Texas football news: Robert Griffin III says Longhorns let Arch Manning down appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Texas Longhorns took on the Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday night in a star-studded affair that saw Kevin Durant testing his quarterback skills and Matthew McConaughey narrating an exciting hype video. Texas QB Arch Manning took the field in a matchup against budding rival Julian Sayin but had a rough first half as Ohio State seized a 23-3 lead headed into the fourth quarter.
Manning threw an interception that fans couldn't believe, as he lofted a well-placed pass that was bobbled, dropped, and picked off. With just 60 yards at halftime, Manning's performance was heavily scrutinized, while former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Pro Bowler pointed the finger at his Longhorns teammates.
"Texas' WRs are letting Arch Manning down," Griffin III said matter-of-factly as the game continued to progress.
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#texas #longhorns #clutchpoints #ohio

PHOENIX (AP) — Ezequiel Duran had a two-run single and Wyatt Langford hit a solo homer during a six-run fifth inning to lead the Texas Rangers over the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2 on Saturday night to even the three-game series.
The Rangers improved to 73-76 and are just two games back of the final American League wild card despite a sub-.500 record.
Arizona fell to 79-70 and is 1 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final National League wild card.
The Rangers took advantage of a close replay call that went in their favor during the decisive fifth.
The D-backs thought they were out of the jam with the score tied at 1-all after turning an inning-ending double play, but first base umpire Bill Miller ruled Corey Seager safe at first, signaling that pitcher Brandon Pfaadt's foot was off the bag. Arizona challenged the call, but the video review proved inconclusive and Miller's call was upheld.

#final

Texas football news: Watch Kevin Durant test his QB arm at Ohio State clash appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Texas Longhorns welcomed Ohio State to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday for a big game that didn't go the 'Horns' way early, as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-3 halftime lead. Texas quarterback Arch Manning made a brutally honest admission about last year's game film of his team's loss to Ohio State but did little to change it as he completed only 50% of his passes in the first half for 60 yards with one interception.
The game included celebrity pregame appearances from Houston Rockets star and Longhorns alum Kevin Durant along with actor Matthew McConaughey, who narrated an ice-cold hype video before the marquee matchup.
Durant got plenty of attention as he was seen on the sidelines showing off his quarterback skills on the same night as Manning and Ohio State QB Julian Sayin's duel. He appeared calm and content in a black T-shirt, long pants, and white baseball cap, looking like he could pass as a college quarterback while slinging passes with ease.
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#durant #quarterback #clutchpoints

The stars weren't out in the night sky just yet Saturday at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, but there were some sightings on the sidelines.
In one of the biggest Texas football games of the season against Ohio State, celebrities, politicians and Texas Exes came to Austin and were spotted throughout the sidelines. Earlier in the day, ESPN "College GameDay" featured Sen. Ted Cruz, who was booed by the Longhorn faithful and Austin native; movie star Glen Powell as the guest picker on the show.
Glen Powell on the field at the game between Texas Football and Ohio State at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin, Sept. 12, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
Of course, other Austin celebrities were out and about - what is a night game at DKR without Longhorn superfan Matthew McConaughey. He also brought out his friend and "True Detective" co-star Woody Harrelson who was seen chatting with athletic director Chris Del Conte. Gov. Greg Abbott was there, too.
Then there were the sports legends of the school in attendance. Former men's basketball player and current Houston Rocket Kevin Durant was seen throwing crisp spirals and chatting with former football head coach Mack Brown. Former running back Ricky Williams and quarterback Colt McCoy were also spotted as well as former Texas volleyball player Madisen Skinner.

