In the 30 days since Sophie Cunningham directed a prolonged point at DeWanna Bonner—and became a viral meme in the process—the Indiana Fever guard has gained more than a million followers on both Instagram and TikTok, according to digital **** ytics firm Social Blade.
For comparison, fellow Fever guard and WNBA megastar Caitlin Clark gained roughly 160,000 followers on Instagram during the same period. Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers and Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese—other faces of the league—gained approximately 8,500 and lost around 3,000, respectively.
Though Cunningham’s freshly supercharged Instagram follower count of 2.6 million is still well behind that of Clark (3.8 million), Bueckers (3 million) and Reese (5.2 million), her engagement rate—a metric of utmost importance to advertisers and brand partners—is much higher. Per Social Blade, Cunningham averages approximately 300,000 likes and 3,000 comments per post on the platform; Bueckers’s typical engagement—235,000 likes and 1,000 comments a post—is the next closest.
This isn’t Cunningham’s first surge since joining the Fever last year.
The guard—who had a relatively low profile during her six previous seasons with the Phoenix Mercury—earned a reputation as Caitlin Clark’s “enforcer” after getting into a brawl with then-Connecticut Sun guard Jacy Sheldon during a June 2025 Commissioner’s Cup game. Shortly after the incident, Cunningham launched a podcast with Colin Cowherd’s digital media network, The Volume. (The podcast, called Show Me Something, is co-hosted by Cunningham’s high school classmate West Wilson, formerly of Bravo’s Summer House.)

#guard #Instagram #gained

One of the biggest impressions that Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams made during his standout sophomore campaign was his clutch performance, earning himself the nickname of "The Iceman" as he captivated the NFL audience and **** ysts alike.
Williams, who orchestrated an NFL record seven comebacks for the Bears last season, still has shown there are areas in which he needs to progress his development and going into his second year under Ben Johnson. If he can make those leaps, he'll continue to turn heads.
The clutch gene that Williams displayed last year has helped bring in praise from former quarterbacks and current **** ysts, including Matt Hasselbeck. During a recent appearance on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd, Hasselbeck discussed Williams' clutch ability, calling it a trait that is hard to find among even the most elite players in the NFL.
"The best thing I could say about Caleb Williams is he has a clutch gene that is really hard to find," Hasselbeck said. "You can do all the great practicing and all the great, you know, 7-on-7 and all the whatever, but the elite quarterbacks, the elite playmakers, they have that clutch gene, and he absolutely showed that he has that."
Williams' biggest criticism has been his low completion percentage, and the Bears coaching staff, along with the quarterback himself, have made it clear that it's a focus this season. While the heroics and comebacks have been a thrilling watch, the Bears and their star young quarterback will undoubtedly benefit from more consistency and starting out on a more productive note in the beginning of games, not needing a Superman cape to will them to victories this upcoming season.

#williams #clutch #season #biggest

The Buffalo Bills have come close on a few occasions, much closer than plenty of other teams in the NFL... but still no Super Bowl.
Is it going to happen in 2026?
Jason McIntyre from "The Herd" doesn't think so.
Despite a trade for a No. 1 wide receiver in DJ Moore, a change to a new defense under the watch of Jim Leonhard and more moves made over this offseason, McIntyre does not believe Allen will win the Super Bowl with the Bills next season... or ever.
McIntyre used Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford as an example. Stafford eventually won the Big One with the Rams after years of falling short with the Detroit Lions.

#mcintyre #Rams #stafford #herd

Image: Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration
We at Sherdog provide regular, in-depth preview coverage for allmajor events, including our oft-praised preview column along withour "Sheehan Show" handling all sorts of related matters includingbetting. With those official sources for picks handled, we wouldlike to take the edge off here and get a bit lighter with ourbreakdowns.

The industry of sports betting is exploding before our very eyes,with billions of dollars pumping in since legalization stateside.Oftentimes, those driving the lines are right on the money withtheir openings, valuations and ****** yses. Occasionally they are wayoff, or otherwise merit some additional conversation. That is wherewe come in with this reinvigorated series of Prime Picks, where,stealing a line from game show host Sam Reich, we hold hands andjump into the abyss together for Saturday morning's Ultimate Fighting Championship's jaunt toAbu Dhabi. Try it out.
MagomedAnkalaev (-575)
MagomedZaynukov (-290)
MagomedTuchalov (-900)

We admit, we're getting away with a technicality here by notincluding MuhammadSaid in our same-name parlay. After all, Magomed is the Russiantransliteration of Muhammad. Also, good luck trying to search thename "Muhammad Said" without any additional qualifiers and stillgarner any information about the fighter of that namesake. All ofthese Magomeds are rightful favorites, and in the case of two ofthe more expected victors of Tuchalov and Ankalaev, moneyline betsare just not worth it.

