The 2023 ACC champion won’t be hoisting the trophy again after finishing with a score of 58, good enough for fifth place. San Jose Sharks legend Joe Pavelski was the victor, posting 73 points for his first ACC win in nine tries after second-place finishes in 2022 and 2024.
It wasn’t a bad day for Curry on the course, however, as the four-time NBA champion entered the day tied for ninth and finished the round having scored 23 points under the tournament’s Modified Stableford scoring method, with four birdies and a double bogey on the final hole.
Curry scored 21 points with four birdies and five bogies in Round 1 on Friday, then tallied 14 points with two birdies, two bogies and two double bogies in Round 2 on Saturday.
Curry approached the 18th hole on Sunday trailing first place by just a few points, but he needed some Chef magic to pull off the comeback. He warmed up on his way to the hole with his first sport.
The swish didn’t rub off on Curry’s golf game, however, as he hit his tee shot out of bounds and eventually ended up in the water trap before finishing the tournament’s final hole with a double bogey.
Known for his competitive fire, Curry certainly wanted to win the ACC again after a one-year absence chasing Olympic gold last summer. But now he can focus on bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy home to the Bay this upcoming NBA season.
Italian holds on to pink jersey on closing run to Imola
Liane Lippert pips Anna van der Breggen in late burst
Elisa Longo Borghini has retained her Giro d’Italia Women title, holding on to the pink jersey she claimed on Saturday’s queen stage as the race concluded at Imola.
Longo Borghini (Team UAE ADQ) sealed her second victory at her home Grand Tour, after losing just four bonus seconds to Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser (Movistar) on the final stage, winning the title by 18 seconds overall.
LAS VEGAS —Two courts, eight games, there is a lot to see the first weekend of the 2025 NBA Summer League Las Vegas. Here are a few notes and the highlights we saw.
Bronny James showing improvement
The hype around Bronny James has not subsided. As evidence, for the marquee game of opening night of the Las Vegas Summer League, the NBA chose to match the second-year player and No. 55 draft pick against No. 1 pick and rising star Cooper Flagg. The league saw that as its biggest draw (and it was right, the game was the fourth-highest-rated Summer League game ESPN has ever shown).
Ignore the hype. On the court, Summer League serves as a measuring stick for players. Their first year sets a baseline, but when they return, the question becomes: Do we see the improvement?
We do with Bronny James. He looks considerably improved.
Bronny James with back to back strong drives to the rim to make tough buckets near the rim
Bronny has looked strong in transition, but the most noticeable improvements are in the half court. His handle has improved, and with that has come some confidence. His court vision and decision-making may be what has made the biggest leap.
"His passing out of the pick and rolls and really seeing," Lakers Summer League coach Lindsey Harding said of Bronny's improvement. "And it's not just the pass to the big rolling, it's if the low man comes over, he sees the man in the corner. Right? It's the whole floor. And I think it's easy to see one read, but, like, he's developing everything else. Understanding where everyone else is on the floor and where their defenders are coming from."
There is still work to be done if Bronny wants to become part of the Lakers' rotation, with the biggest being that his shot needs to improve. In Saturday's game against the Pelicans, Bronny got inside and was 4-of-6 shooting in the paint, but was 1-of-5 on 3-pointers. That follows a trend, through all of Summer League Bronny is 4-of-18 from 3.
What the Lakers are trying to do with Summer League is get Bronny more reps, especially in higher-pressure moments.
"We want him to play on the ball. We want him to play off the ball. Especially in tight moments," Harding said. "I like the ball in his hands and I want him to make those decisions. You can go through as many drills as you want, but nothing beats live. So, when you're live, you make your decisions, and then you also learn by film."
Bronny is learning, he is improving, and it shows on the court.
Fan favorite in Vegas? Yuki Kawamura
Cooper who? Bronny, are you kidding?
The fan favorite at Summer League is Yuki Kawamura, the 5'8" Japanese star who is playing for the Bulls in Las Vegas — and making plays that light up the crowd.
Kawamura was the shortest person with an NBA contract last season (a two-way with the Grizzlies) and he got in 22 games for Memphis. Before that, fans might remember him playing for Japan in the Paris Olympics, where he averaged 20.3 points and 7.7 assists per game.
He's playing all out and putting on a show in Vegas, trying to earn another shot in the NBA.