#austin #royal #state

Ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, HoopsHype is releasing rankings at every position. While Fred VanVleet was rated rather low as a point guard, Rockets star Kevin Durant was recently ranked as one of the best in his position. In a list of the top 27 small forwards in the NBA, Durant placed fifth after averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 ***** ists, 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks in 78 appearances last season.
The Duke duo of Jayson Tatum and Cooper Flagg were ranked first and second, respectively, before the newest member of the Philadelphia 76ers (Jaylen Brown) came in at No. 3. No. 4 is a much more controversial choice, as Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder was given the nod over Durant despite playing in just 33 contests last year. Kawhi Leonard (Raptors), Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers), Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Brandon Ingram (Clippers) and Brandon Miller (Hornets) rounded out the top-10.
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#season #ranked

Boston Red Sox have made a notable change to their lineup for Saturday's meeting with the Kansas City Royals, with Jarren Duran moving up the batting order as Boston looks to respond to three consecutive defeats.
Duran will remain in centre field for the second straight game, but interim manager Chad Tracy has opted to give the outfielder a different spot in the order for the latest Royals clash at Fenway Park.
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Duran will bat seventh against the Royals after hitting eighth in Friday night's series opener, which Boston lost 3-2.
The Red Sox have also kept Duran in centre field, with Ceddanne Rafaela and Eli White both on the injured list. Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu will join him in the outfield for Saturday's contest.

#duran #boston #jarren

Jose Alvarado's appearance last night probably solidified what Don Mattingly is thinking in the playoffs. He and Alex McFarlane are going to be the bridges to Jhoan Duran. Jonathan Bowlan looks like he is struggling to handle to pressure as it continues to mount with each appearance that gets closer to September, so maybe those are the two that get leaned on.
On to the links.
Phillies news:
The Phillies have had a really good offensive approach since the All-Star break. Can they keep it up during the playoffs against better pitching ($)?
Bryson Stott is still considered the young guy on the infield, but he's pretty much a (good) finished product.

#appearance #playoffs #mattingly #alex

Seventy-First hit the road for the first official time this season against Hoke County, in a reunion with its former coach Duran McLaurin, and faced déjà vu from a year ago, falling to a last second field goal, 25-24.
Seventy-First began the night defensively, and immediately started to wreak havoc on Hoke County's unmatched offense.
The Falcons forced a turnover on downs on the Bucks in their first possession, but failed to capitalize on the early start, resulting in a punt.
In its second stint with the ball, Seventy-First pushed the ball downfield after a series of chunk plays from senior quarterback R'maunni Watson and senior athlete Shon Pone, until Pone punched in a 3-yard rush up the middle with just 1:37 left in the opening quarter. He then scored on the 2-point conversion.
The Falcons gave up major yardage on the next kickoff, giving Hoke positive field position to begin its next drive, and the Bucks pushed the ball all the way into the Falcons redzone until a defensive stalwart from Seventy-First held the Bucks down for another turnover on downs, to take the ball over in Hoke territory.

#field

It started with yelling about toilets. Steve Ballmer was so serious about turning the Los Angeles Clippers into a serious franchise for the first time in their existence that he wanted to make sure no fan ever waited in a long line to use the bathroom when the team opened its new arena. Ballmer's drive to win eventually led the Clippers to courting Kawhi Leonard in free agency, fresh off leading the Toronto Raptors to a 2019 NBA championship. Leonard wanted to live in Los Angeles, yes, but he also wanted Paul George as his running mate, so the Clippers shipped out a boatload of draft picks and future two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to get him.
Leonard's people also made it known that their client wanted the type of big endorsement deals his off-putting, robotic personality couldn't land legitimately. Leonard's now infamous Uncle Dennis Robertson never tried to be subtle about his desire to secure similar off-court bags to the ones Kawhi's contemporaries like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant were landing on their own accord, and leaks of his demands circulated as soon as Leonard hit free agency.
The Clippers became so entangled in pleasing Leonard that it led to blatant salary cap circumvention, first reported by investigative journalist Pablo Torre. The NBA found enough evidence supporting Torre's claims that it hammered the Clippers with the most severe penalty in league history, stripping five future first-round draft picks, suspending executives including Ballmer, and more. That figured to be the end of the story, with the Clippers spending the next decade trying to climb out of the abyss. Torre continued to hint that there was another shoe to drop, and now that it's here, the Clippers might be in much bigger trouble than anyone first believed.
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into the Clippers, according to the New York Times, and it's already issued one subpoena. While the scope of the investigation is unclear for now, the fact that the feds are watching the Clippers for under-the-table dealings potentially makes this a much bigger deal than simply breaking NBA rules.
How does breaking NBA rules amount to a federal crime by the Clippers? While there's a lot left to come out, the main idea is that the Clippers committed some level of fraud. Daktronics was a publicly traded company, the only one of the four tied up in the Leonard scandal to fit that description, while Aspiration, Lockton Insurance, and Boingo Wireless were not. Publicly traded companies have a fiduciary duty to their shareholders to disclose big investments, and it sure feels like that never happened when dealing with Leonard.

