Ben Humrichous went undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft, as expected, but quickly signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Brooklyn Nets. Humrichous was overlooked coming out of high school but worked his way into earning an opportunity with an NBA organization.
Humrichous is originally from Tipton, Indiana, and graduated from Tipton High School as a zero-star recruit. He began his college career at the NAIA level before transferring to Evansville and eventually Illinois for his senior and super senior seasons. At 6-foot-9, he always had the physical tools to develop into someone capable of playing professional basketball.
The former Illini forward started his college career in the NAIA ranks and worked his way to high-major basketball at Illinois over his final two seasons. The Indiana native averaged 14.7 points per game while shooting an impressive 41.4% from beyond the arc at Evansville before transferring to Champaign. He averaged 5.8 points per game last season but was excellent defensively and on the glass. His commitment to getting stronger and improving defensively is a major reason why he earned a contract with the Nets.
It was not a smooth ride for Humrichous during his two years in Champaign, but he trusted the process and became a key contributor on last season’s Final Four team. He began his Illinois career as a starter and an important offensive piece before transitioning into a reserve role with fewer scoring opportunities. He could have left Illinois following a disappointing first season in Champaign, but he stayed, embraced his new role, and helped the Illini make a deep postseason run.
NBA Fit
It is unlikely that Ben Humrichous will ever appear in a regular-season game for the Brooklyn Nets or another NBA team, but he will get his opportunity this summer. He will join several former Illini on the NBA Summer League circuit as they fight for a roster spot.
Illinois fans have recently watched Coleman Hawkins, Giorgi Bezhanishvili, Quincy Guerrier, Dain Dainja, Marcus Domask, Justin Harmon, and Malcolm Hill compete in NBA Summer League. Former Illini Malcolm Hill grinded through Summer League and the G League before eventually earning his opportunity in the NBA. Humrichous and Kylan Boswell will be the next Illini looking to follow a similar path.
Boswell also went undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft but get his opportunity to prove himself during Summer League with the Charlotte Hornets. It will be challenging for both players to make an NBA roster next season, but a continued commitment to development could give them a chance.
Humrichous is a versatile 6-foot-9 forward who can provide shooting, defense, and rebounding off the bench, much like the role he played at Illinois. Boswell is just 20 years old and brings tough on-ball defense and a different style than the big guards that have become increasingly common across the NBA.
Be on the lookout for the NBA Summer League schedule to watch Ben Humrichous, Kylan Boswell, Keaton Wagler, and several other former Illini in action this July.
The Mets had at least something go right for them, as Juan Soto avoided the injured list and was back in the lineup for the series finale against the Cubs after exiting Tuesday’s game with back tightness.
Carlos Mendoza hoped pregame that Soto — who also missed time earlier this season with a calf injury — would be able to play, prompting the Mets to release their starting lineup later than expected until they received some clarity. He hit third and served as the designated hitter, with MJ Melendez in left field. Mendoza, who didn’t have any clarity on when Soto could return to the outfield, was satisfied that Soto even wanted to play — as opposed to just being available as a pinch hitter after missing both games Wednesday.
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“That’s a good sign,” Mendoza said before Soto went 1-for-3 with two walks during their 4-3 loss in 10 innings.
A trip to the IL would’ve been another nightmare for the Mets in a season full of them. Soto, who entered Thursday’s game with a .299 average, .965 OPS and 17 homers, has been one of the only pieces of their lineup to produce.
Francisco Lindor just returned from his calf strain Wednesday and Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar spine disc herniation), Jorge Polanco (left Achilles bursitis, right wrist contusion) and Marcus Semien (left hip flexor strain) are all on the injured list.
Mets left fielder Juan Soto reacts after he grounds out with the bases loaded to end the sixth inning on June 25, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The hope that Soto was only day to day turned out to be accurate.
He avoided another stint on the IL after missing 15 games in April. The Mets, for once, caught an injury break.
“He looked normal,” Mendoza said. “There was no hesitation. I mean, he was swinging as hard as possible. Normal at-bats.”
Mendoza opened his pregame press conference with a statement about his native country of Venezuela, which sustained a devastating pair of earthquakes with 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes Wednesday. At least 188 people were killed, more than 200 people were trapped and more than 1,500 people were injured, according to the Associated Press.
