Seeing Reaves get traded is not necessarily surprising, as he fell down the Maple Leafs' depth chart this season and even spent time in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. Now, with this trade to the Sharks, he should provide more toughness in San Jose's bottom six as they continue their rebuild.
Reaves appeared in 35 games last season with the Maple Leafs, posting two assists, 28 penalty minutes, 103 hits, and a minus-2 rating. He also scored a goal in three games with the Marlies.
Reaves spent the first part of the 2017-18 season with the Penguins before being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights at the deadline. In 58 games as a Penguin, he recorded four goals, eight points, 84 penalty minutes, and 161 hits.
In 912 career NHL games split between the St. Louis Blues, Penguins, Golden Knights, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, and Maple Leafs, Reaves has recorded 63 goals, 137 points, 1,100 penalty minutes, and 3,065 hits.
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded veteran Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Henry Thrun on Thursday night.
Reaves, 38, has one season remaining on a three-year contract worth $1.35 million annually. He recorded two assists, 28 penalty minutes and 103 hits in 35 games for the Maple Leafs this past season.
He's one of the NHL's heavyweight fighters, taking 93 major penalties in his career and logging a total of 1,100 penalty minutes, the sixth-most by an active player. This past year, he fought once in the regular season against the Columbus Blue Jackets' Mathieu Olivier and once in the pre-season against the Ottawa Senators' Donovan Sebrango.
On the Cam & Strick Podcastthis week, Reaves discussed his time after being assigned to the AHL and more. He said he was skating with a skills coach for a couple of weeks instead of practising with the Marlies before he called to join the team and play some home games.
Reaves also defended Mitch Marner for not re-signing in Toronto and joining the Vegas Golden Knights.
" 'Mitchy' earned the right to go wherever he wants, and he's dedicated his whole career to Toronto, a hometown guy, and he's poured everything he had into it, and sometimes it's just time to move on," Reaves said, adding that Leafs fans can be a little ruthless to Marner.
As for Reaves' time with the Leafs, he said he likes Toronto but didn't go downtown often, except for games. But he praised Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies and William Nylander.
Although Reaves' contract expires after next season, he said he'd like to hang on for another two years in the NHL so that he can reach 1,000 games and go for the Stanley Cup. He's currently 88 games away from 1,000.
Thrun, 24, enters the second campaign of a two-year contract with a $1-million cap hit. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound blueliner played 60 games for the Sharks this past season, putting up two goals and 10 assists for 12 points. He averaged 17:31 in ice time and blocked 66 shots.
In 119 career NHL games, Thrun has five goals and 20 assists for 25 points with a minus-48 rating. Before his pro career began, he played at Harvard, captaining the squad in 2022-23. He had 31 points in 33 games that year and was named to the NCAA's first all-American team in the East, the first all-star team in the ECAC, the NCAA's all-Ivy league first team and more.
This past January, Thrun said he felt stronger on pucks and better defensively, and he had a good relationship with coach Ryan Warsofsky as he tried to improve.
Toronto gains $350,000 in cap space, now having about $5.33 million overall, according to PuckPedia. The Sharks have about $23.5 million in cap space, about $1.3 million over the cap floor.
The Yankees were no-hit for seven innings, but a late rally forced extras and Aaron Judge's walk-off sac fly lifted New York to an improbable 6-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night in the Bronx.
Mariners starter Bryan Woo was excellent but the Yankees bats would get to the Seattle bullpen with three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth off of All-Star reliever Andres Munoz to get the game to the 10th inning. Devin Williams shut down the Mariners, allowing the Yankees to bring home the winning run in the bottom half of the 10th.
