The Nets will officially be represented at 2026 NBA All-Star weekend.
Brooklyn youngster Egor Demin has been selected to participate in the Rising Stars Game.
Demin is the 17th Net to be named to the event, and the first since Jarrett Allen and Rodions Kurucs in 2019.
He’s also the first BYU player to participate since Shawn Bradley in 1994.
The 19-year-old certainly has done enough to earn his spot during his outstanding first NBA campaign, and he's solidified himself as a key piece of Brooklyn’s backcourt moving forward.
Demin has started 31 of his 39 games, and he's topped double digits in points in 19 of those.
He currently ranks second among rookies in threes made per game (2.4) and threes made on the season (95).
The sharpshooter also set the franchise record for triples in a game with seven back on Dec. 29 against the Warriors.
The Rising Stars event will take place on Friday, Feb. 13, at 9 p.m. ET at Intuit Dome.
Whenever he ponders his professional future, Dave Roberts asks himself a simple question: What are you chasing?
A couple years ago, the answer left him with an “unsettling” feeling.
Before the Dodgers cemented their modern-day dynasty over the last two seasons, before they won back-to-back championships that burnished the legacy of their superstar roster and historically successful veteran manager, before they climbed to heights few clubs in more than a century of Major League Baseball have ever reached, a sense of uncertainty gnawed at Roberts as he considered the state of his career and his personal fulfillment in one of sports’ highest-profile posts.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts looks on during batting practice before game one of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center on October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. Getty Images
He had the winningest managerial record in MLB history, plus a World Series ring from the Dodgers’ pandemic-altered 2020 championship.
But he was also “kind of thinking, ‘How much longer do I want to do this?’” he recalled, after early postseason eliminations in 2022 and 2023 had prompted external questions about his job security and an internal period of self-reflection within him.
“It was like, ‘What am I doing this for?’” Roberts told The California Post recently, sitting down for lunch at a beachside restaurant near his offseason home in San Diego. “I love the question, ‘What are you chasing?’ And I was there at home, [after] you lose, and you’re like, ‘What am I chasing?’ Am I chasing a championship? We already won one. Is that going to bring me joy and fulfillment? I didn’t have an answer.”
Dave Roberts gives an interview after the Los Angeles Dodgers Workouts day at Tokyo Dome on March 17, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan Getty Images
“That’s unsettling,” he added, “when you don’t have an answer to, ‘what are you chasing?’”
Two years later, all those doubts have washed away now.
Entering 2026, Roberts is at the pinnacle of his managerial career, on the verge of a World Series three-peat that he feels has validated the “steadfast [way] in how we’ve done things” over the last decade.
Roberts celebrates after beating the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Toronto. AP
“We’ve been very consistent,” he said, citing everything from front-office and ownership stability to the culture the Dodgers have cultivated in their clubhouse. “I think that for us to look back on how we’ve won, I feel proud of that.”
He has felt a newfound embrace from the fan base, letting go of old frustrations –– “There’s times that I was resentful,” he admitted of the public criticisms he took earlier in his Dodgers tenure –– while expressing a deep gratitude for the way “they show up to support us every night.”
“I’d rather have fans that are passionate and care, even at the cost of me getting booed at home in a World Series,” he joked. “Which, I think I might hold the record with that.”
Most of all, Roberts has found a renewed satisfaction in his work. A purpose, he explained, that goes beyond wins and losses and championship rings.
“Now, I just feel I’m chasing happiness, joy and success –– whatever that means,” he said. “It’s certainly championships. But there’s a lot of other parts for me that I feel confident that I’m achieving.”
Roberts points back to last October’s title defense, highlighting the “complete buy-in” he received from the roster while managing an all-hands-on-deck pitching staff and shuffling players in and out of the lineup.
Shohei Ohtani and Dave Roberts celebrate after their World Series win in 2025. AP
“Not one time was I questioned on my decision-making [by the players], which in turn would question their commitment to the team,” he said. “They all felt their time was coming. They all felt that their roles were really valued. I don’t think that any head coach or manager can say that.”
He cites his own growth in the dugout, and the way he feels his decision-making has “really slowed down” after a decade on the top step.
