A day of no handshakes, and for Pakistan many head shakes. India coasted to victory in what became global cricket’s most lucrative mismatch after a superlative innings from the opener Ishan Kishanskewed it definitively in their favour.
In its second half a game that was dramatically off and then on again became one where a parade of Pakistan batters were dramatically in and then out again. Chasing a target of 176 they were seven down before they even got halfway, and were eventually skittled for 114 to lose by 61 runs.
Arsenal had scored all four goals by the 27th minute before the manager-less League One side stemmed the flow
Breaking: Riccardo Calafiori got hurt in the warmup so Bukayo Saka is a starter, and captain. MLS in midfield looks like it will be an experiment for another day.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 14: A detailed shot of NBA All-Star Los Angeles signage during All Star Saturday Night as part of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 14, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
This year’s All-Star weekend main event, the All-Star Game, will take place on Sunday. The selected All-Stars will be divided into three teams: Team World, Team Stars and Team Stripes.
Start time and TV schedule
What: NBA All-Star Game
When: 2 p.m. PT, Feb. 15
Where: Intuit Dome
Watch: NBC, Peacock
This year’s All-Star Game will feature a format that many have been clamoring for over the years: a game between American and international superstars. It’s one way the league is attempting to revive the All-Star Game, which has frankly been a brutal watch over the last couple of years. Even Adam Silver admitted it.
So this year, the All-Star Game will see a three-team round-robin tournament. There will be four games, each 12 minutes long. Each team will play each other at least once and the top two that prevail will advance to the championship round. Note that Team World’s roster is stacked with international All-Stars while 16 American All-Stars are spread between Team Stripes and Team Stars.
🇺🇸 USA STARS. USA STRIPES. WORLD. 🌍
The updated 2026 NBA All-Star Game Rosters!
The three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament with the top two teams advancing to the championship game.
The Lakers superstars, LeBron James (Team Stripes) and Luka Dončić (Team World), will be on different teams, so it’ll be fun to watch them go at it. It would also be nice to witness one of them bring home the All-Star Game MVP, which hasn’t been awarded to a Laker since Kobe Bryant won it back in 2011.
But more importantly, it would be ideal to see an entertaining All-Star Game, especially with this new format. This year’s All-Star weekend could use a little more excitement and frankly, it’s about time the main event becomes one that’s worth watching.
Notes and Updates:
James — who didn’t address the media during player media availability on Saturday — will do so prior to tip-off on Sunday. Given how he’s approached the All-Star Game over the past few years, there could be a chance that he doesn’t suit up.
Luka is expected to suit up, but only play for a short stint after missing the last four games for the Lakers.
Here’s a preview of what each team’s jersey kits look like for the All-Star Game:
The NBA today unveiled the uniforms for the 75th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., home of the LA Clippers.
Drawing inspiration from the city of Los Angeles and the new USA vs. World format, the NBA All-Star uniforms celebrate the city’s… pic.twitter.com/B3IFzjt9LU
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, talk to pitcher Justin Verlander at practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Many of the Tigers position players have already been in camp since Wednesday, but Sunday marks the first official full squad workout where everyone has reported. Now baseball is really back. The Tigers beat writers on hand picked up some interesting notes over the past two days, so let’s run through a few things.
A.J. Hinch mentioned on Sunday that Colt Keith will be focused on third base, while getting some reps at first base as well. The Tigers had him prepping for first base last year with Spencer Torkelson still not fully established as the everyday first baseman. Looks like they’re keeping a few left-handed hitters involved at the position anyway just in case. Hinch mentioned that they don’t expect Keith to play second base at all except in a pinch.
Meanwhile, former prospect Jace Jung, who has stalled out the past two seasons in a few looks at the major leagues, is also preparing to play first base. Of course, he’ll have to finally start hitting. Jung did make some swing adjustments, lowering his hands and trying to be shorter and quicker to the baseball. He came out of the All-Star break hot, cooled in August, but finished September with a 1.162 OPS and three home runs for the month in 14 games. Still only 25 years old, Jung’s story may not be written just yet, but Triple-A pitching does tend to get pretty thin down the stretch as well. He needs to do something big this season.
