Jabari Smith Jr. is known as the Houston Rockets' "Swiss Army Knife" for his versatility. He is an elite defender and can guard any position. Whether he is guarding the perimeter or protecting the paint, he consistently disrupts the opposing team's offense.
Last season, he totaled a career-high 71 total blocks. He also had 56 total steals, earning himself a 114.2 defensive rating. These impressive numbers represent how crucial a role he played for Houston's defense, which had the third-best-ranked defense in the entire NBA.
On the offensive end, he is a solid spot-up shooter. Last season, he averaged 15.8 points per game, while shooting 45% from the field and 36.3% from deep. However, his ball handling skills were one of his weak spots.
An important metric to represent this weakness is by looking at his field goal percentage after x amount of dribbles. He shoots at 44.8% when he is in a catch-and-shoot motion (0 dribbles). There is a major dip when he has two dribbles before shooting, as his field goal percentage then drops to 36.5%. His field goal percentage drops even further to 28.9% when he takes three or more dribbles before shooting.Improving in this area would surely elevate his game, and he is committed to doing so.
He recently stated: "I definitely want to get better and more comfortable at handling the ball this year. Being able to handle and relieve that pressure from Fred (VanVleet) and the other guards who have to handle the ball the whole game. I'm trying to improve every aspect (of my game), but I feel like ball-handling is the area where I can take the biggest jump. I'm trying to just get stronger with the ball. Not necessarily doing a million moves, but being strong with it and being able to get to my spots. I think that'll open my game up a lot."

#dribbles #last

On Saturday night, Leagues Cup soccer carries forward with Chivas de Guadalajara of Liga MX taking on FC Dallas of the MLS. The Leagues Cup provides fans with a chance to enjoy intense soccer action between American and Mexican teams, a historic rivalry in the soccer world.
Aug 5, 2026; Dallas, TX, USA; FC Dallas midfielder Joaquin Valiente (21) dribbles against Queretaro FC in the first half of the Leagues Cup Phase One match at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images
When: Saturday, August 8th, 2026
Time: 9:00 PM ET
TV Channel: FOX Sports 1

#saturday #guadalajara #liga

The expansion Portland Fire (12-19) look to beat their Pacific Northwest rival Seattle Storm (6-27) for a third time this season as the teams clash at the Moda Center in Portland on Saturday night.
Jul 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Storm guard Flau'jae Johnson (4) dribbles the ball against Portland Fire guard Teja Oblak (7) during the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
When: Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026
Time: 8:30 PM ET
TV Channel: KOMO (ABC 4 – Seattle), KPDX (Fox 12+ – Portland), NBA TV

#Seattle #guard #moda

Celtic's hopes of signing Haissem Hassan have taken a hit after fresh claims suggested the Egyptian international now favours Marseille. According to Celtic FC News Room, the Ligue 1 side have reached an agreement on personal terms with the 24-year-old after holding discussions for several weeks. The transfer has yet to cross the line because Marseille must trim their squad before committing funds, although the French club now appear to hold the advantage.
That leaves Celtic watching events unfold rather than controlling them. Earlier talks had placed the Scottish champions in a strong position, yet Hassan's preference has shifted. Unless Marseille fail to create room in their squad or free up finances, Martin O'Neill's side could lose one of their leading attacking targets before the window closes.
Hassan enjoyed a respectable campaign with Real Oviedo in La Liga during 2025/26. He made 37 league appearances, including 20 starts, produced three ******* ists, completed 26 successful dribbles, posted an 82% passing accuracy and accumulated 1,965 minutes. Those figures explain why several clubs remain interested despite his limited attacking output.
OVIEDO, SPAIN – OCTOBER 17: Haissem Hassan of Real Oviedo during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Oviedo and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona at Carlos Tartiere on October 17, 2025 in Oviedo, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Replacing Nicolas Kühn already looked like a demanding task. After Daizen Maeda left for Ipswich Town, the need becomes even greater. Celtic require a winger capable of stretching defences, creating isolation against full-backs and turning slow attacks into quick breaks.