The Yankees' sweep of Seattle extended the team's winning streak to four games and they will enter the final series before the All-Star break two games behind the AL East-leading Blue Jays, who were off on Thursday.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Yankees lineup had a tall order on Thursday, taking on All-Star Woo. However, the Yanks led off the game with back-to-back walks to put Woo in trouble early.Judge struck out swinging before Cody Bellinger grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The most walks Woo had allowed in a game this season was two. He tied that in the first inning but that's all the Yankees could do against the young right-hander. Woo would retire 20 in a row, working a no-hitter into the eighth inning.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. -- who declared for the Home Run Derby on Thursday -- led off the eighth with a groundball single off of Woo to end the no-hit bid. Ben Rice followed with a single of his own. Austin Wells drove in the Yankees' first run with a sac fly, which knocked Woo out of the game. Manager Aaron Boone had Giancarlo Stanton pinch-hit against reliever Matt Brash and he launched a two-run shot to pull the Yankees to 5-3. It's the first pinch-hit homer in Stanton's career.
Woo was excellent, though, and threw 103 pitches (67 strikes) across 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, two walks while striking out five batters.
-Against Munoz, Trent Grisham led off the ninth with a single. Judge flew out on the first pitch he saw before Bellinger singled to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. Chisholm flew out and Rice walked to load the bases for Wells. The Yankees backstop singled home two to tie the game at 5-5 before Volpe flew out.
In the 10th, with Volpe on second as the ghost-runner, pinch-hitter Oswald Peraza failed to get the bunt down against left-hander Gabe Speier before the pinch-hitting Paul Goldschmidt was intentionally walked. Speier walkedGrisham, setting up Judge with the bases loaded. The Yankee Captain lofted a hanging slider to shallow center and Julio Rodriguez came home with a strong throw, but Volpe slid around Cal Raleigh's tag for the win.
-Marcus Stroman had a tough task to try and match Woo and did a solid job. After a scoreless first, he allowed one run on two hits and a walk, but worked out of trouble. He worked a one-run game into the fourth inning when he winced in pain covering first on a groundout. Stroman was checked on by trainers but the veteran right-hander said he was fine to continue. He allowed a ground-rule double to the next batter that Grisham couldn't get to -- it had a 60 percent catch rate -- a groundout and then an RBI single to Miles Mastrobuoni. Another single, and a mound visit later, Stroman got Rodriguez to ground out to stop further damage.
Stroman would grind through five innings (90 pitches/55 strikes), allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three. He also lowered his ERA to 6.66 on the season.
-The Yankees bullpen also did well to keep the Mariners off the board until the seventh inning. Clayton Beeter had pitched 1.2 scoreless innings before he got into trouble. Two walks brought up Jorge Polanco, who deposited a three-run shot over the right field wall to put the Mariners up 5-0.
JT Brubaker picked up three key outs and Ian Hamilton got through the ninth inning without allowing a run to give the Yankees offense a chance.
-Jasson Dominguez led off for the Yankees for the third game in a row but finished 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Judge went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and his average has dipped to .356 on the season but his first career walk-off sac fly made up for it.
Bellinger went 1-for-4, extending his hitting streak to 15 games. It's the second 15-game hitting streak this season for Bellinger, the first time that's happened since Derek Jeter in 2012.
Game MVP: Austin Wells
Judge's sac fly was great, but the Yankees don't get there unless Wells ties the game in the ninth.
The Buffalo Sabres are still the center of attiention in many markets due to the potential work future of RFA defenseman Bowen Byram. And there are many potential trade partner fits for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams. We've decided to cover many of them, including the Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings. and St. Louis Blues.
And in this file in the series, we're examining another potential trade fit partner for the Sabres -- in this case, the San Jose Sharks. Let's get to the important details.
NEEDS: More experience on 'D and at forward; more high-end talent throughout the roster.
SABRES FIT? The Sharks have been a reclamation project for many years now. But under the watchful eye of San Jose GM Mike Grier, the Sharks have been quietly building a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. And there could be a fit between Grier's Sharks and the Sabres.
There's no question the Sharks are angling to get into the playoffs next year. But Greir is a realist, and he understands it's going to take another couple years before San Jose makes it into the post-season. So patience is going to be a virtue for the Sharks.
That said, there have been rumors connecting San Jose to Byram, as they've almost completely made over their defense, adding veteran Blues defenseman Nick Leddy via waivers, and signing former Hurricanes blueliner Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberk to amp up the veteran knowhow.