Therefore, we pair these three gents together, all of whom haveclear paths to victory against foes who have displayed exploitableweaknesses. Some are giving BogdanGuskov a proverbial "puncher's chance" to win this fight,although he might have some surprise jiu-jitsu in his back pocket.Nevertheless, unless Ankalaev chooses to take things horizontal—heis not nearly as keen on doing this despite his reputation, onlydoing so in his first triumphant meeting against AlexPereira. Against "Poatan," he did attempt a clean dozen shots.While he did not land a single one, the mere threat of the takedownallowed him to get in on the stoic striker and do some work. A fewfaked shots against "Hitman," whose takedown defense has alreadycome into question despite his recent successes, would payimmediate dividends.

We get to the meat of the order. More specifically, the pork. JohnPork. "Wild Chanco" Zaynukov, who actually had his nickname onFight Finder as "John Pork" until specifically reaching out torequest that it be taken down. RobertWhittaker didn't have the same problem when Ben Fowlkes andChad Dundas first crowned him "Bobby Knuckles" in the always-great"Co-Main Event Podcast" and it stuck. Even though DamianRzepecki will hold a slight bit more experience and morestoppages on his ledger, he and Zaynukov stand at differentterraces in their respective careers.

To get signed through the promotion, the Dagestan native in thepipeline of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School

The fight game is an unforgiving one.

Per MMA Junkie on Thursday, PFL DC will no longer feature Thad Jean(10-0) vs. ShamilMusaev (18-1-1) in the main attraction. For currentlyundisclosed reasons, Musaev has been forced to withdraw from hiswelterweight championship affair headlining the card at theCareFirst Arena in the U.S. Capitol. In the Russian's stead will beErnestoRodriguez (11-1), who first postedof his change in opponent and vastly elevated stakes on Wednesdaynight—he was expecting to battle AaronMcKenzie—and then fully confirmedthe news shortly after its announcement. Jean did as well shortlythereafter on his InstagramStories.

This is one of numerous cancelations on fight week and earlier, asathletes MagomedUmalatov, JackCartwright, DenisGoltsov, BrunoCappelozza and MandoGutierrez were all booked for this fight card at one time. Dueto a number of largely undeclared reasons—Cappelozza encounteredissues with his visa—all of those combatants and their scheduledpairings have either been canceled or switched around on this cardor to another. For instance, Cappelozza vs. hasbeen **** ped to PFL Charlotte in August. The current PFL DC lineup sees eightmatches remaining, although the promotion has not indicated if anylate-notice fights will be slotted on the billing.

Jean was vying to become the first U.S.-born PFL champion atop thisevent—not including those that won tournaments—and he will stillreceive that honor. "Silverback" comes into this five-rounder withample momentum on his side as the winner of the final PFL tourneyin 2025. There, he knocked out MukhamedBerkhamov, outworked JasonJackson and outperformed LoganStorley in the span of four months to claim a $500,000 checkand chance for PFL gold.

"Starboy" Rodriguez seizes this opportunity having won his PFLdebut in March. Against MasayukiKikuiri, he snagged a majority decision despite dropping whatmany observers felt was a 10-8 third round, completing a bout inwhich all three Sherdog official scorers turned in 28-28 drawtallies. The fighter born in Cuba worked his way up the Tuff-N-Uffladder from 2022 to 2025, culminating in six wins with the LasVegas-based league to reach a major organization.
ThadJean vs. ErnestoRodriguez – welterweight
TysonPedro vs. RafaelXavier – light heavyweight
SullivanCauley vs. RasulMagomedov – light heavyweight
EliezerKubanza vs. Chris Mixan– welterweight
BryceMeredith vs. Michael Cyr– bantamweight
BrandonDavis vs.

#jean #reasons #born

Every July, the Southeastern Conference herds its head coaches into one ballroom and asks each of them, politely, to explain why their corner of the sport deserves belief again this fall. Most arrive with the hedge built in careful qualifiers, a nod to "the process," nothing November could hold against them. Will Stein, thirty-six years old and the owner of a perfect, undefeated, entirely theoretical 0-0 record as a head coach, didn't bother with the hedge.
Asked why the Kentucky Wildcats — five wins last season, four the year before, without a top-50 offense to its name since 2021 — should expect anything different under him, Stein let the question sit in the room a beat longer than comfortable.
"This is going to sound like really... I think because of me, to be honest," he said. "I think it's because of me. I think I know what it takes. I have seen it at the highest levels. I know what it takes to recruit at this level."
It's the kind of answer that gets replayed for one of two reasons: the coach is a fool, or he's right. The comparison in the room was instant: Curt Cignetti, who once told Indiana fans, in essence, to go look him up, then backed it with a national ******* le game and a Heisman winner. Stein doesn't have any of that yet. What he has is three seasons running one of the sport's most explosive offenses at Oregon, a 38-5 record, a Big Ten championship, a College Football Playoff berth, and, as of Monday afternoon in Tampa, the undivided attention of a fanbase that has waited a decade for someone to say something worth remembering.
He knows how thin the line is between confidence and delusion, so he built the escape hatch in the same breath. "Is it going to happen overnight? I don't know. I really don't. If I had a crystal ball, everybody in this room would be really, really rich now," he said. "There's going to be ******* ps in the road. I am prepared for tough moments and tough times. I'm succumbed to that in our process, right? I already do self-talk myself about how I can stay neutral. When stuff is bad, I can stay as neutral as possible and be very diplomatic in my approach."