His misses are also entertaining — and there were a lot of them. Through two games in Las Vegas, Fears is 9-of-33 shooting (27.3%). He plays without, well, fear and will take he hard shots, but he looks a little sped up at Summer League. The efficiency should come with time.
• Maxime Raynaud will be heard. Maxime Raynaud wins the award for most vocal player at Summer League. The 7-foot French center who played last season at Stanford was a second-round pick of the Kings, is constantly calling out opponent plays on defense, trying to alert his teammates to what is coming — and he is not quiet about it. This is a good thing. Raynaud signed a three-year, $5.9 million contract with Sacramento. He will be there in the fall, and fans will hear him.
• Edgecombe still out. The 76ers VJ Edgecombe has yet to make his Las Vegas Summer League debut due to a thumb injury. Will we see him, or will the 76ers just shut him down for the remainder of Summer League?
There are quite a few former members of the San Jose Sharks still waiting to find their new home as unrestricted free agents. Many were with the team as recently as last season, while others departed the Bay Area a few years ago. Let’s take a look at those still awaiting their next contract.
First, there are five former Sharks forwards still on the market. Klim Kostin and Noah Gregor weren’t tendered a qualifying offer by general manager Mike Grier and were forced to test their luck on the open market.
Nikolai Kovalenko was also in that predicament, but ultimately ended up signing with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. It wouldn’t surprise me if the same ends up happening for Kostin, who was never able to live up to his potential as a former first-round draft selection of the St. Louis Blues.
Gregor, on the other hand, will likely end up with either a two-way contract or an American Hockey League deal to start the season; however, it would be surprising if he’s not back in the NHL as a fourth-liner in the near future.
Luke Kunin was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets ahead of the trade deadline this past March, but after 12 games without a point, their general manager, Don Waddell, opted to let him hit free agency. While it’s not surprising that he wasn’t the first target on many teams’ radar, it would be surprising not to see Kunin on an NHL roster this October, despite his bad stretch in Columbus.
Kevin Labanc was also in Columbus, signing there following a strong preseason performance with the New Jersey Devils; however, he suffered the same fate. He didn’t see much action under their head coach, Dean Evason, recording 12 points in 34 games.
The final former Sharks forward sitting in free agency is Matt Nieto, who finished the 2024-25 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins but spent quite a bit of time with their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, over the course of the season. At this stage, it seems most likely that he signs a professional try-out closer to pre-season; however, it’s possible a team offers him a deal between now and then as well.
Defensively, there are two former members of the Sharks still available. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who was bought out after 19 seasons and 1323 games in teal, is hitting the open market. He struggled in his last few seasons with the Sharks; however, he is still a serviceable player in limited minutes.
Ultimately, the size of his contract and Grier’s plans for the offseason made him expendable a season before his contract expires. He’s no longer an elite shutdown defenseman like he was in his prime, but there should be a team that opts to take a flyer on him at some point this summer at a low cost to see if he’ll perform better in a different system.
Jan Rutta also finds himself still on the open market. As a right-handed, defensive-minded defenseman, there will certainly be a market for him as a bottom-pairing or depth option as teams begin to circle back after missing out on their top targets.
Lastly, there are a few goaltenders who spent time between the pipes in San Jose, still looking for a new home. Alexandar Georgiev struggled mightily during his time in teal. Grier acquired him as part of the return for MacKenzie Blackwood, hoping he’d find his form and play like he did years ago with the New York Rangers.
Ultimately, that didn’t happen, and the 2024-25 season ended up being the worst of his NHL career. In 31 games with the Sharks, he had a .875 save percentage and a goals against average of 3.88. It will be interesting to see if another team takes a chance on him, but at this stage, it seems his path forward likely includes a stint in the American Hockey League if he wants to return to the NHL.
Georgi Romanov surprisingly didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Sharks this summer. Although he wasn’t phenomenal at the NHL level, he seemed serviceable for the San Jose Barracuda. Especially with Yaroslav Askarov graduating from the AHL, it’ll be interesting to see what comes next for Romanov and whether or not management made the right call going with Jakub Skarek instead.
James Reimer, who spent two seasons in the net for the Sharks, is also still available. After finishing the 2024-25 season with the Buffalo Sabres, the 37-year-old appears to be interested in continuing his career for at least one more season, but it’s not guaranteed as according to the Olean Times Herald’s Buffalo Hockey Beat, he’s contemplating retirement and has been taking his career one year at a time.