“I think that with Father Time as an athlete, there’s a bell curve,” he said. “But with coaching, your best years are with experience and as you get older. That’s the irony. And I do feel that I’m much more wise … At 53, I feel like I’m just scratching the surface.”
Roberts is at the pinnacle of his managerial career being on the verge of a World Series three-peat. Getty Images
And as he begins a new four-year contract he signed last spring (which came with a record-setting $8.1 million annual salary), Roberts is no longer grappling his questions about his professional future.
“I’m not gonna say I’m going to manage for as long as Tommy [Lasorda] and Walt Alston,” he said, referencing his Hall-of-Fame predecessors’ 20-plus-year tenures with the club. “But I don’t see myself going anywhere for a while.”
Instead, the former big-league outfielder has made lifestyle changes he hopes will extend his managerial prime. Late last season, he overhauled his diet and almost entirely cut out alcohol. Over the course of this offseason, he got noticeably trimmer while shedding 12 pounds.
“I think that for us to look back on how we’ve won, I feel proud of that,” Roberts said. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I’m in the best shape of my managerial career,” Roberts joked, while sipping on a purple beet and carrot detox juice and picking at a rice bowl with chicken.
“It was in August, probably after we got swept in Pittsburgh, where I was like, ‘I need to make a change … It was a look in the mirror moment, where I said I was fat, I didn’t shave in three days, and I was like, ‘I’m not doing this.’”
After all, Roberts didn’t want to be one of those “leaders or coaches that sort of let themselves go, where you look tired and beat up” (and no, he’s not naming names).
“I do think there’s an optics part of it,” he said. “If I come in looking healthy, and my energy is up, then I do think it can reflect [in] the clubhouse.”
He didn’t want to end up back in the place he was a couple years ago, either, wondering what he was chasing in a job that –– even beyond all the recent winning –– has him reinvigorated in both body and mind now.
“I’m enjoying the heck out of this,” he said. “I’m just re-energized. I really am.”
Just like at BA and MLB, four outfielders comprised the top four slots on Law’s list at The Athletic. The youngest of the group, Eduardo Quintero, earned the top spot among Dodgers here, ranked No. 9 by Law. Josue De Paula checked in at No. 20, Zyhir Hope was 36th, and Mike Sirota was 51st.
Ryan should be ready to pitch in some role this spring after hitting 100 mph during his rehab. If he were completely healthy, he might be the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball. He has above-average to plus stuff across the board, with ride on the upper-90s four-seamer, a slider, a cutter that was new in 2024, a two-plane curveball and a changeup, with the cutter probably the worst pitch at the moment because his other stuff is so good.
The other Dodgers prospect ranked in the top 100 at The Athletic is shortstop Alex Freeland, the switch-hitter who made his major league debut in 2025 and played all over the infield in his five weeks with Los Angeles. Freeland is ranked the 87th-best prospect in baseball by Law, who said of the infielder, “He’s played shortstop, and could probably be a fringe-average big leaguer there, but he’s best suited to second or third.”
The 2025–26 season has been a bit of a weird one for the Vancouver Canucks. Injuries forced multiple players into roles they probably didn’t expect themselves to be in at the start of the year, while a couple of big trades resulted in Vancouver’s D-core getting shaken up a bit mid-season.
One of the players most impacted by these changes is Canucks defenceman Elias Pettersson. While the defender was one of a couple expected to push for a full-time roster spot at the start of the season, changes throughout the year resulted in him being sent down to the AHL for a couple of stints. He spoke a bit about the changes that have occurred this season after Vancouver’s practice on Saturday.
“I think it’s been a little up and down since I came back from Abbotsford,” Pettersson told The Hockey News on Saturday. “This time I feel like I’m getting more and more into my game and feeling better and better.”
Pettersson stunned many last January when he made his NHL debut against the Washington Capitals and played himself into a full-time roster spot, knocking veteran Carson Soucy out of the rotation and giving the Canucks the freedom to trade him. This was Pettersson’s first full season of playing hockey in North America, and already, it’d seemed as though he was ready to make the jump to the NHL. With more experience under his belt heading into the 2025–26 season, the defenceman made note of one particular thing he’s approached differently compared to the 2024–25 season.