#really #going #think

Baltimore Beatdown is proud to introduce this four-part series on Lamar Jackson from former Ravens running back Femi Ayanbadejo! He is a member of the 2000 Super Bowl championship team and an 11-year NFL veteran. He also holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins, with executive credentials from Harvard and Wharton, and has worked in sports media as an NFL ******* yst since 2013. Ayanbadejo is currently part of the radio team at 105.7 The Fan Baltimore.
Lamar Jackson trades like a meme stock in the marketplace of media and executive opinion. His perceived value surges after an MVP season, crashes after a playoff loss, and resets with almost no institutional memory of the underlying fundamentals. The film, the production, and the total body of work change gradually. The narrative price moves overnight.
Lamar Jackson is judged differently than any quarterback in recent memory. His accolades take the stairs up while his critics put him on the elevator down. Every achievement is earned slowly, scrutinized at every floor, and met at the top with a new reason it was not enough. Every criticism arrives instantly and is amplified before anyone checks whether it is true. Old narratives are zombie-like in their refusal to die. Evidence of underperformance is weighted against his entire body of work, while evidence of growth is often treated as temporary. When the facts change, the framing simply finds a new form.
That narrative volatility is visible right now. In the player-voted NFL Top 100, Jackson fell 67 places—from No. 2 to No. 69—after an injury-disrupted season in which he still finished fourth in passer rating at 103.8. Trevor Lawrence ranked 62nd and Bo Nix 59th, while ESPN's survey of more than 70 executives, coaches, and scouts placed Jackson fifth among quarterbacks. Colin Cowherd's movement was even more revealing: he ranked Jackson seventh in May, then 11th in July, choosing the "ascending" Drake Maye over an "expensive, declining" Jackson and announcing that he was "selling his stock." Skepticism about Jackson in major postseason moments is fair; declaring him a depreciating ******* et after one injury-marred season is not. He is 29. Matthew Stafford just won MVP at 37, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning won at 37 or older, and Tom Brady won at 40. Meanwhile, Baltimore's supporting cast was ranked 22nd. When Jackson produces an MVP-caliber season, critics say he is loaded with talent. When preseason rankings arrive, that same supporting cast is considered below average while Jackson's individual value collapses. This is not consistent evaluation. It is narrative volatility. If every NFL player were available in a franchise draft today and the objective were to win now, I do not believe five players would be selected before Lamar Jackson.
People underestimating Jackson is not an occasional occurrence. It is his norm. The hyperbole surrounding him since before the draft has helped create a man largely impervious to nonsensical commentary. He rarely res

Georgia running back Dante Dowdell is hospitalized with what head coach Kirby Smart described Tuesday as "serious injuries" due to an accident while riding an ATV.
Smart declined to reveal the nature of Dowdell's injuries while speaking at SEC media days in Tampa, Florida. Per ESPN, Smart said that Dowdell is receiving treatment at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a hospital that specializes in spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation.
"He's injured," Smart said, per ESPN. "We don't know when his return will be. I don't know the specifics of it, to be honest with you. It was a recreational vehicle, and he had some serious injuries."
Smart told reporters that Dowdell had been in two hospitals since the accident and that the program has cautious expectations that he'll make a "full recovery."
"We expect a full recovery, but the outlook right now is we're waiting to see," Smart said, per On3. "We'll go day to day with him and see.

#injuries #espn #full

Dubai: UAE left-arm pacer Muhammad Rohid believes the ILT20 has transformed the landscape for local cricketers by creating a clear pathway from domestic cricket to the professional stage.

Rohid's rise gathered fresh momentum when MI Emirates secured his services for $140,000 at the league's first-ever player auction ahead of Season 4. The deal made him the fifth-most expensive signing of the auction and underlined the growing confidence franchises have in homegrown UAE talent.

For Rohid, however, the significance extends beyond the financial reward.

"The biggest thing the ILT20 has done is create a clear pathway for UAE players," Rohid said. "Young cricketers can now see that if you perform well, opportunities will come, whether it's with a franchise or the national team. That's incredibly inspiring, and I hope my journey encourages more youngsters to believe they can achieve their dreams."

The left-arm seamer credits MI Emirates for accelerating his development through exposure to some of the world's leading T20 players. One of the defining moments of his campaign came in Qualifier 2, when he was told just 10 minutes before the toss that he would be playing. Rohid responded with an impressive spell of 2 for 19, dismissing Brandon McMullen and Liam Livingstone under pressure.

"The biggest lesson I learnt was to stay ready because opportunities can come at any moment," he said. "The environment taught me to trust my preparation, stay calm under pressure and back my skills."

Sharing the dressing room with stars such as Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Shakib Al Hasan also proved invaluable.