While it seems clear some of the names listed are likely to end up in the NHL again next season, some of the aforementioned former Sharks may head overseas, or some may decide retirement is their best option at this stage of their career. Although July 1 is past, there are still quite a few Sharks storylines to follow with the current free agency pool.
Edwin Diaz delivered two shutdown innings in a six-out save to put a bow on his All-Star first half
Following his home run, Soto continues to prove why he's one of the biggest All-Star snubs this year with manager Carlos Mendoza saying, "It's hard to understand"
Bobby Witt Jr. was thrown out at second base in the ninth inning after a review and the Royals called it a "joke"
Márquez holds off brother Álex to extend title lead
Francesco Bagnaia third as eight riders crash out
Marc Márquez proved once again why he is known as the “King of Sachsenring”, as the Ducati rider won the German Grand Prix on Sunday in a race that became a test of survival with only 10 riders finishing.
Márquez’s ninth MotoGP victory at the Sachsenring, in his 200th overall start, takes his season points tally to 344. He has stretched his championship lead over his brother, Álex, who finished second, to 83 points. Marc’s teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, finished third and sits 147 points behind.
Swedish center Anton Frondell will sign an entry-level contract this
upcoming week with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that took him
third overall at this year’s NHL Entry Draft, according to Swedish
journalist Gunnar
Nordström.
According
to Nordström’s
article, which was published in the Swedish website Expressen on
Saturday, the 18-year-old Frondell will sign for three years at
$975,000
US
per year, which is the maximum allowed for an entry-level deal
according to the CBA.
Nordström
further
states that, according to information provided to Expressen, Frondell
intends to play for Djurgården this upcoming season and will not
attend Chicago's training camp, which begins on Sept. 15. Rather, he
will focus on preparing for Djurgården’s season and the team’s
opener on Sept. 13 at home against Skellefteå AIK.
“When
I got the offer to stay, there was no doubt, no hesitation,”
Frondell was
quoted at the time of his signing.
“Everyone who knows me knows that this is the club that I want to
play for as long as possible. I have been a Djurgården fan since the
day I was born and I have always looked up to those who have worn
Djurgården jerseys. To play for Djurgården myself is the best thing
I know, and with the support of the fans it only becomes even better
each game.”
Last season,
Frondell
had
25 points in 29 games playing for Djurgården
in
Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. He then had seven points in
19 post-season games as Djurgården
earned
a promotion to the top-tier SHL. That will make the upcoming season a
step up in the level of hockey that Frondell will be playing.
If Ivan Demidov gave a good show on Saturday night in Boisbriand, the Montreal Canadiens’ first pick at the last draft did the same thing earlier in the day. Second-round pick and 34th overall selection Alexander Zharovsky started his KHL year with a win at the league’s three-on-three tournament with his team, Salavat Yulaev Ufa.
It was the first time the KHL organized a tournament with that format on smaller ice and with some of its teams. In the semi-final, Ufa got the better of HC Traktor while AK Bars defeated Dinamo Minsk.
While three-on-three play typically leads to an avalanche of goals, both finalists were content to sit back and wait for a mistake from their opponent, which resulted in a goalless first frame. It took a penalty shot converted by Ildus Suleimanov to put Ufa in the lead, and this tiniest of leads stood until the end of the second period thanks to its effective defense.
The third and final period brought an equalizer for AK Bars, who scored through Vladislav Shlyakhtov to send the final to a shootout, and it was Ilya Krikunov who gave Ufa the title of the first edition of that tournament.
While Zharovsky had a quiet final, he showcased some nerves of steel in the group stage to score a shootout goal, which allowed Ufa to win the group stage with a 5-4 win over Ak Bars, who lost a 4-1 lead after Ildus Suleimanov scored a hat trick.
If Demidov showcased some excellent skills in Brossard, Habs fans shouldn’t sleep on Zharovsky, as he showed insane puck skills and hands when he buried the game-winning goal in the group stage.