“I say mindset all the time, just trying to get better every day. It’s a lot to learn.”
One player who has found himself in a similar situation to where Pettersson was in 2024–25 is Tom Willander, who made his NHL debut in October and has since stuck in Vancouver’s lineup. Both defencemen have seen the positives and negatives to a full-NHL season as young players throughout 2025–26.
“I think it’s good, [I] think we’re both learning every day and trying to get into the league in a good way,” Pettersson explained. “We’ve got really good sources here with the older guys to coach us, so I think it’s just really good for us.”
Jan 21, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson (25) skates prior to the start of a game against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
The ‘older guys’ in question could refer to a few different players around the locker room. From veterans like Marcus Pettersson to younger players who have more NHL experience like Nils Höglander, there’s been no shortage of guys for Pettersson to lean on throughout his first couple of seasons in the NHL.
“It’s always good to have the older guys around you. They help a lot,” he said, particularly of some of the Swedes on the team. “It’s always nice to have those guys around you [to] talk the same language, do something outside the rink. It’s always nice to have those guys around.”
With the Olympic break nearing, there’s always the chance that younger players like Pettersson could end up being sent back down to Abbotsford in order to get some games in while the league pauses for nearly a month. Once the NHL starts back up again, the Canucks will be in a situation that will force them to consider what direction they want to take the franchise in. For Pettersson, the next couple of months will be used to help retain a steady pace of play.
“Just trying to be more steady out there, keep getting better every day.”
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In less than 24 hours, three of the game's legends — Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady (NBC's NBA Showtime crew) — will select their favorite players of the next generation. Live on NBC and Peacock, those icons will draft their teams for the Rising Stars Game on All-Star Friday Night next month in Los Angeles, teams they will coach in that game.
Who will those superstars be drafting? On Peacock NBA Monday, the NBA announced the pool of players invited to the Rising Stars game. Those players are:
NBA Rookies
Cedric Coward (Memphis Grizzlies) Egor Dëmin (Brooklyn Nets) VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers) Jeremiah Fears (New Orleans Pelicans) Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks) Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs) Tre Johnson (Washington Wizards) Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets) Cam Spencer (Memphis Grizzlies) Collin Murray-Boyles (Toronto Raptors) Derik Queen (New Orleans Pelicans)
NBA Sophomores
Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls) Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs) Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers) Kyshawn George (Washington Wizards) Ajay Mitchell (Oklahoma City Thunder) Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards) Reed Sheppard (Houston Rockets) Jaylon Tyson (Cleveland Cavaliers) Kel'el Ware (Miami Heat) Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies)
Those players were selected by a vote of assistant coaches around the league. The players will be drafted into three seven-man teams coached by one of Anthony, Carter or McGrady (more on the format below).
The fourth team in this tournament mix — coached by NBC broadcaster and former NBA player Austin Rivers — is made up of G-League players. They are:
Sean East II (Salt Lake City Stars) Ron Harper Jr. (Maine Celtics) David Jones Garcia (Austin Spurs) Yanic Konan Niederhäuser (San Diego Clippers) Alijah Martin (Raptors 905) Tristen Newton (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) Yang Hansen (Rip City Remix)
Rising Stars Game format
The Rising Stars Game will follow last year's format that led to some entertaining basketball: Those 21 rookies and sophomores listed above will be drafted by the Hall of Famers into three teams of seven players each, with G League players forming the fourth team.
Those four teams will play in a mini-tournament with two semi-final games to 40 — no time limit, it's just first to score 40. The winners of those first two matchups will face off in a championship game to 25.
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Every moment of NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles — Friday's Rising Stars game on Feb. 13, All-Star Saturday Night, including the 3-point Contest and Dunk Contest on Feb. 14, and the All-Star Game itself on Feb. 15 — will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
Charles Bediako’s much-discussed return to college basketball will continue for nearly another two weeks – not solely because of a court order or a judge’s ruling, but with a little help from Mother Nature.
