The WNBA's 2026 All-Star Weekend gets started Friday night with the 3-point contest and Shooting Stars competition

Nicolas Milanovic says a return to Western Sydney Wanderers from Aberdeen "just felt right" after a disappointing season with the Scottish Premiership club.The 24-year-old winger has been sold back to the A-League outfit, for whom he won the Johnny Warren Medal - awarded to the league's player of the year - two seasons ago."This club has always meant a lot to me and I'm incredibly proud to be back representing Western Sydney," Milanovic told the club website."The opportunity to play overseas challenged me in a lot of ways and helped me grow as a player, and as a person. I'll bring those experiences back with me."Milanovic played 24 times for Aberdeen without scoring, only 10 of them starts.But, during his absence, Western Sydney dropped from fourth in the league two seasons ago to bottom of the 12 teams last term and he is confident of a resurgence on his return."I know what this club is building and I want to be part of it," he said. "We have a real talented group, a passionate supporter base and a real opportunity to achieve something special together."Western Sydney, who have Scotland cap Ryan Fraser on the other wing, say they are welcoming back a "hometown hero" and "one of Australian football's most exciting attacking talents" who can help them challenge for trophies.Head coach Ufuk Talay added: "Nic's an exciting player who brings energy, power and quality in the final third. "He's someone who can create and score goals and he is a fantastic addition to the squad we are building."His experience overseas will help him, but for me it's about making sure he enjoys his football again. When Nic is playing with confidence and freedom, he's one of the best players in the competition."

Will LeBron James and the 76es play the Lakers this season? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.It's official: LeBron James is going from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Philadelphia 76ers. The NBA star, 41, announced the news on Friday, finally ending weeks of wondering where the basketball legend would end up.When announcing his new team, James even admitted that he wasn't sure if he was going to retire or not after the 2025 season."I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn't ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game," James shared. "I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game. I still truly love this game, and I have more to give."LeBron James will face his former team this seasonJust like it was exciting seeing James take on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time after he left that franchise, it'll be just as interesting to see how he handles going up against the Lakers.So, will James and the 76ers play the Lakers this season? Of course.The Lakers and 76ers will go up against each other twice during the regular season. They do that each year in interconference play.Each NBA team plays cross-conference opponents twice per season: once at home and once away.Seeing LeBron go up against Los Angeles will really add a huge layer of interest to those two games this season. Plus, what if Bronny stays with the Lakers and they put him on the court? The possibilities are endless. The NBA is expected to release their 2026-27 schedule in mid-August, and that's when LeBron will learn when he goes up against his former franchise.More NBA news:Draymond Green just got recognition that should silence his criticsPistons' Cade Cunningham's New Sneaker Gets an Official Release DateLakers found a gem nobody expected to be this good

LeBron James will move up the all-time rankings in these 4 stats during 2026-27 NBA season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.As of now, LeBron James remains unsigned, but we all know he's bound to find a home for the 2026-27 NBA season.Once he does find his next team, he can focus on the upcoming season, which is one where he'll have the opportunity to make up ground in several major all-time stat categories.LeBron James will move up in these all-time stat rankings in 2026-27 NBA seasonLet's take a look at some of the stats he will pass players in on the all-time rankings.MORE:When will the 2026-27 NBA regular season schedule be revealed?AssistsRankPlayerAssistsGames1John Stockton15,8061,5042Chris Paul12,5521,3703Jason Kidd12,0911,3914LeBron James12,0161,622James enters next season with the fourth most assists by a player in NBA history.Assuming he plays a healthy season, we'll estimate he plays around 60 games.He should be able to pass Kidd fairly easily, but it will be tougher to pass a newly retired Paul.James would need to average ~8.93 assists in an estimated 60 games to have a chance at passing Paul to claim second place in this stat.StealsRankPlayerStealsGames1John Stockton3,2651,5042Chris Paul2,7281,3703Jason Kidd2,6841,3914Michael Jordan2,5141,0725Gary Payton2,4451,3356LeBron James2,4171,622Using the 60-game estimation again, we can predict around what he'll finish with next season.If he averages at least 1.0 steal, he'll pass Gary Payton on the list.There has to be some motivation for James to pass Jordan on the list, but he'd need to have a great defensive season with around 100 steals to pass one of the greatest players of all-time.MORE:Why Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro got into an altercation at Summer LeagueDefensive reboundsRankPlayerDREBGames1Kevin Garnett11,4531,4622Karl Malone11,4061,4763Tim Duncan11,2321,3924Dwight Howard10,4761,2425LeBron James10,2531,622Even though the NBA only began keeping track of this stat in the 1973-74 season, there are still 50+ years of data, and he is in an elite group of centers from the past few decades.He should have no problem passing Howard for fourth place this upcoming season, but beyond that, don't expect to see him go further.WinsRankPlayerWinsGames1Kareem Abdul-Jabbar1,0741,5602LeBron James1,0481,622James recently passed Robert Parish and Tim Duncan in this category, but now has his eyes on claiming the top spot.It's very doable, as he'd only need to win 27 of the games he appears in next season.Considering he's likely to pick a team this summer that'll be a contender/top team in their conference, you can almost guarantee that he gets the job done, as long as he's healthy.More NBA news:Thunder send message to teams interested in trading for Chet HolmgrenWhy Spurs' Victor Wembanyama made $51 million sacrifice on contract extensionWarriors have a Draymond Green dilemma if they sign LeBron JamesLakers commitment to Walker Kessler could be costly for this key reasonJordan Clarkson's contract will help the Knicks avoid a major penalty