We're not prepared to say the Sharks are a playoff team just yet, but San Jose almost certainly isn't going to be as easy a pushover as they were this past season. Bringing in so many veterans to firm up their back end is a clear strategy to improve his group, while also potentially trading away some of these veteran D-men by the trade deadline if they can bring invother high-quality young players in return.
Who would the Sabres want from San Jose in exchange for Byram? Well, there's the rub -- and the reason a deal probably won't happen between Buffalo and the Sharks: the Sabres don't really need the players the Sharks will want to make available in a Byram trade, and the players the Sabres do want, the Sharks probably want to keep.
To wit -- Sharks center William Eklund would clearly intrigue Adams, but Grier isn't going to move a 41-assist, 58-point season while making only $863,333 next season. So it's very difficult to envision the right set of circumstances that will lead to a Buffalo/San Jose trade happening in the foreseeable future .
Ultimately, both teams want to be buyers, and each team only has a couple legitimate trade chips, so don't imagine you'll be seing a Sabres/Sharks trade anytime soon.
Mets pitching prospect Brandon Sproat has been on a tear recently and is in the middle of a scoreless inning streak after another stellar performance on Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse.
After seven more scoreless innings against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the 24-year-old has gone 18 straight innings without allowing a run, which spans three starts. During this stretch, Sproat has allowed just seven hits and has struck out 18 batters. It's also lowered his season ERA from 5.95 to 4.61.
Sproat's seven innings on Thursday night were his longest outing both this season and during his time in Triple-A. It matches his career-high, which he set last season with Double-A Binghamton. In that stretch, he went seven innings in three consecutive starts.
The right-hander was in complete control on Thursday, retiring the first seven batters and facing the minimum after three innings. He also got help from his battery-mate Francisco Alvarez, who threw out two base stealers to help Sproat limit the men on base.
Overall, Sproat went seven innings and allowed three hits, a walk and a hit by pitch while striking out four on 87 pitches (62 strikes). He left in a scoreless tie and had to settle for a no-decision.
After a rough start to the season in Syracuse, Sproat has turned things around and is looking more like the pitcher the Mets saw all of last season when he began turning heads after being selected in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
He already has local ties to the Mitten State, and he's returned - this time, as a seasoned NHL veteran
The Detroit Red Wings signed former Michigan State Spartans forward Mason Appleton, who had previously played for the Winnipeg Jets and the Seattle Kraken, to a two-year, $2.9 million contract on the opening day of free agency.
“Detroit is a team that had a lot of success for a really long time,” Appleton said via the Red Wings official website. “I think that getting this team back in the playoffs would just be huge, and the sky is the limit from there. You just have to get your foot in the door and then anything can happen. It’s a team and city that I believe in, and I’m super excited to get things rocking there.”
Originally hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin, which is a little over two hours away from Detroit by flight, the decision was an easy one for Appleton and his family.
"I thought Detroit was a great fit for me on the ice. And then off the ice, it made a lot of sense too with my wife and I being from Wisconsin, it’s a lot closer than some other teams," he said. "It just seemed like the right fit. Free Agency kicks off, it’s a stressful time, and things happen that you wouldn’t expect but at the end of the day we were very happy to end up in Detroit."
Appleton, who was selected with the 168th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Jets, played 72 games for the Spartans between 2015 and 2017, scoring a total of 17 goals with 36 assists. His 22 points in his first season in East Lansing led all rookies, and he was recognized with the Most Outstanding Rookie Award.
Appleton was even named team captain of the Spartans for the 2017-18 season, but he would depart the University to begin his professional career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Jets.
He would split his first two seasons in Winnipeg between the Jets and the Manitoba Moose, their American Hockey League affiliate. Appleton then played in a career-high 56 games in 2020-21, scoring 12 goals with 13 assists.
But he would be selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, and played in 49 games with the new club before ultimately being traded back to the Jets at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline.
