Bam Adebayo reacts to LeBron James choosing the Philadelphia 76ers over the Miami Heat originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.After LeBron James announced that he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, it led to teams showing interest around the league. Even if he is already 41, LeBron is still one of the most appealing players in the league due to his winning pedigree and tremendous talent.When he saw the Philadelphia 76ers trade for Jaylen Brown, he saw a team that showed ambition. He was enamored by that, which led to him eventually signing with the 76ers. It was a tough pill to swallow for some teams that wanted to sign him, including his former team, the Miami Heat.Bam Adebayo's reaction to LeBron James snubbing the Heat for the 76ersAs one of the Heat's stars, Adebayo would have loved to have James setting up for lobs and pick-and-rolls. It would have been an electric trio between Bam, LeBron, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unfortunately, it did not pan out for the team from South Beach.While they managed to sign LeBron 16 years ago, Philly was too enticing to pass up. Adebayo was disappointed because the Heat would have been a much better team, but he is happy with what they have now. Adebayo and Antetokounmpo in the same frontcourt is dangerous, and they know that too.MORE:Rich Paul believed LeBron James was headed back to MiamiSince Adebayo got close with James during their Team USA days, he is quite familiar with how the four-time Finals MVP thinks. That is why he is not surprised by his decision to join the 76ers, but now, they have to be inter-conference rivals."Im cool with Bron. I consider Bron like a brother, honestly. Weve been Olympic teammates, but even before that weve always had down-to-earth conversations. Im happy for him. You want whats best for somebody. Thats really how you go from there," Adebayo said about James joining the 76ers and snubbing the Heat.The Eastern Conference is quite competitive in the 2026-27 season. Since the New York Knicks are the defending champions, they remain the favorites, but they will have some stiff competition from the Heat, the 76ers, and the resurgent Indiana Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton.More NBA news:Bam Adebayo's thoughts on the Miami Heat's apparent lack of shootingGiannis Antetokounmpo recalls the impact that Goran Dragic had on his careerThe reason LeBron James joined the 76ers over the likes of the Cavaliers, the Heat, and the WarriorsWhy a Heat staff member made a mistake of scheduling a LeBron James press conferenceJaylen Brown and Joel Embiid now rank among LeBron James' best teammatesHow LeBron James would have fit on every team that showed interest in signing him

ATLANTA Luis Garca Jr. wanted to help but could only watch as the Washington Nationals suffered their fifth straight loss on Sunday.Garca was scratched about 30 minutes before a 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. He watched the game from the dugout.A short time later, the New York Yankees announced they got Garca in a trade with the Nationals in exchange for four pitchers.I mean, it was weird, uncomfortable, going out to a dugout and then having all the other teammates look at you, Garca said through a translator.Garca has spent his career with the Nationals but acknowledged he was excited to move to the Yankees.I mean its a mix of both sad and happy, Garca said. Theres a new chapter in my career, so yeah, 50-50 right now.In exchange for Garca, the Nationals received right-handed pitchers Jake Bird, Yovanny Cruz, Jack Cebert and Ben Grable.When asked after Sundays 2-1 win at the Chicago Cubs about a trade for Garca, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was not in a mood to confirm.The Yankees open a three-game series against the Cardinal in St. Louis on Monday night. There was no official word on whether Garca would be with the team.Bird, 30, has a 5.93 ERA in 30 games with the Yankees this season, all in relief. Cruz, 26, has a 1.69 ERA in four games. Grable and Cebert have spent the full season in the minors.