Credit: Wendell Cruz via Reuters Connect; The Dan Patrick ShowWhy is Sabrina Ionescu not in the WNBAs 3-Point Contest this weekend in Chicago? She won it last year, as well as in 2023, when she put up a record round of 37. Ionescu even briefly revitalized the NBAs competition in 2024 by going head-to-head with Steph Curry, only narrowly losing to the NBA legend.However, Ionescu is not even in the pool of participants this time around.There are a host of reasons that could explain this: Ionescu did not make the All-Star game amid an injury-plagued campaign for New York, while up-and-comers like Azzi Fudd and Rhyne Howard will replace some of Ionescus star power. But across the WNBA and NBA, if a reigning victor wants to participate in any of the All-Star weekend festivities, they are welcomed back.At a press conference leading into All-Star weekend, Ionescu claimed she was never invited.I cant decline an offer that I officially didnt get invited to, she said.To find out what really happened here, we return to Dan Patrick, who has become quite a pot-stirrer for the WNBA recently.During his radio show on Thursday and Friday, Patrick reported on the seeming miscommunication between the WNBA and Ionescus camp.We reached out to the WNBA, and surprise, surprise, they actually got back to us, Patrick teased. And they gave us a spokesperson, someone affiliated with the All-Star festivities. And this person said they reached out to Sabrina Ionescu the same way they did the two previous times now I dont know what that was, because the person didnt say.Then, Patrick said, his show reached out to Ionescus representatives to verify the story.We got one word, in capital letters: NO, Patrick said.Later, Patrick provided his analysis of what is going on behind the scenes.Somebody is covering up for something here, or someone, he said. It sounded like Sabrina Ionescu was miffed she didnt get invited, and wanted to get invited. And I dont know, since shes not an All-Star, and some players dont compete in events if theyre not All-Stars, I dont know if that had something to do with this.But once again, here we have a disconnect, a miscommunication moment, going into the All-Star game.Patrick also called attention to the word officially in Ionescus response, wondering whether she was subtly taking issue with an informal ask versus a more professional one she would have preferred.Coming off multiple instances in which Patrick has called out the WNBA for mismanaging bad PR and shying away from accountability, he once again lamented the constant distractions that he believes are self-inflicted by the league.The WNBA keeps having too many of these moments, he said. We should be celebrating, and were not.You do have great players, great stories. But we keep going back to the same ones. Why? It starts at the top. The commissioners gotta talk about this.Notably, Caitlin Clark will once again also not participate in the 3-Point Contest, which Patrick explained as perhaps the superstar trying to take the spotlight off herself. Ionescu, on the other hand, clearly relishes the chance to compete in the contest and is not getting it.The post Dan Patrick reveals conflicting stories from WNBA, Sabrina Ionescus camp over 3-point contest invite appeared first on Awful Announcing.