"Watching how they prepare, train and handle pressure taught me a lot. They were always willing to share advice, and Dubai: UAE left-arm pacer Muhammad Rohid believes the ILT20 has transformed the landscape for local cricketers by creating a clear pathway from domestic cricket to the professional stage.

Rohid's rise gathered fresh momentum when MI Emirates secured his services for USD 140,000 at the league's first-ever player auction ahead of Season 4. The deal made him the fifth-most expensive signing of the auction and underlined the growing confidence franchises have in homegrown UAE talent.

For Rohid, however, the significance extends beyond the financial reward.

"The biggest thing the ILT20 has done is create a clear pathway for UAE players," Rohid said. "Young cricketers can now see that if you perform well, opportunities will come, whether it's with a franchise or the national team. That's incredibly inspiring, and I hope my journey encourages more youngsters to believe they can achieve their dreams."

The left-arm seamer credits MI Emirates for accelerating his development through exposure to some of the world's leading T20 players. One of the defining moments of his campaign came in Qualifier 2, when he was told just 10 minutes before the toss that he would be playing. Rohid responde

Sen. Ron Johnson is jumping directly into a legislative train wreck.
The Wisconsin Republican cut his teeth as a fiscal hawk willing to irritate his own party in pursuit of his deficit-shrinking dreams. Now, following Lindsey Graham's death, Johnson is poised to take over the Senate Budget Committee gavel — and **** ume an outsized role in helping shepherd the GOP's current attempt to pass another party-line spending bill.
In theory, the ascension will give Johnson something he's long wanted: a megaphone to promote the agenda of spending restraint he has struggled to make resonate in the rank-and-file.
"I wish Lindsey were alive," Johnson said in an interview. "This is not the way you want to become chairman of the Budget. But set that aside — you know, this is a role that I think I'm pretty well suited for."
His new reality is rocky, however, as he finds himself in the middle of a messy intra-party fight over how to advance a filibuster-skirting reconciliation bill to fund the Iran war and enact parts of the so-called SAVE America Act.

Heartland Advisors, an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter for "Heartland Value Fund". A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The AI trend continues to drive the market in the quarter. Small-cap stocks continue to outperform, with the Russell 2000® Index rising 21.49% in the quarter. The Heartland Value Fund gained 17.05% in the quarter, compared with the 17.19% return for the Russell 2000® Value Index. In addition, you can check the Fund's top 5 holdings to determine its best picks for 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Heartland Value Fund highlighted Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB). Based in Brookfield, Connecticut, Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) is a US-based technology company that engages in the business of photomask products and services. On July 14, 2026, Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) closed at $29.47 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $1.73 billion. Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) posted a one-month return of -4.97%, while its shares gained 53.73% over the past 52 weeks.
Heartland Value Fund stated the following regarding Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
At the same time, we've been finding plenty of segments of the market where the AI herd hasn't been roaming. In the second quarter, we added to 51 of our existing positions across numerous sectors, including Energy, Financials, Health Care, Communications, Real Estate, and Industrials. When we do buy, we're not simply deploying flows or chasing parts of the market that are making new highs. We are adding exposure in securities that we believe are attractively priced and still represent a good risk/reward balance.
A good example is Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAB). Earlier this year, we reduced our stake in PLAB, a leading manufacturer of photomasks that are used to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and flat panel substrates during the fabrication process. The shares more than doubled from December to May, and we felt the stock was getting caught up in the mania surrounding the AI buildout, so we took some money off the table as it reached our price target..." (Click here to read the full text)

Heartland Advisors, an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter for "Heartland Value Fund". A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The AI trend continues to drive the market in the quarter. Small-cap stocks continue to outperform, with the Russell 2000® Index rising 21.49% in the quarter. The Heartland Value Fund gained 17.05% in the quarter, compared with the 17.19% return for the Russell 2000® Value Index. In addition, you can check the Fund's top 5 holdings to determine its best picks for 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Heartland Value Fund highlighted Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL). Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) is a public utility holding company that engages in the distribution of electricity and natural gas. On July 14, 2026, Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) closed at $53.62 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $964.67 million. Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) posted a one-month return of 5.00%, while its shares gained 5.20% over the past 52 weeks.
Heartland Value Fund stated the following regarding Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Another example of us splitting from the herd is in Utilities. The sector was one of our detractors when it came to security selection during the quarter. But many of these companies have been indirect beneficiaries of the AI infrastructure buildout and have seen their valuations climb. In our opinion, it does not make sense to take on AI related risks in this part of the market especially given current Utility valuations.
An example of a traditional Utility that we favor and that is not related to AI play is Unitil Corporation (NYSE:UTL), an interstate gas and electric company that serves the northern East Coast. Maine and New Hampshire are the two largest markets for homes heated by fuel oil in the U.S. In Maine, the high cost of powering homes is weighing on consumers, many of whom are considering switching to natural gas. If consumers switch, they could reduce their energy bills by around 45% or more..." (Click here to read the full text)