The Alabama center’s temporary restraining order against the NCAA was extended by another 10 days due to counsel’s unavailability for the scheduled injunction hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
In an order on Monday, Jan. 26, Judge James Roberts Jr. of the Tuscaloosa (Alabama) County Circuit Court wrote that Taylor Askew, an attorney for the NCAA, was unable to attend the hearing because of “weather issues” where he lives in Tennessee. Roberts added that the next hearing will be "reset later by a separate order."
BREAKING: Temporary restraining order allowing Charles Bediako to play for Alabama has been extended pic.twitter.com/NIhN1lALRq
After three years of playing professionally in the NBA G League, Bediako returned to Alabama, where he played from 2021-23, after Roberts granted him a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
In his first game back with the Crimson Tide, the seven-footer had 13 points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals while making five of his six field-goal attempts in 25 minutes in a 79-73 loss at home against Tennessee on Jan. 24.
With Roberts’ decision, Bediako will be eligible to compete in at least the next three games for Alabama: Jan. 27 against Missouri, Feb. 1 at No. 21 Florida and Feb. 4 against Texas A&M.
Bediako was not selected in the 2023 NBA Draft, and while he has never played an NBA game, he suited up in 82 G League games over three seasons, including, most recently, for the Motor City Cruise on Jan. 17, one week before his first game back with Alabama.
He’s one of several former G League players who has joined a college roster this season, a trend that has raised the public ire of notable figures across the sport, as well as the NCAA itself, which said such moves are “taking away opportunities from high school students.” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo described it as “utterly ridiculous.” Even Alabama coach Nate Oats, a former high school coach in Michigan, spoke up last month after Baylor brought in former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji, saying the increased prevalence of such players was “taking opportunities away” from high schoolers.
Ethan Salas plummeted 53 spots on Keith Law’s 2026 Top 100 MLB prospects list that was released by The Athletic, Monday. The 19-year-old catching prospect from Venezuela was the only San Diego Padres prospect to make the list, which is reflective of just how depleted the San Diego farm system is. Salas was the 17th ranked prospect on Law’s list last year, but a back injury caused him to miss most of the 2025 season. Law cited the injury and lack of looks as the reason for his decline, adding he is not giving up on the prospect.
Salas signed with the Padres as the top international free agent in 2023 and was projected to be the next big-name catcher based on his age (16) and defensive ability. Defense has never been a problem for Salas, although some think his value behind the plate will drop with the advent of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) in 2026. It has been his offensive production that has raised concerns.
Salas played at three levels of professional baseball in 2023 with the Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps and Double-A San Antonio Missions and compiled 290 plate appearances in 66 games. His ascent through the minors was aggressive and the thought at the time was the Padres wanted to challenge Salas and see how he would handle the higher level of play. He finished with a combined slash line of .248/.331/.421 with 63 hits, including 13 doubles, two triples and nine home runs for the year. Since that time, his offensive production has fallen off.
Salas spent the 2024 season in High-A Fort Wayne and made 469 plate appearances in 111 games. His final line was .206/.288/.311 with 85 hits, including 27 doubles, two triples and four home runs. The expectation was with more time at the lower level Salas would find comfort at the plate and develop offensive consistency that would allow him to continue his progression through the minors at a more realistic pace.
Despite a down offensive year in High-A, Salas started the 2025 season in San Antonio with the Double-A affiliate. He played in just 10 games and made 41 plate appearances before it was announced in May that he suffered a stress reaction in his lower back in the middle of April. Initially, Salas was expected to miss a couple months, but he did not play the remainder of the season. Salas finished with a slash line of .188/.325/.219 and recorded six hits with one double, no triples and no homeruns before the injury.
Based on the performance or lack thereof by Salas, it makes sense that he would have a dramatic fall in the prospect rankings. Salas is expected to be ready for Spring Training, and a healthy season could go a long way toward him re-establishing his value and surely that is what Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller is hoping for. If Padres evaluations say Salas is not going to achieve the potential he had when he signed with San Diego, Preller could use a bounce-back season from him to move Salas in a trade that would improve the big-league roster for the second half of 2026 or 2027.
