Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790
Online: Rockets App, SCHN+
Time: 7:00pm CST
Rockets: Amen Thompson, Josh Okogie, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun
Grizzle: LAX Bro, Coward Of The River, Jwells, Santissimo, Jumbo Jackass Junior
BOSTON — Boston Celtics two-way player Ron Harper Jr. has been selected to participate in the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars challenge as one of 7 G League players, the NBA announced on Monday. Harper Jr., who spent the last two training camps with the Celtics before signing a two-way contract with Boston, has been one of the G League’s most consistent players this season.
The Rising Stars game, which will take place at All-Star Weekend next month, is comprised of 21 standout NBA rookies and sophomores, plus seven players who have played in G League games.
Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady will serve as honorary coaches for the Castrol Rising Stars mini tourney, while former NBA player Austin Rivers will coach the G League Rising Stars team.
In addition to Harper Jr, the G League will be represented by Sean East II, Yang Hansen, Ron Harper Jr., David Jones Garcia, Yanic Konan Niederhouser, Alijah Martin, and Tristen Newton.
Harper Jr has had a standout season in the G League, averaging 26.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while shooting 49.7% from the field and 40.2% from three.
He’s appeared in 7 games for the Boston Celtics this season, most recently playing rotation minutes in a double-overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
Previously, Harper Jr spent two years with the Toronto Raptors and one year with the Detroit Pistons. He was on two-way contracts with both teams.
While Harper Jr. got good news regarding the Rising Stars challenge, fellow Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez did not. Gonzalez was not selected as one of 10 NBA rookies to participate in Rising Stars; those rookies are Cedric Coward, Egor Demin, VJ Edgecombe, Jeremiah Fears, Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Derik Queen.
Victor Wembanyama is not the only Spur who has secured an invitation to All-Star Weekend. Guards Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and David Jones-Garcia have been selected to participate in the Rising Star game, the league announced.
Castle is not only the reigning Rookie of the Year but was also the 2025 Rising Stars game MVP, leading his team to a spot at the All-Star game in the last edition. The sophomore has made a leap in his second season, posting averages of 16.6 points, five rebounds and seven assists per game while starting and logging 31 minutes per game for a team with a 31-15 record. He was a lock to be selected for the event and received heavy consideration by fans, players, and media for the All-Star game.
Harper’s participation also seemed likely despite his role. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2025 draft has spent his rookie year coming off the bench behind De’Aaron Fox and only playing 21.1 minutes a game. As a result, he’s averaging a respectable but not eye-popping 10.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists a game. Despite not getting the starring role others in his class have enjoyed, he’s among eight first-year players with 300+ points, 100+ rebounds and 100+ assists, while being the only player to do it in fewer than 800 minutes, according to the Spurs news release.
Jones-Garcia, who earned a two-way contract thanks to a fantastic showing in Summer League, has been named to the G League squad that will participate in the event. Jones-Garcia is averaging 27.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 14 games for the Austin affiliate, per the team’s release. The Dominican scorer has also appeared in 11 games with the San Antonio Spurs this season.
Here are all the players who will be a part of the event:
The format of the event is an interesting one. The rookies and sophomores who will represent the NBA will be drafted into three teams on Tuesday, January 27, at 6 p.m. on Peacock. The fourth team that will participate in a mini tournament on Saturday, February 13, will be comprised of G League players. Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, and Austin Rivers will be the honorary coaches.
All-Star weekend starts on Friday, February 12.
Darko Rajakovic wears many hats.
As the Head Coach, he takes his leadership seriously, stands up for his players, and is always open and forthcoming. As an Offensive Coordinator, his system which encourages multiple passes and cuts has resulted the Raptors finishing in the top 7 in assists in each of his first two seasons (and currently 2nd this year). As a Defensive Coordinator, Darko’s schemes and rotations have boosted the Raptors from the 17th-ranked defense last season to 4th, as of this writing.