Whilst I’m a County Durham lad by birth, work and wanderlust have taken me to every compass point of Britain. And everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve worn the Sunderland badge with pride.
A couple of years ago, family wishes took Mrs L and me to Hertfordshire. The Home Counties. Shock horror. Wilstone, population 341. Quintessentially English. A church, a community shop and a pub. If Carlsberg designed villages….
Whenever you move somewhere new, you don’t know a soul. So my integration plan is, and always has been, to head to the local pub. In Wilstone, it’s The Half Moon, a traditional inn with old wooden beams, excellent Tring Brewery ales and a classic cast of characters. It’s very much like Cheers. After a while, everyone knows your name… and your football club.
It struck me one afternoon that everyone supported different clubs, yet somehow they were all telling the same football story.
The landlord is Guy. Passionately patriotic and loyal to the blue and white hoops of QPR. Mention Stan Bowles, Rodney Marsh or Gerry Francis and Guy disappears into Shepherd’s Bush nostalgia. One afternoon, he scurried into the back room to find an old, dusty programme from QPR v Sunderland in 1962. The glory days were a long time ago… will they ever return, he wondered? I understood what he meant. There was a time when I wondered whether we’d ever get out of League One.

The Baltimore Ravens are coming off an extremely disappointing season that saw them miss out on winning the AFC North and making the playoffs after missing a last-second 44-yard field goal. It appears that one playoff without two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is all it’s taken for the general public, and even Jackson’s peers, to forget just how dynamic he is when he’s healthy.
A year after he finished second on the NFL’s Top 100 list, in which the players themselves vote on the top 100 players in the league, Jackson came in at the 69th spot for the 2026 offseason. On Tuesday, Colin Cowherd said openly that he doesn’t trust Jackson anymore.
“Now remember, this is voted on by players. Those are his peers. That’s always been his number one support group. Anytime there was criticism about him and I defended him forever. It was always his peers, his teammates,” Cowherd said of Jackson’s 67 spot fall on Tuesday’s episode of The Herd.
“There’s other franchise quarterbacks I like— Drake Maye now, and Caleb Williams, and Bo Nix,” Cowherd added. “And there’s just more good young quarterbacks coming into the league. I mean, about the only quarterback who I think is like declining— and it’s hard to say Matt Stafford is declining, but he’s old— that’s about it. There’s just too many good young quarterbacks. So I mean, Lamar Jackson as a starter used to average 10 rushes a game. Last year it was 5.”
Cowherd was not shy in his **** sment: Jackson has already begun his physical decline.

There is some increasing speculation that LeBron James is definitely heading back to the Cleveland Cavaliers and that it is only a matter of time before he makes an official decision. Some NBA fans even seem to think that he may wait until after the final game of the World Cup, which will take place on July 19, to make an announcement so that he can ensure he gets the most attention possible.
But there is also considerable doubt that James could win the NBA championship with the Cavaliers. A number of people around the league recently expressed their cynicism that the 41-year-old is the right man to put the Cavaliers over the top, with one scout even saying, "They don't want another old guy."
Sports commentator Colin Cowherd said that if Cleveland adds James, it will become slow and defensively challenged.
"LeBron (James) will make you the worst defensive team," Cowherd said. "Slowest player in the NBA last year was James Harden. He's a Cav. You know the second-slowest player? LeBron James, if he goes to Cleveland. They'll be the worse team in terms defensively, and they weren't very good last year, even with rim protection.
"... Slow is not what you need in the NBA. Youth, speed, and athleticism is."

A large anti-immigration poster, which includes pictures of NI politicians, has been placed on a bonfire next to a playground in north Belfast.
The image, prominently positioned on a bonfire on Shore Crescent, depicts a herd of sheep walking through a gate to a group of masked men armed with knives.
The banner, draped from the bonfire, also includes images of small boats and depictions of political parties Sinn Féin, SDLP, Alliance Party and People Before Profit.
A number of other anti-immigration slogans and images have also been prominently displayed at other bonfire sites across the city.
The poster in north Belfast says: "Open gates open borders open season. Your sheep their feast."

According to the New York Post's Brian Lewis, the Brooklyn Nets have cut guard Malachi Smith from the team. The former Gonzaga Bulldog signed a two-year, non-guaranteed deal back in April after two 10-day contracts with the organization. Brooklyn exercised Smith's minimum salary team option in June.
In 15 games (four starts) played with the Nets to close out this past season, Smith averaged 8.3 points on a shooting split of 48.5 percent from the field/43.5 percent on three-pointers/100.0 percent at the free throw line, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.3 ****** ists per game.
The 26-year-old will most likely have to return to the NBA G League with another franchise. He's had stops with the Portland Trail Blazers' Rip City Remix, Milwaukee Bucks' Wisconsin Herd, Memphis Grizzlies' Memphis Hustle, and the Brooklyn Nets' Long Island Nets over the last three seasons.
Smith started his collegiate career with the Wright State Raiders from 2018-19, transferred to the Chattanooga Mocs from 2020-22, before making his way to Spokane, Washington. He was named the West Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 before entering his name into the 2023 NBA Draft, bypassing his final season of college eligibility. Smith would go undrafted.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X a_cravalho