#ballmer

So often pitchers' duels don't really stand up to the hype, but today's matchup between two former Stetson Hatters – the Mariners' Logan Gilbert and the Rangers' Jacob deGrom – delivered on all that promise and then some. The two pitchers combined for 23 strikeouts, and deGrom carried a perfect game through five innings. In true pitching duel style, it looked like the pitcher who blinked first would come out on the short end, but despite Logan Gilbert making a couple of mistakes, his offense was able to pick him up and deliver him the win. Bragging rights are fun; wins are better. (Gilbert also gets the honor of leading MLB in whiffs today: 24 to deGrom's 20, despite having one fewer strikeout than deGrom.)
This all being said, it was a slog for the Mariners early on. The best at-bat the first time through the order for the Mariners went to – surprise, surprise – Cal Raleigh, who battled deGrom for nine pitches before striking out on deGrom's fastest fastball of the day, a 99.6 mph heater (my campaign for decimal points on the ribbon board in the stadium, which read 100, continues unabated). But the Mariners did fight deGrom, getting themselves into good counts and forcing him into the zone; he finished the second inning at 37 pitches, compared to Gilbert's 24.
But it only took two pitches to offset that work in the third. Nicky Lopez was able to take 96 up and in from Gilbert and find a hole on the infield, and one batter later, with two outs, Joc Pederson jumped a first-pitch slider for a two-run homer. It wasn't a terrible pitch from Gilbert, away from Pederson but probably still too much on the plate; Gilbert had struck Pederson out on the slider in his first at-bat. The slider was particularly nasty today, with an eye-popping 75% whiff rate. He led with the pitch, throwing it 40 times, 12 times to start off an at-bat, which feels like a different sequence than he's used. Gilbert credits Cal for coming up with a good game plan, especially after he felt like he fell into some predictable patterns in his last time out against the A's.
"Like with Joc, we got him with the slider early, so he probably thought we were going to it next time," explained Gilbert. "But then also other guys, we went heavy spin, like with Duran, and then next time went three or four straight fastballs. So I think we did a good job there. They're trying to look at how we're probably scouting them, and then next time through, maybe pitch them different. I think Cal did a good job there."
But deGrom was just as tough on the other side. After striking out eight times in the first three innings, the Mariners hitters decided to try a different strategy the second time through the order. That also didn't work, as they let deGrom cruise through the fourth on nine pitches, keeping his perfect game intact.

#degrom #like #pitch

Lindsey Brooke Isaacs was asleep at home when police arrived and told the 23-year-old that her car had been involved in a crash that killed three people. She knew they had the wrong person. Her black Dodge Durango showed no obvious collision damage, and she had a receipt showing where she had been.
Still, the investigation eventually led to her being arrested and 13 days in jail. "My heart was in my stomach," Lindsey told me on The CyberGuy Report Podcast at Cyberguy.com/podcast/. "I didn't know what was going on."
Months later, prosecutors dropped all eight felony charges against her and investigators arrested another woman in connection with the crash. Her case now raises a bigger question about how much weight investigators should give license plate camera data when a person's freedom is on the line.
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#told

