Jorge Sierra: Tim Duncan is the only player in NBA history with 1,000-plus wins and a 70-plus percent winning percentage. Only two MVPs have a better winning record than him... in far shorter careers.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Tim Duncan is the only player in NBA history with …

#duncan #player #sierra #mvps

V.J. Edgecombe is ready to embrace any role he is given in the new-look 76ers system originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Much has been said about V.J. Edgecombe's new role on the Philadelphia 76ers with the arrivals of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. As the youngest player in the starting lineup, many are saying that he is the odd man out, but it seems the 21-year-old guard is not conceding much.
He is an ***** ertive player by nature, so he will want to stay true to his play style moving forward. It is a tough role to adjust to, but Edgecombe is ready to keep listening and learning in his new role behind the new stars and his familiar teammates, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
As the designated young player on the 76ers roster, Edgecombe is in a bit of a unique situation with the Philadelphia team. He is quite talented and is blessed with physical gifts. Unfortunately, that does not automatically make him one of the star players for the current roster.
It is now an experienced group led by two Finals MVPs in Brown and James. This has left Edgecombe as firmly the #5 option in the starting lineup behind the experienced players. Despite this notion, it seems that Edgecombe is not too worried about what will happen with this team.

#player #philadelphia #ready #starting

For the last five years, I have cleared my schedule for every A'ja Wilson versus Breanna Stewart matchup — and there have been many. They are the two defining players of this WNBA generation, with a combined six MVPs and six **** les between them, and the faces of USA Basketball. They relish the competition of playing against the best at their position and raise their levels when they meet.
The Wilson-Stewart era is far from over. Wilson is on pace to be MVP yet again, while Stewart is putting together yet another All-WNBA season. Although the Las Vegas Aces sit higher in the standings, the New York Liberty have mostly gotten the best of them this season, including in the Commissioner's Cup final. A playoff series between them (a fifth matchup in seven seasons) would be high-level theater.
It would be near-impossible for another individual rivalry to reach those heights — again, look at all the hardware the two have in their trophy cases — but it was fun to get a look at the future during the aptly-named rivals week. Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark have a lot more winning to do to reach the Wilson-Stewart level, but they do have the right ingredients in place. They're elite players at essentially the same position who came up together through USA Basketball; like Stewart and Wilson, they each were the MVP at a U-19 World Cup. They both had outstanding college careers, and now they are trying to compete for **** les in the WNBA.
Bueckers and Clark have met only three times in the pros, and the first was mostly forgettable. The last two, however, have been worth the wait. The third quarter of Friday's game between Dallas and Indiana was a true highlight, as these two unselfish guards kept trying to one-up the other as bucket-getters. Six of their baskets were immediately followed by points from the other, including a very fun stretch in which Clark hit a layup, Bueckers followed with a pull-up 3, Clark responded with a pull-up jumper and Bueckers hit another shot in the midrange. Not a lot of passing from the nominal point guards, but the budding seeds of a longer rivalry.
Ideally, the Wings and Fever will meet in the playoffs (with Azzi Fudd and Jessica Shepard both healthy by that point) and give this matchup the stakes it deserves. For now, it's an enjoyable undercard to the Wilson-Stewart rivalry.

#stewart #WNBA #rivalry

With the 2026 NFL season on the horizon, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has quite the reputation that he is carrying into the year.
However, Darnold enters the conversation of top quarterbacks in the NFL, including several former MVPs and prolific performers, that make his standing among the best players at the position one that has increased, but may have more room to increase with another stellar season in 2026.
The Athletic's Mike Sando ranked Darnold No. 14 overall in his annual QB rankings this year.
Darnold led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory last season. He recorded 4,000 passing yards. Darnold displayed one of the most powerful arms in the NFL all year long. He was reliable down the stretch. Other quarterbacks were able to rack up more yards on the ground, but Darnold played winning football in a variety of ways that made him one of the best players at the position.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: The Athletic has Seahawks QB Sam Darnold too low on their 2026 ranking