One hat I did not think Darko would wear was that of a psychic. Back in October 2023, before his first game as Head Coach, Rajakovic proclaimed, “I think one day he’s going to be Defensive Player of the Year. That’s something he wants to be, that he wants to develop into, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help him on that path.” (You can disregard the heaps of praise he bestows on Dennis Schroder. That definitely does not fall into the ‘psychic’ category, but the ‘head coach’ category of Darko’s hats)
Barnes has been a revelation this year. Not the kind of revelation where a player comes out of nowhere to shock everyone, but a revelation to the rest of the NBA. Scottie has been a defensive menace throughout his five seasons in the league. However, playing for lottery teams in each of the last two seasons, preceded by two seasons under Nick Nurse where he wasn’t fully unleashed has kept Barnes’ defensive reputation at bay. Locally, Raptors fans are well aware of what Scottie brings to the table defensively, night in and night out.
This season has been an endless stream of defensive highlights. From blocking LeBron James in the final minute of a tie game, to blocking Collin Sexton to secure a victory over Charlotte, to blocking a potential game-tying mid-range attempt by Chet Holmgren, Barnes’ defense has become a regular fixture in Toronto’s game recaps. Not only is he saving the Raptors, but also looking out for people’s health! What a saint!
The stats match what the eyes see. Scottie Barnes’ name is all over the defensive stats pages. Barnes is (big inhale):
The individual numbers only paint part of the picture of Barnes’ impact. Check the last sentence of the first paragraph again. Your eyes do not deceive you. The Toronto Raptors have the 4th-best defense in the league! The team’s other above-average defenders have either been injured (Jakob Poeltl), inconsistent (Ja’Kobe Walter), or have only started to play more minutes (Collin Murray-Boyles). Jamal Shead has been solid, but nowhere near the impact of Barnes.
Scottie’s DPOY case only becomes stronger when considering Poeltl’s been out since mid-December. The Raptors have played 18 games without a true Center…..and its defensive rating has increased!
The current buzz around Barnes is nice to see, but Raptors fans know it will take a lot more than stats and highlights to win over the voters. Let’s take a look at the 3 players with better DPOY odds — Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, and Rudy Gobert.
Chet Holmgren: Teamwork makes Chet’s dream work
The case for Chet is clear as day: he’s the anchor behind the league’s best defense. Holmgren ranks #1 in defensive win shares, #2 in defensive rating, and #3 in blocks per game. The individual numbers, combined with the potentially record-breaking defensive numbers — the gap between OKC’s 105.4 defensive rating and 2nd-place San Antonio’s 108.6 defensive rating would be the largest margin in NBA history — justifies Holmgren’s place at the top of the betting odds.
However, take a closer look at the rankings and their may be a kink in his armor. Just behind Chet in the defensive win shares standings is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2nd), Cason Wallace (4th), and Ajay Mitchell (8th). In the defensive rating list, Holmgren is followed by Wallace (3rd), Mitchell (7th), SGA (10th), and Lu Dort (13th). Is it a stretch to think that Wallace, who ranks 1st in total steals and 3rd in steals per game, might steal some votes from Chet? Is the Thunder’s defense more of a collective effort rather than an individual? If Chet misses a game, there are still 3-4 other premium defenders ready to pick up the slack! (That group doesn’t even include Alex Caruso, 2-time All-Defense, or Jalen Williams, who was on last season’s All-Defense team)
Also, if the voting came down to Scottie vs. Chet, Barnes might have a leg up.
Victor Wembanyama: Out of this world and out of the running?
The case for and against Wemby is set for the next decade (assuming the league keeps the ridiculous 65-game rule): if Victor is healthy enough to play the minimum number of required games, he should be the favourite to win DPOY. Every. Single. Year.
As it stands right now, Wemby has missed 14 games already this season. If he misses 4 games or more the rest of the way, he will be ineligible for the award.
Rudy Gobert: Sure but why?
Outside of citizens from Minnesota and France, who can tell me why Gobert is in the ‘favourites’ tier with Holmgren and Wembanyama?
Minnesota’s 10th-ranked defense is lower than Toronto. Gobert ranks lower than Barnes in defensive rating, defensive win shares, and defensive box plus/minus. Rudy doesn’t have the same defensive demands since he plays alongside 2 wings, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels (Did I double-check I had the right McDaniels? You’ll never know.), who are better defenders than any Raptor other than Barnes. So, Gobert is more deserving than Barnes because he averages 2.9 more rebounds and 0.2 more blocks? Is this a legacy thing? Make it make sense, oddsmakers!