He's played exactly 400 games in the NHL, scoring 57 goals with 81 assists. He also has a goal with 11 assists in 32 postseason games, including seven assists in the 2025 playoffs as the Jets advanced to the Western Conference Semi Final.
Now, Appleton is turning his focus on playing a role in bringing playoff hockey back to Detroit.
“Detroit is a team that had a lot of success for a really long time,” Appleton said. “I think that getting this team back in the playoffs would just be huge, and the sky is the limit from there."
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Senga will get the start on Friday night, meaning it took him just under a month to make it back from the hamstring injury he suffered on June 12 at Citi Field.
The right-hander needed only one rehab start before being ready, with him tossing 3.2 innings for Double-A Binghamton on July 5.
Before getting injured, Senga had the best ERA in baseball and was on track to perhaps start for the National League in the All-Star Game.
Overall, he had a 1.47 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 70 strikeouts in 73.2 innings over 13 starts.
While Senga's season was temporarily derailed, the fact that his injury had nothing to do with his arm should bode well for him quickly regaining the form he was displaying before he was out.
In addition to Senga, the Mets will also get Manaea back this weekend, with him pitching on Sunday in what will be his first appearance of the regular season.
The Mets are planning to use both Manaea and Clay Holmes on Sunday in what is the final game before the All-Star break. That's because they don't want Holmes' layoff between appearances to be too long. It is not yet known which pitcher will start the game, and which one will piggyback.
With the returns of Manaea and Senga, New York's rotation is at full strength for the first time this year.
The injury that cost Manaea the first three months of the season was to his oblique, but his rehab was delayed a bit due to a loose body in his throwing elbow that required a cortisone shot.
Manaea is expected to be able to pitch through the issue for the remainder of the season, but it's something to monitor.
Entering play on Thursday, Mauricio was starting to settle in very nicely as a regular presence in the lineup.
Jun 24, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets second baseman Ronny Mauricio (10) follows through on an RBI double against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
In 10 games from June 24 to July 8, Mauricio slashed .344/.417/.594 with two home runs, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, and four walks.
There has still been a bit too much chase in his game, but Mauricio is starting to control the strike zone a bit better.
He's also been really smooth defensively while getting the most time at third base.
Kansas City's offense has been among the worst in baseball...
The Royals' season has been a disappointing one. They enter this series with a record of 46-48, and are 3.0 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
The main reason for those struggles? The offense.
Kansas City entered play on Thursday having scored the second-fewest runs in the AL (321) and third-fewest in baseball -- ahead of only the White Sox (318) and Pirates (319).
Aside from Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Maikel Garcia, Kansas City hasn't gotten a lot from its regulars.
Slugging rookie Jac Caglianone could help, but he's struggled in his first taste of the bigs -- with a .490 OPS over his first 32 games.
... Kansas City's pitching has been among the best in baseball
While the Royals' offense has been a detriment, their pitching has been elite.
They have allowed only 343 runs this season, which was the second-lowest in baseball entering play on Thursday.
A lot of that is due to the starting rotation led by Kris Bubic (2.48 ERA), Seth Lugo (2.67 ERA), Noah Cameron (2.56 ERA) and Michael Wacha (3.83 ERA), though the loss of Cole Ragans due to a shoulder injury will hurt.
With Bubic having pitched on Wednesday, the Mets won't face him in this series. They're also not scheduled to face Lugo.
The Mets are set to go against Wacha on Friday, Michael Lorenzen on Saturday, and the rookie Cameron on Sunday.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Pete Alonso
The Polar Bear will end the first half with a bang.
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
Kodai Senga
The right-hander will pick up where he left off.
Which Royals player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
Salvador Perez
Perez went 3-for-4 with two homers on Wednesday against the Pirates.
The Sixers never flirted with a win Thursday night in their first game at the Las Vegas summer league.
The Spurs jumped out to a giant lead and never looked back in a 111-70 blowout victory.
San Antonio’s David Jones Garcia scored 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting in 18 minutes.
VJ Edgecombe (left thumb sprain) was out and is set to be re-evaluated on Saturday. No. 2 pick Dylan Harper sat for the Spurs with a groin injury.
