PITTSBURGH — Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani will make his next start as a pitcher on Monday against Colorado in Los Angeles.
Ohtani was scheduled to start Wednesday at Pittsburgh. However, because of a chest cold, he was limited to designated hitter duties, and Emmet Sheehan started in the Dodgers’ 3-0 loss.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith was not in the lineup for Thursday night’s game against the Pirates. The three-time All-Star sustained a bruised right hand on Wednesday when a foul ball hit him.
Manager Dave Roberts said Smith was unlikely to play in the three-game series at Baltimore that begins on Friday.
Roberts said the decision to move Ohtani’s next start until next week was to give him ample time to recover. The 2024 National League MVP will continue to DH.
“You want him to give him his best chance to give up five innings in his next start,” Roberts said.
Ohtani did not pitch last season, his first with the Dodgers, while recovering from his second Tommy John elbow surgery. Ohtani made his mound debut this season on June 16 and has a 1-1 record and 4.18 ERA in 11 starts.
Ohtani is hitting .280 with 46 home runs in 136 games. He leads the NL with 125 runs scored and a .610 slugging percentage.
X-rays of Smith’s hand on Wednesday night were negative. He underwent imaging on Thursday, and the results were not immediately available. Smith has a .296 batting average and 17 homers in 109 games.
Rookie catcher Dalton Rushing will get the bulk of the work behind the plate while Smith is sidelined.
The Dodgers selected the contract of veteran catcher Ben Rortvedt from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned infielder Alex Freeland to the same club. Right-hander Alexis Diaz, an All-Star in 2023 with Cincinnati, was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Rortvedt.
Rortvedt has spent all or parts of four seasons in the major leagues with Minnesota, the New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay. He is a .186 career hitter in 209 games.
Third baseman Max Muncy is also expected to begin a rehab assignment with Oklahoma City on Thursday night. Muncy was placed on the IL with a strained right oblique on Aug. 15.
ST. LOUIS -- NHL Network released its list for the top 10 goalies in the NHL heading into the 2025-26 season, and St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington came in at No. 7:
• 17 All-Star Game appearances • 8 Vezina Trophies • 6 Stanley Cups • 3 William M. Jennings Trophies • 1 Hart Trophy • 1 Conn Smythe Trophy
Tony Luftman, Mike Rupp and former NHL goalie Cory Schneider
counted down the best goalies based on player performance over the past several seasons, with an emphasis on the 2024-2025 regular season and 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs while also considering future upside.
The
Top 10 Goalies Right Now list collectively features 17 All-Star Game appearances, eight Vezina Trophies, six Stanley Cups, three William M. Jennings Trophies, one Hart Trophy, one All-Rookie Team honor and one Conn Smythe Trophy.
Binnington, who is 173-116-36 with a 2.78 goals-against average and .907 save percentage for his career, was 28-22-5 with a 2.69 GAA and .900 save percentage in the regular season last year; he 2019 Stanley Cup champion is 23-24 with a 2.70 GAA and .909 save percentage in 48 playoff games.
On Binnington's ranking on the countdown, Schneider said, "If I had to win a game tonight, who would I choose, and he’s at the top of
that list."
Five years ago today, the Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite a heroic effort by goaltender Thatcher Demko, Vancouver lost 3–0 in Game 7 of the Pacific Division Finals, marking the end of their 17-game playoff run.
While Vancouver was expected to make the 2020 playoffs during the regular season, the COVID-19 pandemic shut the year down early. As a result, teams that weren’t at the top of their divisions played in a qualifier round to earn their spot in the postseason. Despite losing their opening match in this series against the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver strung together three straight wins to officially clinch their spot in the playoffs. One of the most memorable parts of this playoff run came as a result of their 5–4 Game 4 overtime win, during which grizzled veteran Chris Tanev scored from the blueline to send the team off the bench and on the ice in celebration.
Despite their success, the Canucks’ opponents only got more and more difficult. In the first round of the 2020 playoffs, Vancouver was matched up against the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. With the odds somewhat against them, Vancouver stormed their way to a 2–0 series lead. However, the Blues tied things up by the end of Game 4, proving to Vancouver that there would be no easy route during the playoffs. The Canucks took this challenge head-on, winning Game 5 by a narrow 4–3 score, and ultimately defeating the Blues in Game 6 to advance to the second round.