Is Barnes ready to buck the trend?
The obvious theme between Holmgren, Wembanyama, and Gobert is that they’re all paint-devouring, rim-protecting Centers. From Bill Russell to Hakeem Olajuwon to David Robinson to Shaquille O’Neal, the Defensive Player of the Year award has defaulted to big men for as long as the honour has existed. But in the current NBA, when switching and rotating and scrambling are the name of the defensive game, there’s nothing more valuable than a player who can defend all 5 positions a perfectly as Scottie Barnes.
He already has a better case than Gobert. He outperformed Holmgren — both statistically and visually — in a matchup that will stick in voters’ minds. He is 4 more missed games from not having to worry about an alien. Scottie Barnes has the statistical profile, the eye-popping highlights, and is gaining traction as this year’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Darko the Psychic has a good ring to it, don’t you think?
The Washington Wizards play the Portland Trail Blazers. Let’s get right to it.
When: Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass
Injuries: For the Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly (back), Tristan Vukcevic (hamstring), Marvin Bagley (back), Trae Young (knee, quad) and Cam Whitmore (shoulder) are out. Khris Middleton is day-to-day.
For the Blazers, Matisse Thybulle, Kris Murray, Scott Henderson, Duop Reath, Blke Wesley an Damian Lillard are out. Robert Williams III and Deni Avdija are day-to-day. Avdija is ruled out for tonight’s Blazers game at the Boston Celtics, so perhaps the front office wants to save him for tomorrow.
First, I hope you are all safe from the major winter storm we had last weekend. I feel like we should have had two feet of snow, but we only had a few inches of snow and several inches of sleet. Because of the sleet, it is taking a lot more time to clean the roads, sidewalks and everything in between. I’m feeling it in my bones after clearing out snow four times in the last two days.
The game tomorrow night will not be postponed because the weather will be clear tomorrow. The Blazers are coming off a loss to the Toronto Raptors last Friday and are 23-23 this season. They are led by none other than… DENI AVDIJA! He is averaging 26 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season and should be a lock as an All-Star reserve when they are announced next week. Since the Blazers are playing the Celtics tonight and with Avdija not suiting up tonight for what should be a highlight matchup due to a back strain. But Avdija is expected to play tomorrow for a … revenge game. Let’s see if Washington can spoil that tomorrow, one way or another.
ST. LOUIS – It happened in an instant and wasn’t even something that Steve Ott wanted to consider.
One moment, the then-St. Louis Blues associate coach was with the team in Edmonton when he was asked on a dime if he’d like to take on the role as head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League, some 2,500-plus miles away.
“It happened after the Edmonton game and was asked if I would consider taking this job and after speaking with my family, my wife right after the meeting, we talked for about two minutes and I thought the decision was an easy one,” Ott said via Zoom on Monday. “It’s a great opportunity for myself, but not only that, I get to stay in an organization that I truly love and to help develop our young guys with the development side of the coaching, it’s really exciting for myself. It’s a great opportunity.”
Two minutes. That’s it.
A career that lasted into a ninth year as an assistant and ultimately, an associate coach in a place the Summerside, Prince Edward Island native would call home, suddenly picks up and embarks on a new challenge.
But ultimately, the 43-year-old Ott’s goal is to become a head coach, and although this may have been a ‘Whoa’ moment, it’s one that came with no regrets and no time to ponder.
“It is quite a change,” Ott admitted. “First of all, Mr. (Tom) Stillman, ‘Army’, ‘Steener’, the fans, the players have been so special to me for overall these years. When you get asked if you’d consider that opportunity, I take it as a big honor. It’s not an easy lift for everybody. It’s a situation that I love being a part of obviously the NHL club but to stay here and be a part of the growing of the future, I think that’s a job I don’t take light or easy.”
Ott feels the time was right. He’s been working with and under a number of coaches in St. Louis who have been successful and/or won, like Craig Berube (2019 Stanley Cup champions), Claude Julien and now Jim Montgomery, who traded messages with Ott after his first win with the Thunderbirds, a come-from-behind 4-3 overtime win on Friday against Toronto in which Springfield trailed 3-1 after two periods.
