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🚨 Headlines
🏈 NFL trade news: Six-time Pro Bowler and 2023 DPOY Myles Garrett has requested a trade from the Browns, who drafted him first overall in 2017; Cooper Kupp said the Rams are working to trade him immediately and doesn’t seem too happy about it.
💵 Gambling probe expands: A gambling ring under federal investigation for its role in two NBA betting cases has been linked to unusual betting activity involving three men’s college basketball programs: North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State and Eastern Michigan.
🏀 Luka’s dad slams Mavs: Saša Dončić, a former professional player and head coach, criticized the “secrecy” and “hypocrisy” of Mavericks brass. “Luka absolutely doesn’t deserve this.”
⚾️ MLB fires ump: After a lengthy appeals process, MLB upheld its decision to fire umpire Pat Hoberg for sharing a betting account with a friend who bet on baseball. Hoberg also intentionally deleted messages that were central to MLB’s investigation.
🏀 Hamilton’s last dance: Florida State men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton will resign at the end of the season. The 76-year-old ranks fifth all-time in wins among ACC coaches behind Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Dean Smith and Gary Williams.
🏈 Goodell: DEI makes NFL better, will continue
Donald Trump wants to rid America of DEI. The NFL isn’t playing along, writes Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson from New Orleans.
The NFL’s dedicated push to add diversity in all levels of America’s most popular sport will continue. That was the message delivered by commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday during his annual state of the league address — declining to follow in the footsteps of some major U.S. corporations stripping away diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
It’s a notable decision by the NFL, given the league’s extremely strong public profile and the recent trends opposing DEI initiatives in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election to the White House. The NFL has supported a host of diversity initiatives throughout its structure, including the long-debated “Rooney Rule,” which mandates the interviewing of minority candidates during the hiring process of high-ranking coaches and executives.
“We got into diversity efforts because we felt it was the right thing for the NFL,” Goodell said on Monday. “And we’re going to continue towards that, because we’ve not only convinced ourselves, I think we’ve proven that it does make the NFL better.”
“We’re not in this because it’s a trend to get into or a trend to get out of it,” he continued. “Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent both on and off the field. We see how it’s benefitted the NFL. I think we’ll continue those efforts. I think it’s also clearly a reflection of our fan base and our communities and our players.”
More from Media Night:
Follow along: Live updates from New Orleans
🏀 Isaiah Thomas is running his own race
Eight years ago, Isaiah Thomas was garnering MVP buzz during one of the best scoring seasons in NBA history. Now, the 5-foot-9 guard is grinding it out in the G League in hopes of making it back to the big time.
The rise: Thomas — picked last by the Kings in the 2011 draft — enjoyed a steady rise to stardom, becoming a 20-point scorer in his third season, an All-Star in his fifth and a superstar in his sixth, when he averaged 28.9 points and finished fifth in MVP voting with the Celtics in 2017.
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All signs pointed to Thomas landing a nine-figure contract and becoming a mainstay in Boston, where he was beloved by fans. Then, life went sideways.
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On the eve of the 2017 playoffs, his sister died in a car crash. Weeks later, he re-aggravated a hip injury, which ended his season and ultimately derailed his career.
The fall: Two hip surgeries limited Thomas to 84 games and veteran-minimum deals across the next three seasons with the Cavaliers, Lakers, Nuggets and Wizards before he was traded to — and waived by — the Clippers a month before the pandemic began.
The comeback trail: IT has been in and out of the NBA ever since, signing 10-day contracts with four different teams and making 53 appearances — often during garbage time. He went unsigned for the entirety of the 2022-23 season, but he hasn’t given up.
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A solid stint last spring with the G League’s Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz affiliate) landed him a deal with the Suns, and he played his first NBA games in nearly two years.
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Now, he’s back with the Stars, where he hopes his undeniable ability to put the ball in the basket (29.3 points through three games) will jumpstart his next NBA comeback.