Vancouver seemed to have met their match in the second round, with the Golden Knights opening the series with a dominant 5–0 win. Despite winning Game 2, the Canucks dropped Games 3 and 4 to give Vegas a 3–1 series lead. Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner tallied two shutouts in this span of time, and would later add a third after Game 7.
At the time, it felt as though Game 5 would be Vancouver’s last in the 2020 Playoffs. Things only looked worse when it was announced that Jacob Markström would miss time due to injury, leaving the door open for Demko to take the starter’s crease. There weren’t many who expected Vancouver to claw back and force a Game 7 — but sure enough, they did. Demko stopped all but one of the 43 shots piled onto him by Vegas in Game 5, cutting the Golden Knights’ series lead to one game.
As great as Demko was in Game 5, he was even better in Game 6. He made 48 saves to secure his first career playoff shutout, simultaneously extending the Canucks’ playoff run by one more game. To add to this milestone, Canucks captain at the time, Bo Horvat, scored his 10th goal of the 2020 playoffs, holding the lead a round past Vancouver’s elimination and finishing tied for fourth overall in the postseason.
Even with the magical play of Demko, the Canucks’ playoff run came to an end on September 4, 2020. The game’s final score may have been 3–0, but for almost 50 minutes, neither team had found the scoresheet. Vancouver had ample chances at taking the lead, including a golden 2-on-1 opportunity from Horvat and Brock Boeser that was ultimately stopped by Lehner, as well as a five-minute power play that came as a result of a dirty play committed by Ryan Reaves. However, Shea Theodore scored on the power play to give Vegas a 1–0 lead, and after two empty-net goals for the Golden Knights, the rest was history.
The events that followed the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs may have changed the course of the Canucks organization as a whole. During the 2020 free agency period, Vancouver opted to let go of key locker room staples in Markström, Chris Tanev, and Troy Stetcher. Alex Edler departed from the team the season after, and two years later, the Canucks traded Horvat. While it’s unknown what could have happened had Vancouver approached the 2020 off-season differently, this 17-game playoff run in August and September brought entertainment to fans when they needed it most.
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.
The Mets are hoping to fortify their bullpen before the start of the postseason, and Reed Garrett is hoping to be part of the team's plans when he returns from his rehab assignment.
Garrett began his first step toward returning to the club when he took the mound for Double-A Binghamton on Thursday.
Starting the game against the Akron RubberDucks, the right-hander started off hot, striking out the first hitter he faced on three pitches. After a five-pitch lineout, Garrett allowed a single before striking out his final batter on four pitches.
It was a dominant performance for Garrett, who allowed one hit and struck out two batters in his one inning of work. He was also very efficient, tossing just 15 pitches, 11 for strikes.
Garrett was placed on the IL back on Aug. 25 with right elbow inflammation. To make sure Garrett is healthy enough to return, Thursday's outing is the first of likely a few starts in the minor leagues. The minor league regular season does end in September, so there's not too much time for the 32-year-old to get in his reps.
This season, Garrett has produced up-and-down results. He pitched to a 0.73 ERA through May but has since seen his effectiveness wane as the months have gone on. In 54 appearances, Garrett owns a 3.61 ERA with three saves and a 1.22 WHIP.
A couple of strikeouts tonight for Reed Garrett in his first rehab appearance for Binghamton pic.twitter.com/fy8TAkdNnS
The 36, soon to be 37-year-old, was outstanding once again during the Panthers' playoff run, recording a .914 save percentage and a 2.20 goals against average, while tending the goal for all 16 post-season wins.
The regular season saw Bobrovsky start 54 games, notching a .906 SP and a 2.44 GAA, picking up 33 wins.
"In helping the Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, Bobrovsky has gone 32-15 with a 2.26 GAA, .910 save percentage and five shutouts in 47 playoff games. The 36-year-old veteran has won at least 30 games eight times in his 15 NHL seasons, including 33 last season (33-19-2, 2.44 GAA, .906 save percentage, five shutouts). Bobrovsky's 429 career wins are the most among active goalies and 10th all-time," said the NHL Network.
