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Carmelo Anthony to be inducted into Hall of Fame on first ballot

One of the pure bucket getters the game has ever seen — whether he was winning an NCAA title, winning one of his three Olympic gold medals, or averaging 22.5 points a game in the NBA — there has been nobody like Carmelo Anthony.

Now he is deservingly going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, which was expected but has been officially broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.

Anthony averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over his 19-year career, which started with the Nuggets, moved on to the Knicks, and also included stops with the Thunder, Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Lakers. 'Melo led the NBA in scoring in 2012-13, was a 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA player, ranks 12th on the league's all-time points list, and was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary team.

Tributes poured in for Anthony, but the best one came from the Atlanta Hawks.

(For those that don't remember, Anthony was traded from the Thunder to the Hawks in the summer of 2018, he was technically a member of the Atlanta franchise for five days before he was waived.)

The official announcement of the Neismith Basketbal Hall of Fame class of 2025 will come this weekend during the Final Four in San Antonio. Other locks to make the Hall of Fame out of this class include Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Dwight Howard, and the 2008 USA Basketball men's Olympic team — which included both Anthony and Howard.

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Aaron Boone encouraged by hot starts from Yankees' youngsters: 'We need them to be this and better'

The Yankees have entered the 2025 season banking on a young core to blossom without long stretches of growing pains. And while it's still far too early to draw conclusions on what these players will produce by the end of the 162-game marathon, the first week's worth of results are at least encouraging.

Call it a small sample size -- because it very much is -- but the Yankees' crop of homegrown talent is providing pop in the lineup that's not just connected to the torpedo bat craze. Between youngsters Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, and Ben Rice are seven home runs in just 39 total at-bats, and top prospect Jasson Dominguez joined the party with his first blast of the year on Tuesday.

With ample help from captain Aaron Judge, the Yankees hit a league-record 18 homers through their first four games. The questions and doubts surrounding the team's ability to reach base consistently and deliver in the clutch still exist, but the youth movement is already embracing a rather tall order.

"It's four games, but certainly been encouraged by Austin, Volpe," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks. "Even before Dominguez had two hits and the homer yesterday, not a ton of results for him necessarily in the first few games, but I thought his at-bats were really good....

"I feel like those guys are all better hitters than they've been in the past, and continue to improve. We're relying on those guys heavily. We need them to be this and better. I've been encouraged by what we've seen from our younger players. They've kind of carried their spring training into the early days of the season so far."

The new faces in pinstripes are also pulling their weight, as Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt have combined to hit .310 with two homers. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is also off to a hot start with three round-trippers in his first March and April with the club. From top to bottom, the Yankees are barreling pitches.

New York's goal of defending its American League pennant and capturing that elusive championship is undoubtedly contingent upon the veterans living up to their career marks. But the 26-and-under group is bearing plenty of responsibility too. The Yankees' six true homegrown players in last week's Opening Day lineup were their most in five decades.

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Grealish pays tribute to brother as Manchester City ease past Leicester

Jack Grealish scored a first Premier League goal in 16 months then dedicated it to his brother Keelan on the 25th anniversary of his passing in an emotional post-victory tribute.

The forward’s strike came only 70 seconds in as Leicester were shredded by a Savinho dart down the right; the Brazilian found Grealish who beat Mads Hermansen to the goalkeeper’s right. Afterwards on Instagram, Grealish said: “With me always, especially this day – that was for you Keelan.”

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Rumor: Erik Brännström To Switzerland

Erik Brännström playing for the Vancouver Canucks earlier this season. © Bob Frid-Imagn Image

Erik Brännström has played in North America since 2018 but multiple Swedish media sources are reporting that he will return to Europe next season.

HockeyNews.se is reporting that the 25-year-old Swedish defenseman is most likely headed to Switzerland, where he would sign a long-term deal – a scoop attributed to an Expressen.se article behind a paywall.

The website further notes that Genève-Servette and HC Lugano are two teams in Switzerland’s National League who have room to add imports to their rosters. Both teams that have generally not been afraid to pay well for talent, particularly Genève, although both teams also struggled and missed the playoffs this past season.