#position #yards

USA Basketball has officially announced its FIBA World Cup roster, and the team is headlined by a slew of young talent that includes the last three Rookies of the Year — Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Paige Bueckers — as well as proven veterans and multi-time MVPs A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
Here is the full list of 12 WNBA players who will be competing in Berlin:
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever
Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

#Basketball #fiba

Ever since he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, Jaylen Brown has received some criticism from just about everywhere. The 5-time All-Star averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 **** ists while shooting 47.7% from the floor and 34.7% from deep and led the Boston Celtics to a 56-26 record in what many was expecting a "gap year" amid the Jayson Tatum injury, but there are some who wonder if he can repeat it.
On his latest stream on Monday evening, Brown sported his Sixers jersey and had a message for those who are doubting him:
I'm more inspired to win than anything. I feel like I've been a little bit disrespected in this process from people that I thought valued me and everything I brought to the team and the city. I found out quickly that may or may not be the case. So, I want to win more than anything. So, I'm looking forward that journey, that approach, the leadership, that sacrifice, and whatever it's gonna take.
Brown will be joined by LeBron James as the two of them will look to help Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe push Philadelphia over the edge. Brown won a **** le with the Celtics in 2024, winning finals MVP in the process, and James, obviously, has the four **** les and four finals MVPs on his resume. They will look to help the Sixers get over the hump in the coming season and get past Round 2 for the first time since 2001.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Jaylen Brown sports Sixers jersey on latest stream, shares a message

#sixers #philadelphia #jaylen #since

Shaquille O'Neal admits he understands why some Lakers fans dislike him and LeBron James originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Over the years, the Los Angeles Lakers have had plenty of superstars come through their doors and stand out. Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James are among those players, and they helped them become champions. Shaq won three championships and Finals MVPs during his time, while LeBron led them to a ****** le with a Finals MVP as well.
Unfortunately, it seems they are not the biggest fan favorites despite their success with the Lakers. Shaq is not seen as one of the top Lakers legends, which is likely connected to his feud with Kobe Bryant. Now, it seems there is a mixed reaction to LeBron even after he just left the team.
Shaq has probably heard from all kinds of Lakers fans over the years, especially the past two decades. He left the team in some bad circumstances because it came from the peak of his feud with Bryant. O'Neal and Bryant got to reconcile at some point, but it left a bad taste in some Lakers fans' mouths.
When it comes to James, the Lakers fans did embrace him, especially when he led the team to a championship in only his second season with the team. Unfortunately, they could not win the championship again during his stint, which led to a vocal minority resenting him.

#lebron #bryant #team #left

Iman Shumpert disagrees with Shaquille O'Neal about the 76ers' ******* le favorite status originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
With the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers' roster, they are now being called one of the favorites to win the 2027 championship. It is fair to have those expectations because adding two Finals MVPs to the roster is a massive boost for the team's chances.
The players who were already in Philly beforehand are happy with the additions. In fact, they actively recruited James to the team, which is a good sign for the team's culture because it seems everyone wants to learn from the four-time Finals MVP, including sophomore guard VJ Edgecombe.
It is easy for people to get ahead of themselves when it comes to discussing championship favorites. That has been normal basketball discourse over the years, but crowning the 76ers is too early, especially with all kinds of elite teams throughout the league.
Shaquille O'Neal believes that this is a championship-or-bust season for the 76ers. Those are some extremely high expectations, but it seems he believes the 76ers can finally end their ******* le drought, especially with LeBron as the biggest name on the team.

#sporting

New details are emerging from Shohei Ohtani's translator, Ippei Mizuhara's gambling scandal, including an audio of him pretending to be the ****** anese star while calling the bank.
Shohei Ohtani has enjoyed incredible success already during his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's won back-to-back MVPs as well as consecutive World Series ****** les.
Even this season, Ohtani is a contender for the Cy Young Award, pitching at an elite level. Despite all his success, though, there have been some low points for the ****** anese superstar as well.
In 2024, the Dodgers fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara following accusations that he had stolen millions of dollars from Ohtani to pay off his gambling debts. Now, new details have come to light.
Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