Before the second game of the Mets doubleheader Wednesday, Mendoza said his phone “started blowing up,” and he was able to contact his parents after initially not knowing what was going on. His family and friends — as well as the family of Mets catchers Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens — are in a good place, Mendoza said, but the country was still navigating the aftermath of the tragedy.
“I want to send my thoughts and prayers to all the people back home in Venezuela after what we all saw [Wednesday],” Mendoza, who said he’s doing “all right” amid the earthquake. “Obviously there’s a lot of people, a baseball community that’s been affected by. Sending my thoughts and prayers there.”
Lefty Zach Thornton, who made his MLB debut last month, will pitch Friday against the Phillies with Christian Scott (right hip impingement) getting activated from the injured list to start Saturday. The decision comes after David Peterson was traded to the Cubs.
Thornton — the No. 12 Mets prospect, according to MLB Pipeline — allowed four runs on four hits while striking out three batters and walking two across 4 ¹/₃ innings against the Nationals in his lone MLB start. In 12 appearances and 11 starts for Triple-A Syracuse this season, Thornton, a fifth-round pick in 2023, has collected a 1-5 record with a 4.25 ERA.
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Lindor was out of the lineup Thursday after making his injury return Wednesday, with Mendoza acknowledging Wednesday that he’ll need to have days off mixed in before becoming an everyday player again. … Soto advanced to the second phase of All-Star voting. … Reliever Dedniel Núñez, who underwent Tommy John surgery last season, joined Single-A St. Lucie to begin a rehab assignment.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 23: Darryn Peterson poses on the red carpet prior to Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Utah Jazz are entering next season with a prospect many are considering the best prospect in team history. But is he really? Let’s take a look at all the prospects in team history and decide who were the top ten best prospects in Jazz history. It’s important to note that this is not a list of the best players in Jazz history, but the best prospects. Basically, how much hype and expectation did each player have coming into the league when they were drafted?
10. John Stockton
This was a choice between John Stockton and Truck Robinson. Truck Robinson was a second-round pick who was considered undersized but overcame it and became a monster rebounder and two-time all-star. John Stockton was famously booed by Jazz fans when he was drafted at pick #16 and played a backup role his first three seasons.
Because he was at least a first-round pick, Stockton gets the nod. But even he was surprised he was picked so high, most had him as a late first-round pick or later. Utah kept it secret that they had an interest, but probably didn’t have to.
9. Donovan Mitchell
Once again, this isn’t a list of best players for the Jazz, just the most hyped prospects in team history. Like Stockton, Mitchell talked about how he wasn’t sure he’d even be drafted when the Jazz picked him at pick #13.
What Mitchell did have was a fantastic wingspan (6’10” for a 6’1″ player) and impressive athleticism (40″ vertical). The signs were there for him to have some nice upside but no one expected him to become what he did.
8. Enes Kanter
Most people forget that Enes Kanter was the #3 overall pick. The pick was conveyed from the trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Kanter was a top prospect from Kentucky, but was ruled ineligible by the NCAA and didn’t play. Because he was from Turkey and there was no film on him in college, he was a massive unknown with all sorts of potential outcomes. A lot of Jazz fans were throwing out names like Dirk Nowitzki at the time, but that was clearly not what he became.
I remember poring over grainy clips from Turkey like the Zabruder film and not really having any idea what he could be. The fact that Kentucky wanted him encouraged fans like me that there had to be more to him than what we saw. Because of the unknown, there was hype, but it was nothing compared to the excitement we’re feeling right now.
7. Karl Malone
Because Karl Malone came from a small school and was little known, he didn’t have much hype at all coming out of school. He did have impressive physical tools, but there were questions about his style of play, and there were rumors that he was hard to deal with. Because of that, Malone fell a little later than expected to #13 in the draft.
It obviously turned out well for Utah, but it was not clear how things would work out for the physical specimen from Louisiana Tech.
6. Dante Exum
Dante Exum is the first player on this list who had some serious hype coming to the NBA. Utah was at #5 in the draft, and it was the hope that Exum could actually fall out of the top so Utah could draft him. With his large 6’6″ size with 6’10” wingspan, overzealous draft analysts compared him to guys like Penny Hardaway. Needless to say, Jazz fans were very excited about Exum.