Hinch addresses the full squad
As always, the first full gathering of everyone in major league camp is an opportunity for manager A.J. Hinch to set the tone for the season. The only player not in attendance was Justin Verlander, who got a week of work in with the club before bowing out for a few days for a family commitment. Hinch expressed his enthusiasm for the club, but as always cautioned everyone that what they’ve done before is now in the past, and they have to lean back into the day-to-day grind to get better. He’s made a consistent habit of emphazing the need to stacking success bit by bit over the course of a the long season to reach their goals, and the message didn’t change on Sunday.
A.J. Hinch's message to the 2026 #Tigers on Day 1 of full-squad workouts in spring training:
Riley Greene spoke to reporters on Saturday, talking about his monster first half of the 2025 season and the deep slump that followed him down the stretch and into the playoffs. His take on it was that he’s was swinging the bat so well and running so hot that he started feeling like he could crush anything near the zone. That was true for a while, but once pitchers started staying away from him, recognizing that he was swinging a ton, Greene’s confidence got the best of him as his plate disicpline fell apart. His take on this, which is also A.J. Hinch’s take, is that he just needs to take a breath and be more conscious of situations, recognizing when a single will do and when pitchers are just going to stay out of the zone against him out of concern for his power.
The key quote from Cody Stavenhagen’s piece on Greene for The Athletic Detroit sums it up. “If you have two strikes and a runner on second base, maybe try not to hit a ball 5,000 feet.”
This checks out to me. Greene is one of the game’s more dangerous hitters, ranking 25th in wRC+ across 2024-2025. Excessive tinkering may screw up everything that turned him into that hitter. Modest adjustments to his approach and better situational awareness may be all that’s required to get him into that top tier. He was already there until crumbling for long stretches after the All-Star break. Taking his rips early in counts is a must, but so is settling down and just putting the bat on the ball deeper in counts and with runners in scoring position. Now 25 years old, hopefully the Tigers slugger can just mature that approach somewhat. He’s in for a huge year if he can.
Odds and ends
Evan Woodbery with MLive has the story of Jack Flaherty’s decision to opt-in for 2026. Sounds like he had more guaranteed money available to him in free agency, as you’d expect. But he’s comfortable in Detroit and knows they have a chance to win. That was apparently worth more than another uncertain look at free agency, and Flaherty is perhaps one good season from finally getting the type of offers he was expecting last offseason.
Evan Petzold of the Freep has a story on Reese Olson explaining his shoulder injury and why they tried to rehab it again before finally acquiescing to surgery. Essentially, he was going to miss all of 2026 whenever he had the surgery, so it was worth trying to rehab it fully and avoid going under the knife.
Minimal injury news
Everyone is rehabbing their hips and elbows, everyone is advancing on their return to play progressions
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 04: Russell Martin waves before throwing the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Saturday, October 4, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Russell Martin turns 43 today.
Drafted by the Dodgers in the 17th round in 2002, Martin reached the majors in 2006. By 2014, he’d already played for three MLB teams and made the playoffs seven times—enough to earn any player, but especially a catcher, a reputation as a winner.
In 2014, the Blue Jays already had a perfectly adequate catcher in Dioner Navarro, who hit .274/.317/.395 with a 2.5 bWAR and was under contract for 2015. Most of us expected the team’s off-season focus to be elsewhere. Yet, true to his reputation as a ‘ninja’ GM, Alex Anthopoulos surprised us all by signing Martin.
Martin signed a five-year, $82 million contract, which was back-loaded. He was to get $7 in 2015, then $15 million and $20 million a year for the next three seasons (I see in a post I suggested Max Pentecost would be “looking for playing time” by the third year of the contract. It wasn’t the first time I was wrong). The press conference announcing his signing was peppered with the words leadership, chemistry, and ‘changing the culture.’ About ten days later, Alex would trade for Josh Donaldson. There were several moves that winter. Adam Lind was traded for Marco Estrada. We picked up Justin Smoak. Anthony Gose was traded for Devon Travis. And J.A. Happ was shipped to Seattle for Michael Saunders.