#shohei #japanese

With summer nearing its end and fall just around the corner, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football has ***** yzed and made preseason predictions for Class 5A Texas high school football teams across the Lone Star State.
Next up in the 2026 Texas high school football preseason predictions is Class 5A Division II.
In the Big Country and West Texas area, there is one 5A DII district that includes many of the most talented teams in the greater Abilene area — District 2-5A DII.
Before diving into DCTF’s predictions for this West Texas district, the Amarillo Palo Duro Dons were the only District 2-5A DII squad to secure a spot in Dave Campbell’s preseason 5A DII statewide rankings at No. 18 following their trip to the area round of the 5A DII UIL football playoffs last year.
Amarillo Palo Duro quarterback Julian Reese II and Abilene Wylie linebacker Bo Kates were recognized as DCTF’s Preseason Offensive and Defensive MVPs, respectively, for District 2-5A DII.

#dave

As we continue our series we get to the most difficult position to profile. It is difficult because we entered into this series with some established rules. Players need to play a considerable amount at the position (you've seen some players qualify at more than one position) and they need to record at least 120 outs. Yordan Alvarez is the only player on the Astros to qualify in left field, but he does not play a ton of left field. So, later in the article we will create a player we will name Joey Dezenfido Jr. to tally up essentially what the Astros have been getting in left field.
We could have included Taylor Trammel, but he is playing more center these days and that will become important in the next piece. There can be no doubt that Yordan Alvarez is the best offensive player in the American League. Whether that makes him an MVP is certainly open to debate. Usually MVPs contribute with both the bat and the glove and there are certainly worthy candidates on other teams that do that. However, today we are looking only at offense.
Looking at the triumverate of Lamont Wade Jr, Joey Loperfido, and Zach Dezenzo becomes important because it will be the benchmark we measure any possible outfield acquisitions with. Obviously, both left field and center field are open possibilities and these next two articles will hopefully settle which position the Astros should target in a perfect world.
We use bases per out because they are much more accurate and all encompassing than cruder stats like OPS and OPS+. They are probably most similar to wOBA and rOBA, but since the formula is more transparent (because it is mine) it will hopefully be more meaningful. This is a gentle reminder that the MLB average for BPO is .676, but as we have seen, each position is different and brings with it different expectations. Otherwise, this article will serve as the lime wedge for the tequila shot that will be the other outfield positions.
Outs

#left #player #alvarez

PHILADELPHIA — Very rarely does Shohei Ohtani set a goal and fail to achieve it. Most baseball mountains he summits with awe-inspiring aplomb. Take, for instance, that ambitious list of goals he drew up for himself in high school.
This dynamic has grown only truer since Ohtani signed up with the juggernaut Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season. In the two years since: two MVPs and two World Series ****** les. Came, saw, conquered. Along the way, Ohtani delivered the greatest single-game performance in MLB history with that three-homer, six-scoreless-inning mastery in 2025 NLCS Game 4.
But his 2026 campaign came with a tantalizing side quest, one that, as far as anybody could reasonably tell, meant a great deal to Ohtani. Entering the season fully healthy and built up on the mound for the first time as a Dodger, the two-way machine could finally operate at full capacity as a pitcher. That provided an opportunity for the global megastar to pursue the only major accolade he has yet to attain.
Shohei Ohtani wanted a Cy Young.
He will not get it this year.