#hassan #side

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is in Europe this offseason, spending time with his daughters while rehabilitating from his hamstring injury.
Doncic missed the entire postseason and the end of the regular season after his left hamstring tore.
Despite talk about Doncic possibly coming back in time for the playoffs, the Slovenian and the Lakers decided against being irresponsible and held him out.
He has been a star for years, but Doncic is only 27 years old, and the organization was intent on protecting his long-term future, which LA hopes will be in purple and gold.
Mar 25, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles the ball down court during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

#star #time

Fabio Paratici has wasted no time stamping his mark on this Fiorentina squad. He's brought in 5 new players already and more are coming. That's good news: the Viola needed to refresh a stale, ailing group. What I'm interested in, though, is the senior players the new sporting director has sold. No, I don't mean outcasts like Lucas Beltrán and Amir Richardson and Alessandro Bianco. I don't mean unfortunate salary casualty Robin Gosens. No, I mean all the academy-trained talent in the system.
Until the Viola create a B-team, it will lose a crop of academy kids every summer. Most of them never had a chance of breaking through to the first team. For the handful who might have the quality, finding an acceptable path within the club is difficult. The most common outcome is what happened to, say, Eduard Duțu last year: a promising young defender, he ended up on 7 loan deals before leaving Florence for good last year without ever making a senior appearance. Guys like Luca Ranieri—loans to Foggia, Ascoli, SPAL, and Salernitana before breaking through—are the exception. It's rare for to see one of these youngsters take that final step.
Young players matter to fans in a way they don't to the club itself. For fans, every 17-year-old who dribbles a 3rd-tier defender in preseason becomes a future star. That's not just luxurious thinking. We need that fantasy—the academy contains untold riches—because it reinforces two narratives that sustain us, especially through the lean years. First, we get to believe that we know ball and can identify buried talent because that allows us to think of ourselves as knowledgeable, superior, and in control of something over which we actually exert no control. Second, we get to think that Fiorentina is doing something better than other clubs, allowing us to enjoy vicarious success and prove to ourselves that there's a reason to support an organization that constantly falls short.
The other bit is that fans connect with kids they've watched grow up more than they do with senior players brought in on the open market. There are Borja Valero exceptions, of course, but in a vacuum, we'd all prefer an academy product more than a player of equal talent who transferred in. It demonstrates that the club's process is successful. It also provides a connection to the city: every time you see a kid like Tommaso Martinelli post a picture of himself as a child in the Curva Fiesole, it reinforces the depth of feeling the locals have for the club in a way that nothing else can.
Fiorentina has enjoyed unprecedented success at youth level in the Commisso era. Daniele Galloppa led the kids to their first scudetto in 43 years, adding that trophy to 4 Coppe Italia and 2 Supercoppe since the 2019-2020 season. There's been a rich seam of talent at the RBCVPetc, churning out senior internationals (Federico Chiesa, Jan Mlakar, Michael Kayode), promising youngsters (Daniele Ghilardi, Edoardo Pierozzi, Costantino Favasuli) and steady veterans dotting t

Easy come, easy go. Except in the case of Roma’s ill-fated pursuit of Crysencio Summerville, nothing was easy. From haggling with West Ham over a transfer fee and meeting Summerville’s wage demands to fending off Al-Hilal and, perhaps the biggest pain in the ****** of all, canceling his flight to Rome, this transfer saga was troubled from the start.
However, now that Summerville has officially signed on the dotted line with Al-Hilal, Roma is free (or forced) to pursue other options. With their initial fallback option, Alejandro Garnacho, signing with Aston Villa, Tony D’Amico is reportedly pivoting to RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa.
A 21-year-old Norwegian international, Nusa lacks the schematic versatility of some of the other wingers we’ve discussed this summer, but he’s a menace on the left flank. Last season, Nusa ranked in the 70th percentile or higher in the following categories: successful dribbles, dribbling percentage, chances created, big chances created, successful crosses, and even tackles and interceptions. (Source: Fotmob)
In a word, Nusa is precisely the type of athletic and aggressive winger Gian Piero Gasperini craves. Of course, given the state of the marketplace, not to mention Roma’s desperation, he won’t come cheap. According to multiple sources in Italy, Nusa may cost close to €60 million.
So, will Roma go all in on Nusa and obliterate their record transfer fee, or is there a mysterious Plan D lurking in the shadows?