A longtime NBA journeyman recently named Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry as one of the league's top five players. In an interview with HoopsHype, 14-year NBA veteran Danilo Gallinari spoke about his career and the current state of the NBA. When asked to give a top-five list of current players, Curry was the first name he said. "Current Top 5, I always, I guess I always go with the old heads first: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James. And then I put Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic."
Gallinari, a former No. 6 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, played for eight different franchises, with his longest stop coming in Denver. Despite suffering two ACL tears during his career, the Italian forward put together an impressive resume, playing in 777 career games, averaging 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 ***** ists and 0.7 steals while shooting 42.8% from the floor and 38.1% from beyond the arc. His strongest campaign came with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2018-19 season, where he averaged 19.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 ***** ists and 0.7 steals. Gallinari's final season came during the 2023-24 campaign, where he played for three different teams, the Wizards, Pistons and Bucks.
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#current #first

DETROIT — The Motor City Cruise — the G League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons — announced on Thursday the hiring of Steve Scalzi as their new head coach. Scalzi will replace Jamelle McMillan at the start of the 2026-27 season, becoming the third head coach in the franchise's history.
Scalzi has worked as an ***** istant coach for the Pistons for the past three seasons. Renowned for his player development skills, he has been instrumental in developing players such as Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson. In July, he also served as head coach for the Pistons during the 2026 NBA Summer League tournament.
Scalzi's role as coach of the Cruise marks his return to the NBA's professional developmental league. He began his career as an ***** istant coach with the then-Tulsa 66ers (Oklahoma City Blue), the Oklahoma City Thunder's G League affiliate.
At that time, the Blue were part of the NBA D-League. As one of the franchise's primary player development coaches, Scalzi helped a handful of players receive promotions around the league during the 2013-14 season.
Scalzi's success later led him to join the Thunder's coaching staff in 2014, where he held several roles during his seven-year tenure. His most memorable responsibility was helping develop future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

#pistons #cruise

The pair have both been sidelined in recent weeks, missing the victories over Aberdeen and St Mirren, while Hogh also sat out the earlier win against Falkirk.
There had been concerns among the Celtic support that both players could be facing more significant spells on the sidelines, but those fears have eased after Tierney and Hogh were pictured back in training on Tuesday.
It remains to be seen whether either will be ready to start at McDiarmid Park, although Martin O'Neill will hope they can play some part against the Perth side.
Alistair Johnston was also back out on the grass as he continues his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury, although the Canadian is expected to require more time before making his competitive return.
In Hogh's absence, summer signing Camilo Duran has operated through the middle and continued his impressive start to life at Celtic.

#celtic #aberdeen

The Yankees were one of a handful of teams that didn't play on Labor Day, but not many top American League contenders were in action. The Rays, White Sox, Astros, and Rangers all joined the Yanks in taking a breather on the offday. At least Aaron Judge is officially back! So call that a notable exception to the absence of action.
Here's what the teams that were active were up to on Labor Day.
I hope no one actually had any real expectations of the hapless Angels going into Fenway and doing much of anything. Brayan Bello needed 103 pitches to get through five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, but again, these are the Angels. They didn't do much with their opportunities, and they were put in a 5-0 hole in a hurry anyway.
Erstwhile Orioles prospect Grayson Rodriguez was terrible, inflating his season ERA to 6.28 in 17 starts when both Jarren Duran and Adley Rutschman homered off him in the second. His old batterymate's dinger high off the Pesky Pole was a three-run blast and proved to be a crushing blow.
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#Angels #yankees

Trevor Story's Blunt Message Helps Jarren Duran End Negative Spiral originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jarren Duran changed his appearance before changing the direction of his September. The Boston Red Sox outfielder cut his signature long hair during the team's weekend series in Baltimore, dyed it blond and then delivered one of his best offensive performances in months.
Duran went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double in Boston's 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday at Fenway Park. His solo shot was his 20th home run of the season and helped the Red Sox extend their winning streak to five games.
The new look created plenty of attention. A direct message from Trevor Story might have been considerably more important.
Duran has openly acknowledged his frustration throughout a season that has not always matched his expectations. Story, whose locker has been located next to Duran's for years, eventually decided his teammate needed to hear a difficult truth.