Martin’s signing drew plenty of debate. Committing five years to a 32-year-old catcher is always a risk, but most fans were happy to have a good Canadian boy leading the team. Our poll: 66% liked the deal, 15% disliked it, and 20% were neutral.
That spring, Minor Leaguer, some friends, and I went to Montreal for the Jays’ exhibition games at Olympic Stadium. It was a love-in for Russell. He got a standing ovation every time he came to the plate, and his dad played the national anthem on saxophone before the first game..
In 2015, Martin hit .240/.329/.458 with a career-high 23 home runs in 129 games, good for a 3.2 bWAR (FanGraphs was even higher at 4.5). He made his fourth (and final) All-Star appearance, threw out 44% of base stealers, and looked athletic behind the plate. His pitch framing didn’t look as good as in the past, but, to be fair, he was sometimes catching pitchers with little idea where their pitches were going. It’s easier to frame a pitch that hits its target.
Trivia: On April 19th, Martin caught Jeff Francis to form the first All-Canadian battery in team history.
Whether due to leadership, play, or both, the Jays made the playoffs for the first time in ages. Martin struggled at the plate—3-for-15 in the five-game win over Texas, 1-for-11 (with 3 walks) in the six-game loss to Kansas City—but he was at the center of the most bizarre play I’ve ever seen: In Game 5 of the ALDS, his throw back to the mound hit Shin-Soo Choo’s bat, allowing Rougned Odor to score. The umps initially called it a dead ball, but by rule, it wasn’t. Chaos ensued, but the Jays prevailed.
Martin’s 2016 season at the plate wasn’t as strong: .231/.335/.398 with 20 homers in 137 games (2.0 bWAR). His strikeout rate jumped to 27.7% (from 20.9% the year before). He started the year with a sore neck and finished in a slump—catcher’s aches and pains, most likely. His caught-stealing rate plummeted from 44% to 15%, yet he remained a steady presence defensively. Offensively, he again struggled in October: 3 hits (1 homer) in 33 postseason at-bats.
In 2017, Martin played just 91 games, hitting .221/.343/.388 with 13 home runs. He threw out 20% of would-be base stealers and played 77 innings at third base.
Again, he could have had a better time with the bat in the playoffs. Counting the Wild Card game, he had 3 hits (with 1 home run) in 33 playoff at-bats.
2018 saw Martin step back from full-time catching: just 71 games behind the plate (Luke Maile caught 66, Danny Jansen 29, Reese McGuire 11), plus stints at third (21 games), short (3), and even left field (1). He hit .194/.338/.325 with 10 home runs—a career-low 1.3 bWAR. At 35, he looked every bit the veteran catcher. As I’ve said, smart GMs back-load big contracts, knowing the odds are the player won’t finish as a regular (sometimes I get it right).
It is also Álex González’s 49th birthday.
To clarify, this is the Álex González who played half a season at shortstop for the Jays—nicknamed “Sea Bass” for reasons unknown—not the other Alex Gonzalez who spent eight seasons as a shortstop for the Jays.
This Álex signed with Toronto as a free agent before the 2010 season and surprised us by hitting .259/.296/.497 with 17 home runs in just 85 games. Midseason, the Jays traded him, Tim Collins, and Tyler Pastornicky to the Braves for Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes. The less said about Jo-Jo, the better. Escobar went on to spend three seasons with the Jays, batting .272/.335/.373 in 338 games before departing as part of the Marlins megadeal.
González played 16 years in the majors, eight of them with the Marlins, and finished with a career .245/.290/.395 line and 157 home runs.
Happy Birthday, Álex.
Elvis Luciano turns 26 today.
You’ll remember Elvis as the Jays’ Rule 5 pick before the 2019 season. That meant he had to stick with the big-league club all year, and he did, appearing in 25 games with a 5.35 ERA.