Lugano Dismisses Coach Krupp And Several Noteworthy PlayersLugano Dismisses Coach Krupp And Several Noteworthy Players Just days after the team saved its position in Switzerland’s National League by defeating HC Ajoie in a playout series, HC Lugano parted ways with head coach Uwe Krupp and several notable players, including goaltender Adam Húska, defenseman Valtteri Pulli, and forwards Mark Arcobello, Daniel Carr, Radim Zohorna and Aleksi Peltonen.

Originally from Eksjö, Sweden, Brännström played junior hockey and turned pro with HV71 in nearby Jönköping.

Brännström was a first-round pick, 17th overall, by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and was moved to the Ottawa Senators in a 2019 multi-player deal that saw Vegas acquire Mark Stone.

From 2019 to 2024, Brännström’s career was fairly stable – mostly playing in the NHL for Ottawa with occasional assignments to the Belleville Senators, the team’s nearby AHL farm team.

However, this season has been quite chaotic for the diminutive, puck-moving defenseman. He signed as a free-agent with the Colorado Avalanche in the summer but was traded to the Vancouver Canucks before the season began. After playing 28 games in Vancouver, he was dealt to the New York Rangers as part of the J.T. Miller trade in late January and then traded again to the Buffalo Sabres just prior to the trade deadline. He has not played an NHL game for either of the latter two teams.

Overall, Brännström has 77 points and 162 penalty minutes in 294 NHL regular-season games.

If he signs in Switzerland, it will be Brännström’s second tour of duty there, although the first one only lasted 10 games with the SCL Tigers in the autumn of 2020 while the start of the NHL season was delayed by pandemic-related restrictions.

Victor Soderstrom Wins Borje Salming Trophy As SHL’s Top DefensemanVictor Soderstrom Wins Borje Salming Trophy As SHL’s Top Defenseman Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy.
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Gabe Perreault's Decision To Wear The Number 94 That Stems With His Father

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Gabe Perreault is expected to wear the number 94 for the New York Rangers as he makes his NHL debut on Wednesday night and there’s some deep history behind that decision.

His father, Yanic Perreault repped the number 94 when he played in the NHL. 

Gabe revealed that it was actually Yanic who suggested and inspired him to use that very same number. 

“Growing up, I’ve always had a number with a 4 in it,” Gabe said. “When I talked to my Dad, I think he suggested it a little bit, so definitely because of him a little bit.”

Through Yanic’s 14 seasons in the NHL, he played for the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, and Phoenix Coyotes. 

After two seasons at Boston College, Gabe signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers on Monday and now he’s ready to carry on his father’s legacy in the NHL. 

It’s people like Yanic who helped Gabe get to this point, so it’s only right he pays homage to him. 

“I’ll be excited,” Gabe said about his NHL debut. “Obviously, a little bit nervous. But I know that's part of it. That's expected, but I'd be super grateful and really thankful for everyone that's helped me get to this point.”

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Nik Graves leaving Charlotte for Creighton, Aztecs’ 7-footer Magoon Gwath takes name out of portal

Nik Graves will transfer to Creighton after leading Charlotte in scoring this season, and Mountain West freshman and defensive player of the year Magoon Gwath of San Diego State announced he would remove his name from the transfer portal. Ascension Sports, which represents Graves, made the announcement about Graves' decision on social media Wednesday. Graves is the second major transfer portal addition for the Bluejays.

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Kristian Campbell agrees to 8-year, $60 million deal with Red Sox

BALTIMORE — Kristian Campbell agreed to an eight-year, $60 million contract with the Boston Red Sox less than a week after his major league debut.

He gets a $2 million signing bonus, half payable within 60 days of the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball and half next Jan. 15. He receives salaries of $1 million this year, $2 million in 2026, $3 million in 2027, $4 million in 2028, $6 million in 2029, $9 million in 2030, $13 million in 2031 and $16 million in 2032. The deal includes a $19 million team option for 2033 with a $4 million buyout and a $21 million team option for 2034 with no buyout.

Salaries for 2031-34 can escalate based on accomplishment in the immediately preceding season: $200,000 for making the All-Star team, $2 million for winning an MVP award, $1 million for finishing second or third in the voting, $500,000 for fourth or fifth, and $250,000 for sixth through 10th.

