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Adam Silver: Team-Sponsor-Player Deals Aren’t Inherently Conflicted

The NBA’s investigation into Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, forward Kawhi Leonard and a now-bankrupt company named Aspiration will center around the three-way relationship between the parties. The company was paying both the team and its star player. Ballmer owns the Clippers and was an investor in Aspiration.

Should the probe uncover a clear attempt by Ballmer to circumvent the league’s salary cap, the punishment handed down by the league will likely be severe. However, the investigation could also return a much blurrier picture regarding a web of financial arrangements and their true intentions.

It’s not uncommon in U.S. sports for a team sponsor to also have an endorsement deal with a player on that team, and leagues like the NBA typically have little insight into the specifics of those contracts. Asked Wednesday about those relationships, and whether the NBA can ever fully monitor them, commissioner Adam Silver said the league didn’t see an inherent conflict in the arrangement.

The Denver Nuggets, for example, used play in the Pepsi Center, and it would have been unreasonable for the NBA, Silver said, to expect Pepsi (which also owns Gatorade) to be precluded from also having individual deals with some of the league’s biggest stars. Second, Silver said many local sponsors see geographical advantages to working with the market’s biggest celebrities, and their deals frequently require a player to be on that specific team.

“We’re first to admit that we can always learn more,” Silver told reporters on Wednesday following NBA board meetings in New York. “The stakes have gotten much higher. Salaries are much higher, and team values are much higher. So maybe there does need to be a new level of scrutiny on some of these things. Those are all things that we’ll look at, but we certainly won’t change the rules, mid-course, in the middle of an investigation.”

The NBA has hired New York-based law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to investigate the relationship between Aspiration, Leonard and the Clippers. A report last week from podcaster Pablo Torre alleged that Leonard was given a four-year, $28 million deal by Aspiration, with sparse or fully non-existent deliverables, as a way to augment his NBA salary. The Clippers and Ballmer have denied any wrongdoing.

Silver told reporters that the burden of proof in the investigation will be on the NBA in the process. If the league is going to discipline a team, player or owner, he said, it will need to be able to prove wrongdoing.

“In a public-facing sport, the public at times reaches conclusions that later turn out to be completely false,” he said. “I would want anybody else in the situation that Mr. Ballmer’s in right now, or Kawhi Leonard for that matter, to be treated the same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegation against me.”

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Yankees starting Anthony Volpe at shortstop to be a 'day-to-day' conversation

It didn't come as too much of a surprise to see Jose Caballero penciled into the Yankees' starting lineup instead of Anthony Volpe.

The third-year shortstop has struggled in 2025 and Tuesday's loss to the Tigers seemed like a tipping point. Volpe went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a failed bunt attempt that had the Yankee Stadium crowd booing the youngster as he walked back to the dugout.

"I just feel like [Caballero] deserves to play some," manager Aaron Boone said of the lineup decision before Wednesday's game. "Obviously, it’s been a tough stretch for Volpe offensively here and it's just that time of year, all hands on deck. It just felt like that was the best move for us today."

When asked how many starts Caballero would get with only 18 games remaining, the Yankees skipper said the decision is "day-to-day" and that they'll reassess after the game and heading into Thursday's series finale. Boone did say that Wednesday's decision was a combination of Volpe's struggles and trying to give Caballero some run before the end of the year and potentially into the postseason.

Since being acquired from the Rays on July 31, Caballero has shown flashes as a member of the Yankees. In 26 games, Caballero is 10-for-43 (.233) with an OBP of .346. While he doesn't have the pop of Volpe, Caballero is getting on base more and stealing bases. 

Caballero has stolen nine bases with the Yankees to add to his MLB-leading 43, which includes nine games of multiple stolen bases.

"Obviously, Cabby's been a really good player for us since coming over. He brings a lot of value in so many different ways," Boone said. "Have a lot of confidence when he's in there, when he's in the lineup. Love also having the bench versatility, and the things that he brings at different points in the game. Hopefully, he can go in there and be a little spark for us tonight and continue his good play." 