Alexander Zharovsky's game-winning shootout goal brings the win to the Salavat Yulaev 3x3 in the Green Rivalry (game against Ak Bars)#GoHabsGo
The youngster is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season, meaning Montreal won’t get to welcome him for a couple of years, but that’s fine. The 6-foot-1 forward still needs to develop and put some muscle on his lanky frame, as he only weighs 163 pounds. To give you a comparison basis, Cole Caufield is listed at 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds. Mind you, Lane Hutson is listed at 5-foot-9 and only 162 pounds, but his elusiveness allows him to avoid most hits, and not everyone has that skill.
The Hockey News will be keeping a close eye on Zharovsky as he progresses and tries to work his way to the NHL.
Alexander Zharovsky with his first trophy for Salavat Yulaev💚
Programming note: The American Century Championship is airing locally on NBC Bay Area (KNTV) on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.
Jimmy Butler knows a thing or two about a high-stakes sports atmosphere, so who better to show Steph Curry some support during the final round of the American Century Championship on Sunday in South Lake Tahoe.
The Warriors forward showed up to cheer on his teammate as Curry battles for another ACC title on the celebrity golf tournament’s final day — certainly a welcome sight for the four-time NBA champion, who started the day tied for ninth and had pushed into the top five by the time he greeted Butler.
Butler and Curry were on the court together two months ago as Golden State played against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals, but the Warriors’ NBA playoff run was cut short after their Game 5 loss on May 14.
After their postseason push, it looks like Butler is still a bit too tired to walk from hole to hole in Tahoe.
As Curry looks to reclaim his ACC crown following a one-year absence from the tournament, perhaps Playoff Jimmy’s presence will help him lock in even more than he already has. Butler’s 2025 NBA trade deadline arrival paid dividends for the Warriors, and in the fall they’ll begin their first full campaign together after forging a bond in just a few short months last season.
Time will tell if Curry adds another ACC title to his mantle before he and Butler begin their path to the Larry O’Brien Trophy come October.
Seemingly regardless of whether he makes the NHL or not, top Philadelphia Flyers prospect Porter Martone is a massive underdog to win the 2026 Calder Trophy.
FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the 2025 No. 6 overall pick at a whopping +30000 to win the Calder this season, which has an implied probability of 0.33%. Not 33%, 0.33% - not even a single percent.
Montreal Canadiens starlet Ivan Demidov is the heavy favorite at this point in the summer, leading the pack at +270. San Jose's No. 2 overall pick, Michael Misa, was listed at +1200 alongside newly minted Edmonton forward Ike Howard.
Unless this was simply a clerical error and a massive oversight, 2025 No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer was not listed in FanDuel's odds at all.
Playmkaing forwards Maxim Shabanov and James Hagens - both of whom very well could've ended up Flyers this summer - were listed at +2300 and +3000, respectively.
As for Martone, it seems like the oddsmakers are banking on him heading to the NCAA, possibly with Michigan State University alongside fellow Flyers prospect Shane Vansaghi.
Martone isn't alone at the bottom, though. Center Jett Luchanko, the Flyers' 2024 first-round pick, also made the cut at +30000.
Neither 18-year-old appears to have an abundantly clear path to an NHL roster spot, but injuries (Tyson Foerster) and uncertainty down the middle (Trevor Zegras) could make for opportunity in training camp.
And, for the Flyers as a team, they have the third-worst odds to win the Metropolitan Division this season, sitting at +2000. Only Columbus (+2200) and Pittsburgh (+8500) are worse, and the New York Islanders are also within range at +1700.
Dodgers two-way standout Shohei Ohtani is among a trio of superstars, along with the Yankees' Aaron Judge and the Phillies' Bryce Harper, who have expressed interest in playing in the L.A. Olympic Games in 2028. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In America, the NFL laps every other sport. Around the world, where its product is labeled “American football,” the NFL has largely failed to export its massive domestic popularity.
When the Olympics called, the NFL said yes. In 2028, the L.A. Summer Games will include flag football — and a selection of NFL players. How better to sell your sport internationally than to attach it to the world’s largest sporting event?
Two years after we first started talking about whether major leaguers would play in the 2028 Olympics, Major League Baseball still has not said yes, and now the NFL and its publicity-gobbling machine is threatening to steal the spotlight.
If MLB withholds its players, the NFL will steamroll whatever collection of minor leaguers and collegians appear on the Olympic diamond. So will the NBA All-Stars competing for basketball gold.
If MLB agrees to let its players participate — and Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper have made clear they want to compete — hardly anyone will care about flag football.