#game #only #since #season

The up-and-comers of the 2026 global supply chain might surprise some sourcing executives.
Plummeting trade between China and the United States due to prolonged trade tension has opened up new opportunities for new markets, allowing players like Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico and Brazil to become MVPs within many companies' sourcing matrixes. But Asia and the Americas are home to other sourcing locales that stand to rival or even supersede their rise, according to Verisk Maplecroft.
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This week’s All-Star Week festivities got off to a bombastic start on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, with outstanding performances from established sluggers and burgeoning stars alike in the Home Run Derby. The spectacle of Jordan Walker silencing a partisan Philadelphia crowd with six consecutive bombs to ****** the ****** le from Kyle Schwarber will be hard to top in terms of pure theatre, but let’s see what the Midsummer Classic itself has to offer!
Tonight, the Yankees will have both Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger representing them in the American League’s starting lineup; they’ll take on Philadelphia ace Cristopher Sánchez on his home mound as the Senior Circuit seeks to claim their second straight victory in the main event. The AL had mounted a late-inning comeback to erase a 6-0 lead, but Schwarber ultimately led the NL to victory by winning a Derby-esque swing-off challenge which replaced extra innings.
Of course, two other Yankees were named All-Stars this season: Aaron Judge and Cam Schlittler. Judge is still working his way back from the rib fracture he sustained in the first week of June. Schlittler was about as deserving as any pitcher to get the starting nod for the AL, but owing to his start this past Saturday, opted not to participate. Strangely, Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who will be leading the American League on the field tonight, said he was always planning to tap the Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease as the starter—even if Schlittler was available to pitch. Weird move, but all right.
Bellinger and Rice will hit consecutively in Schneider’s lineup, at the sixth and seventh spot respectively. (Everybody get those jokes out of the way now.) They were not voted into starting spots, but they will each get the nod regardless due to injuries to Judge and Byron Buxton in Bellinger’s case and the combination of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.‘s withdrawal from the event and replacement Nick Kurtz’s recent addition to the IL.
Rice participated in last night’s Home Run Derby, but failed to advance to the next round. He’ll still get a chance to show off the impressive game power which has brought him to the precipice of 30 home runs at the season’s intermission. Bellinger was slumping mightily ahead of the season’s final week, but finished strong with five hits in the last four games ahead of the break. He gets a chance to keep that momentum going against…well, somebody in the NL’s pitching staff. Since it tends to be a new face pitching every inning, and all. Just one big hit from either of them however, and they could join Derek Jeter (2000), Mariano Rivera (2013), and Giancarlo Stanton (2022) as the only All-Star Game MVPs in Yankees history.

The Coachella Valley has perhaps never had a group of quarterbacks quite as good, collectively, as the group that played during the 2025 high school football season. They were that impressive.
Bishop Miller V of Palm Springs High School and A.J. Rivera of Palm Desert were co-Offensive MVPs in the Desert Empire League. Each player accounted for at least 2,500 yards and 33 touchdowns, with Rivera setting the school record for passing yards and touchdowns in a season.
Then there was the record breaking quarterback at Shadow Hills, Jesse Rodriguez, who threw for a valley-high 2,844 yards to go with 27 touchdowns, and All-DEL first team quarterback Roman Ansley of La Quinta, just to name a few.
This season, the crop of quarterbacks could be just as potent, depending on who you ask. With the 2026 season quickly approaching, the guys who return under center should provide a lot of excitement for valley football fans.
In this story, we’ll highlight the five who already have our attention entering the season, which begins Aug. 21.

John Harbaugh coached Lamar Jackson to a pair of MVPs in Baltimore, but the duo couldn't find a way to navigate through the playoffs to a Super Bowl before Harbaugh was dismissed after the 2025 season.
Harbaugh's overall record meant that he only spent a short time out of work before landing as the head coach of the Giants and his chances of finding a way back to the big game will be heavily impacted by his new quarterback. Jaxson Dart showed ability as a runner and a passer in his 12 rookie starts and Harbaugh said on The Dominique Foxworth Show that he sees a chance to do "a lot of the stuff that we did in Baltimore with Lamar" in terms of attacking defenses on the ground and in the air in multiple ways.
"Jaxson's capable of doing a lot of things," Harbaugh said. "Like he can live in a lot of different worlds, football-wise. He can live in a power-running game, obviously, and a power-running game protects the quarterback because you can hand the ball off and get yards and make people defend that and keep them honest. Then, it opens up your play-action passing game. . . . That stuff, we're gonna be in those worlds. But now we can also get in the gun or we can get in the pistol, and we can run RPOs, we can run quarterback-driven runs."
Dart's flashes as a rookie were mitigated by a concussion that kept him out of two games and concussion checks that forced him out of parts of other contests. That's made his ability to stay on the field a question heading into his second season, but Harbaugh downplayed concerns about Dart's style by again citing Jackson.
"You say something like that to Lamar, and he kinda just looks at you like you've got three heads," Harbaugh said. "It's like, 'No, I'm gonna play ball, I'm gonna play ball.' I just knew, I trusted that he was gonna protect himself because he wants to be out there and he wants to play. It's not the type of a sport where — you can't put yourself in bubble wrap."