The last word: “Just running my own race!” Thomas tweeted last week after news broke that he was headed back to the minor leagues at age 35 (he turns 36 on Friday). “Don’t be mad at me cuz I’m chasing something I love! Get yo ass up and do the same.”
⚾️ MLB offseason grades
All 30 MLB teams had the chance to get better over the winter. Some did; some did not. A few free agents are still in need of a team, but with spring training just days away, our MLB experts graded how every team fared this offseason.
Grades by division: NL East | NL Central | NL West | AL East | AL Central | AL West
🇺🇸 Photos across America
New York — Jalen Brunson had his fingerprints all over the Knicks’ 124-118 win over the Rockets, scoring 42 points (17 in the fourth quarter), dishing out 10 assists and adding 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Rising star Amen Thompson had a triple-double (25-11-11) in the loss.
Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump welcomed the Stanley Cup champion Panthers to the White House ahead of their game tonight against the first-place Capitals. The team gifted him two customized jerseys and a golden hockey stick.
Raleigh, North Carolina — Aziaha James scored a career-high 36 points to lift No. 14 NC State to an 89-83 win over No. 10 Duke. This comes a year after she notched her previous high mark of 33 points against the Blue Devils on the same floor.
Boston — No. 1 Boston College and No. 10 Boston University* will meet in the finals of the 72nd Beanpot next Monday after the Eagles spanked two-time defending champion Northeastern, 8-2, and the Terriers demolished Harvard, 7-1, in last night’s semifinals.
*Goal of the night: Shane Lachance (pictured above) went through the legs for the filthy backhanded finish.
📺 Watchlist: NBA doubleheader
The NBA is serving up quite the doubleheader tonight, with Celtics at Cavaliers (7:30pm ET, TNT) in a battle of the East’s top two teams, followed by Lakers at Clippers (10pm, TNT) in a battle of crosstown rivals.
Pregame notes: The Cavs (40-9) and Celtics (35-15) split their first two meetings. The Clippers (28-21) beat the Lakers (28-19) in their only meeting of the season, which was way back when Luka Dončić* was still a Maverick.
More to watch:
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🏀 NCAAM: No. 11 Marquette at No. 12 St. John’s (6:30pm, FS1); No. 14 Kentucky at No. 25 Ole Miss (7pm, ESPN); Baylor at No. 13 Texas Tech (9pm, ESPN2); No. 9 Michigan State at UCLA (9pm, Peacock); No. 20 Arizona at BYU (11pm, ESPN)
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🏒 NHL: Panthers at Capitals (8pm, ESPN+); Hurricanes at Jets (8pm, ESPN+) … Four of the top seven teams in the league by points.
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⚾️ Caribbean Series: Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic (5pm, MLB); Japan vs. Venezuela (10pm, MLB) … The final day of the Round-Robin Stage. Semifinals start tomorrow.
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⛳️ TGL: Boston vs. Los Angeles (9pm, ESPN) … McIlroy, Matsuyama, Bradley and Scott vs. Morikawa, Theegala, Rose and Fleetwood.
*Injury report: Dončić (calf strain) is expected to make his Lakers debut on either Feb. 10 (vs. Jazz) or Feb. 12 (at Jazz), which are the last two games before the All-Star break.
🏈 Super Bowl trivia
Andy Reid is one of five head coaches in NFL history to win at least three Super Bowls.
Question: Who are the other four?
Hint: Two share a first name.
Answer at the bottom.
🚨 At the buzzer!
Monday night delivered two epic buzzer-beaters. First, Matt Hayman banked in a miracle heave from way beyond half court to win it for Stephen F. Austin in overtime. Then Trae Young buried a ridiculous stepback to lift the Hawks past the Pistons in Detroit.
Trivia answer: Bill Belichick (6 Super Bowl wins), Chuck Noll (4), Bill Walsh (3), Joe Gibbs (3)
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