A 22-year-old infielder and outfielder, Campbell made his big league debut March 27 as Boston’s youngest opening day starter at second since Reggie Smith. He's hitting .375 (6 for 16) with two doubles, one homer, two RBIs and four walks.

Campbell agreed to the deal with just six days of major league service time. Boston struck a big-money deal with a rookie for the second straight year following an eight-year, $50 million contract last April with outfielder/infielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who started 2024 with 35 days of service.

Campbell’s new deal supersedes a one-year contract paying the $760,000 minimum while in the major leagues.

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Mets’ Frankie Montas takes positive step in lat strain recovery

Starting pitcher Frankie Montas has been sidelined with a high-grade lat strain since his first bullpen session of the spring in mid-February, but he recently took a crucial step in his recovery.

According to manager Carlos Mendoza, who spoke with reporters ahead of Wednesday’s series finale against he Marlins in Miami, Montas has resumed throwing from 60 feet.

The Mets originally announced back in February that the veteran right-hander would be shut down from throwing for six-to-eight weeks. Montas, who received a PRP injection as part of his treatment, just passed the six-week mark of that timeline.

“Everything is good from that end,” Mendoza said, adding that Montas is currently home with his wife as the couple awaits the birth of their child.

Montas, 32, signed a two-year deal with the Mets this offseason. A nine-year veteran, Montas has a 4.09 career ERA, averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Mets sign first baseman Jon Singleton and infielder Niko Goodrum

The Mets are adding to their depth, signing first baseman Jon Singleton and infielder Niko Goodrum to minor league deals.

Both players will report to Triple-A Syracuse.

Singleton, 33, had 405 plate appearances over 119 games for the Astros last season, posting a .234/.321/.386 triple slash (103 OPS+).

In five big league seasons with the Astros and Brewers, Singleton has hit .198/.301/.347 with 29 home runs in 269 games.

Goodrum, 33, played in 13 major league games last season split between the Angels and Rays. He has also played for the Twins, Tigers, and Astros since making his debut in 2017.

He has a career .680 OPS across 415 big league games, and is capable of playing all four infield positions and all three outfield positions.

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A Glance Into The Possibilities For The Golden Knights' First Round Opponent In The Postseason

<i>Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) and St. Louis Blues center Jordan Kyrou (25) battle for the puck during the third period of an NHL game at Enterprise Center on Jan. 23, 2025. <b>Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images</b></i>

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights are back in the postseason, a place they've become all too familiar with since arriving in the NHL eight years ago.

Despite Tuesday's 3-2 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Knights clinched a playoff berth for the seventh time in eight seasons when the Utah Hockey Club beat the Calgary Flames, 3-1, earlier in the night.

Now comes the biggest question: Who will the Golden Knights face in the first round?

If the Golden Knights win their fifth Pacific Division crown, they'll face whatever team is sitting atop the Western Conference Wild Card standings. But if a late-season collapse drops them into second or third place, behind either the Oilers or Los Angeles Kings, the Knights will face one of those two teams.

Here's a glance at Vegas' first-round possibilities, with its 2025 season series and overall (regular season and postseason) records in parentheses:

LOS ANGELES (1-3, 22-15-3): The Kings are the last team the Knights want to face in the opening round, a highly unlikely scenario considering it would take a late-season surge by the Oilers to win the Pacific Division. Though Los Angeles was the original team everyone thought Vegas would have a built-in rivalry with, considering the proximity, the Knights' postseason drama with San Jose overshadowed things. Since then, there have been other postseason clashes that have stolen Vegas' attention, including epic series against Minnesota, Colorado and Dallas. If these two eventually meet this postseason, the rivalry everyone hoped for will undoubtedly come to light.

EDMONTON (2-2, 15-14-3): The Oilers are the defending Western Conference champions, and will have the same rage the Florida Panthers had last season, one year after losing to the Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final. Whomever gets Edmonton in the postseason, regardless of the round, will have to deal with a charged-up Connor McDavid, who finally got to the Final, and now with a whiff of the Cup, will be eager to get back there. Vegas beat the Oilers in six games two years ago, en route to winning its Stanley Cup. That series could still fuel things two summers later.