Next up for the Sixers is a Saturday night meeting with the Hornets. Here are observations on their Vegas opener:
Former summer Sixer lights it up
The Sixers started with Judah Mintz, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Justin Edwards, Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona.
Edwards hit an early catch-and-shoot three-pointer. Other than that, the Spurs had complete control in the first quarter.
Jones Garcia, who signed a two-way contract with the Sixers last July and played on their summer league team, poured in 11 quick points. The lefty wing’s third long-range jumper gave San Antonio an 18-4 lead.
The Sixers’ guards struggled badly against the Spurs’ ball pressure and the team’s offense was disjointed. Meanwhile, Jones Garcia kept scoring and the Spurs kept dominating. At halftime, the Sixers’ deficit was 29 points.
Any bright spots?
As the final score indicates, there weren’t many truly positive takeaways for the Sixers.
Coming off of two straight 20-point performances in Salt Lake City, Mintz again had good moments as a crafty driver. His shooting was off, though — 2 for 7 from the field, 5 for 11 at the foul line.
Mark Armstrong was aggressive off the bench and chipped in 10 points. Keve Aluma added 12 points, three rebounds and three steals. Johni Broome went 2 for 3 beyond the arc.
Bona threw down a powerful, highlight-worthy dunk early in the fourth quarter.
Edgecombe told Katie George on the ESPN broadcast that his thumb is “getting better” and he’ll “hopefully” be cleared to play in Vegas.
While there’s obviously zero need to play through any physical issue in summer league, it would sure be nice for the Sixers to have Edgecombe back on the court. Summer league results are unpredictable — maybe the Sixers will blow out the Hornets on Saturday — but they’re clearly a much, much better team when the No. 3 pick is available.
Beyond results, there’s also some value from a developmental standpoint in simply playing competitive games. The Sixers did not do that Thursday night.
The Mets lost Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3, to get swept on the day and lose the series.
Here are the takeaways...
-Two batters into Game 2, the Mets started things off the same way they started Game 1 -- with runners on second and third and nobody out. Unlike in the first game, though, New York didn't waste this golden opportunity to score and pushed across two runs on two productive outs by Juan Soto (RBI groundout) and Pete Alonso (sacrifice fly) to make it 2-0 early.
-After a scoreless first inning that required 32 pitches and ended with a lineout with the bases loaded, spot starter Brandon Waddell went back out for the second and wasn't so lucky. Back-to-back doubles by Cedric Mullins and Alex Jackson gave the Orioles their first run of the game, cutting New York's lead in half. Then, with two outs, Jordan Westburg homered to put Baltimore on top, 3-2.
Waddell pitched a 1-2-3 third to end his outing. He allowed three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two.
-Brett Baty tied the game with a two-out single after Soto began the inning with a walk and a stolen base. The Mets were dangerously close to wasting that opportunity against Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano after an Alonso lineout and Mark Vientos strikeout sandwiched a Jeff McNeil walk before Baty came through. Unfortunately, it was the only hit with runners in scoring position that New York would have all game.
-Like Waddell, Justin Hagenman had a scoreless frame in his first inning of action, but things took a turn in the following frame. With runners on first and second and two outs, Colton Cowser broke the tie with a single and Ramon Urias brought home another run on Baty's fielding error at third base to give the O's a 5-3 advantage.
-Hagenman went back out for the sixth but was pulled after a leadoff double. LHP Richard Lovelady entered from there and got the lefty Jackson Holliday to ground out before getting a similar result from the righty Westburg who hit it on the ground to shortstop on the drawn-in infield. Francisco Lindor snared it on the backhand and threw home to try and nab the runner, but it was a second late as Baltimore scored once again.
Lovelady allowed a single and a walk to load the bases, which forced manager Carlos Mendoza to use a third reliever of the inning in Rico Garcia. Garcia got the groundball he needed to escape the jam, but the Mets couldn't turn the double play and another run scored.