#roma #hilal #successful #chances

The dominance of Barcelona star Lamine Yamal in fixtures against Real Madrid counterpart Kylian Mbappé continued on Tuesday evening.
This came on the international stage, as Spain booked their place in the finale of the World Cup in style.
La Roja marked their return to action a short time ago, locking horns with the aforementioned France in a highly anticipated showdown in Dallas.
The aforementioned Lamine featured from the off in the fixture, from his customary berth on the right flank. And en route to an eventual 2-0 triumph, the 18-year-old played a starring role, winning a penalty and causing all sorts of issues with his constant dribbles out wide.
Kylian Mbappé, on the other hand, endured a night to forget, toiling in his efforts to impact proceedings amid a masterful defensive display from the Spanish.

Thomas Tuchel has orchestrated England's progression into the World Cup semifinals after a decisive victory over Norway. Now, before the final battle for ultimate footballing glory, perhaps the greatest test for the Three Lions awaits. Lionel Messi and Argentina have easily been the top two teams of the tournament so far and Tuchel will need to channel all of his tactical nous to get through this challenge.
The Argentine manager Lionel Scaloni has formed an environment that relies on players to inform the type of system to be used rather than the other way round. Thus, by maximizing the best of each player and somehow bringing them together to work as one super-unit Scaloni's has given this team, a Midas touch. A compact system that relies on a plethora of midfielders, Argentina has forged its own style that has been as successful as it has been different from the other teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And, here we present some ideas on how England can crack the code and defeat the reigning champions.
Do not sit back and let Argentina come at you. They will unlock any low block. Long shots, long ***** to find dangerous strikers, they have all the tools to wreck a low block. That is what happened against Cabo Verde, Egypt and every team that at some point resorted to parking the bus. Letting the Argentines pin you for any lengthy period is suicide.
The center-backs in Lisandro Martínez and Cristian Romero are beasts in building plays from the back. Against Switzerland, Martinez had 3 successful dribbles and 9 passes into the final third. The technical ability across the pitch for Argentina is remarkable. If your forwards can keep the Argentine CBs busy, it puts a big dent in their build-up. Harry Kane is an intelligent presser and with the likes of Jude Bellingham can exert the necessary pressure to separate the Argentine backline from its midfield.
Scaloni's system squeezes the life out of their opponents in the middle of the pitch. Playing with no real wingers and using midfielders instead, they bully the opposition midfield with short pass and move sequences. With a lot of passing and movement, Rodrigo de Paul, Leandro Paredes and co draw in more and more numbers from the opposition to stop them. Following this, they utilize their technical finesse to play their way out after drawing in multiple markers. This disrupts structure and creates pockets in the wider areas. So, going narrower or centrally plays directly into their strengths and is to be avoided as much as possible.

Setting a screen for Bennett Stirtz, Aday Mara rolled to the rim. The two first-round picks connected. The seven-footer capped off the textbook pick-and-roll play as he barely needed to jump off the hardwood to get an easy layup. Even with a lopsided scoreboard, those two made this a fun watch.
The Oklahoma City Thunder remain winless in the July extravaganza. They fell in a 104-79 Summer League loss to the Golden State Warriors. That said, Mara and Stirtz looked much more comfortable. That's all you can ask for at this event.
In a matchup between two former Michigan teammates, Mara one-upped Yaxel Lendeborg — who's been a Summer League darling. The former blocked the latter on a second-chance look. Even with the Thunder falling behind early, his play left you encouraged. They were in a 27-16 deficit after the first quarter.
The second frame probably saw Mara's best stretch in Summer League. He backed down Lachlan Olbrich in the post. A couple of power-dribbles later, he went up for the one-handed jam. Later on, he went at Graham Ike in the post. This time, on a turnaround jumper he was fouled on. The Thunder scored 22 points in the second quarter. They entered halftime with a 53-38 deficit.
The second half was much of the same story. The Thunder stayed behind by double-digit points. Will Richard knocked down an outside jumper to make it a 63-43 contest with seven minutes to go in the third quarter. At that point, the Thunder were in a 20-point hole just three minutes into the second half. Any intrigue from this game — in terms of the final result — was lost early on.