BRONX, NY - JULY 17: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the game against the New York Yankees on July 17, 2026 at Yankee Stadium in the Borough of the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe Dodgers (65-38) continue their long road trip with a three game series against the Mets (43-60) in New York.Roki Sasaki (3-5, 4.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) hopes to build off his impressive start against the Yankees.Left-hander Sean Manaea (2-5, 4.74 ERA, 1.36) takes the mound for the Mets.LineupsToday's #Dodgers lineup at Mets: pic.twitter.com/cr6V3bgYj8 Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 24, 2026Tonight's starters #LGMpic.twitter.com/TKDbYREeAt New York Mets (@Mets) July 24, 2026Friday game infoTeams: Dodgers at MetsBallpark: Citi Field, QueensStart time: 4:10 p.m. PTTV: SportsNet LARadio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Adam Ramsay-Peaty is the 100m breaststroke world record holder and two-time Olympic champion [Reuters]Sport is littered with moments when the baton is passed from one generation for the other.Steffi Graf toppled Martina Navratilova to win her first Grand Slam title on the clay of Paris in 1987 and Jason Kenny beat Chris Hoy to take the coveted sprint spot for Team GB at London 2012.It is less than a week since Lamine Yamal's Spain beat Lionel Messi's Argentina in another similar moment.For the youngster involved, it is straightforward: take a shot at the superstar.The renowned champion has to hold off a rival and time itself.Scott overcomes pressure and big pal Dean to give Scotland golden startHorror injury overshadows gymnastics silver at CommonwealthsAdam Ramsay-Peaty becomes the latest to face the latter situation on Saturday - in the 100m breaststroke final at Glasgow's Commonwealth Games, shortly after 21:00 BST.The greatest breaststroker the world has seen is on his own journey - one which he hopes ends with a third individual gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in two years' time.Manoeuvring into his slipstream is 18-year-old Filip Nowacki.Master meet apprentice.Not only has Nowacki started to pick off Ramsay-Peaty's age-group records, he is part of the 31-year-old's AP Race stable - the programme set up to develop the next generation.Ramsay-Peaty has spoken of wanting to mentor and pass on advice to his young pretender. Last year, Nowacki repaid him by breaking his 100m breaststroke junior British record.Ramsay-Peaty, who is chasing a 33rd major gold of a glittering career, appeared in no mood to hand over the baton in Friday's semi-finals.There is uncertainty around a broken finger suffered in June but, side by side in lanes four and five, Ramsay-Peaty built an early lead and held off the youngster in the second length. Nowacki was close but never quite close enough."I saw his front wave, but at the same time that is what I train for," Ramsay-Peaty said."I know I am a sprinter. I know I can go out fast."Nowacki, who competes for Jersey here having learned to swim under the tutelage of Nathan Jegou on the Channel Island, is arguably best in the 200m event - a distance Ramsay-Peaty does not race.In this shorter contest, it is the youngster who should stay stronger for longer.And when they spoke afterwards alongside each other, Ramsay-Peaty, all chest and tattooed muscle, towered over his young rival - so much so you would be forgiven for thinking the pair compete in different sports.Nowacki appeared wary of Ramsay-Peaty but there is a cheeky confidence within."Course I do," he laughed when asked if he believes he can win."No, I wish, I'm gonna give it my best shot" was his quick addition.Nowacki was not long out of armbands when Ramsay-Peaty won gold in this same pool at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.That was his emergence on to the global stage and two years later the Englishman won his first Olympic title in Rio de Janeiro. Nowacki was only eight years old."Adam is a true role model in the sport," Nowacki said."I grew up watching him race at Rio, Tokyo and Paris."To race him and not be a random competitor but give him a race is special to me."The pair should compete as Team GB team-mates in LA but are also racing for their own personal ambitions on Saturday.Despite winning an emotional silver at the Olympics in Paris two years ago, Ramsay-Peaty has not stood atop a major podium since the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.In that meet he won the 50m crown but lost his 100m title to James Wilby. A "self-destructive spiral" amid issues with his mental health, which led to him considering his future in the sport, soon followed.If Nowacki wins a medal it would be Jersey's first at the Commonwealth Games for 36 years. They have only ever won one gold medal.Australia's Sam Williamson, who won the first semi-final, will also have something to say."It is going to be a good scrap, especially down that last 25m, and I do love a good scrap," Ramsay-Peaty said.He would never go quietly.Nowacki hopes to end Jersey's 36-year medal wait