He spent 2021 and the start of 2022 with New Hampshire. He’s played in Japan the last couple of years.
There have been seasons in White Sox history so dire that this question couldn’t be asked with a straight face. Arguably, 2024 or 2025 could be among them.
But now, hey, there’s a rebuild in apparent motion and a young core of players who are ready to step forward into possible stardom. Will everyone in that core, among them Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel, improve in 2026? Perhaps not, but the law of averages (and 2025’s promise) would indicate someone on the roster will move into star status.
Or perhaps you think someone among the veterans (Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Austin Hayes, Andrew Benintendi among them) is going to break out. And if you’re really dour on the current roster (or high on a prospect), perhaps your pick is Braden Montgomery, Noah Schultz or Hagen Smith breaking camp with the White Sox or making a stirring leap into the majors early in the season.
So, who’s your pick for the White Sox player with the brightest 2026 ahead?
Cavan Biggio is following in his father's footsteps.
The son of Astros legend Craig Biggio signed a minor league deal with Houston on Sunday.
The contract includes an invitation to spring training as a non-roster player.
Biggio spent 2025 with the Kansas City Royals, though he only played in 37 games and made just 83 plate appearances. His best season came during his rookie year with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, when he recorded 16 home runs and 48 RBIs over 100 games.
The 30-year-old Biggio has a career average of .223 to go along with 52 homers and 190 RBIs across seven seasons with the Royals, Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
Biggio's main asset during his big-league career has been his defensive versatility. He's played at every position except pitcher and catcher, including 219 starts at second base and 104 combined starts at all three outfield positions.
Craig Biggio, 60, spent 20 years with the Astros during his Hall of Fame career.
The Astros will play their first spring training game Feb. 21 against the Washington Nationals.
Daytona Tortugas pitcher Sheng-En Lin (8) pitches during the game against Lakeland Flying Tigers , Sunday, Sept. 14 2025 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach. | Nadia Zomorodian/News-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It’s hard to process just how complicated it must be to be a two-way professional baseball player. There’s a reason, after all, while the list of those who have successfully pulled it off in the modern age consists of Shohei Ohtani and literally nobody else.
So, when you look at what Sheng-En Lin pulled off during the 2025 season in the Cincinnati Reds system, you’ve got to view it through the lens of a player who’s been trying to both pitch and hit since signing with the club at age 17.
The 2025 season for him also featured a series of notable twists. First, he stopped being a position player mid-year after being promoted to Class-A Daytona of the Florida State League after slumping to a .172/.348/.310 line in his third trip through Arizona Complex League play. But when he got to the Tortugas, he picked up pitching again in actual games for the first time since signing with the Reds as an international free agent, and immediately hit the ground running with a 3.06 ERA and 61/15 K/BB in 47.0 IP.
In one season he dropped being a hitter for the first time, returned to pitching in games after a two-year hiatus, and got promoted to A-ball mid-season, yet still found a way to thrive. And now that he’s going to focus solely on pitching, there’s sincere hope that he’ll both gain velocity back that he’d shown earlier in his career and continue to dazzle, as that’s what we’ve seen from him already in a very short stint.
Sheng-En Lin is the #19 prospect in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, earning that honor by the narrowest of margins in the latest round of voting.
TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 1: Stephen Curry #30 and Chris Paul #3 of the Golden State Warriors stand during a break in play in the second half of their NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on March 1, 2024 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When we look back on the Steph Curry era of the Golden State Warriors, the most prominent enemy of the team was clearly LeBron James. If the Warriors were the X-Men, James is Magneto, leading an ever-changing, ever-relocating Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. But Chris Paul was more like the Doctor Octopus to Curry’s Spider-Man, a highly intelligent, stocky man doomed to continually fall short against his rival, undone by injuries, bad luck, the resourcefulness of his opponent and too much whining. Wait, that last one doesn’t really describe Doc Ock.