When he joined the Jazz, the summer league hype for him was huge, and he gave fans something to cheer for with a great first game. Obviously, things didn’t turn out as everyone hoped, but the buildup to drafting Exum was fun, and Jazz fans had serious excitement about him. You had to be there.
5. Ace Bailey
Like Exum, Ace Bailey went #5 in the draft to the Utah Jazz and came with impressive physical tools and potential. So far, Bailey has shown real flashes of what he can do, much better than what we saw from Exum. He also had a better opportunity as the Jazz were tanking for a lot of his season, which gave him a lot of time to play.
The reason Bailey gets the nod here, and could be argued to be higher, is that before his college season started, many experts had him slated for top-3, even #1 by some. But his performance at Rutgers wasn’t quite as strong as expected. He still put up numbers, but they weren’t dominant, and there were some questions about his skill set. Bailey also received bad advice from his player-manager, Omar Cooper, and didn’t give any teams a workout. He tried to work his way to Washington, but Utah selected him even without a workout. Bailey is still receiving a lot of hype and has a chance to become a real star for Utah if he continues to improve.
4. Deron Williams
Williams came into the league with some huge hype as a draft riser who led his team to the national championship. He was considered a strong pick because of his high IQ, court vision, and strong frame. Because of his great positional size, he also looked like a potential star who could punish opposing guards. That’s exactly what he did.
Williams was such a good prospect that Utah made sure to get him by trading to draft him at #3. Williams went on to become a multi-year All-Star and a 2-time All-NBA Second Team selection. And no matter what anyone says, he outplayed Chris Paul during his tenure with the Jazz.
LAS VEGAS – FEBRUARY 16: Deron Williams and Chris Paul of the Sophomore team seen prior to the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend on February 16, 2007 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2007 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
3. Darrell Griffith
The Golden Griff was considered by many as the best talent in the 1980 draft, not unlike Darryn Peterson. His nickname “Dr. Dunkenstein” was well earned, with his legendary reported 48-inch vertical during the draft. Griffith was a national champion and Wooden Award winner, and Utah was excited to draft him as the potential face of the franchise and future star.
You could argue that Griffith probably deserves the #1 spot, so this might be recency bias, and the fact that I wasn’t there for Griffith. As the only other #2 pick for the Jazz, he is well-deserving of, at minimum, this #3 spot.
2. Dominique Wilkins
This is one of the more interesting notes in Jazz history. Wilkins was very hyped coming out of college and looked like the prototypical NBA superstar. His athleticism, size, and scoring were as good as they come. The issue was that he didn’t want to play in Utah. Utah drafted him and had to trade Wilkins because of his refusal to play with the team. Things have changed a lot since then, but we still see a little of this. The good news? It appears that Utah is slowly gaining a better reputation and will hopefully continue to prove itself as a place where players would love to go.
In his own words, here’s how Wilkins described the Jazz draft situation.
1. Darryn Peterson
Yes, Darryn Peterson really is the best Jazz prospect ever. His mix of talent, skill, and athleticism is as high as any prospect you’ll ever see. Coming into Kansas, Peterson was considered by many as the #1 pick. Because of his issues at Kansas, Washington was given enough pause to draft AJ Dybantsa, but that doesn’t take away from just how awesome Peterson has the potential to be. Personally, because of where he was mocked all year, and even up until draft night, I look at him as maybe the first #1 pick for the Utah Jazz. He’s for sure the best all-around talent coming out of college the Jazz have ever drafted.
But now, it all comes down to how he joins the team. The hype and potential couldn’t be highert, the hope is that he can live up to it.
According to FanDuel, Peterson has the second-best odds to win Rookie of the Year. If he plays at the level of his hype, that should be easy.
BOSTON — Trent Grisham could be about a week away from returning to the Yankees.
The center fielder met the team at Fenway Park on Thursday and is set to go through a full slate of baseball activities during this series — he did some defensive work in the outfield and took batting practice before Thursday’s series opener — before likely going out on a rehab assignment.
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Grisham, who has been on the injured list since June 13 with a moderate right hamstring strain, has a chance to return sooner than the Yankees initially expected if he can get through the final steps of his recovery without issue.