-After stalling out for a run on five hits in the first game and going 1-for-11 with RISP, New York's offense couldn't make it up in the second game of the twinbill. Despite back-to-back hits to start the game, the Mets finished with five total hits. They also went 1-for-8 with RISP to go a staggering 2-for-19 with RISP in the doubleheader sweep.
-Brandon Nimmo was the only bright spot in the lineup, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base out of the leadoff spot.
Game MVP: Tomoyuki Sugano
Entering Thursday's game with a .276 batting average against, Sugano was able to keep the Mets' hitters at bay through six innings to earn his seventh win of the season.
The Mets play their final series before the All-Star break as they take on the Kansas City Royals for three games starting on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. on SNY.
RHP Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.47 ERA) makes his return to the mound after a hamstring strain cost him a month on the IL. He will be opposed by former Met RHP Michael Wacha (4-9, 3.83 ERA).
There's going to be some jazz at this year's Home Run Derby.
Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. declared for the 2025 Home Run Derby in Atlanta on Thursday and is looking to bring the same "70 percent" mentality that has served him well since he returned from the IL on June 3. Of course, Chisholm made headlines when he said that he's stopped going all out when he plays, and that 70 percent allows him to stay balanced.
Speaking with the media before Friday's series opener against the Cubs, Chisholm said he's not thinking too much about his preparation for the contest.
"I ain't trying to think that hard about it. I'm not even gonna really practice it for it, Chisholm said. "The only person that really needs to practice is my stepdad. But for me, I'm just gonna go out there, have fun.
"Seventy percent, don't do too much. Just hit a couple homers. Hopefully, I win it by doing that. I'm just gonna enjoy the time out there."
Chisholm will have his stepfather, Geronsands, toss to him. He's already traveled to New York from the Bahamas to be with the Yankees infielder.
"He thows to me all the time. When I was a kid, he's been throwing to me," Chisholm said of his stepfather's credentials. "He throws to me all the time in the Bahamas Derby. So, ain't nothing new to us."
Chisholm is confident in his ability to do well in Atlanta, even at 70 percent, because he's done well in the aforementioned Bahamas Derby using a similar mentality. That derby is in the middle of the offseason when he's not swinging like he would in spring training, and he's going to tap into those memories next week, while also enjoying the festivities and hitting as many homers as he can.
"I don't really try to go out there and try and hurt myself. Just go out there having fun," Chisholm said of his confidence competing at 70 percent. "Hit a couple. Might catch a couple that will go further than the others, but just try to be accurate and consistent, more than trying to hit the ball further than [Pirates outfielder] Oneil Cruz."
When asked who he felt the biggest threats are in this year's Home Run Derby, Chisholm said it's Cruz and the Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr.
But he'll have to worry about more than those two. Chisholm will also be competing against the Athletics' Brent Rooker, the Mariners' Cal Raleigh, the Rays' Junior Caminero, the Nationals' James Wood, and the Twins' Byron Buxton.
Chisholm is the seventh different Yankee to participate in the Derby. He joins Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002-03), Nick Swisher (2010), Robinson Cano (2011-13), Aaron Judge (2017) and Gary Sanchez (2017).
We'll see next week if Chisholm's 70 percent is good enough to make him the fifth Yankee to win the Home Run Derby (Martinez, Giambi, Cano and Judge).
It's been an up-and-down season for the second-year Yankee. After a hot start to the year, Chisholm went through a cold spell before missing time with an oblique injury. But since he's been back, Chisholm has been one of the best home run hitters in the American League. His 10 long balls since his return from the IL on June 3 are only eclipsed by Judge and Raleigh, who both have 13.
Entering Friday's game, Chisholm has 17 home runs.
Kobe Bryant was in a great mood as the Lakers assembled in El Segundo for their 2009 media day.
And for good reason. The Lakers had just won their 15th NBA title a few months earlier and were favored to win No. 16 at the conclusion of the upcoming season (spoiler alert: they did).
The Times' article covering that preseason kickoff event described Bryant as "beaming" as he posed for photos and filmed various promotional videos, including one intended for use at Dodger Stadium.