Paul ended his 21-season NBA career Friday after being waived by the Toronto Raptors. It really ended when his fairy tale return to the Los Angeles Clippers turned into one of those old, gruesome fairy tales, and Paul was sent home by the team for yelling at his teammates and coaches too much. In other words, acting too much like Chris Paul.
It’s the culmination of a career that saw Paul made 12 All-Star teams, win six steals titles, and lead the league in assists five times. He finishes with this second-most steals and assists in NBA history while playing for seven different teams, including a strange year with the Warriors in 2023-24. That was like the rare occasions when Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man teamed up, to shut down a nuclear reactor or save someone from being poisoned or dump Jordan Poole’s long-term contract while pretending they were going to trade Doctor Octopus for a veteran superhero.
But for the Warriors, he was absolutely a supervillain. Paul’s Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Warriors in the 2014 playoffs in a physical series that may have been responsible for Curry’s mid-career visit to the gun show. Paul and the Clippers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round, thanks to Paul trying to get a three-shot foul late in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over, and losing on the cusp of victory, a common theme for both supervillains and Chris Paul.
In honor of Thunder Legend Chris Paul returning to the Clippers, enjoy remembering Game 4 from 2014 – miracle comeback + epic collapse.
Not pictured: KD sitting on the floor at the other end, unable to watch Russ’s FTs.
In 2015, the Warriors seemed on a collision course with the Lob City Clippers on the way to their first title, but the Clippers blew a 19-point lead late in a closeout game to the Houston Rockets and lost in the second round. Paul never made the conference finals with the Clippers.
Paul moved to the Houston Rockets, where he solidified a very good team alongside James Harden. The Rockets were about to go up 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals against the Dubs when Paul tempted fate by doing Curry’s shimmy in his face.
The basketball gods responded by tearing Paul’s hamstring late in Game 5. The Rockets would lose with Paul on the sidelines and lose to the Warriors again with a healthy Paul in 2019. Then Paul became an NBA nomad, going from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Phoenix Suns, who lost the Finals in Paul’s only career trip in 2021.
It looked like the Warriors might have a fourth playoff battle with CP3 in 2022, but it was not to be. Leading the Dallas Mavericks 3-2, the Suns were outscored by 60 combined points in their Games 6 and 7 losses. New owner Mat Ishbia made trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in 2023, and Paul headed to Golden State for a very weird partnership.
Honestly, it’s kind of like when Doctor Octopus inhabited Spider-Man’s body for a while. Like Paul, Doc Ock’s body was wasting away from years of physical battles, wear and tear, and illegally grabbing people. Somehow he switched minds, inhabited Peter Parker’s body and fell in love with a little person named Anna Maria Marconi, which is a lot like Steve Kerr’s preferred guard-heavy lineups that season. Ultimately, Doctor Octopus lets his consciousness fade away from Spider-Man’s body, just like how the Warriors let Paul’s large contract expire instead of using it in trades.
It’s a common comic book trope: The villain joins up with the heroes and shows he’s not that bad, even though he moves on and proves, like Paul did with the Clippers this season, that ultimately the villain won’t change their evil annoying ways.
Paul had a great career and was one of the most impactful ultra-short players in NBA history, joining Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, Tim Hardaway, Nate “Tiny” Archibald, and Slater Martin. There’s no word yet whether his twin brother Cliff Paul will also be retiring from his job as an insurance agent, but Jake from State Farm is scheduled to make an announcement next week.
Two LGBTQ+ teams will be heading to Vancouver to take part in the third-annual NHL Unites Pride Cup. Taking place from February 28 to March 1 at the North Surrey Sport & Ice Complex, The Cutting Edges (Vancouver) and Seattle Pride Hockey Association will face each other in a three-game series. The winner will claim the Pride Cup trophy, while both teams will be given a $25,000 donation.
"Since the inaugural Pride Cup, we’ve seen hockey communities across the League come together to create a welcoming, respectful experience for everyone who loves the game,” Kim Davis, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives, and Legislative Affairs, said in a press release. “At its best, hockey brings people together -- fostering inclusive environments for all who play and love the sport. Our Pride initiatives are one of the many ways we continue to live out that commitment.”