Wayne Taylor Racing ended a winning streak of more than two years in IMSA Grand Touring Prototype, winnin the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America with the No. 10 Cadillac of Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky TaylorIn a chaotic race (expanded to six hours) Sunday on the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, road course, Albuquerque and Taylor delivered the team's first win in the top category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship since Detroit in June 2024. It's WTR's first victory since returning to Cadillac last year."Very, very special," Albuquerque said. "This is more than just a win. Super happy with everyone.Albuquerque took the lead from Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Cadillac with just under 90 minutes remaining and held on through multiple restarts as the race ended under yellow. The No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 of Laurin Heinrich, Kaylen Frederick and Tijmen van der Helm finished second, and WTR 's No. 40 Cadillac of Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz finished third.Amazing day, it was a full team effort," Ricky Taylor said. "So proud of how the team has stuck with it and kept working towards this sort of result, and just very thankful to Cadillac for sticking with us through all of it. They've always had our back, and they've emphasized how it's one team and that support goes a long way to keeping our confidence because our confidence has been challenged a lot with the lack of results. So, finally getting a win and not just a lucky one. It was a strong performance all day, so we feel like this is something we can build on.It's the second win at Road America for Wayne Taylor's team.I just couldn't be happier, Taylor said.The last 18 months has been the hardest 18 months for me in motorsports that I can remember. I kept saying to myself, we all work hard, we've got great partners, and the drivers are all working hard. The most important thing was keeping everybody positive and keeping the passion. To get a win and a third just shows to me that our work ethic, dedication, and focus as a team has paid off. This is really great and Im very happy for everyone."The race featured nine cautions and a few dozen penalties, many for rough driving. More than three hours after the race, official results were pending because IMSA was reviewing an incident between the No. 31 Cadillace and No. 6 Porsche.In other categories:LMP2: The Inter Europol Competition team won its second consecutive race with the trio of Jeremy Clarke, Bijoy Garg and Tom Dillmann in the No. 43 ORECA LMP2 07.GTD Pro: Andrea Caldarelli and Sandy Mitchell won in the Pfaff Motorsports-entered No. 9 Lamborghini Temerario GT3.GTD: Winward Racing captured its second consecutive victory with Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and Indy Dontje in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3.Results from the 2026 IMSA SportsCar Endurance GP at Road AmericaResultsResults by classFastest laps by driverFastest laps by driver after race (over the weekend)Fastest laps by driver and class after raceRace distance and average speedFastest lap sequenceLeader sequenceLap chartRace analysis by lapStint analysisTime cardsPit stop time cardsBest sector timesFlag analysis with race control messagesWeather reportUp nextThe GTD Pro and GTD classes will race in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR on Aug. 23 at Virginia International Raceway.

Masai Ujiri has a proven eye for wings. The Mavericks team president has spent his career identifying and developing players 6-foot-6 and above, a skill that has followed him from Toronto to Dallas.In Toronto, he helped the team find Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. He also traded for the likes of Kawhi Leonard, who helped the Raptors win their only championship in franchise history. All those players have similar physical traits that make them the prototypical two-way wing player that NBA franchises covet in a pace-and-space league.So when the Mavericks announced that Ujiri and the rest of the front office decided to extend wing Naji Marshall, it shouldnt have surprised anyone.Marshall has signed a three-year, $52.2 million contract extension, sources told DLLS Sports Marc Stein on Sunday. The deal follows a three-year, $27 million free agent contract the Mavericks gave Marshall in 2024.The extension will start at $18.2 million in 2027-28 and decline over the following two seasons to $17.3 million in 2028-29 and $16.7 million in 2029-30, sources told Stein.Marshall, 28, will earn roughly 9.5% of the salary cap annually in Year 1 of the deal. The Mavericks slasher should remain trade-eligible based on the extensions descending structure, according to Third Apron founder Yossi Gozlan.Marshall has played a variety of roles since arriving in Dallas prior to the 2024-25 season, which has helped him earn the nickname The Knife for his utility-knife versatility. The 6-foot-6 wing has averaged more than 14 points on 51% shooting from the field across his two seasons with the Mavericks.But what makes Marshall special is his ability to get into the lane and convert floaters.Marshall converted 113 of 202 floaters last season (55.9 eFG%). He was one of just three players last season to make at least 100 floaters, along with All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson.Marshall shot 10 percentage points better than his shot quality indicated on those types of shots. About 48.5% of his attempts came within eight feet of the rim, where he shot a blistering 64.1%. In the short midrange (8-16 feet), Marshalls efficiency dropped to 51.3% but remained effective.Marshall shot below 30% from outside 16 feet, an area the Knife will need to improve next season. But with a sophomore leap expected from reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg and the return of All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, Marshall should get better opportunities to knock down jump shots.His shooting struggles will need to improve, but playing alongside Irving, Max Christie and newly acquired Tarik Biberovi and Santi Aldama shouldnt hurt his outlook.Mavericks fans should envision a world where Marshall is a two-way connector who plays off advantages generated by Flagg and Irving. His ability to pass, dribble, rebound and defend should provide immense value for the 2026-27 Mavericks.Marshalls salary will land in the same range as Klay Thompson, Keldon Johnson, Patrick Williams, Toumani Camara and Wendell Carter Jr.He averaged career highs in points, assists, field-goal percentage and steals last season while posting six 30-point games after just two such performances in the two years prior.So if Marshall keeps improving as he has at every step of his career, this contract should prove to be a bargain for Dallas.