#nesn

Over a decade later, one of the most shocking moves in NBA history still requires a lot of brain power to process. Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors in 2016 is one of those history-altering events whose ripple effects can still be felt today.
After giving up a 3-1 series lead in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Durant joined the arch-rivals to team up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. That quartet of first-ballot Hall-of-Famers made the following couple of years skippable as they cruised their way to back-to-back NBA championships.
You know the story by now. The Thunder went all in to keep Durant. And despite their organizational pleas and pitches, it wasn't enough to convince the NBA superstar to stick around and run it back. His exit took a decade to get over as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped heal the scars with a Larry O'Brien trophy in 2025.
In one of an endless supply of perspectives on Durant's decision, Dion Waiters weighed in with his two cents. He appeared on the 'Real Talk with MJ' podcast in Oct. 2024 to reflect on his exit and how it affected the role player's next move as he signed a last-resort one-year deal with the Miami Heat in the aftermath.
"We was in the WCF up 3-1 against Golden State. Tricked it off, bro. We're supposed to went to the Finals against Cleveland," Waiters said. "I feel like we would've beaten Cleveland. We just messed up at the right time, bro."

#back #golden #decade

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a tying three-run homer, Austin Riley added a go-ahead RBI triple and the Braves used a late rally to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 Sunday, extending their lead in the NL East to five games.
Acuña hit a 100.5-mph fastball off Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane deep into the right field seats in the top of the eighth inning to tie the score 4. It was home run No. 16 this season for Acuña, and it was the seventh consecutive fastball over 100 mph thrown to him by McFarlane.
After getting the first out of the inning, Mike Yastrzemski singled and Drake Baldwin doubled ahead of Acuña's homer.
McFarlane hadn't allowed a run since Aug. 11 — the only run he allowed since being called up in July.
In the ninth inning, Ozzie Albies legged out a double off Phillies closer Jhoan Duran (2-5) and Riley followed with a triple off the centerfield fence, giving the Braves the lead.

#Braves #homer #ahead

The Los Angeles Rams have historically been OK with a lack of size at the cornerback position. Their last few draft picks—although rare—have demonstrated this from Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick to the likes of Tre Tomlinson.
But the Rams did something very out of character this offseason: they made a major free agent signing and brought in a player with real size attributes. Jaylen Watson is listed at 6-2 and 197 lbs.
The addition of Watson got lost in the shuffle during the aftermath of LA's trade for higher profile corner Trent McDuffie, his Kansas City teammate. McDuffie also fits the Rams' preference or accommodation of smaller defenders, although he has a strong lower half and is a willing tackler out of the slot.
However, in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, Watson may be the more important contributor out of the two.
The San Francisco 49ers' biggest offseason addition was receiver Mike Evans. It wouldn't be wise for the Rams to ask McDuffie to cover one of the most physical receivers in the NFL—this is a job for Watson.

#mcduffie #francisco #addition #angeles

Brittany Boltinhouse lost her Miss North Carolina USA crown less than a month ago, but she already has another one.
According to People, Boltinhouse announced that she has been named Miss Global Honduras 2026, putting the 27-year-old back into international pageant competition just weeks after she was dethroned as Miss North Carolina USA. She is now headed to Thailand in October to compete for the Miss Global crown — while simultaneously suing Miss USA and North Carolina pageant officials over the fallout from her removal.
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Boltinhouse announced the comeback on Instagram with a Winston Churchill quote that left little ambiguity about her mindset: "Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never."
CNB Latin America confirmed that Boltinhouse will represent Honduras, saying the organization selected her to showcase "the love, passion, charisma, and rich culture of the Honduran people" internationally.

#global #honduras #shop #crown

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler struck out nine in six sharp innings, Kyle Schwarber hit his MLB-leading 41st home run and the Philadelphia Phillies pulled within four games of the first-place Braves in the NL East with a 4-2 victory over Atlanta on Saturday night.
Luis Arraez had two hits and an RBI for the two-time defending division champion Phillies, who have won 16 of their last 20.
Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley went deep for Atlanta, which lost for just the third time in 12 games.
Wheeler (12-5) escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning and then looked more like the dominant right-hander he has been for much of his career after a shaky August in which he had a 6.26 ERA. Wheeler allowed one run on three hits.
Jhoan Duran tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his 30th save.