The Cutting Edges are a Vancouver-based LGBTQ+ hockey organization that first established themselves in 1994 as part of the Gay Games in New York. During this tournament, they even received a shout-out from Don Cherry on Coach's Corner. The Cutting Edges have competed in various tournaments around North America since then while also hosting some of their own.
Seattle Pride Hockey Association provides a safe space for both players and fans to enjoy the sport of hockey. The organization hosts their own tournaments the Seattle Pride Classic and the Frozen Pride Classic, while also having a travelling team called the Rain City Rush.
Jan 21, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) and defenseman Filip Hronek (17) and defenseman Tyler Myers (57) and forward Drew O'Connor (18) celebrate their victory against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
NHL Unites Pride Cup Schedule
Game 1: Saturday, February 28 at 11:45 am PT
Game 2: Saturday, February 28 at 4:30 pm PT
You Can Play Project/Coaches Training: 1:30 pm PT
Game 3: Sunday, March 1 at 3:30 pm PT
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Miami Heat's Keshad Johnson soars through the air to dunk during the NBA All-Star Game dunk contest on Saturday at the Intuit Dome. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
The world’s best basketball players are in the Los Angeles area this weekend for NBA All-Star weekend. It is first time the annual midseason festival is being held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the recently-opened home of the Clippers. Festivities started Friday and included the celebrity all-star game, during which one team of celebrities was coached by NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the other was coached by actor Anthony Anderson. Team Giannis got the win 65-58, led by an MVP performance from “How to Get Away with Murder” star Rome Flynn. The dunk contest, three-point contest and skills challenge were showcased on Saturday. This year’s dunk contest participants included Carter Bryant of the Spurs, Jaxson Hayes of the Lakers, Keshad Johnson of the Heat and Jase Richardson of the Magic. The three-point contest featured eight players, including five All-Stars. The Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard, who isn't playing this season while recovering from a torn Achilles, managed to win the three-point contest.
Fans cheer are illuminated by Intuit Dome lights as they cheer during all-star festivities Saturday. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)The Spurs' Carter Bryant moves the ball between his legs in midair before dunking during the all-star dunk contest on Saturday.
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles TimesDodgers star Mookie Betts is welcomed to the court during the celebrity all-star game by the Clippers cheerleaders at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Friday.
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles TimesCelebrity Keegan-Michael Key laughs with teammates during the all-star celebrity game at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Friday.
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles TimesTeam Vince Carter celebrates as Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe wins the Rising Stars game most valuable player honors Friday at the Intuit Dome. (Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)Smoke fills and lights are deployed during the NBA All-Star events Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)Magic guard Jase Richardson completes a reverse dunk during NBA All-Star dunk contest Saturday at the Intuit Dome.
Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles TimesPelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) rises up for a lay up while being guarded by Wizards guard Kyshawn George (18) during the final of the NBA rising stars game at Intuit Dome on Friday.
Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles TimesLakers forward Jaxson Hayes throws up peace signs as he introduced before the NBA all-star dunk contest Saturday at the Intuit Dome.
Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles TimesThe Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard competes in the NBA All-Star three point contest on Saturday at the Intuit Dome. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)Actor Rome Flynn holds up a trophy and smiles after winning NBA All-Star celebrity game MVP honors at the Kia Forum Friday. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Feb 14, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media during a press conference before 2026 NBA All Star Saturday Night at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Are you not entertained?
The All Star Weekend is supposed to be one of the main showcases for the NBA product. The stars are on display, the game’s elite all come out, there are events all around the town, giving it a festival feel at times. So what’s the problem?
Well, the whole idea is to entertain and recently the general consensus is that it just isn’t very entertaining. The lead-up events are confusing and/or just odd. The dunk contest has jumped the shark (don’t give them any ideas, please). The 3 point contest still delivers but doesn’t always have the best shooters involved. And of course the All Star game itself has devolved into a half-speed pickup game (no matter how much the league has tried to guilt them into trying harder).