The Las Vegas Aces (17-6) come off one of the biggest blowouts in NBA history on Saturday night to host the Indiana Fever (13-9) at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) dribbles the ball during the second quarter of a WNBA basketball game against the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
When: Sunday, July 12, 2026
Time: 9:00 PM ET
TV Channel: NBC

Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane has captained his England side to a second semifinal in three World Cups, but it was not easy. Norway took the lead in the first half after and thought they could take the lead into halftime until Jude Bellingham scored his first of the match. Norway thought they took the lead in the second half, but VAR spotted a foul before the corner kick was taken. Bellingham found another goal just three minutes into extra time and they were able to hold on for the final 30 minutes to book a spot in the semifinals. Here are our Match Awards:
Ødegaard was brilliant as Norway’s captain. He tried to get his team going the full game with dribbles in and around the box, trying to break down England’s staunch defense. He **** isted the opening goal and created another chance for a teammate to shoot. He also had a shot on goal that forced Pickford into a save. Although he was not able to will his team into a victory, he put in a shift for the full 120 minutes and did his country proud.
Some England fans were outspoken about his selection into this World Cup roster, but John Stones had a brilliant match on defense. With the help of his teammates, he kept Erling Haaland practically silent for the full match. With almost 100 touches, Stones completed all but three passes over the full 120 minutes. He also recored eight clearances — six with his head. This was joint most for defensive contributions from both teams over the 120 minutes.
The midfield pairing of Anderson and Rice was great in the first half but Rice was subbed off at halftime. Despite great efforts by Rice, Eberechi Eze, and Bukayo Saka, Anderson gets the nod due to playing well over the full 120 minutes. He completed 94% of his passes and tracked the ball down nine times to record a recovery. His heat map painted most of the field as he got involved in every aspect of the match.
Gordon was heavily involved in the attack in his 70 minutes on the pitch. He **** isted Bellingham’s first goal after a brilliant run took him to the edge of the box. His ball back to find Bellingham at the top of the box was inch-perfect. Gordan was also not afraid to take on an opponent, winning four dribbles — the most of anyone on the pitch.

LOS ANGELES -- The Seattle Storm defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, 82-64, at Crypto.com Arena on July 6, 2026 and The Sporting Tribune's Darwin Walker was there to capture the following TST Images.
Darwin Walker - The Sporting Tribune
Flau'jae Johnson #4 of the Seattle Storm dribbles the basketball during a WNBA game against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.
Darwin Walker - The Sporting Tribune
Nneka Ogwumike #30 of the Los Angeles Sparks shoots the basketball during a WNBA game against the Seattle Storm on July 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

For AC Milan fans, the first half of July has become a time of familiar traditions. With Rossoneri icons like Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic taking centre stage on Centre Court, attention first turns to Wimbledon before the excitement of tennis combines with the anticipation of the club's pre-season return. A year ago, AC Milan's first day back came six days before Sinner's historic Wimbledon final victory over Carlos Alcaraz. This year, the first group of players will report to Milanello on 12 July 2026 for the opening medical tests ahead of the 2026/27 season, while the first training session open to supporters on the outdoor pitches is scheduled for Monday 13 July. On Sunday 12 July, AC Milan fans will once again find themselves caught between two major events: the spectacle of the Wimbledon final and the long-awaited reunion with their footballing passion, AC Milan.
12 July 2026 falls on the very day the 2026 Wimbledon Championships come to a close, with the men's singles Final set to take place in London. AC Milan's players will report for their first physical tests on 12 and 13 July, officially kicking off preparations on the training pitches at Milanello. Weeks of forehands and passing shots, volleys and backhands are about to give way to strikes on goal and dazzling dribbles, last-ditch tackles and pinpoint long **** . Tennis continues to soar in popularity across Italy, with footballers passionately following the sport (with the Rossoneri backing Jannik Sinner and Roma stars cheering for Flavio Cobolli, to name just two examples) while the country's leading tennis players return the support whenever their schedules allow. For sports fans, there's room for both passions on the calendar, with the now familiar handover from Wimbledon to Milanello just around the corner.
The new AC Milan 2026/27 Home Kit is available: buy it now!