“I’m really excited for him,” Montgomery said. “You can tell he’s jacked up. The text messages are flying back and forth. That’s natural. He’s going to be an excellent head coach. He has all the qualities of understanding the feel for the dressing room, the feel for the players, understanding the Xs and Os of the game and understanding momentum in a game, the players that create momentum and players that don’t.
“I just told him how much I believe he’s ready for this and how good he will be at it because that’s what I truly believe in my heart.”
Ott has interviewed for vacant head coaching positions in the NHL in the past but felt he wasn’t ready for those challenges … until now. But this steppingstone will serve its purpose in getting him ready for it when the opportunity arises again.
“Yes to be honest with you, I’ve had multiple NHL head coaching job interviews and I thought they went extremely well,” Ott said. “I think there’s one part of the puzzle piece that’s missing is the head coaching experience. You get down and you do well in these interviews and you’re right down to the end and that final card is something you need to have, that last feather in your cap. It’s something that you have to earn it as well. That’s where my mindset is, is earning those opportunities and definitely want to be a head coach in the NHL someday.
“It’s something that I’ve kind of been growing as an assistant to an associate coach. I watch obviously the head coaches very closely over these last (nine) years in St. Louis, how they deal with their staff. Not only that, but the medical and training staff as well and the managers. I’ve kind of just been observing for a long time waiting for this type of opportunity so that when I have it now, I would be ready for it. To be honest since I’ve got here, it’s been a great energy around the dressing room, it’s an exciting place right now. Everybody’s on the same page of what the expectations are from the organization from top down, especially where we are down here. We want to make sure our players are looked after.
“I’m very thankful for ‘Army’ giving me those opportunities over the years to take those interviews. It was more the experience that you were getting from those interviews. They’re likely Zoom calls with the preparation of your systems, how would you run the team, the communication, your culture aspects. They’re very, very detailed and when you present those, you’re just continuing to grab this valuable experience. I’m lucky for those opportunities. It wouldn’t have happened without the leadership from the top allowing me to do that. When you get those opportunities, you just continue to build yourself as a coach. When those moments come and it is your turn to be a head coach, that you’re ready. I wasn’t ready the first few years for that opportunity even after winning, wasn’t even close. It’s the 10 years later to get your opportunity to know that when you do, you want to be very thorough and extremely ready to seize that moment.”
Learning from Montgomery has been a great experience, and now that Ott serves as the voice of the next generation of Blues players, there will be a great pipeline of communication there.
“’Monty’ has been a mentor to me,” Ott said. “I’ve taken a lot of great aspects from him. He’s a Jack Adams-winning coach and I’m lucky enough to work beside him. For the most part, I think we see the game very similar and it makes it very easy to talk hockey. It’s a constant talking, text messaging, phone calls, picking each other’s brain on situational play. Not only that, it’s great because I can give the development of the young guys down here.”
So who will the Thunderbirds be getting after Steve Konowalchuk?
“I wanted to be open and honest with them from the get-go,” Ott said. “There was a feel in the room no different when you’re struggling in the standings, it’s a tough place sometimes to want to come to the rink, you want to continue to get better and you just want information and why and how can we help. I wanted to make sure that we were going to focus on the details of our game without the puck first and that was the first week. This upcoming week is not going to be a training camp but a teaching camp. It’s things that our young players and depth players need to learn. It’s the game management, it’s not going around pylons, it’s the experiences that I’ve learned throughout the game is line changes, is setting up the next shift. All those little areas of the game that go unnoticed is something that I want to really help with them. So when they do get that opportunity, it’s seamless towards the NHL.”
There’s no telling at the moment where this will lead after the season ends, Ott said. They’ll revisit things in the summer, but for the time being, Ott, whose family will stay behind in St. Louis with kids in school and playing hockey, just wants to focus on the here and the now, and that’s trying to get the Thunderbirds back on track.
“The goal is to get this team and prospects playing as good as we can, including with that if we do so and sneak into a playoff spot here in the next little while, I think that would be a great ending to this season if we can continue to get as many games as we can here,” Ott said.