After going hitless Tuesday, Volpe is now hitting .206 for the season and is 2-for-17 with 10 strikeouts and no walks over his last five games. 

Boone pointed to the peaks and valleys of Volpe's season and career so far. But despite that, they believe there's a good hitter in there. 

"I think offensively, for the better part of the last six-eight weeks. It's been a struggle," Boone said. "He's had some pockets in there, where he's done well. There's a lot of the underlying stuff this year, offensively speaking, that has been better than ever in a lot of ways. He hasn't got to that point that we all wanted him to get to offensively...that real consistency. 

"I still think it's very possible even this year, and hopefully in October too [where] he's playing his best baseball. We saw some of his best baseball last October when he was at his best. As much as we want to get down on people in certain spots and write them off and stuff, this game can flip like that, and all of a sudden, you get it rolling and get it working a little bit. And he's a really talented, impactful player when he's going well. So hopefully, we can still get him to that point." 

In 14 games in the postseason last year, Volpe excelled, slashing .286/.407/.408 with an OPS of .815 to go along with one home run and six RBI. His grand slam in Game 4 of the 2024 World Series gave the Yankees a lead they wouldn't relinquish as the team staved off elimination. 

Volpe has fallen quite a bit since last October, but Boone and the Yankees continue to see him as their starting shortstop, even with Caballero's start, but they are in "day-to-day mode" and are playing for a lot right now. 

Going into Wednesday's game, the Yankees are three games back of Toronto for the AL East, and are in a virtual tie with the Red Sox for the top Wild Card spot. 

"I have the decision to make every day with the lineup and I'll make whatever tough decision," Boone said. "My hope, is that, [Volpe] can kind of get it going here to a point where he is that guy because I think when we're at our best, he's out there, impacting us on both sides of the ball, and it frees up Cabby to play a different role, too."

 

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Mets' Jesse Winker officially will miss rest of season

Carlos Mendoza confirmed prior to Wednesday's game that the Mets will officially be without Jesse Winker for the remainder of the season. 

Winker has been on the injured list since mid-July due to back inflammation. 

The veteran hadn't made much progress before beginning a rehab assignment out of the blue two weeks ago, but he was quickly shut back down from all activities after suffering a setback. 

He is still going through the process of visiting doctors and receiving multiple opinions, but the skipper has officially ruled him out the rest of the way. 

Winker was acquired ahead of last year's deadline, and he was brought back on a one-year deal this offseason after providing the spark they were looking for. 

He was limited to 26 games due to the back issue and an oblique injury suffered earlier in the year. 

The impending free agent hit .229 prior to the injury, but had eight XBHs and 10 RBI.

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NBA is investigating Malik Beasley for gambling

The legalization by 38 states and normalization by leagues and media of betting has sparked a rash of incidents for sports other than pro football.

On Wednesday, David Purdum of ESPN.com reported that the NBA is investigating free-agent guard Malik Beasley for gambling allegations.

The situation flows from suspicion of gambling on NBA games and prop bets during the 2023-24 season, when Beasley played for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Attorney Steve Haney told ESPN that Beasley is "fully cooperating" with the NBA's investigation.

The NBA's investigation is believed, per Purdum, to be in its final stages.

Beasley has been investigated by federal authorities over the same allegations. There have been conflicting reports as to whether Beasley has been cleared.

Last year, the NBA banned for life Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter. Last month, his brother (who also plays in the NBA) predicted that these incidents will continue.

“Think about it," Brooklyn Nets Michael Porter Jr. said, "if you could get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo, bet $10,000 on my under this one game. I’m going to act like I’ve got an injury, and I’m going to sit out. I’m going to come out after three minutes. And they all get a little bag because you did it one game.”

To date, the NFL has avoided such problems. As far as we know. The possibility of a player in a fictional pro football league (not the NFL, wink) selling inside information to the mob is the premise of Big Shield, which you can instantly purchase in ebook form for only 99 cents.

Yes, I couldn't resist plugging the book. I wrote it because I'm concerned about the integrity of the game being undermined by a major scandal. And the story is aimed at getting those who may be tempted to trade inside information for easy money to realize that there's no such thing as easy money.