He is still a teenager and Padres fans would hate to see Preller and the organization give up on the former top prospect too soon, but Salas may no longer be the untouchable farmhand destined for stardom that he once was. By the time all is said and done, he may just be another prospect who is moved in a Preller deal.
It was a bruising weekend for the Winnipeg Jets at the NHL level, but their AHL affiliate ensured the organization still had plenty to celebrate.
On Saturday night, the Jets were handed a sobering 5–1 defeat by the Detroit Red Wings, a lopsided loss that underscored Detroit’s sharp form. At the same time, the focus shifted to the AHL, where the Manitoba Moose faced off against Detroit's AHL affiliate in the Grand Rapids Griffins for a compelling two-game series that told a very different story.
Entering the weekend, the Moose were sizeable underdogs against the Griffins, Detroit’s AHL affiliate and the league’s dominant force for much of the season. Grand Rapids had been tearing through opponents, breaking records and posting one of the best starts in AHL history.
The opening contest on Friday suggested the gap between the two clubs might not be as wide as expected. Manitoba pushed the Griffins to the limit in a tightly contested game that was tied after both the first and second periods.
Grand Rapids eventually found the breakthrough in the third period, scoring the decisive goal to secure a narrow 2–1 victory. Despite the loss, the performance gave the Moose confidence that they could compete with a top-tier opponent like the Griffins.
On Sunday, the game was again close throughout as Grand Rapids carried a 2–1 lead into the third period and the Griffins appeared poised to continue their dominance. Instead, Manitoba stunned the league.
The Moose erased the deficit with two late goals, capped by a dramatic game-winning marker from Winnipeg blue-chip prospect Brad Lambert with under 30 seconds remaining. The victory snapped Grand Rapids’ AHL-record 17-game road point streak, ending a historic run. Even with the loss, the Griffins remain atop the league standings with a commanding 32-4-2-1 record.
For Manitoba, the win meant far more than just two points. The Moose have now won three of their last four games and improved to 20-15-3-0, which is third best in the Central Division. Defeating a team of Grand Rapids’ caliber provides a significant momentum boost as Manitoba prepares for a two-game home set against the Rockford IceHogs this weekend.
While the Jets endured a tough night against Detroit at the NHL level, their AHL affiliate delivered a reminder that the organization’s depth and future continue to trend in the right direction.
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Tyson is averaging 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He’s gone from a fringe rotational player to a bona fide starting-caliber talent in the first half of the season. His leap as a three-point shooter (46% this season) is only one of many reasons for his success.
“He’s just built up the equity, and that’s confidence in himself,” Atkinson said. “It started in Summer League, then he just built it with his work.”
The Cavs have fully embraced Tyson’s breakout. He’s started in 27 games this season and is playing close to 30 minutes per game. No one would have predicted this in the summer, but even Cleveland’s veterans have recognized his importance. Donovan Mitchell, especially, has taken Tyson under his wing.
“Donovan has believed in him since day one,” said Aktinson. “He’s anointed him, like, ‘okay, I need you, we’re going to get you better.‘ So I think that when your superstar believes in you, that’s even more important than when the coach believes in you.”
Tyson is joined by other rising stars such as Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle and Alex Sarr. He’s the first Cavalier on a standard contract to play in the game since Evan Mobley in his rookie and sophomore seasons. Emoni Bates was selected to the G-League Rising Stars in 2024.
The Cavaliers, who have the most expensive roster in the NBA, are hamstrung by their financial situation. That limits them from adding talent at the trade deadline or in the offseason — and makes young talent like Tyson all the more important. This is their easiest, if not only, option for improving the roster without making any major changes. That means Tyson’s development is more than an inspiring story; it’s pivotal to the future of the franchise.
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they have activated defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen off injured reserve. In addition, the Flyers shared that defenseman Hunter McDonald has been assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Ristolainen has not played for the Flyers since their Jan. 13 contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning due to an upper-body injury. However, with the right-shot defenseman coming off injured reserve, he is now set to return to action for the Flyers.
