn’t give any indication there was an attempt to stagger those two over the back-to-back.
George last appeared on Jan. 16, playing 30 minutes in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He might have just needed a couple extra days off, but any further missed time should be cause for concern.
The rest of the report is rounded out by MarJon Beauchamp and Johni Broome, both doubtful on a G-League assignment. The only thing noteworthy there is that it does not include Jared McCain. He didn’t play in either of the games for the Sixers since being recalled from his second G-League assignment, though the Blue Coats don’t have another game until Jan. 24.
Houston’s injury report is fairly light as well, outside of obviously missing Fred VanVleet who tore his ACL before the season started. They’ll also be without Steven Adams who suffered an ankle injury two games back.
Former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, right, outside the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles in 2023. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Yasiel Puig's name conjures indelible images to Dodgers fans. Mammoth home runs. Laser-like throws from the outfield. Distributing goodie bags during visits to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Also, tardiness to games, impulsive base-running mistakes and — more recent and egregious — charges of lying to federal investigators about his suspected involvement in illegal sports betting.
Puig, 35, is on trial this week in Los Angeles federal court, charged with obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements to investigators. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
In August in his most recent public comment, Puig posted a statement on X that included: "This story isn't over yet, and you weren't told the full story the first time.''
A timeline of Puig's tenure with the Dodgers, his admitted illegal gambling and his interactions with federal investigators that led to the criminal charges:
The "Wild Horse"
Aug. 2018 photo of former Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig in a game against the Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully began calling Puig the "Wild Horse" for his prodigious, untamed talent soon after the player was called up to the big leagues in 2013 at age 22, less than a year after he arrived from Cuba.
Puig's multiple thwarted attempts at escaping his home country and the successful journey in 2012 that included a cigarette boat, smugglers, extortion, death threats and a staged kidnapping in Mexico by members of a drug cartel were revealed in a 2014 L.A. Magazine feature.
Puig quickly cemented himself in the Dodgers lineup and endeared himself to fans, hitting four home runs in his first five games and batting .436 with 44 hits in his debut month, ranking second all-time behind Joe DiMaggio's 48 hits. Puig finished the season with 19 home runs and a .319 batting average in 104 games, finishing second in rookie-of-the-year voting.
He remained a fearsome presence in the lineup for six years and was fearless in the playoffs, hitting five homers and driving in 18 runs in the 2017 and 2018 postseasons. His three-run homer in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers vaulted the Dodgers to the World Series.
Yet his unpredictable behavior and off-the-field antics prompted Times columnist Bill Plaschke to welcome a trade: "Puig captured the hearts of Dodger fans, but lost the trust of his team. He won moments, but cost games. He was their biggest star, but also their biggest clubhouse burden."
Puig was traded after the 2018 season to the Cincinnati Reds, who then traded him midway through the 2019 season to Cleveland. He never played again in the major leagues, disappearing into the relative anonymity of pro ball in Korea, Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Federal gambling probe leads to Puig
Dodgers Manny Machado, left, and Cody Bellinger, middle, celebrate Yasiel Puig's three-run homer in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
An investigation into a sprawling, illegal gambling business run by ex-minor league pitcher Wayne Nix of Newport Coast led to Puig, who allegedly frequently placed bets through Nix and an intermediary, prosecutors said in court filings.
Puig allegedly placed 899 bets on football and basketball games and tennis matches through a Costa Rica-based website associated with Nix from July to September 2019. Puig soon owed Nix $282,900 for sports gambling losses, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, Puig became a U.S. citizen. Prosecutors allege that he lied to the government as part of his naturalization process in 2019, denying on an application and an in-person interview that he had ever gambled illegally or received income from illegal gambling.
During his last month as a Major League Baseball player, Puig rented a helicopter for a 45-minute ride to the Catskill Mountains to visit a summer camp for children with cancer and other often terminal diseases. He danced and sang with kids and crowd-surfed through the room. He tossed batting practice, visited kids in the infirmary and signed autographs.
“Today,” Puig tweeted, “was one of the best days of my life.”