Blues Assign Top Prospect Otto Stenberg To Springfield2023 first-round pick going back to AHL for purposes of playing games during the Winter Olympic break
Suter Practices In Full, Return Imminent For BluesForward has not played since Dec. 27 when he sustained a high ankle sprain; Sundqvist, Holloway, Thomas all progressing
St. Louis Blues Weekly Prospect Report (Jan. 25)Carbonneau scoring again; McIsaac named captain of WHL squad; Ott gets first win as T-Birds head coach
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There’s no denying the impact, love, and legacy that Andrew McCutchen has left on the Pirates and the region.
The 2013 NL MVP brought winning baseball back to Pittsburgh and may one day have his No. 22 retired at PNC Park. But is it the last time McCutchen has donned the number on the diamond in the Steel City?
McCutchen remains a free agent after concluding the third season of his second stint in Pittsburgh. During the ever-popular “Ask Pirates Management” segment of PiratesFest on Saturday, General Manager Ben Cherington was noncommittal on whether the Pirates will re-sign the former face of the franchise.
“Andrew has meant a ton to the team,” Cherington said, per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. “He’s had an incredible run, in two different times with the Pirates. Certainly, his legacy is secure, and our desire — everybody at the Pirates would desire — to have him maintain a really good relationship with Andrew well into the future.”
Cherington may be referring to a connection with Pirates alumni and returning to team events in the future.
The more Cherington spoke on the topic, the more it sounded like the Pirates are moving on.
“Then we come back to our team. What is the job? The job is to build a team that gives us the best chance to be winning games when you’re in the ballpark in June and July, and that’s where I see the passion come out,” Cherington said.
Following a season with PR nightmares, spotty attendance, and frequent “Sell The Team” chants, the Pirates were the most active they’ve ever been in the Cherington era in adding to the roster.
Pittsburgh signed first baseman/DH Ryan O’Hearn to the first multi-year deal since Ivan Nova, traded for 31 home-run hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe, and acquired outfielders Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon Garcia.
Cherington said their approach has been based on winning more games this year than previous seasons and “that’s going to continue to guide our decisions.”
The Pirates, at least yet, haven’t deemed that McCutchen best puts them in position for this to come to fruition. This could be because they are chasing a bigger bat to acquire, or don’t want McCutchen back and haven’t wanted to tell him.
Cherington hasn’t been clear, but concluded: “So much respect for Andrew. That relationship is really important to us, and we’ll continue to communicate with him, directly, as the team comes together. We have more work to do.”
McCutchen was not in attendance at the annual fan fest held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Cherington didn’t close the door on a reunion with McCutchen, but the more time that passes makes it more and more unlikely as we approach spring training.
Frustrated by the process, McCutchen took to Twitter to express his feelings about being absent from PiratesFest.
He pointed to how the St. Louis Cardinals had a farewell season with Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, the Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw, and the Tigers with Miguel Cabrera as examples of franchise icons who had one final run and were either known, or strongly implied, that it was their final year.
“I wonder, did the Cards do this Wainwright/Pujols/Yadi? Dodgers to Kershaw? Tigers to Miggy? The list goes on and on,” McCutchen said. “If this is my last year, it would have been nice to meet the fans one last time as a player. Talk to them about my appreciation for them over the years. Shake that little kid’s hand or hug the fan that’s been a fan since Clemente.”
In 135 games, McCutchen hit .239 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs for the Pirates in 2025. A 17-year MLB vet who has spent 12 in the black and gold, McCutchen is a five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner.
McCutchen thinks the fan base deserves transparency. He believes it’s “bigger than baseball” with the relationships McCutchen has built with loyal Pittsburgh sports fans.
“You see, this is bigger than baseball!” McCutchen said. “Bigger than looking at a 40-man roster and cherry picking numbers that fit your agenda or prove why your opinion matters. The fans deserved at the very least to get that opportunity.”
McCutchen ranked second on the team in hits (114) and third in home runs and RBIs. He still lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Maria, who welcomed the couple’s fifth child this month.