Bobrovsky will face additional challenges this season. He isn't getting any younger, and he's played a lot of hockey the past three seasons, so fatigue could catch up to him. With that being said, he really hasn't shown any signs of slowing down and could be poised for another stellar season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Seth Lugo on the 15-day Injured List on Thursday because of a lower back strain. The move is retroactive to Monday.
Originally scheduled to start Thursday night against the Los Angeles Angels, Lugo (8-7) was was scratched Wednesday because of back discomfort.
“He came out and tried to play catch today,” manager Matt Quatraro said Thursday. “His back was still pretty stiff, so we’re going to put him on the IL.”
Right-hander Stephen Kolek took Lugo’s roster spot. He was expected to start Saturday against Minnesota.
Longtime NHL players Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise and Scott Gomez headline the United States Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2025.
Olympic gold medal-winning women’s defender Tara Mounsey and photographer Bruce Bennett are also set to be enshrined at a ceremony in St. Paul, Minnesota. USA Hockey announced the quintet of inductees Wednesday.
“All five of these members of the class share a common bond through the Winter Olympics,” USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher said on a video call with reporters. “It’s appropriate as we gear up for another Olympic and Paralympic year that all of these people are going into the Hall together.”
Gomez was one of the first Latino players to make the league and made history as the first to come from the state of Alaska. He won the Stanley Cup twice with New Jersey.
Overlapping for much of their careers, Gomez, Pavelski and Parise combined to play 53 seasons and all represented the U.S. at the Olympics.
Mounsey helped the U.S. win the first women’s hockey gold medal at the Games in 1998 and was part of the team that reached the final in 2002.
“To be a part of that team was incredible,” Mounsey said. “To look back and see how the sport of women’s ice hockey has just exploded since the 1998 year, it’s just incredible to witness the opportunity that these young girls have now on the ice and the role models that they have to look up to.”
Bennett has photographed nearly 6,000 games in the NHL and internationally over his 50 years in the business. He joked that
The committee is also proposing that December be a recruiting dead period. Coaches would still be able to call, write, text or email prospects, but visits on or off campus, would not be allowed.
Next week, the NBA Board of Governors — better known as the 30 team owners — is meeting in New York, and we know what will be the hot topic of discussion now.
While the NBA league office, under the guidance of Commissioner Adam Silver, will conduct the investigation, it is the other 29 owners who would have to vote on any sanctions or punishments. Right now, there are more questions than answers.
There are two key topics for the investigation looking forward. First, what did Ballmer and the Clippers know, and when did they know it? Second, depending on the findings (especially if the evidence is all circumstantial), how willing are the other 29 owners to come down hard on one of their own? There's a lot to get at, let's break it all down in bullet points.
Circumstantial vs. smoking gun evidence
• PTFO laid out a troubling timeline garnered through court records and former employees of Aspiration (a "green bank" whose model was to do large amounts of tree planting to gain carbon credits for its corporate clients, a company that has since filed for bankruptcy and had its CEO plead guilty to fraud).
That timeline: In September 2021, Ballmer made a personal $50 million investment in Aspiration. A couple of weeks later, Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million contract extension with the Clippers. At the Clippers' media day in September 2021, Ballmer announced a $300 million partnership with Aspiration as part of making the Intuit Dome "green" (a priority of his). Soon after, Kawhi Leonard signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration.
• That endorsement was what several Aspiration employees told Torre was a "no-show" job. Leonard never made any public appearances for the company, did not appear in its marketing, nor did he post anything on social media about Aspiration (as others who had endorsements with the company, such as Robert Downey Jr., had done). Leonard just collected the checks, using a clause in his endorsement deal that allowed him to get out of anything he didn't believe in (which was apparently everything).
• Multiple Aspiration employees said to PTFO they were told not to question the Leonard endorsement and that it was a way for the Clippers to circumvent the salary cap. It doesn't help the Clippers' case that Leonard's adviser, business partner and uncle, Dennis Robertson — who famously made unreasonable requests such as sponsorship deals, a house, a plane on call, and more when teams were recruiting Leonard in 2019 — is involved and helping Leonard cash those checks.
• Here's where it gets tricky for the league's investigators: All of that is circumstantial evidence.