“He’s doing really well,” manager Aaron Boone said Thursday. “It’s been encouraging. He’ll probably hit the bases … a couple times this weekend while we’re here. But he’s getting close.”
Grisham will then “probably” play in at least a rehab game or two, Boone said, to make sure he is all good to cover center field before making his return.
Trent Grisham (12) celebrates at the end of the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Bronx, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice advanced to the second phase of All-Star voting Thursday, giving them a chance to start for the American League in the Midsummer Classic next month in Philadelphia (though Judge would obviously not be ready to play in the game because of his rib injury).
In the first phase of fan voting, Judge received the most votes of any AL outfielder while Bellinger finished fourth (the top six outfielders advanced).
Rice, meanwhile, finished second among AL first basemen, receiving just over half as many votes as Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Rice and Guerrero will be pitted against each other (as will the six outfielders) for the starting honor in the next round of voting, which concludes July 2.
Paul Goldschmidt, who led off the game with a double against Red Sox lefty Connelly Early, is batting .418 with a 1.323 OPS in 79 at-bats against lefties.
After the game, the Yankees optioned J.C. Escarra to Triple-A, clearing the way for Ali Sánchez to be activated off the paternity list Friday.
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This marks the second Yankees-Red Sox series since Alex Cora got fired, but Boone — who said he has spoken to his friend and former counterpart “a couple times” since he was let go — indicated it was still strange not to see him in the dugout across the field.
“Alex always had such a big presence to him that it definitely was a little bit different,” Boone said.
Fernando Cruz — who did not pitch Thursday — has stranded 28 of his 32 inherited runners this season, including 24 of his past 25 since April 25.
Jun 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) sets up to catch a fly ball hit by Texas Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Rangers 6 Blue Jays 5
Well, they made it close.
A terrible night for Kevin Gausman, for the second start in a row. Tonight he gave up a run in the first and five more in the third, and that was pretty much the game. He did work his way through six innings.
And Simeon Woods Richardson pitched the last three innings, without giving up a run. Pretty soon he’s going to earn a change to be more than just a mop up guy. 10 innings and he still hasn’t given up a run as a Blue Jay.
Offensively? We didn’t score until the fifth inning, putting up three runs with back-to-back singled to start the inning by Kazuma Okamoto and Alejandro Kirk. A Nathan Lukes walk loaded the bases. Then a sac fly by Davis Schneider and a Myles Straw double brought in our runs.
And we got two more in the ninth. Ernie Clement singles and, after a Vladimir Guerrero strikeout, Okamoto hit his 18th home run of the season. But Kirk ground out and Brandon Valenzuela struck out and that was the game.
We only had six hits and one walk, so there weren’t many base runners. Clement and Okamoto had two hits each. Kirk and Straw had one each.
Just another one of those days where we didn’t hit enough. One for three with RISP but we didn’t have enough RISP. It seems to be the story of the season to this point.
Jay of the Day? Straw was the only one getting the number (0.10 WPA). Let’s give an honourable mention to Okamoto.
Other Award: Gausman (-0.29) and Vlad (-0.10).
Tomorrow we have Patrick Corbin (2-3, 4.73) against Nathan Eovaldi (7-7, 4.24). As I say too often, a win would be nice.
Jun 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) looks on as Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) hits a two run home run in the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
Good news! Apparently whatever ailment preventing the Red Sox from playing competent baseball at Fenway Park this year is contagious. The New York Yankees may have the best record in the American League, but tonight they put on a total clown shown and gifted away a rather amusing victory with a big, fat bow on it.
The Red Sox of course were still the Red Sox, going 1-12 with runners in scoring position and failing to score a single earned run, but for one night, their shortcomings were dwarfed by their opponent. If you go by official errors, the Yankees were charged with four, but it you watched the whole thing play out, it felt like they had twice that many.
It started early and often with two mistakes in the first inning: First Austin Wells got nailed on catcher’s interference, and then Cam Schlitter threw a ball into centerfield to set up a second and third situation for the Sox. Even though these two errors didn’t amount to anything, it was a major harbinger of things to come.