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Blues Sign Two Prospects, Including 2025 First-Round Pick Justin Carbonneau, To Entry-level Contracts

ST. LOUIS -- Justin Carbonneau made his intentions recently about whether to go to college this fall or remain eligible for junior play.

In electing to play in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, he also left the door open to sign an entry-level contract, come to St. Louis Blues training camp starting Sept. 18 and vie for a roster spot in the NHL.

Those wheels continued to be set in motion when the first round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft (No. 19 overall) signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Wednesday along with 2023 seventh-round pick, Nikita Susuev. Each gets a two-way contract. 

Carbonneau, 18, who will be in St. Louis Thursday and Friday to practice with fellow Blues prospects before departing to face the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks prospects in Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, respectively, played the past three seasons with the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and is eligible to return there again this season barring a change in plans by the organization.

He made his decision on July 11 to return to junior, thus leaving the window open to perhaps win a job out of training camp with the Blues this season.

Carbonneau said after development camp in early July that the relationship with the Blues has been rock-solid from the get-go and that the trust has already been instilled. It's evident that he wants to give it his best shot to become an NHL player immediately after putting up 89 points (46 goals, 53 assists) in 62 games a season ago. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound forward was impressive when he was in town two months ago.

Susuev, 20, has spent his playing career in Russia, including 2024-25 when he had 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 42 games across all competitions, including MHK Spartak Moskva and Taifun Primorsky Krai of the MHL and Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL last year.

The 6-0, 172-pound forward has posted nine points (six goals, three assists) in 55 career games in the KHL, including stints with Spartak Moskva and Admiral; he had 54 points (20 goals, 34 assists) in 72 career games in Russia’s top junior league, the MHL.

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Saint Joseph’s basketball promotes Steve Donahue to head coach

Saint Joseph’s basketball has promoted Steve Donahue to head coach after Billy Lange decided to take a front office job with the New York Knicks. Donahue joined the program in May as an associate coach after nine seasons as coach at Penn. He was Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2017-2018, when he led the Quakers to the NCAA Tournament.

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Aroldis Chapman's historic stretch of dominance ends in walk-off loss to A's

Aroldis Chapman's historic stretch of dominance ends in walk-off loss to A's originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Aroldis Chapman still hasn’t given up a hit or a run in a major league stadium since late July.

Unfortunately for him and the Red Sox, their game in a minor league stadium against the vagabond Athletics on Wednesday counted as a real, live MLB game, so the closer’s historic streak of dominance officially came to an end.

Chapman was called upon in the bottom of the ninth in West Sacramento, after Rob Refsnyder had tied the game at 4-4 with an RBI double in the top of the inning. To that point, Chapman had faced 50 consecutive batters without giving up a hit, a streak dating back to July 23 in Philadelphia.

Yet after falling behind 1-2, Shea Langeliers put a good swing on a well-placed pitch on the outside edge of the plate, driving a no-doubt double into the left-center field gap.

Brent Rooker followed that up with a productive out, flying out to right field to move the runner to third, before Lawrence Butler delivered a walk-off, line-drive single over shortstop to plate the run and win the game for the A’s.

The loss cost the Red Sox a chance for a sweep in West Sacramento, ending their road trip with a 3-3 record before they return home to host the Yankees this weekend.

Chapman’s stretch of 17 consecutive outings without allowing a hit was the third-longest stretch since 1901, but Chapman retired significantly more batters than the two relievers ahead of him on that list.

Over the stretch, the 37-year-old was simply untouchable. After allowing a game-tying solo home run to J.T. Realmuto on July 23, Chapman retired the next batter he faced to get out of that inning. He then pitched 14.2 innings over his next 17 appearances, allowing just four walks while striking out 21 of the 49 batters he faced. His spotless ERA during that run came alongside a 0.273 WHIP.

The run reached an uncanny level on Sunday, when — due to a runner reaching base on a wild pitch on a strikeout — Chapman struck out all four batters he faced in his one inning of work in Arizona.