• Ballmer investing in a green company that turned out to be a scam? He wasn't the only billionaire bilked by Aspiration and its CEO. Leonard signing an endorsement deal with Aspiration? Star players signing independent endorsement contracts with team sponsors is pretty common. The Aspiration employees PTFO spoke with said they were "told" this was to circumvent the NBA salary cap, which can be brushed aside as office rumors if there is no email or recorded conversation with Ballmer or a Clippers executive saying exactly that.
• The Clippers deny everything, saying they were scammed like everyone else, and that they had nothing to do with Leonard's endorsement deal and how that operated. Here is the Clippers' longer statement on the accusations, sent to a number of media members.
"Neither the Clippers nor Steve Ballmer circumvented the salary cap. The notion that Steve invested in Aspiration in order to funnel money to Kawhi Leonard is absurd. Steve invested because Aspiration's co-founders presented themselves as committed to doing right by their customers while protecting the environment.
"After a long campaign of market manipulation, which defrauded not only Steve but numerous other investors and sports teams, Aspiration filed for bankruptcy. Its co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, recently pleaded guilty to a $243 million fraud. Neither Steve nor the Clippers had knowledge of any improper activity by Aspiration or its co-founder until after the government initiated its investigation. Aspiration was a team sponsor for the 2021-2022 and 2022 2023 seasons before defaulting on its contract.
"There is nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players on the same team. Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi's independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration. To say otherwise is flat-out wrong.
"The Clippers take NBA compliance extremely seriously, fully respect the league's rules, and welcome its investigation related to Aspiration. The Clippers will also continue to cooperate with law enforcement in its investigation into Aspiration's blatantly fraudulent activity."
• The Clippers' defense is the same one politicians use all the time: Plausible deniability. Leonard and his representatives have yet to comment at all.
• This is where Mavericks' minority owner Mark Cuban comes in: He says Ballmer got scammed, but even if he wanted to circumvent the salary cap he is too smart to leave a paper trail.
I’m on Team Ballmer.
As much as I wish they circumvented the salary cap, First Steve isn’t that dumb. If he did try to feed KL money, knowing what was at stake for him personally, and his team, do you think he would let the company go bankrupt ? Knowing all creditors would… https://t.co/AxvMoLmPv7
• A lot of fans and media members pointed to 2000, when the Minnesota Timberwolves were caught circumventing the salary cap with free agent Joe Smith (promising him a larger second contract if he signed a lower-priced one-year first one): Five first-round picks taken away (two were later returned), $3.5M fine (equivalent to a $6.7 million fine now), Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was suspended for a year, team GM Kevin McHale was forced to take a leave of absence, and Joe Smith's contract was torn up. I have seen speculation online now that the league could force Ballmer to sell the team.
• Nothing that severe is happening. First, selling the team is off the table — the only time the league pushed an owner out was due to the backlash to the racist comments and actions of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling, and the misogynistic workplace backlash to former Suns owner Robert Sarver. Whatever the NBA's investigation finds with Ballmer, it is at most cheating the salary cap, which is not near the severity of the other issues.
• In the Joe Smith/Minnesota case, there was a paper trail — the sides agreed to that deal in writing. Again, whatever you think of Ballmer and what he's done here, Cuban is right: he's not that stupid.
• Which leads to the big question for the other owners: Assuming the investigation ends with a lot of coincidences and circumstantial evidence, but no smoking gun, and the Clippers vehemently denying anything untoward happened, how hard are they willing to come down on one of their own?
• The answer to that question starts with what exactly this investigation by the league finds. There is still a lot we don't know, and the Clippers have a lot of explaining to do to the league beyond that statement. Even without hard proof that Ballmer and the Clippers knew what was going on, if the investigation finds more circumstantial evidence, it is not good for the Clippers.
• The NBA CBA says that owners can be punished for "direct or circumstantial" evidence, something The Ringer’s Zach Lowe researched for his podcast. If the league and the other owners see this as a preponderance of circumstantial evidence, they could come down hard on Ballmer.
• There almost certainly will be some level of punishment for the Clippers — and it's not going to be the Knicks' slap-on-the-wrist losing a second-round draft pick after the league found New York tampered in recruiting Jalen Brunson. What other owners and front offices took away from the Knicks' punishment was that if the price to tamper with an elite player is just a second-round pick, it is worth it. The last thing the league wants is for the owners to take that same lesson about circumventing the salary cap, something Lowe notes.