Legendary quarterback Tom Brady got the introduction of a lifetime during a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast with Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce.
It started with Jason giving a long rundown of the former New England Patriots quarterback's accolades and followed with Travis calling him "the GOAT."
"Our guest today is the 6-foot-4 quarterback from the University of Michigan, the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft, 15-time Pro Bowler, 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, three-time NFL MVP, only starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl in both the AFC and the NFC, he's got seven Super Bowl championships, five Super Bowl MVPs. 92 percenters, please welcome the most decorated man in the history of our game, Tom Brady," Jason Kelce said.
Travis Kelce followed with, "Yuhhh, we got the GOAT."
The comment from Travis carries weight considering he's the Kansas City Chiefs' legendary tight end playing with Patrick Mahomes, a quarterback actively working on his own greatest of all time argument. However, the meaning behind it likely isn't that deep.

Retired NFL Quarterback Ranks Drake Maye Ahead Of Three MVPs On Top Five List originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots saw Drake Maye finish as the MVP Award runner-up last season, and Brian Hoyer is very high on him going into next season.
There is no shortage of elite quarterbacks in the NFL right now, and Maye is just one name on a long list of star quarterbacks. While many agree that Maye is one of the best in the league right now, there is some debate about where exactly he ranks. Hoyer, who played quarterback in the NFL for 15 years, has him ranked second.
Hoyer revealed his top five quarterbacks on Sirius XM NFL Radio and had Matthew Stafford at the top of his list. Maye, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson closed out the list. He had Jackson in a tie for fifth with Joe Burrow.
"The reason I go with Drake second is not only what he did last year, but what I'm hearing coming out of Patriots camp right now," Hoyer said, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. "A.J. Brown was talking about Drake taking over the meeting room. I was in a room with a guy who did that every day -- Tom Brady -- and when a quarterback takes ownership like that it can take it to the next level."

Victor Wembanyama has a chance to make history in this year’s NBA Finals. He can he lead the San Antonio Spurs in becoming the first team to win the championship after losing Games 1 and 2 at home. The superstar center could also be the next Capricorn hero.
There’s been a trend of teams blowing 2-0 leads in every 10 years. The Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 Finals, while the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
MORE: Kevin Garnett mocks ‘emotional’ Victor Wembanyama for reaction to making NBA Finals
Interestingly, the Finals MVPs, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, are both Capricorns. The Heat legend’s birthday is Jan. 17, 1982. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar, on the other hand, was born on Dec. 30, 1984.
Wembanyama will turn 23 on Jan. 4. The Spurs will rely on him heavily as they look to bounce back strong starting in Game 3 on Monday.

Ian Begley: “He’s a gamer, man. In the biggest moments, he shows up. That’s what MVPs are supposed to do. We put the ball in his hands and said we were going to live and die with him .. and he got it done.” - Mike Brown on Jalen Brunson, who had 13 fourth-quarter points in NYK Game 1 win
x.com
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “He’s a gamer, man. In the biggest moments, he shows …

NFL legend reveals Shaquille O'Neal once DM'd his baby mama: "He was flirting....

Shaquille O'Neal is undoubtedly one of the greatest big men of all time. With four NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVPs and a regular-season MVP to his name, he has earned the right to the nickname "Most Dominant Ever."
However, one nickname he could very well add to the list is "Big Loverboy," as former NFL great DeSean Jackson revealed that O’Neal once tried to make a move on his girlfriend through a social media app.
Jackson was a prolific wide receiver who earned three NFL Pro Bowl selections and one

The idoit finals argument was created for Jordan.

Finals MVPs is team achievement. You need a great team to get that. Jordan was a role scorer taking 30 shots a game with 2 ******* ist…..

He also played in an expansion so it also holds less weight.