<i>Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) shoots against the stick of Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard (2) during the second period of an NHL game at T-Mobile Arena on April 1, 2025. <b>Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images</b></i>

ST. LOUIS (2-0-1, 18-9-3): As of Wednesday, the Blues hold the top spot in the Wild Card race, and would be the Golden Knights' first-round opponent. It's one of the teams Vegas has had the most success against of the possibilities. That doesn't make the Blues any less dangerous, though. Since a rather disappointing 25-26-6 start to the season, the Blues are on a 16-2-1 run since Feb. 23. During that stretch, the Blues rank No. 1 with 16 wins and 33 points. They also lead the NHL in that span with a 3.84 goals-for average and rank No. 2 in allowing just 2.00 goals per game.

MINNESOTA (3-0, 19-15-1): The Wild looked as if they might challenge for the Central Division after opening the season on winning runs of 18-4-4 through Dec. 6, and 27-12-4 through Jan. 11. Since then, however, the Wild have lost 18 of 32 games (14-18-2) while being outscored 96-73. With seven games left on their docket, four of them are on the road, including back-to-back games in New York against the Rangers and Islanders on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. With as hot as the Blues have been, it's looking more and more like the Wild will be facing division-rival Winnipeg in the opening round, not the Knights.

CALGARY (2-0, 15-8-1): The Knights still have two games left with the Flames, who have an outside chance at catching Minnesota or St. Louis. The Flames have caught fire, no pun intended, having won five of eight after Tuesday's loss in Salt Lake City. With five of its last eight games in Calgary, the Flames can do their part and just need help from the Blues and Wild.

VANCOUVER (2-0, 20-7-3): The Knights still have two games left with the Canucks, who opened the season 16-9-5 through mid-December, but haven't given off playoff vibes ever since. The Canucks have lost 26 of their last 44 (18-18-8), and in that stretch since Dec. 18, rank 29th in the league with their 2.59 goals-for per game average. Vancouver is an unlikely candidate to make a surprise appearance in the Wild Card round, but it remains mathematically alive.

UTAH (2-1, 19-10-0 as Arizona): Utah is clinging to its playoff hopes by a thread, and likely isn't making the postseason. But thanks to a 13-7-3 run since Feb. 4, Utah has an outside chance to sneak by Calgary and Vancouver, if the Wild and Blues slip into a downward spiral. The problem for Utah is that even with a winning record during its winning run, it's been outscored 74-68.

<i>Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) makes a save against Utah left wing Michael Carcone (53) during the first period of an NHL game at T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 30, 2024. <b>Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images</b></i>
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Why Giants' 5-1 start to season is good omen for 2025 playoff run

Why Giants' 5-1 start to season is good omen for 2025 playoff run originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

We’re not in an even year, but …

The Giants’ 5-1 start on the road to begin the 2025 MLB season has San Francisco and its fans excited for what’s to come over the next 156 games.

After all, the Giants have an enticing history in campaigns where they start with at least a 5-1 record, dating back to 2000.

The last two times San Francisco started 5-1 led to a pair of parades. The Giants would love lightning to strike a third time.

Nevertheless, the enthusiasm surrounding the franchise is well warranted. San Francisco completed a three-game sweep of the Astros on Wednesday, and outscored Houston and the Cincinnati Reds 30-16 over the opening six games.

The starter in Wednesday’s 6-3 win, righty Landen Roupp, summarized the good vibes in the Giants’ clubhouse after he tossed four innings – and collected eight strikeouts to three earned runs – in Houston.

Oddly enough, yet not surprisingly, San Francisco still has a long way to go in the overly competitive NL West, simply because of Southern California. Both the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the routinely sturdy San Diego Padres started 7-0 over their first week of play.

And because of that, the Giants are third in the division, whereas they might be off to the races elsewhere – like the AL Central, where the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox all started with 2-4 records.

San Francisco obviously must keep the ball rolling over the next 156 games to have a serious shot at MLB playoff success, an arena the Giants haven’t reached since the 2021 season. But they surely achieved a good omen through six games.

Starting with a 5-1 record is nothing to snooze at, as history shows. The Giants seem to be for real in 2025.