• Despite what some have tried to say online, circumventing the cap like this is not common around the league. To pretend it never happens is naive, but it's not some common practice. The other owners who have been following the rules are not going to let the richest one of them start breaking them to his advantage.
• That said, don't expect the league and other owners to fully bring the hammer down on the Clippers in a truly franchise-changing way.
• The punishment phase of this is not going to happen for a long while. First up is the league's investigation and what it finds. That will set the tone.
Winnipeg Warriors Continue Rebuilding Without Aid From NHL - Oct. 26 1957 - Keith Armstrong
WINNIPEG, Man.—The Winnipeg Warriors will open their Western Hockey League schedule this week with twelve new faces still in camp from last year’s dismal last place finishers.
Coach Alf Pike and owner Jack Perrin were faced with a tremendous rebuilding program as they found themselves without an N.H.L. tie-up. The Warriors entered the W. H.L. two seasons ago and with the player help coming from the Mom real Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs they went on and captured Western honors and defeated Montreal Royals to win the Edinburg Cup. Last season with the Habs and Leafs still providing the players the Braves finished dead last in the Prairie Division and set a league record for losses in doing so.
Agreement Ended
Owner Jack Perrin was none too pleased with the standing of his club and felt that the N.H.L. clubs had broken their contract with him to provide 15 players of Western League calibre or better. Just recently he filed a law suit against the two clubs. Hence, the Habs and Leafs did not renew their agreement with I he Warriors.
Goal
In goal the Warriors will have youthful Ray Mikulan, a 23-year-old Winnipeg boy. who has spent two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. Property of the New York Rangers, Mikulan compiled a 3.25 goals against average, along with four shutouts, with the last place Canucks in the Coast Division of the western wheel.
Defense
Up until this past week the Warriors found themselves very thin on defense. The only experienced pro along the blueline was holdover Danny Summers who has spent two years with the Warriors after several seasons in the A.H.L. Coach Alf Pike has converted the veteran A.H.L. rightwinger Pete Kapusta to a defenseman. Kapusta a Winnipegger. spent 11 seasons in Providence livery and was with Three Rivers last season. His contract was purchased outright.
Owner Perrin has had the telephone lines buzzing this past week and has come up with hardrock Frank Arnett, a former Manitoba Junior Leaguer, from the Cleveland Barons. Arnett toiled on the blueline for North Bay Trappers last season. He also received Kent Douglas from Springfield Indians, Ken Willey from New York Rangers via the Memorial Cup champion Flin Flon Bombers and picked up Don McGregor a 23-year-old local boy who played with Sault St. Marie Indians last season in the N.O.H.A. A big surprise in camp last week the appearance of defenseman Mickey Keating from the Montreal Canadiens camp. Keating, a local lad. was with the Warriors in their first season and toiled with Rochester and Montreal Royals last season. Due to a illness in his family, he has been given permission by the Montreal Canadiens to play in Winnipeg despite the law suit.
First
The forward lines will see holdover Earl Ingarfield centering sophomore holdover Gordie Redahl, a left-winger, and rookie Eddie Jamieson a burly 200-pound right-winger up from the Winnipeg Monarchs Jrs. Ingarfield and Redahl are on loan from the New York Rangers.
Second
The second line sees rookie Art Stratton, who was with the North Bay Trappers last season on loan from the Cleveland Barons centering another rookie on the left side from Cleveland in Ross “Butch” Graham and the veteran holdover Bill Mosienko on the right boards. Both Stratton and Mosienko are Winnipeggers.
Third
The third unit sees another rookie Brian Derrett. a tall boy, who has graduated to pro ranks from the Winnipeg Baron Jrs. centering Bruce Lea. a left-winger obtained from Detroit Red Wings via Seattle Americans and Howie Glover, a rookie right-winger from the Cleveland Barons via North Bay Trappers. This line accounted for all three goals in the Warriors 4-3 exhibition game loss against the highly-regarded Vancouver Canucks. Glover scored all three goals with Derrett assisting on three and Lea on two goals.
Two holdovers, left-winger Murray Wilkie and right-winger George Ford make up the balance of the squad. Since the club can only dress four defensemen and nine forwards, three blueliners and two forwards will have to be cut.