“Wimbledon will end, they’ll come here. The Tour de France will end, they’ll come here and compete. Obviously, men’s and women’s basketball will have the greatest basketball players in the world. So we think that a sport like baseball ought to have the best players in the world playing.”
Here is a statistic the NFL could never match: Of the rosters announced for Tuesday’s All-Star Game, one in three players was born outside the United States. Those players represent eight different countries.
MLB has leveraged that global marketing opportunity into the World Baseball Classic, which has grown over two decades from a curiosity into a must-see event. The WBC returns next spring.
“I think it’s eventually going to get moved to the middle of the season,” Team USA manager Mark DeRosa told me at Saturday’s Futures Game. “I think it’s going to be a monster event moving forward.”
The only difference between a WBC in the middle of the season and the Olympics in the middle of the season: MLB controls the WBC.
Dodger Stadium will host six games during the 2028 Olympics, but will MLB players be on any of the teams participating? (Mike DiGiovanna / Associated Press)
That is not a good enough reason for MLB to skip the Olympics. The best interests of baseball cannot always be measured in today’s dollars.
Should major leaguers participate in the Olympics?
“Oh, yeah,” DeRosa said.
“It’s not that simple a question,” said Tony Clark, executive director of the players’ union, onSaturday.
Clark said the union has had “encouraging informal conversations” with LA28 officials. What Clark would like to see from MLB is an actual plan — all the logistics for all the players, as the NBA and NHL provide when their players participate in the Olympics.
MLB has its own logistics issues too. For instance, if MLB skips the 2028 All-Star Game to accommodate the Olympics, how does the league compensate Fox? The league’s media contracts expire after the 2028 season, so the 2029 All-Star Game might not be available to Fox, and MLB would rather not refund the big bucks.
This much is set, according to Wasserman: The Olympic baseball tournament would cover six days at Dodger Stadium, with a six-team field. The United States would automatically qualify as the host country. The 2026 WBC could serve as a qualifying tournament for other countries, although that is more concept than certainty at this point.
What did Wasserman say in his pitch to major league owners?
“What an incredible opportunity to elevate the sport in a city where you have one of the great cathedrals of the sport,” he said. “There is no better chance to tell the global story of baseball than from the Olympics in Los Angeles.
“They understand that. We could have another Dream Team, or two, depending on the countries. That is a vehicle to tell the story of baseball around the world, and that is really powerful.”
To his credit, commissioner Rob Manfred gets that.
“We do see LA28 as a, you know, real opportunity from a marketing perspective,” Manfred told the Associated Press Sports Editors in April.
Logistics aside, Manfred needs to convince the owners — his bosses — that interrupting the regular season is worth it. If the Games were held halfway around the world, shutting down the season for two weeks might be problematic.
But in Los Angeles, for one week? Kill the All-Star Game for a year, and start the regular season three days early, or finish it three days late.
Wasserman said he has had “pretty consistent dialogue” with the league.
“We hope they get to the right answer, which is Major League Baseball players being eligible to play,” Wasserman said.
“We’ll be as patient as we need to be to get to the right answer.”
The wrong answer: The world is watching the Olympics, and MLB is giving us the Colorado Rockies.
SAN FRANCISCO — Shohei Ohtani pitched three scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday as the Dodgers star continues to work his way back from elbow surgery.
Working as an opener for the fifth time this season after not pitching in all of 2024, Ohtani threw 36 pitches, 25 for strikes while serving as Los Angeles’ opener for the fifth time this season. He allowed one hit and struck out the side on 12 pitches in the first inning when his fastball was twice clocked at 99.9 mph.
“Overall a very efficient outing,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I was glad that I was able to prevent runs and we were able to keep the lead throughout the game.”
The Giants only two runners against Ohtani came on a four-pitch walk to Jung Hoo Lee in the second inning and Mike Yastrzemski’s single in the third.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted a difference in Ohtani’s mindset when he’s on the mound.
“You can just see it. ... that different demeanor that he carries on days that he pitches,” Roberts said. “He really is very smart as far as being astute and knowing where we’re at and knowing that this is an important win for us, an important day. He brought that intensity today. It’s not overt but you can feel it.”
Ohtani threw 19 pitches that were at least 97 mph.