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Report: Sixers plan to sign Colin Castleton to 10-day contract

Report: Sixers plan to sign Colin Castleton to 10-day contract  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ 10-day contracts keep on coming in.

The team plans to sign Colin Castleton to a 10-day deal, Jake Fischer reported Wednesday.

Castleton is a center listed at 6-foot-10, 250 pounds who’s played 36 NBA games over the past two years with the Lakers, Grizzlies and Raptors. The 24-year-old played regularly for Toronto during a 10-game stretch in March, averaging 6.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per contest. 

Castleton has posted 16.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 53 total G League appearances.

With their roster light on healthy players, the Sixers signed Oshae Brissett, Chuma Okeke, Marcus Bagley and Phillip Wheeler to 10-day contracts in March. 

Given the state of the 23-53 Sixers’ frontcourt, Castleton may very well step right into some minutes.

Rookie Adem Bona started the last three games at center. Guerschon Yabusele has missed the past two games with a right knee injury and Andre Drummond is out with a left big toe sprain. 

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Canucks Home Stand Preview: The Road To The Final Five Games Of The Season

Feb 22, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Nicolas Roy (10) takes a face-off against Vancouver Canucks center Teddy Blueger (53) during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

After going 2–2–2 on their six-game road trip, the Vancouver Canucks are now preparing for a three-game homestand in which they’ll take on a crop of division rivals. Tonight, Vancouver will host the Seattle Kraken at 7:30 pm PT. Their next games are a set of back-to-backs on the weekend, when they’ll take on the Anaheim Ducks at 1:00 pm PT on Saturday, and the Vegas Golden Knights at 7:00 pm PT on Sunday. It’s very likely that the Canucks’ chance at competing in the playoffs will be dictated during this week, so let’s take a look at how these three games may shape the end of Vancouver’s regular season. 

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Vancouver’s first game of the homestand is against the Kraken, who have already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with a record of 31–38–6 and 68 points. They come into this game having lost 3–1 to the Dallas Stars on Monday. Seattle holds a relatively steady position towards the middle of the league in terms of most stats — their power play is 24th in the NHL with a success rate of 18.9%, while their penalty kill is 21st with an effectiveness of 76.9%. In the season series, Vancouver has won one of three games against the Kraken, dropping their first game 5–4 after letting in four straight Seattle goals. Their only win came in a 4–3 shootout victory to start 2025. As it stands, if Vancouver wins in regulation against the Kraken tonight, their playoff odds rise to 9.59% threshold. A regulation loss will drop their chances to 2.19%, as per MoneyPuck.com. 

The next match Vancouver has at home is against the Ducks on Saturday in the first of the team’s final back-to-back this season. Currently, both Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen are expected to be available to start. Given the fact that Demko started on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets and will be starting tonight against Seattle as well, it would make the most sense for Lankinen to take the game against the Ducks to give him some rest. With their 33–33–8 record and 74 points, mathematically speaking, Anaheim has already been eliminated from playoff contention. Right now, their power play is operating at a near league-worst 12.6%, while their penalty kill is 28th with a success rate of 73.6%. Anaheim’s last trip to Vancouver was exactly a month ago, on March 5, in a game that the Canucks narrowly won 3–2. 

Vancouver takes on Vegas in the second half of this weekend’s back-to-back. The Golden Knights (45–21–8) will also be playing in the second half of a back-to-back, as they take on the Calgary Flames the night before. As the current Pacific Division leader in points with 98, and a difference of five points between themselves and the next team (the L.A. Kings), Vegas has already clinched their playoff spot and is expected to play against the team in the Western Conference’s first wild card spot. With a power play percentage of 30.6%, Vegas has the highest-ranked power play in the NHL. One area where Vancouver may be able to take advantage of them, however, is on the penalty kill. Right now, Vegas’ PK is running at a 75.5% effectiveness rating, placing them at 25th behind the Buffalo Sabres, Kraken, and Boston Bruins. Vancouver’s last matchup against the Golden Knights was directly after the 4 Nations Faceoff, in a game that they lost 3–1. Sunday will not be the only time the Canucks face Vegas to round out their season, as the Golden Knights will also be visiting Vancouver on April 16 for game 82. 

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