By Doyinsola Oladipo and Allison Lampert
NEW YORK/MONTREAL, July 9 (Reuters) - Aviation lawyer Amanda Applegate skipped her annual vacation last month as a surge of wealth from AI startups and **** eX sent a wave of tech investors shopping for private jets, burying her in paperwork for aircraft-purchase agreements.
The Cleveland-based attorney attributed the rush to a handful ‌of major "liquidity events" in the tech industry.
The IPO of Elon Musk's **** eX, whose holdings include artificial-intelligence firm xAI, raised a record $85.7 billion for the company and generated unprecedented employee and founder ‌wealth. Next in line for potential big IPOs are AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI.
Venture capitalists, board directors and early employees of **** eX and other AI companies, along with bankers shepherding anticipated IPOs, are channeling fresh wealth into private aviation, turning it into an early beneficiary of the AI boom. Reuters reported last month that luxury travel companies are increasingly targeting tech entrepreneurs, reflecting expectations that the sector will spawn a new cohort of billionaires.

Jacob Tobey, the TV play-by-play voice of the San Antonio Spurs, is reportedly being fired after an alleged affair with a team player’s sister, and Colin Cowherd doesn’t think he should go quietly.
The alleged affair went viral on social media earlier this week after Tobey’s Instagram account posted a story outing the Spurs TV voice for the relationship.
“This is my girlfriend of six years. But I cheated on her with Loren Waters. lorenkwatrs So feel free to continue following me if you really think I’m a good guy because I’m not. :)” the post read.
The Instagram story was followed by photos that appeared to show Tobey and Loren Waters, the sister of Spurs guard Lindy Waters III. In the photos, the two were seen together and kissing. Two days later, Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported that Tobey is out as the Spurs TV announcer, which Cowherd appears to find confusing.
“I did learn something new today, that you can get fired in America for cheating on your girlfriend,” Cowherd said during his Thursday afternoon FS1 and Fox Sports Radio show. “I had no idea that was legal. You can get fired in America for cheating on, not your wife, your girlfriend. Feels like he should hire an attorney. That is a crazy story.”

Sherdog.com betting **** yst Sean Sheehan has released his best betsfor the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event.

UFC 329, headlined by the long-awaited return of ConorMcGregor in a rematch against MaxHolloway, features several pivotal matchups across multipledivisions, including Benoit St.Denis vs. PaddyPimblett in the co-headliner, CorySandhagen vs. MarioBautista and BrandonRoyval vs. Lone'erKavanagh.
With UFC 329 fast approaching, there are multiple bouts to lookforward to, including the headliner, McGregor vs. Holloway 2.Sheehan is backing Holloway to win inside the distance (+107),believing the former featherweight champion can overwhelm McGregor,who returns to the Octagon after a five-year hiatus.

He also believes there's a good chance Benoit Saint-Denis (-122)defeats PaddyPimblett. Sheehan picks Bautista (+125) to pull off an upsetagainst Sandhagen, backing the former to continue his impressiverun. Furthermore, he also sided with King Green(+120) against TerranceMcKinney.

A potentially lucrative prop bet highlighted by Sheehan is Royvalto win by decision (+400) over Kavanagh, with the former being thebetting underdog.

UFC 329 takes place on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Rutgers football 2026 season is set to kick off in just under 2 months, meaning that it is time to start looking at the opponents the Scarlet Knights have on the schedule.
First up on the slate is the UMass Minutemen, who Rutgers will be taking on Thursday, June 3 at 6 p.m. UMass is led by second-year head coach and former Rutgers defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak. The Minutemen did not win a single game during Harasymiak's first year with the team, even falling to 3-9 FCS Bryant by one point.
The Minutemen's starting quarterback for most of last season was AJ Hairston, although he did miss a few games at the end of the season with an injury. Last year as a freshman, he totaled 957 passing yards, four touchdowns, and four sacks while completing 49.5% of his passes. However, after just one season with the program, Hairston opted to transfer to Merrimack. His backup, Grant Jordan, decided to transfer elsewhere as well. That leaves junior quarterback Brandon Rose as the only UMass quarterback to get playing time with the team last year.
Rose started two games last year and ended the season with 424 passing yards and one touchdown against three interceptions. He also posted a 59.1 percent completion percentage. UMass also added Virginia Tech transfer Pop Watson III in the portal. He has a total of 558 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions over three seasons with the Hokies.
UMass' leading rusher, Brandon Hood, transferred out after last season, leaving Rocko Griffin as their best returning running back. Griffin recorded 53 carries for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns last season while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. UMass also brought in former Marshal running back Justin Williams-Thomas, who carried the ball 35 times for 197 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry for the Thundering Herd last season.