At one point, Bryant stood with a baseball bat ready to take a swing. At another, he placed an oversized, blue foam finger over his hand. Throughout the process, the reigning Finals MVP wore his full Lakers uniform.
On Thursday, the Dodgers unveiled a Bryant bobblehead that seems to have been inspired by that day nearly 16 years ago. The late Lakers legend is wearing his basketball uniform, holding a bat and standing in a batter's stance.
And he is beaming.
The second half promotional items are now live! Which ones are you most excited for?
The Dodgers will be giving away the bobblehead to the first 40,000 ticketed fans when they play the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 8 at Dodger Stadium.
Bryant and daughter Gianna were among the nine people who died in a Jan. 26, 2020, helicopter crash in Calabasas. During a pregame ceremony honoring Bryant on his birthday (Aug. 23) that year, every Dodgers player and coach took the foul line wearing a gold Lakers jersey featuring either No. 8 or No. 24, the two numbers he wore during his Hall of Fame career.
The team also honored Bryant by giving fans special Dodgers jerseys designed in his honor at one game each in 2023 and 2024.
While fans headed to the trade machine and teams lined up potential offers just in case, the most logical outcome of this summer's Giannis Antetokounmpo's flirtation with the trade market was always that he would remain with the Milwaukee Bucks.
"Probably. Probably, we'll see. Probably, I love Milwaukee."
We have seen this movie before. Antetokounmpo uses the hint he could ask out as leverage, pushing the Bucks to make big, bold offseason moves to keep the team in contention. A couple of years ago, that meant making a massive trade and sending out Jrue Holiday to help acquire Damian Lillard. This summer, it was waiving and stretching Lillard — at great cost to the future, $22 million of dead money on the books for each of the next five years — to sign Myles Turner. Rinse and repeat.
Except, these Bucks still feel like they are one player, one ball-handling guard or wing away from contending. Right now, Antetokounmpo is an MVP-level offensive creator and after him... the Bucks need some guys who can dribble. (Lillard, with his torn Achilles, was not going to be that guy this season.) The Bucks are going to be good, Turner is an upgrade over Brook Lopez at this point in their careers, but even with Antetokounmpo in a down East, does this team strike fear in anyone?
Cooper Flagg made his professional debut Thursday night in the NBA Summer League and celebrated an 87-85 win over Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Flagg finished with 10 points on 5-for-21 shooting, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block. Though Flagg struggled at times to find his rhythm, there were flashes as to why he was chosen No. 1 overall last month, doing plenty of little things that helped the Mavericks seal the win, including a key block near the end of the game.
Flagg swatted DJ Steward’s attempt with 1:10 left in the game, and Ryan Nembhard made a 3-pointer at the other end to give Dallas the 87-85 lead.
Flagg strolled into UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center at 4:17 p.m. on Thursday, wearing Dallas Mavericks gear, bright white New Balance shoes, and an emotionless look on his face as he passed through security.
Roughly 45 minutes later, he wore the same stone-cold face as he came out for warmups shortly after 5 p.m.
His fans more than made up for it with plenty of energy, electrifying the jam-packed arena that cheered loudest when he was announced as a starter in his first Summer League game.
Flagg missed his first two attempts of the game, picked up his first foul just 46 seconds into the game, and gave the crowd what they’d been anticipating, going one-on-one with fellow fan favorite James.
James buried his first attempt over Flagg, and then hit a 3-pointer after the 6-foot-8 Duke product missed his second attempt to give the Lakers a 5-0 lead.
Flagg excited the crowd at the 4:30 mark of the first quarter, jamming home his first points.
Early in the second quarter, Flagg nearly sent every fan in the building into a frenzy when he made a spin move into the paint and attempted a one-handed slam dunk over 7-foot Christian Koloko. The ball caromed off the back of the rim and still drew plenty of oohs and ahhs.
Generally filled with Lakers fans when the team plays in the summer, the arena was full of emotion with a fair share of Mavericks fans in attendance to see the 2025 National college player of the year.
Like 15-year-old Baer Epple, 15, who was seated with his father Chad in the third row from the court, donning Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks jersey.