The league has tried a number of gimmicks to spice things up. New events, captain led drafts, the Elam Ending, and now the World vs. the US. None of it seems to have moved the needle much yet. So how would you change things to make it more interesting?
Incentives for winning the game? Monetary or team related? Format changes? Or just scrap some of the events? Maybe move it to the offseason after the Finals (like the NFL Pro Bowl)? Feel free to be creative!
What are your thoughts? You are the commissioner and you can call the shots. How are you changing things?
Steve Borthwick is facing a selection headache as England seek to get their Six Nations campaign back on track against Ireland on Saturday, with Henry Arundell set for disciplinary action after his red card against Scotland.
England have promised an “honest and emotional” review into their dismal Calcutta Cup defeat before Borthwick decides how to configure his backline against Ireland, with Arundell facing the prospect of a suspension for his two yellow cards against Scotland.
DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 03: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on February 03, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jaylen Brown comes from a fighting background and after his basketball career is over, perhaps he’ll take his talents to the octagon.
The Boston Celtics star, who is getting set to play in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, discussed that idea when asked a question by a media member who claimed to have trained with his father in the boxing gym in the past during All-Star Media Day.
Jaylen Brown says he talked to Dana White about fighting in the UFC after he’s retired from the NBA.
“To be honest, I’ve toyed with this, and I’ve talked to some people, maybe post part of my career, I would love to take part in something like UFC, or even boxing,” Brown told reporters. “I’ve talked to Dana White about some stuff, but we’ll see as things go on.”
Fighting and combat sports are generational in Brown’s family. The 29-year-old’s father was a WBU champion, while his grandfather Willie Brown was also a former boxer.
Of course, the five-time All-Star, two-time NBA Finals participant, and one-time world champion and Finals MVP, still has some work left to do on the hardwood. But with Celtics had coach Joe Mazulla also being a massive combat sports fan, Brown will get the chance to watch UFC fights quite often.
BOSTON, MA - JUNE 13: Michael Saunders #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats during the ninth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 13, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox won 4-3 in twelve innings. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty Images
To nobody’s surprise, Bryce Harper earned more votes than Dustin McGowan in their matchup of the “Last Man In” free agent tournament.
Stats with the Phillies: 118 games, 48-34 W-L, 2.94 ERA, 813 K, 124 BB, 20.7 bWAR
The Phillies traded for Cliff Lee at the 2009 trade deadline, and he helped them reach the World Series. And then, the Phillies traded him away for a really awful return. Lee was a free agent after 2010, and with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt already in the Phillies’ rotation, most people didn’t think they were even a remote possibility for Lee.
However, Lee apparently loved it in Philadelphia and took a slightly lower offer with the “mystery team” to return. The result was the ultra-fun (at least until the playoffs) 2011 season of the Four Aces.
Cliff Lee signed with the #Phillies six years ago today. Giving Philadelphia one of the best rotations in history. pic.twitter.com/HnqiEVBZdK
The rest of Lee’s time with the Phillies was somewhat disappointing, but darned if 2011 wasn’t fun.
16. Michael Saunders, 2017
Stats with the Phillies: 61 games, .205/.257/.360, 6 HR, 20 RBIs, -0.9 bWAR
By 2017, the Phillies were starting to transition out of rebuild mode, and general manager Matt Klentak wanted to acquire some veteran “professional hitters” to supplement the young lineup. One of the guys he targeted was outfielder Michael Saunders who had made the All-Star Game with the Blue Jays the year before.
There were some warning signs with Saunders. 2016 was the first season in an eight-year career he hit over 20 home runs or had an OPS over .800. And though his first half of 2016 was All-Star caliber, he slumped badly in the second half.
That slumped continued into 2017. By mid-June, the Phillies decided if they were going to get poor hitting from a right fielder, it might as well be from a young hitter with some potential to improve. They released Saunders who went back to Toronto and continued to hit poorly.
Michael Saunders. Arguably the most forgettable Phillies position player of all time. https://t.co/yeFBwI58wy