Bringing the ball up, Cameron Boozer drove left. A few dribbles later, he pulled up for the baseline fadeaway jumper. The mid-range bucket swished through. The 18-year-old showed why he's not your older brother's typical NBA power forward. The game has evolved.
The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their 2026 Summer League with an 111-74 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Two lottery picks headlined the exhibition. And no offense to Aday Mara, but Boozer showed why he went No. 3 in the 2026 NBA draft.
Boozer finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and four ***** ists. To get things started, he slashed at the dunker's spot and went up for a jam despite Mara's 7-foot-3 frame contesting him. That type of blue-collar bucket is what the Grizzlies are latching onto.
Moving on from Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane over the last year, the Grizzlies are starting over. They're in the infancy stages of a rebuild. Blessed with lottery luck, Boozer hopes to be Memphis' first foundational piece of its new era.
Here's what the Thunder had to say about Boozer. They were the first team to face him in an NBA setting:

By scoring France’s decisive goal against Paraguay on Saturday night, Kylian Mbappé netted the 11th knockout-stage World Cup goal of his career.
That is... the same number as Cristiano Ronaldo in his entire World Cup career, including group-stage matches. While having played in three fewer editions than the Portuguese star. Okay.
Honestly...
We promise, we’ve got nothing against CR7 — we even love him!
But here’s an improbable stat: with his successful dribble against Argentina, Vozinha, Cape Verde’s now legendary goalkeeper, completed more dribbles than... Ronaldo at this World Cup!

Posting up near the right elbow, Aday Mara went to work in the post. He only needed a couple of dribbles as he backed up Lawson Lovering. Feeling himself, the 7-foot-3 center showed off his footwork and patience by swishing in the turnaround fadeaway jumper.
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell in a 111-74 Summer League loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. While the result was known for most of the game, fans were at least rewarded with flashes from the top prospects in their debut for their NBA home.
It didn't take long to tell that one of these teams is a ***** le contender and the other is going through a rebuild. Cameron Boozer holds the hope of every Grizzlies fan right now — especially with the recent departures of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. And he quickly showed why he was the No. 3 pick of the 2026 NBA draft.
Meanwhile, the Thunder fell behind quickly. Any competitiveness from this game was erased by the end of the first frame. They were in a 33-22 deficit. Things only got worse from there. It didn't take long for the Grizzlies to balloon their lead beyond 20 points. The second frame played out the same way with duplicate scores.
At the halftime break, the Thunder were in a 66-44 deficit. Pretty bad, but you gotta remember the scoreboard is irrelevant at Summer League. Rational folks should see if rookies can show something. And after a slow first half, OKC finally saw that with its top draft pick.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Angel City FC defeated Orlando City Pride, 2-0, at BMO Stadium on July 3, 2026 and The Sporting Tribune's Edwin So was there to capture the following TST Images.
Edwin So - The Sporting Tribune
Orlando Pride SC forward Marta (10) dribbles the ball during a match between Orlando Pride SC and Angel City FC on Friday, July 3, 2026 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles California
Edwin So - The Sporting Tribune
Orlando Pride SC midfielder Haley McCutcheon (2) heads the ball during a match between Orlando Pride SC and Angel City FC on Friday, July 3, 2026 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles California

Nico Paz and his Argentina side finished the group stage as leaders of Group J after three consecutive wins – the most recent against Jordan. Paz had played in Argentina’s first game as a second-half substitute. He did not feature against Austria. However, in the final game of their season, Lionel Scaloni opted to give minutes to players who had been waiting on the sidelines.
Giovanni Lo Celso opened the scoring, firing a free-kick into the top-left corner after Mohannad Abu Taha had fouled him on the edge of the box. Lautaro Martinez doubled the lead from the spot, sending Yazeed Yazeed Abulaila the wrong way after Nizar Al Rashdan’s high boot caught Senesi. Mousa Tamari pulled one back for Jordan, turning in Ehsan Haddad’s cross. Leo Messi sealed it, curling a free-kick around the wall for his record-extending 19th World Cup goal.
Nico Paz played 61 minutes. He was tidy in possession, completing 50 of 53 passes (94%) and both long **** , with two successful dribbles from five. He won four of nine ground duels and made four recoveries.