Puig charged with lying to investigators
Aug 2016 photo of Yasiel Puig swinging at his helmet after a ground ball out against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, Ariz. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
In January 2022, federal investigators interviewed Puig on a video conference with his lawyer present for 90 minutes. Puig denied knowledge of the Nix gambling business. He was warned by investigators that lying to them was a crime.
"The government privately advised defendant's then-counsel that defendant's statements were contrary to evidence the government had already obtained during the Nix Gambling Business investigation,'' prosecutors wrote in the trial memorandum. "Counsel conferred with his client outside the presence of the government, but defendant did not change his prior statements.''
In a recorded message to a friend two months later, Puig allegedly described his interview with investigators, saying in English: "I no said nothing, I not talking." The recording was entered into evidence by prosecutors.
Nix and associates Edon Yoshida Kagasoff and Howard Miller pleaded guilty in April 2022 to charges of conspiracy to operate an illegal sports gambling business. Nix, who also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return, is awaiting sentencing. Kagasoff, an Agoura Hills accountant, was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered to forfeit $3,164,563 in illicit gains.
Puig was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles in August 2022 with one count each of making false statements and obstruction of justice. He quickly agreed to plead guilty to one count of lying to federal authorities and pay a $55,000 fine. He would serve no jail time and be placed on probation.
Weeks later, however, he decided he wanted to back out of the agreement, and a judge ruled that he could do so because he had not yet entered his guilty plea in court.
"I want to clear my name,'' Puig said in a statement at the time. "I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.''
Keri Axel, one of Puig's lawyers, discovered numerous messages that a person named "Agent 1" in court documents had sent to her client. Agent 1 — who was revealed in court Wednesday as Donny Kadokawa — asked Puig several times to speak about the federal investigation, but he declined, she said.
Until Axel saw the messages, she said in court, she did not realize how often Agent 1 and an associate contacted Puig for information on the investigation, how often Puig refused to tell them about the investigation, and the potential that her client was entrapped.
Of the video interview in which Puig is alleged to have lied to investigators, Axel said: “Mr. Puig, who has a third-grade education, had untreated mental-health issues, and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him.”
"I don’t know why people like to say bad things about me and believe it," he wrote on Twitter on Nov. 20, 2022. "They like makings me look like a monster because of way I looks maybe. All my life’s I been told to be quiet and do what I was told. No mores."
The trial is underway
Prosecutors responded to Puig reneging on the plea agreement by charging him with one count of obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements to federal officials.
Jury selection concluded Tuesday. Testimony began Wednesday with the prosecution calling Kadokawa, who became friends with Puig in 2019 at Kadokawa's youth baseball camp in Hawaii.
Kadokawa is "Agent 1" in court documents. He placed and accepted bets from others and helped Nix by demanding and collecting money owed to Nix by bettors, prosecutors said in a court filing.
Kadokawa testified that he placed numerous bets on behalf of Puig, who soon owed thousands of dollars. The trial is expected to last several days.
Insert your joke about how the Yankees’ offseason can officially start now.
We’re kidding -- we know Trent Grisham accepted the qualifying offer, they traded for Ryan Weathers, and kept some other important players from last year’s roster. But Bellinger really was the linchpin, tipping point or whatever of what’s been a relatively quiet Yankee winter.
Now that the most important addition has agreed to return, perhaps the Yankees can explore further moves using some of the players whose potential playing time just shrunk.
Met target Freddy Peralta would sure be a good rotation add in the Bronx, too, right? More on that in a sec.
First, though, let’s acknowledge the obvious: Bellinger is a natural fit as a Yankee, and his return seemed obvious despite how long it took and reported interest from the Mets and Blue Jays, among others.
In 2025, his first year playing for his dad’s old team, Bellinger looked like he’d grown up in the system. He’s a very good player who hits for power and contact, can play all three outfield positions, and is an asset running the bases. He could be their starting left fielder and even play the other spots as load management demands.
His swing fits the ballpark -- his OPS at home was nearly 200 points higher than his road number last year and he slugged 18 of his 29 home runs at Yankee Stadium. Another year playing there could only help him figure out more ways to exploit his advantages there.
Last year, he recorded 5.1 WAR, according to Baseball Reference, his highest since he was NL MVP with the Dodgers in 2019.