Summing up his club’s chances coach Alf Pike said, “we should be stronger at the start than last year. Our defence is starting to shape up and am quite pleased with our forward lines. There is no doubt that we will be much stronger in the nets.”
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard (2) and owner Steve Ballmer, right, at Intuit Dome. (Ringo Chiu/AP)
At the heart of the uproar over allegations that Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers received millions in undisclosed payments from a tree-planting startup is a National Basketball Association rule that caps the the total annual payroll for teams.
According to a report by Pablo Torre of the Athletic, bankruptcy documents show that the tree-planting startup Aspiration Partners paid Leonard $21 million — and still owes him another $7 million — after agreeing to a $28 million contract for endorsement and marketing work at the company.
The report claims there is no evidence to show that Leonard did anything for Aspiration Partners, whose initial funding came in large part from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Torre alleges that the payment to Leonard was a way to skirt the NBA salary cap and pad his contract.
The Clippers have forcefully denied that they or Ballmer "circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration."
Still, the NBA said it was launching an investigation into the matter.
The salary cap is a dollar amount that limits what teams can spend on player payroll. The number is determined based on a percentage of projected income for the upcoming year. In 2024-25, the salary cap was $140.6 million.
The purpose of the cap is to ensure parity, preventing the wealthiest teams from outspending smaller markets to acquire the best players. Teams that exceed the cap must pay luxury tax penalties that grow increasingly severe. Revenues from the tax penalties are then distributed in part to smaller-market teams and in part to teams that do not exceed the salary cap.
The cap was implemented before the 1984-85 season at a mere $3.6 million. Ten years later, it was $15.9 million, and 10 years after that it had risen to $43.9 million. By the 2014-15 season it was $63.1 million.
The biggest spike came before the 2016-2017 season when it jumped to $94 million because of an influx of revenue from a new nine-year, $24 billion media rights deal with ESPN and TNT.
Salary cap rules negotiated between the NBA and the players' union are spelled out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Proven incidents of teams circumventing the cap are few, with a violation by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000 serving as the most egregious.
The Timberwolves made a secret agreement with free agent and former No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Smith, signing him to a succession of below-market one-year deals in order to enable the team to go over the cap with a huge contract ahead of the 2001-2002 season.
The NBA voided his contract, fined the Timberwolves $3.5 million, and stripped them of five first-round draft picks — two of which were later returned. Also, owner Glen Taylor and general manager Kevin McHale were suspended.
Then-NBA commissioner David Stern told the Minnesota Star-Tribune at the time: “What was done here was a fraud of major proportions. There were no fewer than five undisclosed contracts tightly tucked away, in the hope that they would never see the light of day. … The magnitude of this offense was shocking.”
Current commissioner Adam Silver is just as adamant as Stern when it comes to enforcing salary cap rules, although the current CBA limits punishment.
According to Article 13 of the CBA, if the Clippers were found to have circumvented the cap, it would be a first offense punishable by a $4.5 million fine, the loss of one first-round draft pick, and voiding of Leonard's contract. However, the Clippers don't have a first-round pick until 2027.
Leonard, one of the Clippers stars, is extremely well compensated. He will have been paid $375,772,011 by NBA teams through the upcoming season, according to industry expert spotrac.com.
A former Aspiration finance department employee whose voice was disguised on Torre’s podcast said that when they noticed the shockingly large fee paid to Leonard, they were told that, “If I had any questions about it, essentially don’t, because it was to circumvent the salary cap, LOL. There was lots of LOL when things were shared.”
Aspiration Partners was a digital bank that promoted socially responsible spending and investments that, at one point, brought in a star-filled roster of investors that included Drake, Robert Downey Jr., and Leonardo DiCaprio. Founded in 2013, it offered investments in “conscious coalition” companies and offered carbon credits to businesses. The company was valued at $2.3 million at one point.
But in August, the company’s co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, agreed to plead guilty to charges that he defrauded investors and lenders. Federal prosecutors accused Sanberg of causing more than $248 million in losses, calling him a “fraudster.”
Prosecutors alleged that Sanberg and another member of the company’s board, Ibrahim AlHusseini, fraudulently obtained $145 million in loans by promising shares from Sanberg’s stock in the company. AlHusseini allegedly falsified records to inflate his assets to obtain the loans, and Sanberg concealed from investigators that he was the source for revenue that was recognized by the company.