If Davis Martin wants to keep the good times rolling, hell need to find a way to stymie the big bat of Yordan Alvarez.Coming out of the All-Star break neck-and-neck with the Cleveland Guardians, the Chicago White Sox knew they had to hit the ground running. With two road series on deck against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers, winning each respective series was all that mattered and the White Sox did exactly that.Thanks to a recent slip in form for the Guardians, the White Sox now hold a slim 1 1/2-game lead in the AL Central. With the Guardians having to face the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds on the road the next six games, the time is now for the White Sox, starting with this first game against the Houston Astros.Another series win would likely keep their lead in the division before the big, bad New York Yankees come into town. With the Tampa Bay Rays and red-hot Boston Red Sox on deck after that, results are imperative here in this series.The same goes for the Astros, who may not be benefiting from stealing signs any longer but are certainly taking advantage of an unusually weak AL West division. Although they come into this series with a 50-54 record, they somehow find themselves just two games out of first.Looking to turn the tide of their poor season, the Astros turn to Spencer Arrighetti to toe the rubber tonight. Arrighetti started out the season as one of the best pitchers in the American League but has since fallen off a cliff. After jumping out to a blistering 7-1 record and an ERA of 1.34 in his first eight starts, Arrighetti has yet to record a single win since. He posted an ERA of nine in the month of June before settling down with an ERA of six in three starts so far this month.Arrighetti excels at limiting hard hits, but thats pretty much all he does well. Much like Vin Diesel, hes mostly a one-trick pony. Arrighetti is simply average in every other metric that matters. As a matter of fact, hes quite poor at getting batters to swing and miss, and with a fastball that sits slower than 93 miles per hour he cant blow anybody away, either. As long as the White Sox stay disciplined and patient, they should have plenty of opportunities to score some runs tonight.As for the White Sox, they have Davis Martin on the hill and its clear why hes largely considered the teams ace. His results have diminished as of late, with blowups against the Minnesota Twins, Yankees and Red Sox of late. With that being said, hes been unfortunate to be without a win since June 10, with Davis having four starts since then allowing just two runs or less.Martin excels at getting hitters to chase this year, which hell need to continue if he wants to have any chance against a player like Yordan Alvarez tonight. With Alvarez being the only qualified player on the Astros with an OPS better than .800 this season, if Martin can limit the damage he causes the White Sox should be able to take care of the Astros. Unfortunately, thats a much easier task than it may seem on paper.Here are the starting lineups for the Chicago White Sox:Here are the starting lineups for the Houston Astros:First pitch is 6:40 p.m. CST. You can watch on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000. Let us know your thoughts and predictions below!Join the conversation!Sign up for a user accountand get:Fewer adsCreatecommunity postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!

ST. PETERSBURG, FL In 2025, the American Conference became the first conference in college sports to institute a "minimum investment" threshold for its members.That meant every school in the conference would be required to spend at least $10 million over a three-year period on revenue sharing. Some schools, like Memphis, cleared that in one year. Others were further away, but Pernetti told The Commercial Appeal at conference media days on July 24 that it's gone well so far.There have been conversations about expanding it, he said.We have talked at our annual meeting with the ADs about the idea of, Okay, were a year in to this thing. Were further ahead than everybody expected we would be. We should have two conversations. The minimum should maybe be higher, and then do we want to designate specific minimums to specific sports."Asked specifically about a minimum investment threshold for just basketball, Pernetti said those have only been "conversations" and it doesn't mean anything is imminent.The American's basketball level has struggled to keep up with its football level over the past few years. While the conference has been the top Group of Five conference in football over the past two years and sent Tulane to the College Football Playoff in 2025, basketball has lagged behind. The American has been a one-bid league to the NCAA Men's Tournament for the last two seasons.Pernetti has been trying to fix that. He hired former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese as an advisor in 2025 and said he also wants to look at other things like how they schedule conference games.Weve made a concerted effort," Pernetti said. "We have a basketball working group thats working together. We have Mike Tranghese working on it. Were looking at scheduling, scheduling alliances, how we schedule inside the league, minimum investment in basketball to elevate that. Because we know how important that is to our future.Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.comor on X @thejonahdylan.This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: American Conference having 'conversations' about basketball-specific spending floor