In the second inning, the Yankees started things off by letting this pop up drop (which was generously ruled a hit):
Once again, the Red Sox didn’t score – And they even failed to score again in the third and fourth innings despite another pop up dropping in foul territory.
However, in the bottom of the fifth, the flood of mistakes finally caught up with New York and the game turned rather quickly. On another night, the ball below becomes an inning ending double play, but with the circus in town, it went right through Amed Rosario’s legs to get the Red Sox on the board.
Later in the inning, Jarren Duran recorded a sac fly on a shallow fly ball to left field thanks in part to a very unimpressive throw from Jose Caballero. (To be fair and give the Red Sox some credit, they fully expected a throw like this and challenged his arm.)
Then came the big blow. In an inning that should have been over, the Yankees proved the even against the 2026 Red Sox, if you keep making enormous blunder after enormous blunder, you’re eventually going to pay the piper in this league. Here, it happened in the form of a Caleb Durbin home run down the left field line. It was definitely a Fenway home run, but the Yankees fully earned this one with the way they played all night, and so did Durbin for that matter getting back in the lineup one day after dislocating his pinky.
That homer turned out to be all the runs the Red Sox needed, but the Yankees were not done handing out gifts. Here’s Yerry De los Santos trying to field a bunt in the eighth:
Connelly Early: This is the other main story from the game that kind of got buried in the Yankee calamity. Early survived a shaky first inning, showed steady improvement the deeper he worked into the outing, and his fastball was touching 95mph. Great night for him in both the micro and the macro.
Garrett Whitlock: Nice bounce back outing after some shakiness in Colorado. He put up an easy, stress free zero in the top of the eighth.
Three Duds
Marcelo Mayer: 0-4 with two strike outs that also included a pop up with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning. If he had a halfway decent night with the bat, the Red Sox probably score ten runs given all the ducks he left on the pond.
Greg Weissert: Nearly set the game on fire in the seventh inning. Needed Danny Coulombe to get Ben Rice to clean up his jam.
Earthquakes: Normally, the third dud would go to either Wilyer Abreu or Willson Contreras, who went a combined 0-8 with three strikeouts from the three and four spots in the lineup. However, given what’s happening in their home country right now, they get a total pass for this one.
Pick whatever Yankee error was your favorite. Their incompetency powered the Red Sox win with Boston failing to score a single earned run all night. Let’s just hope the Yankees saved some errors for the rest of the series.
All-time greats have questions to answer in SW19 while Raducanu and Draper have to show they can stay fit
Serena Williams left it until the last minute to take the final available singles wildcard at Wimbledon and dramatically escalate her comeback from retirement. It is hard to imagine this was all part of her master plan. If she knew she was ready to compete against the best in the world from the beginning of the grass court season, Williams would have surely tested the waters at Queen’s Club or in Berlin, rather than playing doubles. But here she is, unable to resist the pull of Wimbledon, where she has won seven times in singles. Williams’s career has been filled with so many magical moments and at 44 years old, after four years of retirement, she is back at SW19 attempting to create a few more magical moments.
For what felt like the millionth time this season, the Mets made some mistakes in Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Cubs that cost them the game.
Tied 0-0 entering the sixth inning, Freddy Peralta, who had been cruising over the first five innings, got Dansby Swanson to hit a routine grounder to shortstop Ronny Mauricio. The ball was hit right to Mauricio and all he had to do was make the throw to first base for the first out of the inning.
Instead, Mauricio made a low throw and the ball skipped to first baseman Mark Vientos, who couldn’t handle it for a throwing error charged to the shortstop.
The error paved the way for Chicago’s three-run inning, all of which were unearned, and forced Peralta to throw 30 pitches before getting pulled with two outs in the frame.
Not only was manager Carlos Mendoza unhappy after the game with the error because of how routine the play was, the point in time at which it happened also bothered him, not to mention it came on the heels of a game where New York made six errors.
“Especially the leadoff one there – it’s a completely different inning, especially for Freddy’s outing there,” Mendoza said. “It’s just routine plays that are costing us. At this level, you expect to make plays like that, those are routine plays. You understand that they’re not gonna be perfect, but those are as routine as it gets and teams are making us pay for it, especially the past few nights.