Great signing, especially since they held firm at five years for a player who is already 30. Bellinger reportedly will be paid $162.5 million over that span, unless he triggers one of his opt-outs. Good player in place, good news for the Yankees.
But what’s next? The Yankees have a sudden surplus of outfielders. The two young players, Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones, who likely would have gotten playing time in left field had Bellinger gone elsewhere, now don’t have regular lineup duty.
Could they use either to upgrade another spot? Hmmm.
May 9, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez (24) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
We say that at least one of them should be used that way.
The Yankees have multiple starters on the roster, but they have a rotation need. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are both coming back late as they complete recovery from surgery. They added Weathers to a group that includes last year’s ace, Max Fried, wunderkind Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil.
But the fickle nature of pitching and all the possible health pitfalls that come with that job, it probably would serve the Yankees to add someone like Peralta, the Brewers’ ace, who has one more year remaining at $8 million before he hits free agency. He’s the prize of the trade market, unless Detroit swaps Tarik Skubal.
If Domínguez or Jones has no spot in the majors going forward, why not make one part of a young-player package for Peralta, who was fourth in the NL in ERA (2.70), led the circuit with 17 wins and had his third consecutive 200-strikeout season?
The Yankees were baseball’s most prolific offense last year, averaging 5.24 runs. They led in homers, too -- their 274 was 30 more than the Dodgers, but maybe more run prevention could help them push deeper into October in 2026.
Prime AL East rivals Toronto and Boston have already made major additions this offseason, so the division is souped up. The Yankees, as of right this minute, aren’t hugely different from last year, unless you count Devin Williams and Luke Weaver departing from the bullpen.
They still could use more contact hitting. Yes, Bellinger does contact. But he was on the team last year when they still needed more of it. More bullpen help could serve, too.
But the Yanks have a chance to make a rotation splash and they should, drawing from their cache of promising outfielders. Would either Domínguez or Jones, plus a young pitcher from the top end of their highly-regarded set of prospect arms, do it?
Time to find out. The Yankee offseason is still going, even after they brought Bellinger back.
The freshman class during the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season has been one of the best in years, headlined by projected NBA lottery picks who are making enormous impacts for NCAA Tournament-bound teams.
BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer are two of the top five leading scorers in the sport this season, and are among the small handful of favorites for various national player of the year awards while leading top-15 teams. Caleb Wilson has been a revelation for North Carolina, a rangy 6-foot-10 forward who’s averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Despite missing nearly half the season thus far with a nagging injury, Darryn Peterson, the No. 1 player in the class, has been as good as advertised for Kansas, averaging 21.6 points per game. Even players nowhere near the top of the recruiting rankings have thrived, such as Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, who is ninth among all Division I players in scoring despite being the No. 119 prospect in 247Sports’ rankings coming out of high school.
This week, one of the top recruits from that class is set to make his long-awaited college debut.
Alijah Arenas, a 6-foot-6 guard who was the No. 10 player in 247’s rankings of the 2025 recruiting class, is set to make his college debut on Wednesday, Jan. 21 when his USC team hosts Northwestern.
Arenas had been sidelined since July, when he suffered a torn meniscus during a summer practice that ultimately kept him out six months. The injury came three months after Arenas was in an April car wreck that put him in a coma.
He’ll return to a USC team that’s 14-4 in its second season under coach Eric Musselman, but could use the contributions of his talent and versatility. After a 12-1 start to the season, the Trojans have dropped three of their past five games, though each loss came against teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest USA TODAY Sports Caches Poll.
As he prepares for his first college game, here’s a closer look at Arenas:
Are Alijah Arenas, Gilbert Arenas related?
If Arenas’ last name seems familiar, especially for a standout basketball player, there’s a good reason for it.
Arenas is the son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. His father’s not the only athlete in the family, either: Alijah Arenas' mother, Laura Govan, played basketball at New Mexico State from 1999-2001 and his older sister, Izela, is a former top-100 recruit who is a sophomore guard at Kansas State.
Arenas is one of several freshmen in college basketball this season who are the sons of former NBA stars. Duke’s Cameron and Cayden Boozer are the sons of two-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist Carlos Boozer, who also played for the Blue Devils.