“Aside from the stuff, I’m more happy with the command of my pitches and being able to attack the zone,” Ohtani said. “Today was one of those days where my fastball felt pretty good, so I leaned on it a little bit more today.”
The two-way Japanese star, who did not pitch in all of 2024, was also the team’s designated hitter and hit in the leadoff. He grounded out in his first two at-bats and then struck out twice.
Ohtani has allowed one run and five hits over nine innings this season.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton admitted to feeling a little added pressure before Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was his bobblehead day, meaning the first 10,000 fans to walk through the gates at Target Field would receive a replica of Buxton doing his “Buck Truck” home run celebration.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous before the game started, just knowing it was bobblehead day,” Buxton said. “Obviously you want to come out and do something good.”
Buxton did more than something good. He became the first player to hit for the cycle at Target Field since the ballpark opened in 2010, helping ignite the Twins to a 12-4 win over the Pirates.
It was the 12th cycle in Twins history and the first since Jorge Polanco had one in 2019.
Buxton had three hits through three innings — a single in the first, a triple in the six-run second and a double in the third. After singling again in the fifth, he had one more opportunity in the bottom of the seventh.
Buxton, who will participate in next week’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta, crushed a 427-foot solo homer off Pirates reliever Andrew Heaney with two outs in the seventh to make it an 11-3 game and complete the cycle. That brought the Target Field crowd to its feet, many of which celebrated with Buxton bobbleheads.
With his team holding a comfortable lead, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli almost took Buxton out of the game before his final at-bat, he admitted afterward. Thankfully for Baldelli — and Buxton — a few coaches reminded the skipper what was at stake.
“He was 4 for 4 at the time. But with everything going on during a game, sometimes I’ll be the one that might miss on a hitting streak or something that’s going on with a particular player,” Baldelli said. “But once they reminded me of that, he was going to stay in the game. He was going to get another at-bat, regardless of the score, and give him a chance to do something great.”
The homer was Buxton’s 21st of the season, tied for fifth most in the American League. With two runs driven in Saturday, Buxton now has 55 RBIs on the season — just one shy of his single-season high. He boasts an OPS of .921 and is 17 for 17 in stolen bases.
“It’s one of the greatest first halves I’ve ever witnessed,” Baldelli said.
Buxton was replaced in center field after the seventh inning, but not before getting a standing ovation curtain call from Twins fans. He also received a Gatorade bath courtesy of teammate Ty France, who was headed to the clubhouse before realizing that nobody had doused Buxton yet after the game.
“It’s special,” Buxton said. “To be able to come out on bobblehead day like this and have a day like this is something I won’t forget.”
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge didn’t just become the fastest player to hit 350 home runs, he did it in 192 fewer games than Mark McGwire.
“I just think he’s playing in a different league,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Judge’s ninth-inning drive in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Judge homered to right-center on a high 0-2 fastball from Brad Keller, a two-run shot a couple of rows into the right-center field seats.
He reached 350 in his 1,088th game. McGwire hit No. 350 in his 1,280th game, against Detroit’s Brian Moehler on June 2, 1997, bettering Harmon Killebrew in his 1,319th game.
“Big Mac did a lot of great things in this game, and he’s definitely a legend,” Judge said.
Judge, who turned 33 in April, debuted with the Yankees at age 24 in 2016. The two-time AL MVP also doubled twice and is hitting a major league-leading .358 with 35 homers and 81 RBIs.
“Would have been great if we got a win today,” Judge said. “I’ve been surrounded by a lot of great teammates, been on some good teams, so they really put me in the best position to go out there and perform at my best.”
McGwire finished in 2001 at age 38 with 583 homers, currently 11th on the career list. He admitted in 2010 he used performance-enhancing drugs and has been denied entry to baseball’s Hall of Fame.
The Yankees captain has spoken with McGwire.
“I think it started with when I broke my first rib,” Judge said. “I think his son was kind of going through the same thing, so he was first asking me how did I heal? What do we do? So I kind of gave him some tips on that. And then we just kind of chit-chatted a little bit and kept in contact.”
Of course he would take the guaranteed money, more than anyone else in the league besides Brooklyn could give him.
Of course he would stay in Los Angeles, where son Bronny sits on the bench and his home sits on a hill and his myriad businesses are sitting pretty.