Chapman lowered his ERA on the season from 1.34 after the July 23 outing to 0.98 entering Wednesday. Now after allowing a run in his brief outing on Wednesday, the ERA is back up to 1.14 — which shows just how difficult it is for anyone to maintain a sub-1.00 ERA into September.

In 61 appearances this season, Chapman has allowed a run just seven times, and he’s yet to allow more than one run in any outing. Since May 28, he’s pitched 38 times, and he’s allowed a run on just two of those occasions.

It was certainly a bit shocking to see Chapman allow the hits and the run on Wednesday, but it was a remarkable stretch that had to end eventually. And with the playoffs now just a little over two weeks away, the Red Sox will hope Chapman can simply start up another streak through September and October.

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Canadiens: Pascal Vincent Wants Demidov To Play Games

On day one of rookie camp, the Montreal Canadiens’ rookies underwent medical and physical testing. At the same time, coaches Pascal Vincent, Martin Laperriere, and Daniel Jacob were thrown in the deep end right away, facing the media questions on day one.

Vincent is eager to get the ball rolling and mentions that the Canadiens will have a good team for this rookie camp. Still, he does expect the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Ottawa Senators to ice very competitive sides for this weekend’s prospect showdown. If you were wondering if Ivan Demidov will be seeing any action this weekend, the answer seems to be yes.

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Asked what the youngster had to gain from attending rookie camp even though he’s all but guaranteed a spot on the Canadiens’ roster for the upcoming season, the bench boss said:

Playing games and measuring up against players his own age is beneficial, as is seeing the town’s frenzy for this event, even in September during training camp. I believe that even though he finished the year with the Canadiens, it’s always beneficial. We’ll be introducing a few concepts, refreshing his memory, and allowing him to play games in real situations. Practicing is one thing, but facing actual in-game action is quite another. I think he can benefit from this environment.
- Pascal Vincent on what Ivan Demidov can get out of rookie camp.

Vincent admits that expectations will be high for the Russian youngster this season because he’s so talented, but adds that, at the same time, the goal is for him to dominate in the NHL eventually; he doesn’t have to do it at training camp. What the coach wants to see is how fast he can actually master the concepts that will be taught in the couple of practices that are on schedule. He explains that to be successful in the NHL, you can’t just play on one side of the ice; you must master and play the defensive side of the game as well.

The Canadiens’ rookies will hit the ice for the first time on Thursday morning at 10:00 at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and we should have a better idea then of what the lines and pairings are likely to be for this camp and for this weekend’s games against the Jets and Leafs.

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Coachella Valley Firebirds To Have Heavy Rookie Influence

The Seattle Kraken's AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, will have a heavy rookie influence in 2025-26, with several 2023 NHL Draft picks set to embark on their rookie seasons.

The Seattle Kraken drafted 10 players in the 2023 NHL draft, seven of whom will play with the Firebirds this season. Of those seven players, Eduard Sale is the only skater with AHL experience, completing his rookie campaign last season, scoring six goals and 21 points in 51 games.

Entering their rookie seasons are Carson Rehkopf, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, Lukas Dragicevic, Caden Price and Kaden Hammell. Joining the 2025 rookie class is Tyson Jugnauth, a defenseman who the Kraken selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft and Justin Janicke, a 2021 seventh-round pick who played four seasons with the University of Notre Dame. 

“For the first-year Coachella Valley players, they will be laying down a foundation of growth and maturity as they adjust to the AHL level of competition,” said Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal, who will be leading Rookie Camp. “Most of them are coming off success in juniors. Oscar Molgaard has played three pro seasons in Sweden and might have a smoother transition. It can be until Christmas before our first-year Firebirds players are entirely comfortable. Our job is to help them be their best, help them adjust. It’s why the AHL is such a great learning ground.”

Derek Laxdal (Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

It'll be a difficult transition for these players, adjusting to the speed and physicality change from playing in junior leagues or in Europe. Laxdal and the training staff at rookie camp will attempt to emulate the pace of play, hoping to make the transition as seamless as possible. 