Kiyan Anthony, the No. 32 recruit in the 2025 class, is a freshman guard at Syracuse, where his father, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, won a national championship as a freshman in 2003. Georgia’s Jake Wilkins is also following in the footsteps of his father, playing for the same Bulldogs program that Dominique Wilkins suited up for before being enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Alijah Arenas high school
Arenas attended Chatsworth High School in California, where he scored 3,002 points in just three seasons to become the No. 14 career scorer in California boys’ high school basketball history.
His high school production helped him get selected for the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Game.
Last July, USC announced that Arenas had suffered a knee injury during a practice that required surgery and was projected to sideline him for six to eight months.
"Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person," Musselman said at the time. "He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process."
Arenas recovered quickly, as his return to game action will come fewer than six full months since the injury occurred.
It wasn’t the only setback Arenas endured last year. Last April in Reseda, California, Arenas lost control of his Tesla Cybertruck and crashed into a fire hydrant and tree. The car caught on fire, but Arenas was able to get out through the driver’s side window with the help of two onlookers. He was transported to a local hospital and placed in a coma. When he came out of the coma one day later, he was unable to speak.
By June, he was able to rejoin the team for practice.
"Seeing my teammates has really motivated me a lot to push forward and keep up with the team," Arenas said in June. "When I got out of the hospital, I was already thinking about the team...My work ethic hasn't changed. I still workout every morning."
Arenas is 18 years old and will turn 19 on March 16. He was originally set to be in the 2026 recruiting class before reclassifying to the 2025 class in December 2024.
Grand prix driver who survived spectacular crashes and was victorious at endurance races including Le Mans and Daytona
Before leaving his home in Stuttgart to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the summer of 1970, the German racing driver Hans Herrmann promised his wife, Magdalena, that if he won, he would retire from the cockpit. This was his 14th attempt at the French sports car classic and, at 42, he was not expecting to have to honour his pledge.
But win he did. He and his co-driver, Richard Attwood, a former Jaguar apprentice, held the lead in their Porsche 917K for the last 12 hours of a race run on a rain-drenched track so treacherous that only seven cars out of 51 starters were able to reach the finish.
The White Sox are thrilled with their return for Luis Robert Jr.
Less than 24 hours after dealing the All-Star centerfielder to the Mets in exchange for infielder Luisangel Acuña and pitching prospect Truman Pauley, White Sox general manager Chris Getz gushed about acquiring a player “the industry has been really high on.”
“It’s really about being able to bring in Acuña, get access to him,” Getz told reporters about the trade Wednesday. “We’re talking about a player with five-plus years of control, one of the younger, exciting players in our game who hasn’t really gotten a runway at the major league level.”
The Mets traded Luisangel Acuña to the White on Tuesday. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Acuña, 23, joined the Mets at the 2023 trade deadline as the centerpiece of the deal that sent legendary pitcher Max Scherzer to the Rangers.
MLB.com ranked the speedster as New York’s third-best prospect in 2024, and he impressed in his brief major league debut that year, slashing .308/.325/.641 with three homers and six RBIs in 14 games.
He got off to a strong start in 2025, earning NL Rookie of the Month honors for April before falling into a deep slump and being demoted to Triple-A.
The Mets shuttled Acuña between the majors and minors the rest of the year as he hit a paltry .234 with no home runs and eight RBIs over 95 games.
Still, Getz believes Acuña’s speed and versatility – with experience at second base, third base, shortstop and in the outfield – make him a prime breakout candidate with consistent playing time.
“We’re talking about a player with five-plus years of control, one of the younger, exciting players in our game who hasn’t really gotten a runway at the major league level."
He already flashed some of that potential earlier this month with a historic Venezuelan winter league performance, hitting four home runs.
“I know [the Mets] didn’t want to get rid of him,” Getz said. “I know that. That’s because of how valuable he can be to the team.
“Now, he was on a roster that didn’t really allow him to let him go out there and show what he could do regularly. We’ll be able to provide that.”
After a strong start to 2025, Acuña shuttled between the majors and Triple-A the rest of the year. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Getz’s faith in Acuña echoed that of Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns during the GM Meetings in November.