Of course, of course, of course … but …
Bronny James (9) leaves the court ahead of father LeBron after a win over Minnesota, during which they became the first father and son to play together in the NBA on Oct. 20, 2024. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Wait a minute. There was a catch.
For the first time since James arrived here seven years ago, there was no second or third or fourth year attached to his contract.
The Lakers didn’t offer him an extension. They refused to guarantee him a spot here after next spring.
For the first time in his Laker career — actually, the first time in his entire 23-year career — James will thus play this season on an expiring contract.
In NBA speak, that means two words.
Trade bait.
Except James has a no-trade clause, and it’s unimaginable he would agree to go to another team that would have to gut their roster to match his salary.
So for the first time, the wiley, elusive, flexible LeBron James is stuck.
He’s stuck on a team clearly catering to the needs of a different superstar in Luka Doncic.
He’s stuck on a team that might be viewing his contract not as an asset but an albatross.
He’s stuck on a team that might be looking to get rid of him but can’t.
He’s stuck on a team where he said he wants to end his career, but where that ending might eventually be out of his control.
He could perhaps free himself by thinking about Nov. 29, 2015.
That is the date that Kobe Bryant, a month into his 20th season, officially announced his retirement.
You remember it, right? What happened next was the most surprisingly delightful farewell season-long tour in the history of sports.
“I thought everybody hated me,” Bryant said at the time. “It’s really cool, man.”
Hate him? America loved him, and showed him that love in every NBA arena across the country, standing ovations from coast to coast as he cruised his way toward that stunning 60-point career finale.
The Lakers were generally terrible, the hobbled Bryant was mostly awful, but the nights were wholly magical, the stone-faced bad guy opening himself up to a national respect and admiration that he never knew existed. It was important that he saw this before he retired. It became infinitely more important that he saw this before he died.
LeBron James flexes for the crowd during a game against the Hornets. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
At the end of the tour I wrote, “... a final act that, in typical Kobe Bryant fashion, was unlike any other in the history of American sports. Opening up to a world he never trusted, becoming accessible and embraceable after years of stony intensity, Bryant used the last five months to flip the narrative on his life and career, erasing the darkness of a villain and crystallizing the glow of a hero.”
Bryant had said before the season that he would never do a farewell tour, that he didn’t want to be lauded like baseball fans lauded the prolonged retirement journey of the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter.
"We're completely different people; I couldn't do that," he said.
Yet saddled with an expiring contract just like James, Bryant ultimately wanted to do something that James might consider, giving the organization a head start at rebuilding while controlling his own narrative.
Before Bryant’s decision could be leaked, he announced it himself in an open letter to basketball that was so touching it became an Oscar-winning film. He even arranged for a copy of the letter, sealed in an envelope embossed with gold, to be placed on the seat of every fan attending that night’s game at then-Staples Center against the Indiana Pacers.
Not exactly a T-shirt, huh? It was elegant, it was classy, it was perfect, just like the tour, initially criticized in this space as being selfish before your humbled correspondent finally realized that Bryant was right, it was really, really cool.
"It's fun. I've been enjoying it," Bryant said. "It's been great to kind of go from city to city and say thank you to all the fans and be able to feel that in return."
You hear that, LeBron?
This is not a call for James to retire, but a call for James to begin considering how that will happen, and how the classy Lakers would nail it if it happened here.
Lakers star LeBron James battles three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets for rebounding position during a playoff game in Denver. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Granted, the James and Bryant situations are not comparable. Even though James is 40, and Bryant was 37, James is still one of the league’s best players while Bryant was statistically one of its worst. And while James is still physically powerful, Bryant never fully recovered from his torn Achilles and was battered and broken.
James might have more gas in the tank while Bryant was clearly done.
But James himself has indicated that he probably has, at most, two years left. And every season his injuries become more insistent and debilitating.
And now that the Lakers are under new ownership with no ties to James, and now that current management has already given this team to Doncic, James doesn’t have much of a future here.
He has made noise about going back to Cleveland, and maybe after this season he’ll want to return to where his career started.
But if he’s even thinking about retirement after this year — a legitimate option for the first time — he shouldn’t wait to do so while walking off the court following an early-round loss by a mediocre Laker team.
Nobody does retirement tours like the Lakers. And nobody has ever done one like Kobe Bryant.
Decidedly in the twilight of his career, LeBron James can learn from both.