#philadelphia #Phillies #first #zack

Well, that was quite the week.
Everton are increasingly resembling one of those challenge scenarios on Football Manager Mobile –
"owners who want to sell and have turned the taps off, a weakened squad and your contract is running down. Ensure the CEO is not happily dissatisfied "
Or maybe a social experiment designed to test the limits of human endurance, or maybe both?
The speed of the unravelling of the transfer window was spectacular even by Everton's standards, though David Moyes' demeanour over the summer suggests these issues have been bubbling under the surface for some time.

#everton #david #quite

Celtic made it a comfortable night at Paradise on Wednesday with a convincing 3-0 win against Aberdeen to keep their domestic winning run since the start of the season going.
It was also a busy week off the pitch for the Celts, with a number of new additions joining the club before the end of the summer transfer window.
Oliver Sørensen, Sam Johnstone, Shumaira Mheuka, Landon Emenalo, Joël van den Berg and Jordan Lotomba all became Celtic players over the course of this week, joining Camilo Durán, Kasper Høgh, Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan who all put pen to paper earlier in the window.
Speaking to the media at Lennoxtown this afternoon, Celtic Manager Martin O'Neill expressed his joy at adding more quality to his side over the course of the window.
"I am delighted to get the players we have." He said. "I'm really pleased. We've got them in and I want to get on with it now.

#celtic #week

Celtic maintained their 100 per cent start to the SPFL campaign with a 3-0 win over Aberdeen at a rain-soaked Paradise last night (Wednesday) thanks to goals from Camilo Durán, Benjamin Nygren and Yang.
The second half saw debuts for new Bhoys, Oliver Sørensen and Shim Mheuka as the Celts cemented their place at the top of the table and now look forward to a game at the home of second-placed St Mirren on Saturday night.
Some of the best of the images.
Three goals and three points for the Hoops at Paradise: Match report
Manager pleased with performance over Aberdeen: Read more

#aberdeen #celtic #spfl

Texas Rangers lineup for September 3, 2026 against the Tampa Bay Rays: starting pitchers are Cal Quantrill for the Rangers and Shane McClanahan for the Rays.
Texas looks to start a new winning streak today after winning two of three against the A's. Tampa is in town for four games. It would be a good thing if the Rangers won three of four in this series.
The lineup:
Duran — CF
Seager — SS

#quantrill

Now that the Houston Rockets have locked up Amen Thompson with a five-year, $208 million contract extension that runs through the 2031-32 season, they can rest easy knowing their young core is secure for several seasons.
Thompson, Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason all have agreed to contract extensions over the past two years that can keep them together through at least the next three years until Şengün reaches the player option in his contract that he can pick up for the 2029-30 season.
The Rockets' entire roster actually is pretty secure for the next two seasons. Of the players expected to be in the rotation, only Fred VanVleet and Bogdan Bogdanovic definitely will be a free agent next offseason. Kevin Durant has a player option for $46.1 million he can pick up to play another year in Houston, and Marcus Smart, who signed with the team in July, has a $6.3 million player option for 2027-28.
Here's a look at the contract for each Rockets player entering the 2026-27 season ...
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/ Karen Warren) (Karen Warren/Associated Press)

#houston #player #next

The Houston Rockets locked up a member of their young core Thursday morning, agreeing to a five-year $208 million contract extension with Amen Thompson, which equates to an average annual value of $41.6 million per season. The deal also includes a 10% trade kicker if Thompson were to be moved in the future.
Overall this was a sound move made by Rockets general manager Rafael Stone. Signing Thompson well below the value of a max contract ($255 million) will give Houston more flexibility moving forward. Additionally, had the Rockets waited until next summer, Thompson may have had the chance to earn a supermax deal if he were to make an All-NBA Team, win an MVP award or win the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Considering one of those three outcomes isn't out of the realm of possibility, the Rockets saved even more money by reaching an agreement with Thompson as soon as they did.
With two seasons remaining on Kevin Durant's deal, Houston has put themselves in a position to succeed with their young core following his eventual retirement.
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#rockets