Epple said he’s been following Flagg since before his Duke days, beginning with his junior year at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Maine.
The 15-year-old who is in Las Vegas from Seattle for an AAU tournament said he’s been a Mavericks fan for roughly four years.
“Even more of a fan now that they got Cooper Flagg,” Epple said. “Hopefully he does good, that’d be pretty cool to see. I don’t want him to be like a bust or anything.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told The Associated Press before the game he’s looking for nothing more than effort and grit in his team’s opening game, as he wants them all playing hard.
“This summer league is a little different when you have this type of turnout,” Kidd said. “But the guys have had a couple practices. There’s going to be some turnovers. I just want to see how they respond to a couple of mistakes being made, no one’s gonna play a perfect game and be unselfish.”
As for his prize draft pick: “We’re all excited,” Kidd said of Flagg. “Seen enough of him on tape, so now it’s good to see him on the floor.”
Cooper Flagg made his professional debut Thursday night in the NBA Summer League and celebrated an 87-85 win over Bronny James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Flagg finished with 10 points on 5-for-21 shooting, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block. Though Flagg struggled at times to find his rhythm, there were flashes as to why he was chosen No. 1 overall last month, doing plenty of little things that helped the Mavericks seal the win, including a key block near the end of the game.
Flagg swatted DJ Steward’s attempt with 1:10 left in the game, and Ryan Nembhard made a 3-pointer at the other end to give Dallas the 87-85 lead.
Flagg strolled into UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center at 4:17 p.m. on Thursday, wearing Dallas Mavericks gear, bright white New Balance shoes, and an emotionless look on his face as he passed through security.
Roughly 45 minutes later, he wore the same stone-cold face as he came out for warmups shortly after 5 p.m.
His fans more than made up for it with plenty of energy, electrifying the jam-packed arena that cheered loudest when he was announced as a starter in his first Summer League game.
Flagg missed his first two attempts of the game, picked up his first foul just 46 seconds into the game, and gave the crowd what they’d been anticipating, going one-on-one with fellow fan favorite James.
James buried his first attempt over Flagg, and then hit a 3-pointer after the 6-foot-8 Duke product missed his second attempt to give the Lakers a 5-0 lead.
Flagg excited the crowd at the 4:30 mark of the first quarter, jamming home his first points.
Early in the second quarter, Flagg nearly sent every fan in the building into a frenzy when he made a spin move into the paint and attempted a one-handed slam dunk over 7-foot Christian Koloko. The ball caromed off the back of the rim and still drew plenty of oohs and ahhs.
Generally filled with Lakers fans when the team plays in the summer, the arena was full of emotion with a fair share of Mavericks fans in attendance to see the 2025 National college player of the year.
Like 15-year-old Baer Epple, 15, who was seated with his father Chad in the third row from the court, donning Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks jersey.
Epple said he’s been following Flagg since before his Duke days, beginning with his junior year at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Maine.
The 15-year-old who is in Las Vegas from Seattle for an AAU tournament said he’s been a Mavericks fan for roughly four years.
“Even more of a fan now that they got Cooper Flagg,” Epple said. “Hopefully he does good, that’d be pretty cool to see. I don’t want him to be like a bust or anything.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told The Associated Press before the game he’s looking for nothing more than effort and grit in his team’s opening game, as he wants them all playing hard.
“This summer league is a little different when you have this type of turnout,” Kidd said. “But the guys have had a couple practices. There’s going to be some turnovers. I just want to see how they respond to a couple of mistakes being made, no one’s gonna play a perfect game and be unselfish.”
As for his prize draft pick: “We’re all excited,” Kidd said of Flagg. “Seen enough of him on tape, so now it’s good to see him on the floor.”
Penguins Trade for Stars Defenseman Matt DumbaThe Pittsburgh Penguins added another defenseman to their roster on Thursday when they traded for Matt Dumba of the Dallas Stars. They also got a 2028 second-round pick for taking Dumba, while sending fellow defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok to the Stars.