Jude Bellingham unleashed a furious boot into an advertising board at the New York Stadium to demonstrate the passion that drives the No 10 when England are frantically chasing games. There is now no mystery behind which England player might emerge during these spells of adversity. Bellingham can be trusted to take the game over and dovetail with Harry Kane, a vital relationship on the field that is likely to define this team’s journey.
Bellingham’s eighth international goal came in a precious 2-0 World Cup win over Panama to wrap up top spot in Group L over Croatia and Ghana and secure what appears to be an easier path in the knockout stage. Of Bellingham’s eight goals for the Three Lions though, five have come in major tournaments, showing just how he can elevate his game when others around him routinely shrink.
Yes, it was only Panama, but England were drifting and had spent 51 minutes stuck in second gear as Croatia led Ghana in Philadelphia, knowing an easier run in theory and the morale of advancing as group winners were slipping away.
Adding to his catalogue of goals on the big stage, which includes that miraculous 95th minute bicycle kick against Slovakia at the last Euros, Bellingham settled nerves with the breakthrough before setting up Kane for the goal that saw him surpass Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer (11).
Bellingham had match-leading key passes (4), dribbles (3) and tackles (4), underlining his status as one of the most complete players in the world.

Ivory Coast and winger Yan Diomande, a former DME Academy soccer player, are moving on to the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 for the first time in the country's history.
The Ivorians beat Curaçao 2-0 on June 25 to clinch their spot in the knockouts as Group E's runner-up behind Germany. Ivory Coast previously beat Ecuador 1-0 in its first match of the tournament before falling 2-1 to the Germans on June 20.
Still, Ivory Coast's six points were easily enough to propel it to the elimination rounds, and Diomande was a permanent fixture for the Elephants.
Nicolas Pepe scored a brace against Curaçao, but Diomande was the one to deliver the ******* ist for Pepe's 7th-minute opener. It was a national record for Diomande, who became the youngest player in Ivory Coast's history to be directly involved in a World Cup goal at 19 years and 223 days old.
Diomande, who played high school soccer for Daytona Beach's DME Academy from 2022-24, also became the only player since 2000 to complete 10 dribbles and create 10 chances in his first three FIFA World Cup games.

Real Madrid are set to inform Como of their intention to activate the €9m buy back clause for Nico Paz.
Paz signed for the Italian side from Real Madrid in 2024 and has rapidly emerged as one of the most promising players inSerie A.
Last season, the 21-year-old scored 12 league goals and added six ***** ists, as Como exceeded expectations to secure a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
No midfielder in Serie A recorded more non-penalty goals, non-penalty goals and ***** ists, or shots on target than Paz per 90 minutes last season. He also ranked among the top 10 midfielders for successful dribbles, through ***** , expected ***** ists, and duels won.
He has won 10 senior caps for Argentina and was named in the world champion's squad for this summer's World Cup in North America.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The New York Liberty defeated the Las Vegas Aces, 87-76, in a WNBA game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on June 23, 2026 and The Sporting Tribune's DJ Cabanlong was there to capture the following TST Images.
DJ Cabanlong - The Sporting Tribune
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) dribbles the ball up the court during a WNBA game between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty, Tuesday June 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev.
DJ Cabanlong - The Sporting Tribune
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) dribbles the ball upcourt as New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich (13) follows her during a WNBA game between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty, Tuesday June 23, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Victor Munoz has enjoyed a meteoric rise.
He spent the vast majority of last season playing in the Spanish third tier for Real Madrid's B-side. While he made six substitute appearances for the first team, including four at last summer's Club World Cup, he was offloaded last summer for 6m euros (£5.2m).
But he has quickly impressed with his direct style of play at Osasuna, where the media have dubbed him 'The Red Baron' on account of his ginger hair and dashing style. He completed 75 dribbles in La Liga in his debut season - a figure bettered only by Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Lamine Yamal.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente says Munoz has "fantastic energy" and "lets us change the rhythm of a match".
He marked his national team debut by scoring nine minutes after coming on versus Serbia in March.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Seattle Storm, 101-91, in a WNBA game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on June 8, 2026 and The Sporting Tribune's DJ Cabanlong was there to capture the following TST Images.
DJ Cabanlong - The Sporting Tribune
Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) yells in celebration at the crowd after scoring an and-one basket during a WNBA game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm, Monday June 8, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev.
DJ Cabanlong - The Sporting Tribune
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) dribbles the ball up the court during a WNBA game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm, Monday June 8, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nev.