Just 105 days separate the Aston Villa triumph in the Europa League final and the end of the transfer window in England. In that short ******* e of time, the villans have gone from euphoria to uncertainty in the blink of an eye.
That's because the squad led by Unai Emery has been through a genuine revolution: the backbone of the side that had been fighting for top spots in the Premier League in recent years has been almost completely dismantled. The fact is that the Birmingham club has been affected by UEFA's financial rules, so selling players was nothing new.
In 2024, Douglas Luiz's move to Juventus prevented a 10-point deduction for breaching financial fair play; later, Moussa Diaby headed to Saudi Arabia because of PSR/SCR rules, which limit clubs in European competitions to spending only 70 per cent of their operating revenue.
Then 2025 began with the record sale of Jhon Durán to Al-Nassr. Mid-year, it was Jacob Ramsey's turn to join Newcastle – it is worth noting that academy graduates tend to generate more profit, something that leaves fans deeply frustrated when they want to see local players thrive.
Now, in 2026, Aston Villa were still forced to 'sell to buy' and saw nine players leave permanently, in a process that generated £313.5 million - staggering figures that represent the second-highest revenue ever produced by a club in a single transfer window.

#villa #league #club

English club cricketer and endurance athlete Sam Bodoano has completed an extraordinary 62-mile (100km) run from Lord's Cricket Ground in London to Valley End Cricket Club in Woking, Surrey, in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the longest run-up before bowling a cricket ball.

Bodoano, 22, from Worplesdon near Guildford, Surrey, began his run at Lord's on Saturday and completed the gruelling journey around 14 hours later at Valley End Cricket Club on Sunday. His challenge culminated in him bowling the opening delivery of an 11-a-side match to his father.
To meet the requirements for the record attempt, Bodoano had to complete the entire 100km journey in full cricket whites while carrying a cricket ball. He then had to take part in a cricket match and deliver the opening ball. While Bodoano has completed the challenge and believes he has surpassed the existing mark, Guinness World Records has not yet officially recognised the achievement. The organisation's evidence review and verification process is still under way.

A Guinness World Records spokesperson said the application would need to go through the formal evidence review process before the record could be officially confirmed. The review can take around two weeks, depending on the evidence submitted.

If confirmed, Bodoano's run-up would comfortably surpass the previous men's record of 15 miles. The current holder of the record for the longest bowling run-up (male) is Tom Dunn, who ran 15 miles (24km) from Bethnal Green, in east London, to Wandsworth Common, in south London, in August 2024.
Despite the physical demands of the challenge, Bodoano completed the run for a charitable cause, raising almost £6,000 (Rs 7,64,513) for The Ruth Strauss Foundation, a cancer charity founded by former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss.

"I'm very tired, I lost a lot of sleep, but it was all for an amazing cause," Bodoano said.

An experienced endurance athlete, Bodoano has previously competed in the England Hockey Men's Premier League, completed the London Marathon and Ironman Wales, and finished third in a 112-mile backyard ultra-marathon. He also works as a running coach and content creator.

#london #completed #club #ball

Kevin O'Connor is joined by Sam Amick to continue his NBA Entertainment Rankings, diving deep into offseason moves, ****** le expectations and chaos potential for the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks. They break down Houston's all-or-nothing gamble on veterans like Kevin Durant, OKC's roster flexibility and subtle strategy shift and the Knicks' shot at a championship repeat amid new roster dynamics.
(0:29) Entertainment Rankings: Rockets
(06:38) Entertainment Rankings: Thunder
(15:16) Entertainment Rankings: Knicks
Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets drives the ball during the first half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 01, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

#kevin