“(I don’t know) what the future holds for me at the present moment, but what I do know is (that) though I am 39, on the backend of my career, I still work everyday to be better than I was the year before,” McCutchen said. “If there wasn’t a burning desire to continue this journey, I would be home surrounded by my family, in which no one would judge or be surprised.”
While the Pirates seemingly remain unsure if McCutchen has a role on the team in 2026, McCutchen isn’t ready to hang up the bats and cleats just yet.
“But not yet,” McCutchen said. “There’s more work to do, and I’m not done, no matter what label you try to stamp on. Rip the jersey off of me. You don’t get to write my future, God does.”
There may be a role for McCutchen, but much more minimal than as the starting DH over the past three years. O’Hearn will likely DH, but McCutchen could be a valuable asset to start against lefties.
In 131 at-bats last season against left-handers, McCutchen hit .267 with a .389 slugging percentage and .742 OPS.
McCutchen’s leadership, passion for the city, and, more importantly, his still decent bat speed could make him a valuable asset as a pinch hitter late in games.
His eye for the strike zone may be an asset with the new ABS challenge system going into place.
The Pirates vastly improved their roster this offseason. The downside for many fans is that it likely came at McCutchen’s expense.
The Pirates and McCutchen could both benefit from one more year together, as long as the pieces go together for the Pirates to focus on getting back to the postseason for the first time in over a decade.
The NBA announced its pool of participants for the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars game on Peacock on Monday, Jan. 26. Twenty-one players – 10 rookies and 11 sophomores – along with seven G Leaguers were chosen to represent the future of the NBA to tip-off All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles on Feb. 13.
The rookies are headlined by 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who has looked every bit the franchise centerpiece the Dallas Mavericks were in desperate need of after shipping out Luka Doncic a year ago. Memphis Grizzlies emerging wing Cedric Coward is also in the pool, along with the New Orleans' Pelicans' duo of breakout stars Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Stephon Castle has established himself as a solid running mate for San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama; he's among the sophomores selected. So is Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, who has stepped up from his early season struggles in the absence of Fred VanVleet.
The players will be drafted into three teams on Tuesday, Jan. 27 with a fourth comprised entirely of G League players. Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Austin Rivers will serve as the coaches for each team.
Here is the full list of players they will be picking from:
Here is every player named to the Rising Stars game:
Four teams of seven players each will face off in a mini tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on Friday, Feb. 13 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA 2026 Rising Stars roster includes Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel
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.
It’s prospect-ranking season, with both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline unveiling top-100 lists last week. On Monday, Keith Law at The Athletic revealed his annual preseason ranking of the top 100 prospects in baseball. Seven Dodgers made this list, their most prolific showing yet among these groups.
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.
We’ve covered the outfielders of late here, so let’s focus here on the other three prospect ranked in the top 100 at The Athletic.
Shortstop Emil Morales ranked 65th at The Athletic, after showing up at No. 92 by MLB Pipeline last week.
River Ryan is ranked the 55th-best prospect by Law, who has always been the highest on the pitcher, ranking the right-hander 33rd overall in 2024 and 52nd in 2025. Ryan debuted with the Dodgers in 2024 but succumbed after only four starts, needing Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2025 season as well.
From Law at The Athletic:
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.”
| Player | Pos | 2026 preseason | 2025 preseason |
| Eduardo Quintero | OF | 9 | NR |
| Josue De Paula | OF | 20 | 26 |
| Zyhir Hope | OF | 36 | 58 |
| Mike Sirota | OF | 51 | NR |
| River Ryan | SP | 55 | 52 |
| Emil Morales | SS | 65 | NR |
| Alex Freeland | IF | 87 | 68 |
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.”
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:
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)
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)
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.
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
— Ryan Phillips (@JournoRyan) January 26, 2026
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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama's Charles Bediako gets NCAA restraining order extended because of weather
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.
THAT GAME WINNING GOAL FEELING pic.twitter.com/6H0dtwq71c
— Manitoba Moose (@ManitobaMoose) January 25, 2026
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.
WHY NOT US 😤 pic.twitter.com/FEZMdAD7W8
— Manitoba Moose (@ManitobaMoose) January 26, 2026
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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