Once again, it’s time to pass judgement prematurely. After all, I would have my basketball writer card revoked were I to not evaluate before the dust has fully settled: that’s why they pay me the modestly-sized bucks, I’m told. So, without further ado, the Winners and Losers of week one of 2026 NBA free agency.
Philadelphia 76ers It must feel strange for Sixers fans to be on the right side of one of these incredibly lopsided, head-scratching transactions. But here we are: Philadelphia may end up as the biggest winners of the week after somehow (!) landing 2026 MVP candidate, 2024 NBA finals MVP and bona fide second-team All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown in exchange for just two first-round picks, two second-rounders and Paul George – whose contract is widely regarded as one of the league’s worst. The 36-year-old, injury-prone former superstar is still owed roughly $110m over the next two seasons. At the time of writing, the Sixers remain in the LeBron James sweepstakes, but even if they strike out, they’re in terrific shape. A George-for-Brown swap gives them far more insurance against the inevitable Joel Embiid absences during the regular season, while adding a battle-tested champion to help shepherd Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe through the postseason and show them what it takes to reach the mountaintop. Additionally, after being unceremoniously dumped on a division rival for the basketball equivalent of a bag of chips, Brown will arrive about as motivated as possible heading into the 2026-27 campaign. Hats off to the Sixers’ brass for pulling off what looks like the biggest heist since Nico Harrison since Nico Harrison was employed.
Los Angeles Clippers Self-awareness is a virtue. The Clippers were going nowhere in a hurry, and as heartening as last season’s late push was, the Kawhi Leonard era had, by any reasonable measure, been an abject failure. The reckoning actually began before the offseason. At the trade deadline, the Clippers cut bait on James Harden, landing the much younger Darius Garland while adding draft capital. They also dealt longtime center Ivica Zubac for a package that ultimately yielded fifth overall pick Keaton Wagler. The housecleaning continued this summer when they sent Leonard back to his old home in Toronto, receiving a respectable haul of picks along with two intriguing younger pieces in Brandon Ingram and Gradey ****** . They even poached three-point sniper Rui Hachimura from the neighboring rival Lakers. In all likelihood, the Clippers won’t be very good next season. But now, what was once an empty cupboard of future ****** ets has been restocked, the foundations of a genuine rebuild are finally in place, and, a year after watching former Clipper-turned-trade-chip Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the franchise can at last start moving forward. That is, until tree-planting-gate is fully adjudicated.
LeBron James It is absolutely preposterous that the hottest commodity on the free-agent market is a

The San Francisco 49ers backed themselves into an uncomfortable corner with Brandon Aiyuk and having to listen to the updates about that situation every day has become exhausting for every NFL fan on the planet. It’s a situation that the Los Angeles Rams would avoided long ago, according to Colin Cowherd.
The outspoken sports talk show host went on The Herd this week and compared the Niners’ situation to how the Rams have handled similar cases, cutting bait with players—regardless of talent—before it becomes toxic.
“I’ve been saying this on the Niners for years— cut bait, move on. The Rams moved on from great players like Jalen Ramsey, Todd Gurley and Cooper Kupp. The Rams do a much better job at moving on from injured players or players with drama. The Niners either coddle or keep them in-house. That’s why the 49ers roster has become old, dramatic, brittle, and expensive. Brandon Aiyuk goes on Instagram and basically blows up any opportunity to play for a tremendous young quarterback, Jayden Daniels. The Commanders dodged and bullet here. That stuff is just bad and I wish the Niners would have moved on years ago.”
Watch the clip here:
The 49ers are unlikely to cut Aiyuk any time soon, unless he forces their hand by showing up for work. Aiyuk has consistently made it clear that he won’t do that. If Aiyuk comes to training camp, the 49ers may have to cut him. But if they don’t cut him, they’ll save millions in cap ****** e.

Backup quarterback Mac Jones says the culture inside the San Francisco 49ers locker room is unlike anything he experienced earlier in his NFL career, and he credits it with helping the team perform on the field.
Speaking on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, Jones described a level of closeness among teammates and staff that stood out compared to his time on other teams.
"I'm friends with everybody in the whole [49ers] organization," Jones said. "People hang out outside of football. It's just totally different — even at Alabama and the Patriots. Everyone is just a family and that's so cool."
"I think it helps our team," Jones added. "Like even being here for George Kittle at TEU and stuff. It really helps our team with bonding. The best teams, you all have to be brothers and I feel like our entire organization is like that."
Jones enjoyed his best season since his rookie year as the backup for Brock Purdy. He went 5-3 as a starter and helped shepherd the 49ers' playoff run at the end of the year. The chemistry Jones described lines up why he seems content to stay in San Francisco as a backup, even as trade rumors swirl around him as a potential starter elsewhere.