Sanberg had also recruited companies and individuals to claim they would be paying tens of thousands of dollars to have trees planted, but instead Sanberg used legal entities under his control to hide that he was making these payments, not the customers. Aspiration filed for bankruptcy in March.
The company was expected to pay more than $300 million over two decades as a sponsor for the Clippers' Intuit Dome, which opened in August 2024. But before the new arena opened, the Clippers said Aspiration was no longer a sponsor, just as the Justice Department and Commodity Futures Trading Commission began looking into allegations that Aspiration had misled customers and investors.
During Aspiration’s bankruptcy proceedings, documents emerged citing KL2 Aspire as a creditor owed $7 million, one of four yearly payments of that amount agreed upon in a 2022 contract. KL2 is a limited liability company that names Leonard — whose jersey number is 2 — as its manager.
Aspiration was partially funded by a $50-million investment from Ballmer. It is not known whether Ballmer was aware of or played a role in facilitating the employment agreement between Aspiration and Leonard.
The Clippers issued a lengthy statement Thursday, attempting to explain why Leonard being paid by Aspiration was unrelated to his contract with the Clippers.
"There is nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players on the same team," the statement said in part. "Neither Steve nor the Clippers organization had any oversight of Kawhi's independent endorsement agreement with Aspiration. To say otherwise is flat-out wrong."
"The Clippers take NBA compliance extremely seriously, fully respect the league's rules, and welcome its investigation related to Aspiration."
In his reporting, Torre noted that Leonard's contract with Aspiration included an unusual clause that said the company could terminate the endorsement agreement if Leonard was no longer a member of the Clippers.
Mark Cuban, part owner of the Dallas Mavericks, took to X.com to suggest that Torre's reporting was faulty.
'I’m on Team Ballmer," Cuban wrote. "As much as I wish they circumvented the salary cap, First Steve isn’t that dumb. If he did try to feed KL money, knowing what was at stake for him personally, and his team, do you think he would let the company go bankrupt ? "
NHL training camp is just a couple of weeks away, and Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner already has his eyes set on what he wants to accomplish in this upcoming season.
After falling in the Stanley Cup final for a second straight year, the 26-year-old netminder is ready to reach new heights in his fourth full NHL season.
“I want to set the bar high,” Skinner told reporters after Edmonton’s informal skate on Thursday. “I want to go to the Olympics. I want to be a goalie for Team Canada.”
Skinner hasn’t suited up for Team Canada since 2015-16, when he played three games in the World Men's Under-18 Championship.
Skinner will have lots of competition for a spot on Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics. He’ll have to outperform not only Binnington, Hill and Montembeault but also the Washington Capitals’ Logan Thompson, Colorado Avalanche’s Mackenzie Blackwood and Los Angeles Kings’ Darcy Kuemper, who could also force themselves into the mix.
Those six netminders had more wins and higher save percentages than Skinner did last season. All of them, except for Montembeault, also had a lower goals-against average than Skinner, who had a 26-18-4 record, .896 SP and 2.81 GAA.
However, Canada’s Olympic GM, Doug Armstrong, won’t have to pick his final roster until around the New Year.
That leaves plenty of time for Skinner to prove that he’s worth the call and ultimately achieve one of his goals for next season. Making it to the Stanley Cup final twice has also given him more experience in high-stakes hockey, which can be valuable in the Olympics.
Speaking of Cup final experience, Skinner also mentioned getting back there for a third straight year and finally going one step further.
He reflected on last season and how the Oilers were able to go through another 82 regular-season contests and four playoff rounds. He believes he and his team can use those past experiences to fuel the start of next season and get back to where they want to be.
“I think everyone’s goal in the NHL, if you ask them, it’ll be to win the Stanley Cup… we’re definitely wanting to finish the job here,” Skinner said.
In last season’s playoffs, the Oilers' goaltender started 15 games, registering a 2.99 goals-against average, a .889 save percentage and a 7-7 record. He tied the Florida Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky for the most shutouts in the playoffs, with three, despite playing eight fewer games.
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Throughout their history, the Detroit Red Wings have featured several players known not only for the punishing physicality they brought with their fists but also for their scoring ability.