Ristolainen has played in 13 games this season with the Flyers, where he has recorded zero goals, three assists, 16 hits, 24 blocks, and a minus-3 rating. This is after he had four goals, 19 points, 97 hits, and a plus-3 rating in 63 games last season for the Flyers.
McDonald was called up to the Flyers' roster on Jan. 17 but never made his NHL debut during his call-up. Now, he will be heading back to the Phantoms' roster, where he will be aiming to make an impact. In 33 games this season with Lehigh Valley, he has recorded five assists, 61 penalty minutes, and a plus-7 rating.
The Mets capped off a busy week last Wednesday, acquiring Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers in a deal with the Brewers.
Peralta lands David Stearns and the Mets the top of the rotation arm they’ve been searching for this offseason, but they did have to pay a pretty penny to receive him.
New York parted ways with top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat in the deal.
While the youngsters were caught off guard by the trade, they are ready for the opportunity in Milwaukee.
“After hearing great things about the Brew Crew, I couldn’t be more excited,” Sproat added.
That opportunity could come right away, as both Williams and Sproat are expected to compete for spots on the Brewers' Opening Day roster during their first spring training with the club.
Williams will see the most of his time early on at shortstop, but his role in the majors could depend on team need.
“I’m pretty comfortable at all three positions,” the 22-year-old said. “I’ve played them so much that they all come natural -- I think for me, as long as I’m playing, I don’t really care what position it is as long as I’m helping the team win.
“It’s just about showing up every day whenever they put me in. As of right now, it’s going to be shortstop, so just going into it with an open mind of wherever they put me I’ll play.”
As for Sproat, he'll fight for a spot in the Brewers' rotation, which has an opening after dealing Peralta.
While the 2023 second-round pick is still a bit inexperienced with just four big-league starts under his belt, he’s eager to build off that late season call-up from the Mets in the midst of the NL Wild Card race.
“Those first four starts it was in big situations, but it was fun,” he said. “Those helped get my feet wet. Now I know how those games are, how the environment is -- so going into camp you kind of have an idea of what it's going to be like."
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Monday backed a proposed fan boycott of World Cup matches in the United States because of the conduct of President Donald Trump and his administration at home and abroad.
Blatter was the latest international soccer figure to call into question the suitability of the United States as a host country. He called for the boycott in a post on X that supported Mark Pieth's comments in an interview last week with the Swiss newspaper Der Bund.
Pieth, a Swiss attorney specializing in white-collar crime and an anti-corruption expert, chaired the Independent Governance Committee's oversight of FIFA reform a decade ago. Blatter was president of the world's governing body for soccer from 1998-2015; he resigned amid an investigation into corruption.
In his interview with Der Bund, Pieth said, “If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA! You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”
In his X post, Blatter quoted Pietha and added, “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
The United States is co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico from June 11-July 19.
The international soccer community's concerns about the United States stem from Trump's expansionist posture on Greenland, travel bans and aggressive tactics in dealing with migrants and immigration enforcement protestors in American cities, particularly Minneapolis.
Two weeks ago, travel plans for fans from two of the top soccer countries in Africa were thrown into disarray when the Trump administration announced a ban that would effectively bar people from Senegal and Ivory Coast from following their teams unless they already have visas. Trump cited “screening and vetting deficiencies” as the main reason for the suspensions.
Fans from Iran and Haiti, two other countries that have qualified for the World Cup, will be barred from entering the United States as well; they were included in the first iteration of the travel ban announced by the Trump administration.
The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing the way for Spring Training which is now just over two weeks away. The team announced the 27 non-roster players that will officially be a part of camp.
Here’s the share that the St. Louis Cardinals just dropped on social media today.
In case you can’t see the Cardinals share graphic on your device, here’s the list from a press release shared by the team:
Tyrese Maxey – 18 VJ Edgecombe – 6 Joel Embiid – 6 Paul George – 5 Andre Drummond – 2 Dominick Barlow – 1 Adem Bona – 1 Justin Edwards – 1 Quentin Grimes – 1 Jared McCain – 1 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
The Sixers traveled to Charlotte for a Monday afternoon tilt against Eastern Conference foe the Charlotte Hornets. The Sixers were without the services of Joel Embiid and Paul George in this one as part of their respective knee injury management plans.