Prior to the error, Peralta had kept the Cubs scoreless for five innings and pulled a complete 180 following his season-worst start against the Philadelphia Phillies the last time out. Of course, it’s impossible to say what would’ve happened had the error not happened, but at the very least, it forced Peralta to throw more pitches and ended his night prematurely.
Nevertheless, the right-hander knows mistakes are part of the game and felt he should’ve done more to pick up his defender.
“It happens. I was just trying to calm myself and make my pitches and try to get a ground ball for the double play,” he said.
The Mets, officially at the halfway point of the season, have now lost six straight games, are a season-low 13 games below .500 and their season is on life support.
So, what, if anything, can be done about it?
“I cannot speak for everybody, but what I can say and what I feel is just, losing is no fun,” Peralta said. “And at the end of the day, I know we need to win and that we have a team that is supposed to win. What I can say is we’ve been trying and we’ve been working really hard to get through this and trying to make adjustments.
“Right now we just need to keep trying and play better, myself too. We all need to play better and just try to come back and remind ourselves that we are big leaguers and we are great at this game. We just need to put everything together and try to put up a W every day.”
2005 Draft Revisionist History—May 22, 2026 - VOL. 79, Issue. 11 - Jared Clinton
HERE’S A HORRIFYING THOUGHT for Kings faithful: Kopitar in Anaheim Ducks colors. But if the chance arose for a 2005-draft mulligan, that’s exactly where Los Angeles’ all-time scoring leader would have ended up. And a one-two punch of Kopitar and Ryan Getzlaf down the middle could have ushered in an era of Ducks dominance.
If each club, with the gift of hindsight, selected the best available player, there’s also an interesting conundrum in Carolina. At the time, the Hurricanes couldn’t have known a 22-year-old Cam Ward was about to put forth a Conn Smythe-winning performance as Carolina captured the 2006 Stanley Cup. But if he had, and Price was waiting in the wings, how would the Canes have addressed their crease?
Price in Carolina could have also opened the door for Tuukka Rask in Bleu, Blanc et Rouge. Having spent his career in Boston – by way of the Maple Leafs, as Toronto fans surely recall – the thought of Rask as a Hab will give many a Bruins fan a migraine.
And it’s not just Price and Rask who make for interesting re-draft fodder. The 2005 draft has a claim to producing the best goalie crop in post-lockout history. Five keepers, each of whom would be first-round selections in a do-over, produced 150-plus wins, and four eclipsed the 200-win plateau, the most of any draft since the lockout.
Here’s how the 2005 draft would look if every team owned a crystal ball. Where the player was actually picked is in parentheses.
Victor Cruz popped the question for a celebratory Thursday night.
The Giants legend and Super Bowl champion proposed to Orange Calderon, an artist, record producer and DJ, who shared photos of the moment on Instagram.
“Mrs. Cruz” has a nice to it,” she wrote as the caption.
Cruz, 39, picked out a big oval-cut diamond for the next step in the relationship that started to take form last year.
The couple was spotted at various public events that sparked dating rumors, including arriving together at Coachella in April and have various recent travel social media posts together.
Victor Cruz and Orange Calderon at Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Instagram @orangecalderon
Cruz, a Knicks fan, was also seen with the musical artist on celebrity row throughout the historic season that was capped off by an NBA title — a first in 53 years.
He was in attendance for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, witnessing OG Anunoby’s show-stopping game-winning tip-in that gave the Knicks a commanding 3-1 series lead.
“Still not over this! @nyknicks,” Cruz wrote on Instagram after the game.
Victor Cruz and Orange Calderon at Game 4 of the NBA Finals series between the Knicks and Spurs. Instagram @orangecalderon
The engagement comes five years after Cruz’s split from ex-girlfriend, actress Karrueche Tran, in February 2021.
The two were an item for three years before calling it quits due to long distance. At the time, Cruz lived in New Jersey with his daughter, Kennedy, while Tran was in Los Angeles.
Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast to discuss everything Pistons. Submit your question to the comments section here or on X/Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @blakesilverman.
Join us live on Saturday morning for the show where Tyler Metcalf from No Ceilings NBA will join the show to review the NBA draft. What will Ebuka Okorie bring to the Pistons? How about Ugonna Onyenso? And what else could the Isaiah Stewart trade be setting up?
Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.
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The St. Louis Blues have reportedly tried to trade for a big-name player, as Jeff Marek reports that they attempted to acquire Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson, but the player was not willing to sign with the Blues.
Marek mentioned that the Blues offered a package that included multiple first-round picks, but the deal did not go through because Robertson preferred not to sign in St. Louis.
This report comes after Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Seattle Kraken had a trade in place for Robertson and had offered him an eight-year, $15 million contract, but they, too, were denied.
Frank Seravalli also mentioned that the Toronto Maple Leafs attempted to be involved in the Kraken-Stars deal by offering Matthew Knies to the Stars in hopes of landing the Kraken’s seventh-overall pick.
Robertson has reportedly turned down offers from the Blues and Kraken and has also told the Ottawa Senators he would not be willing to sign there.
The 26-year-old has also declined offers from the Stars, but those contract offers were likely less than what the Blues and Kraken could offer.
Following Robertson’s denial, several reports link the Blues to Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish. The Ducks are looking for a first-round pick, and Pierre LeBrun has noted that both the Blues and New York Rangers have submitted offers to the Ducks.
GM Doug Armstrong has mentioned that they might not sit on their first four round picks, and as the draft inches closer, Armstrong’s activity on the trade market ramps up.
Earlier today, Andy Strickland reported that the Blues are looking to move up in the draft, potentially as high as second overall.
Lots of moving parts and plenty of action are expected to come from the Blues.
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With the league moving to 84 regular season games, the preseason is cut down to just four games. In which case, most NHL clubs will host two games and have two road games.
That is the case with the Predators, as they have two home-and-home series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.
The first game is set to be on Sept. 20 at 4:00 p.m. CT against the Lightning on the road. They will then host them at home on Sept. 22 at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Their two games against the Hurricanes are the same setup. They will play a game on the road on Sept. 24 at 6:00 p.m. CT and their last game is set for Sept. 26th at home at 2:00 p.m. CT.
This is the first big step in the offseason. Preseason schedules are always released ahead of the NHL Draft. Which kicks off tomorrow night, June 26.
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Smokies pitcher Dawson Netz (34) pitches during a minor league baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and the Chattanooga Lookouts at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 21, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Right-hander Grant Kipp was promoted from Double-A Knoxville to Triple-A Iowa.
Right-hander Kenten Egbert went back down to High-A South Bend after his one game in Iowa.
Corbin Martin started this game as a kind of hybrid opener/bullpen game and he got the loss after giving up two runs on one hit and one walk over 1.2 innings. Martin struck out two.
Iowa managed just six hits in this game and all of them were singles. Third baseman James Triantos singled home right fielder Kevin Alcántara with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Triantos was 2 for 4. Alcántara went o for 3 with a walk.
Here’s at least a defensive highlight, courtesy of center fielder Brett Bateman.
Dawson Netz kept the Barons off the board for six innings, giving up just two hits. Netz struck out two and walked just one.
Catcher Owen Ayers connected for a solo home run in the top of the first inning. It was Ayers’ 20th home run this year and 14th with the Smokies. Ayers went 2 for 3 with a walk.
In the seventh inning, shortstop Ed Howard smacked his first home run of the year off the scoreboard with a man on. Howard went 1 for 4.
Second baseman Hayden Cantrelle doubled twice in a 3 for 4 night. He scored twice and had one run batted in.
Mason McGwire got the start and the loss after giving up four runs on seven hits over four innings. McGwire walked two and struck out four.
South Bend managed just four hits. Third baseman Matt Halbach and left fielder Jose Escobar hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth inning for the only Cubs run. Both players were 1 for 4.
Kaleb Wing started this game, but only threw 18 pitches and one inning. Wing allowed no runs and no hits. He walked one and struck out two. I didn’t see any injury on the mound, but who knows if he mentioned something in the dugout between innings. I didn’t see any hugs either, although it was the away broadcast and they weren’t focusing on the Pelicans dugout.
David Bracho threw the next three innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. Bracho walked two and struck out two.
Next up was Edwardo Melendez, who allowed one run on two hits over three innings. Melendez walked two and struck out three.