Names like Brendan Shanahan, Darren McCarty, and the late Bob Probert still resonate with today’s generation of Red Wings fans.
Joe Kocur, who at one point in his career formed one half of the infamous "Bruise Brothers" with Probert, wasn't known as much for his presence on the scoring sheet but still brought fans to their feet with his multiple iconic on-ice bouts.
While the role of an NHL player serving almost exclusively as an enforcer has all but disappeared from the modern game, former Red Wings forward Klim Kostin recently explained that's what he was asked to do by the coaching staff.
Kostin, who most recently played in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks last season, revealed in an interview with Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express that during his brief time with the Red Wings, he was told his job was to fight.
“More like in Detroit, " he answered when he began to take on the reputation of an enforcer. "I was counting on a different role, I signed the contract hoping to play, but after I arrived they made it clear: your job is to fight. It was a shock for me. They left no room for maneuver.”
As a restricted free agent in 2023, Kostin was acquired by the Red Wings from the Edmonton Oilers and subsequently signed to a two-year, $4 million extension. His first fight in a Red Wings uniform came in just their third game of the 2023-24 season, as he dropped the gloves against Erik Gudbranson of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Ironically, Kostin wore jersey No. 24, which was once worn by Probert in Detroit.
Kostin went on to explain that his initial discussion with Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman about what kind of role that he would fill with Detroit was far different than what was ultimately asked of him by the coaching staff.
"Of course," he responded when asked if he was disappointed with how things turned out. "When I was talking with Steve Yzerman, they explained to me a completely different role. I thought there would be room to play, a chance to prove myself. But in the end they immediately made it clear: a fight was needed. I was shocked, but there was nowhere to go."
"And what if tomorrow they say, 'Don't shoot at the goal' or 'Only pass?' Should I agree just to stay on the team? I don't think so. I'm a hockey player, not a no-holds-barred fighter."
He confirmed that while he would never shy away from a genuine confrontation on the ice, he made it clear that being in the lineup solely to fight wasn’t the role he wanted.
"I'm hot-tempered, I can get into a fight out of emotion, but going out to fight specifically for the sake of a show is not my thing," he said.
During his time with the Oilers, Kostin proved capable of providing an offensive touch by scoring 11 goals in 57 games.
However, his time with the Red Wings was short. After just 33 games played with Detroit, he was traded to the Sharks for Radim Šimek and a 2024 seventh-round pick.
Currently, Kostin remains an unrestricted free agent.
For decades now, Quebec City residents have made it plain – they want their NHL team back.
Of course, that hasn’t led to any NHL team, expansion or otherwise, from setting up shop in Quebec’s capital city permanently. But Quebec City continues to show why it should be considered a key hockey hotbed where any fan would want to take in a game.
Recently, it's even built some momentum.
For two straight years now, Quebec City has been hosting NHL pre-season games, including two exhibitions this month between the Ottawa Senators and their opponents, the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens.
With the modern, NHL-caliber Videotron Centre as the hub for any elite games in Quebec City, the city that once had the Nordiques will be the place where dreams come true for elite players.
Obviously, pre-season NHL games aren’t the be-all and end-all for savvy hockey fans, but if Quebec City is ever going to have even an outside shot at more NHL hockey, they’ll need to support the NHL product whenever given the opportunity. They've now had that opportunity in back-to-back years, and the reception they give to the Sens, Devils and Habs later this month must reflect well on them.
While it may take a decade or more for Quebec City to have its own NHL team once again – and let’s be honest, it may never happen – there’s so much good news for Quebec City that it’s difficult not to be optimistic that there will come a day when the best hockey players are regularly moving throughout the area again.
Ask most Quebec City residents, and you’ll hear them say the city shouldn’t have lost its NHL team in the first place. But by literally putting their money where their mouth is and bringing in tentpole events, such as the Women’s World Championship and World Junior Championship, French-Canadian gatekeepers of the game are refocusing the spotlight on Quebec City as a destination city for hardcore fans and hockey newbies alike.
Whether they get another pro team or host more IIHF events, the point is the same – Quebec City is looking to prove it shouldn’t be taking a backseat to any other location. It is well on its way to cementing its hold on hockey fans as a must-visit locale.
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