“When you move to the pros, it’s about the speed on the ice and, importantly, the time you have to make decisions diminishes,” said director of player development Cory Murphy. “The players are stronger and faster, which leads to you having less time to make decisions with and without the puck. It forces young players to make decisions faster.”

In some cases, like Jani Nyman, the transition comes naturally, and they dominate from the get-go. For others like Jagger Firkus, it takes them a large chunk of games to get their footing, but when they do, everything begins to flow. But, in other cases, for players like David Goyette or Sale, they struggled to ever really get their feet under them. Both Goyette and Sale have a lot of pressure to rebound and perform at the level the Kraken organization believes they can perform at. 

“A key point is our [first-year AHL players] are going to a place and franchise with a great staff that has a really good handle on development and working with these players individually,” said Murphy. “Our role is to support the prospects in that process. We know the players very well just from working with them [once drafted by the Kraken]. We're in contact with the staff at CV and provide any feedback and help. It’s a big group making the (AHL) jump.”

Three Kraken Prospects Looking To Dominate Rookie Camp And Prospect ShowcaseThree Kraken Prospects Looking To Dominate Rookie Camp And Prospect ShowcaseThe Seattle Kraken's rookie camp kicks off on Thursday with 17 forwards, nine defensemen and two goaltenders practicing at the Kraken Community Iceplex before taking on the Vancouver Canucks' prospects in a two-game showdown. 
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NBA will no longer count end-of-quarter heaves as a shot attempt by player, other league changes announced

It happens at least once in almost every NBA game. At the end of a quarter or the first half, a player will get the ball in the backcourt with a second or so on the clock, take a dribble, and hesitate just a little in getting off a half-court heave so that the ball is in his hands when the buzzer sounds and the shot doesn't count, make or miss. The reason for this is that players know they are going to miss the shot, and they don't want it to count against their shooting percentage.

Starting this season, they will not — heaves at the end of quarters will be counted as a team shot attempt but not count against the player's shot total, a change the NBA owners approved on Wednesday, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. This was something some advanced NBA statistic sites, such as Cleaning the Glass, already did, now it will just be official with the league.

The hope is that this will lead to more players taking a legitimate shot attempt — albeit an unlikely make — at the end of quarters. The league would love to see more players like Boston's Payton Pritchard become specialists in trying to make these shots.

In other action at the Board of Governors meeting:

• Starting this season, when there is a coach's challenge of an out-of-bounds play, it will be the Replay Center official in Secaucus, not the on-court crew chief, who will determine whether a proximate foul should have been called. This is a change, previously the lead official of the game handled these reviews. However, the league wants to speed up the review process, so now the Replay Center will deal with these foul calls.

• Starting in the 2026-27 NBA season, only the championship game of the mid-season NBA Cup will be played at a neutral site (currently Las Vegas), with the semi-final games instead being hosted by the higher-seeded team in each conference in their home arena.

For this coming season the "old" format will remain in place, with the final four teams in the NBA Cup heading to Las Vegas for the semi-finals and championship game. This year, the semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13 in Las Vegas, with the Finals on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Last season, the semi-final games did not fill the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on a December Saturday, which raised concerns. There were some Hawks fans in the building for their game (a loss to the Bucks), but mainly because the Atlanta Falcons were in Vegas to take on the Raiders in an NFL showdown, so those fans were already in town. Having the semi-final games in home arenas will provide a better turnout and atmosphere.

That said, for players, the chance to get a few days in Las Vegas was a motivation to make the final four. Now they need to get to the championship game for that.

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REPORT: Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov Turns Down Contract Extension.

After a long offseason of Kirill Kaprizov contact talks and rumors, NHL insider Frank Seravalli weighs in.

According to Seravalli, Kaprizov’s camp talked with the Wild on Tuesday. He has reportedly turned down a 8-year $128 million contract.

Kaprizov, 28, has one more year left on his current 5-year contract before he enters free agency.

He has recorded 185 goals, 201 assists and 386 points in 319 career games.

We will see where this goes once training camp opens.