Monday night’s USMNT catastrophe against Belgium completely erased and potentially overshadowed everything Mauricio Pochettino’s plucky side was able to accomplish at this World Cup. There’s no need to be hyperbolic and say it was all for naught because collecting the second-ever knockout stage victory in the program’s history is nothing to scoff at. It must be said, though, that the elements will rarely, if ever, be lined up in such an advantageous manner for Team USA to make that long-awaited run deeper into the tournament.
This team’s impact on how soccer is viewed in America won’t be known for a long time. And there are reasons to be optimistic that a solid foundation was built for future success. It’s just really, really tough to think of anything except how Christian Pulisic & Co. got bodied out there in Seattle.
Some good news—at least in terms of visibility—can be gleaned from master tastemaker Colin Cowherd devoting a solid chunk of time to the USMNT’s failure on his show today. The bad news is that he’s not exactly saying great things.
“When pressure was applied last night we folded like wet cardboard,” Cowherd surmised. “Pulisic looked pedestrian. Last night against Belgium’s top players he was just a guy.”
Actually, it was worst than just a guy. It was a guy addicted to giving the ball away. Now, some of that can be attributed to his health and it’s not right to be too hard on a player physically unable to perform. Cowherd, taking the correct stance that the best ability is availability, pointed out this has been a problem with the USMNT’s top star.

Charles Huff has done this before.

Marshall was terrific for years under Doc Holliday. Huff had the pressure of coming in to keep the success going when he took over in 2021, and he did just that with 32 wins in four years and a Sun Belt ***** le.

He left for Southern Miss last season, bringing along a slew of top Thundering Herd players with him. It worked, turning a 1-11 team into a solid 7-6 team that got to a bowl.

Memphis needed a coach, and now Huff is at his third head coaching gig in three years.
© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
His situation with the Tigers is a bit like the expectations he had at Marshall.

Memphis is a winner.

It hasn't had a losing season since 2013, and won 21 games in two years before former head coach Ryan Silverfield's bunch went 8-5 last year.

Silverfield left for Arkansas, Huff stepped in, and there's no grace period whatsoever.
Almost the entire team is made up of transfers, but there's continuity with 12 key players coming over from Southern Miss.

But can Memphis win in the American Conference with (mostly) a Sun Belt team?

It came up with one of the stronger coaching hires in the cycle to find out.
Head Coach: Charles Huff (1st year; 6th year overall, 39-25)

Defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar took victory on stage three of the Tour de France with a late acceleration to the line following a 195.9km route from Granollers to Les Angles.
The Slovenian also acquired the overall lead and yellow jersey after the stage winner's bonus points took him level on time with Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike, who had been in yellow since Saturday's opening stage.
Pogacar took control with around half a kilometre to go, taking Vingegaard and French darling Paul Seixas of Decathlon-CMA CGM by surprise with a blistering attack.
Pogacar was led up the final category three climb by Sunday's stage winner and UAE Team Emirates-XRG team-mate Isaac del Toro of Mexico, who Pogacar had shepherded over the line the previous day while very clearly holding back his own pace.
On a sweltering hot day in the Pyrenees on the border between northern Spain and southern France, fans had been told to stay away from the area around Les Angles at the finish because of wildfires.

The 2026 Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race crowned its champions Saturday as elite runners and wheelchair athletes raced through Atlanta in the annual Fourth of July tradition.
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In the Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division, Daniel Romanchuk successfully defended his ***** le for the ninth consecutive year, crossing the finish line in 19:00. Romanchuk, the course record holder, continued his dominance of the event with another first-place finish.
On the women’s side, Tatyana McFadden returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2021. McFadden captured her eighth Peachtree victory with a winning time of 23:02.
In the women’s elite field, Tsigie Gebreselama secured her place in race history, claiming the championship in 31:02 to become the 2026 Peachtree Road Race women’s winner.

There are 779 people competing in this year’s St. Paul Rodeo. Every one of them will come to the secretary’s office to sign in, ask questions about the competition or at least get a pass so they can get dinner.
The person they’re all seeking, and the one most of them know, is Debi Davis, the rodeo secretary. The entire St. Paul Rodeo, which runs through July 4, is coordinated by her. She likens the job to herding cats.
“Hi, Miss Debi,” one cowboy says before asking a question. She answers as she juggles four other tasks.
From April through September, Davis works 16-hour days as secretary for rodeos throughout the west.
Beyond all of the administrative duties, Davis is the person every rider needs to find if they want answers about what is happening during the show. She’s also a den mother, confidant and social organizer to rodeo cowboys.

By Tom Polansek
CHICAGO, July 2 (Reuters) - With U.S. beef prices soaring and supplies tight, the U.S. Department of Agriculture surprised meat producers and traders on Thursday by reporting ‌a spike in the nation's export sales, fueling questions over the accuracy of the data.
The ‌beef export sales, reported in weekly USDA data, included deals that may have taken place months ago, contributing to the sudden increase, the agency told Reuters. Traders said the totals still looked excessive.
U.S. beef exports have declined since 2022 due to high prices and scarce inventories, and an increase could further raise costs for domestic consumers already facing higher grocery bills during the summer grilling season.
Beef prices broke records this year due to ‌strong demand and a persistent drought ⁠that drove U.S. ranchers to slash their cattle herds.