The Sixers struggled from the opening tip in this one. The Hornets’ ball movement, pace and balanced scoring attack jumped them out to an early 28-22 advantage at the conclusion of the first period. It would only get worse from there.
The Hornets really blew this game open in the second quarter. Charlotte shot a blistering 57% from the floor in the first half. The Sixers struggled on the glass and even when the Hornets missed it seemed that they would get an extra possession on the glass. Charlotte outrebounded the Sixers by 10 in the first half. The Hornets’ ball movement and player movement had the Sixers defense in a bind. Charlotte finished the half with 19 assists on their 25 made field goals. The Sixers’ backcourt of Maxey and Edgecombe combined to go 3-for-17 from the field in the first half. The Hornets held a 69-44 lead at the halftime break.
The Hornets’ barrage continued in the third as they outscored the Sixers by a resounding 40-15 score in the third period. The Sixers seemingly waved the white flag as they emptied the bench less than halfway through the quarter, facing a 40-point deficit. The Hornets led 109-59 after three quarters of play.
The Sixers won their lone quarter of the game in the fourth, by a 13-point margin, courtesy of strong play from Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain to close out the game that was well out of hand.
Time for the Bell Ringer.
Kelly Oubre Jr: 17 points, 7-for-12 from the field
Oubre was the lone Sixers starter to crack double figures in this game. Regardless of the situation, you can always count on Oubre for effort and energy. Kelly got to the rim for a few nice drives and scores early in this one to keep the Sixers attached in the first quarter. There was a lot of blame to go around for this game playing out in the manner that it did — Oubre shouldn’t get any.
Jared McCain: 16 points, 6-for-13 from the field, 4-for-8 from three, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Jared McCain poured in 16 points in 23 minutes in this one — a lot of those coming late in the game when the outcome was already decided. It was nice to see McCain knock down some shots as he has struggled this year in his return from injury. Let’s hope this can be a confidence builder for McCain that springboards him into a bounce back second half of the season.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Suns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
When injuries hit, the math changes. The vibes change. The pecking order gets shoved into a blender, and someone hits “high.” And when the guy who normally calms the room, the one who bends defenses just by standing there and breathing, goes down, the ripple effects are impossible to ignore.
That’s Devin Booker. Fringe All-Star or not, the Suns orbit around him, and Sunday in Miami was our first real reminder of what life looks like when the sun disappears behind the clouds.
Booker hasn’t had his most efficient shooting season, and that’s fine. That’s not the point. His gravity still warps the floor. His decision-making still lubricates the offense. With him out there, everyone else knows where to stand, when to cut, and why the ball is coming their way. Through 41 games with Booker, the Suns average 41.8 made field goals on 25 assists per night, good for a clean 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Things make sense. The ball hums. The gears stay oiled.
Take him out, and the picture gets fuzzier. In the five games he’s missed, that drops to 37.4 made field goals and 22.8 assists, with the assist-to-turnover ratio dipping to 1.5. Not catastrophic. Not a five-alarm fire. But noticeable. You feel it. You see it. The offense hesitates, like it’s waiting for someone to raise their hand and say, “Alright, I’ve got this.”
And that’s the real question now. If Booker isn’t there to conduct the orchestra, who’s grabbing the baton?
Is it Grayson Allen, leaning harder into his ability to put the ball on the deck, touch the paint, and kick it back out before the defense can blink? Is it Royce O’Neale, quietly keeping things organized and unsexy while doing the connective tissue work no one puts in the box score? Is it Jordan Goodwin, turning pressure into playmaking? Or does Dillon Brooks need to embrace his inner point forward and focus less on shot hunting and more on keeping the ball alive?
Because against Miami, the ball stuck. It stalled. Possessions ended in isolation purgatory instead of movement and advantage. That’s not who this team has been, and it’s not who they can afford to be while Booker heals up.
That’s what this week’s Suns Reacts is all about. If the offense has to run through someone else for a stretch, who do you trust to steer the ship? Who should Jordan Ott lean on to initiate, organize, and keep the whole thing from drifting sideways?