Emilio Ramos pitched the eighth and ninth inning, did not give up a hit or a run and got the win. Ramos did walk one while striking out two.
Second baseman Alexis Hernández had a big day, going 3 for 5 with two doubles. The second double, in the top of the ninth, scored Alexey Lumpuy which broke a 4-4 tie and ended up being the winning run. Hernández had two total RBI and he scored once.
Center fielder Lumpuy went 1 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. He also stole one base.
Catcher Jairo Diaz was 2 for 4. He scored one run and drove one in.
Just when it seemed like the Mets might quiet the noise — around their manager, around their president of baseball operations, around everyone in the clubhouse associated with this dismal season spiraling toward the trade deadline — for one night, they still found a way to lose. Just when the offense was actually able to fix the latest mess that the defense made to give them a chance in extras, it still wasn’t enough.
This time, less than 24 hours after the Mets and Cubs made a trade in what might be a summer full of them, the centerpiece of the two clubs’ last major deal issued a reminder of why it aged so poorly for his former team. Pete Crow-Armstrong — the former Mets prospect sent to Chicago in the 2021 Javier Báez deal — doubled home the winning run for the Cubs in the 10th off Brooks Raley. Eric Wagaman, Brett Baty and Carson Benge couldn’t find a way to get Ronny Mauricio home in the bottom of the frame. And it sent the Mets to a 4-3 loss as their losing streak extended to six and they inched closer to the seemingly inevitable decision to sell at the deadline.
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That’s the reality,” Carlos Mendoza said when asked about that after the season hit its official midway point one night after David Peterson was traded to Chicago. “Especially if we don’t start playing better. Obviously, we gotta be honest here. But we can’t be thinking about what-if. Our job is to do what we need to do now.”
This time, the Mets (34-47) found a way to punch back after a pair of errors by Mauricio — or, if the fans at Citi Field had any say in the official scoring, Mark Vientos — and Benge gave the Cubs a three-run lead. Wagaman first stepped into a fastball on the first pitch from Ethan Roberts and sent it over the left field fence and then, Jared Young sent a curveball from ex-Met Phil Maton over the right field fence.
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) follows through on an RBI double against the New York Mets during the tenth inning at Citi Field on June 25, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But until that point, Thursday had started to unfold as the worst type of encore for the Mets one night after they committed six errors in a game. Mauricio one-hopped a throw that Vientos couldn’t scoop, leading to one Cubs run. After Mauricio’s error, fans at Citi Field brought back the “Pete Alonso” chants from Wednesday. They blamed Vientos for allowing Dansby Swanson to reach base more than Mauricio, who was starting at shortstop and playing in his first game since May 2. Swanson then advanced to second on a groundout and came around to score when ex-Met Michael Conforto lined a single to right field.
One out later, the Mets defense cratered again. Alex Bregman lined a ball up the right field line, but Benge couldn’t time the bounce off the wall. Conforto scored on the play. Bregman ended up on third, making it easy to score when Ian Happ singled. When it all added up at the end of the frame, Freddy Peralta — cruising to that point — had allowed three unearned runs.
Carson Benge3 reacts after he grounds out to end the 10th inning. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“It’s just routine plays that are just costing us,” Mendoza said. “At this level, you expect to make plays like that. Those are routine plays. You understand that they’re not gonna be perfect, but those are routine as it gets.”
The Mets had their chances, though. They loaded the bases in the third inning before Vientos fouled out. Had runners on first and second the next frame, too, with Mauricio’s double keying it all, before Baty grounded out. Loaded the bases again in the sixth after Wagaman’s blast, with Juan Soto grounding out, too.
Freddy Peralta walks back to the dugout after the top of the fifth inning. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Peralta recovered from his 10-run outing to cruise through five innings before the defense ruined his final two-thirds of a frame. He struck out five batters, walked another one and allowed five hits in an outing that, if nothing else, could boost the pending free agent’s trade value when the end of July arrives.
“Everybody in here’s frustrated,” Wagaman said. “I think we know what our record is. … We can’t get all those wins back in one day. We just have to start stacking them and take it day by day.”
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But then Crow-Armstrong delivered some more misery for his former team. And as the Peterson trade showed, the Mets could be rapidly running out of time with the current group.
to it,” she wrote as the caption. 