“Acuña is such a unique player because the floor is so high of what he can provide,” Stearns said. “He’s such a good defender, a gifted defender at multiple positions, and an elite baserunner. So the offensive contribution doesn’t need to be elite for him to solidify an everyday role on a major league team.
“I still have very high hopes for him. We need to see a little bit more offensive contribution than we’ve probably seen previously, but he is a very, very good defensive player and there’s a real role for that on a good team.”
In a Wednesday Instagram post, Acuña bid farewell to the Mets, expressing gratitude for his time with the organization before addressing his “new chapter.”
The Mets acquired Luis Robert Jr., who is coming off two disappointing seasons but offers tantalizing speed, defense and offensive upside. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Today, I begin a new chapter,” the post read. “Chicago, I’m ready to take on this challenge on the South Side. I’m thankful to the Chicago White Sox organization for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I arrive with excitement, commitment, and a strong desire to continue growing both as a player and as a person.”
The Mets’ signing of Bo Bichette, who was officially introduced at Citi Field on Wednesday, tacked on to New York’s existing surplus of infielders, thus making Acuna expendable.
In what’s been a busy offseason for the White Sox – highlighted by the signing of Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami – Acuña also became the club’s latest acquisition of a former top Mets prospect.
Chicago has already signed left-hander Anthony Kay, the Mets’ 2016 first-round pick, to a two-year deal after his stint in Japan, and also took a flier on outfielder Jarred Kelenic.
As Eric Stephen covered on January 20, the Dodgers have a bevy of promising outfielder prospects in their minor league system. On Wednesday, Baseball America dropped its Top 100 prospect list, listing the following farmhands:
20. Eduardo Quintero, CF/OF
24. Josue De Paula, RF/OF
45. Mike Sirota, CF
63. Zyhir Hope, CF
In comparison, there have been changes, especially when compared to last year’s list, which was headlined by Roki Sasaki. In addition to Sasaki, Dalton Rushing, Alex Freeland, and Jackson Ferris dropped off the list due to major league promotion or being supplanted by other talent.
While these four outfield prospects are quite promising, they are at least a couple of years away from playing in The Show in Los Angeles, even with an aggressive promotion schedule, which would be unlikely with the signing of Kyle Tucker, announced and introduced on Wednesday.
Quintero is now the Dodgers’ #1 prospect per BA, making the jump from #7 in 2025. Quintero was previously unranked in BA’s previous Top 100 list. Quintero played at both Low-A Rancho Cucamonga and High-A Great Lakes in 2025, hitting .293/.415/.508 with 19 home runs and a 152 wRC+ in 113 games.
De Paula is now the Dodgers’ #2 prospect per BA, making the jump from #4 in 2025. De Paula is no stranger to Baseball America’s overall rankings, as he was ranked eighteenth overall in 2025 and thirty-third overall in 2024. De Paula primarily played in High-A Great Lakes in 2025, hitting .263/.406/.421 with 12 home runs in 98 games, before promotion to Double-A Tulsa.
Sirota, who was acquired in the Gavin Lux trade, is now the Dodgers’ #3 prospect per BA, making the jump from #25 in 2025. Josh Norris of BA identified Sirota as one of his candidates to rise within the top 100, blaming his knee injury for his current rank:
The Northeastern-bred outfielder was off to a scalding start in the Midwest League before his season ended. Still, the reviews were clear: He has the toolset and polish to jump to the head of Los Angeles’ cluster of talented outfielders.
As previously mentioned, Sirota was working on a monster season after being promoted to Double-A with a slash line of .333/.452/.616 with 32 extra-base hits in 59 games in A-ball before his injury.
Hope, who was acquired in the Michael Busch trade, is now the Dodgers’ #4 prospect per BA, making the slight jump from #5 in 2025. Hope primarily played in High-A with a .265/.377/.428 slash line, 13 home runs, and 27 doubles before also being promoted to Double-A Tulsa.
As it stands, these four outfielder prospects should be quite entertaining to watch develop over the next couple of seasons in Tulsa and, eventually, barring major setbacks, Triple-A Oklahoma City before donning the pantone of Dodger blue.