The Golden State Warriors will begin the 2026-27 season shorthanded, as both Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody are sidelined due to injury. Both guards are working tirelessly for a return, as it's been reported that Butler III is targeting a potential return on Christmas Day.Good news followed that report Sunday afternoon, as it was revealed that Moody is hoping to begin on-court work in September. Since Moody sustained his patellar tendon injury in March, he's naturally a bit behind Butler III, who tore his ACL in January.However, Warriors fans will be satisfied to know that both are progressing well as the 2026-27 campaign looms. Until their return, all eyes will be on Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, Draymond Green and recent No. 11 overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg.This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors receive positive injury update on Moses Moody

Now its for real! Vozinha lands in as Colo-Colo signingColo-Colo announced the signing of Vozinha on the 24th.But the Cape Verde national team goalkeeper kept postponing his trip to Chile.Even a Moroccan club, Berkane, joined the race for the 40-year-old player.But the wait ended on Sunday night (2).Josimar Jos vora Dias landed in Santiago to finally make it certain that he will play for Colo-Colo.His new club even managed to get around the rule in Chile banning players from having nicknames on their shirts.In other words: Vozinha will be able to keep wearing Vozinha, without having to use Josimar.It is speculated that he will have the second-highest salary at the club, which leads the Chilean Championship comfortably and is trying to return to the Copa Libertadores.The goalkeeper was one of Cape Verdes standout players at the last World Cup. Justin Setterfield - 2026 Getty ImagesHe made the difference in the historic qualification for the round of 32 after three draws (two of them against Spain and Uruguay), and also put in a strong performance in the elimination against Argentina, which only came in extra time.Vozinha had around 50,000 followers on Instagram until a CazTV campaign helped him gain millions of new fans after his World Cup debut.Today he boasts 29.5 million. A number higher than that of any team in Brazils Srie A.And it is with that kind of social media clout that he also arrives at Colo-Colo.Photo: Reproduo/Colo-ColoThis article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in here.

DENVER (AP) The judge who granted the right to play another year of college sports to some athletes whose eligibility ran out last school year issued a new order Sunday that makes clear that does not include football players who signed pro contracts this summer then had a change of heart. U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney responded to an NCAA request for clarity about her Friday ruling that granted a fifth year to athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and were not included in the new NCAA rule that allows five seasons of eligibility for Division I players. That decision, she said, still stands, but has no impact on other NCAA rules, including its prohibition on players signing pro contracts, then coming back to college. The ruling, as first written, had the potential to upend the upcoming college football season, where teams are starting camp planning on the so-called five for five rule to take effect beginning next fall. Extending it to players this fall granted hundreds a chance to return to school. In the direct aftermath of the decision, some media reports were listing players on NFL and CFL rosters who were signaling theyd be open to returning to school.But that appears to be off the table after Sweeney's clarification that said there are no changes to the NCAA's rules regarding pros; no exceptions over when athletes can enter the transfer portal; and no impact on elements of the landmark House lawsuit settlement, which dictates how many players teams can put on rosters and how much schools can pay them.The rulings out of U.S. District Court in Denver figures to impact sports differently. Football teams, for instance, have already started practice for this season, while baseball doesn't start for a while. In making decisions, teams figure to factor the NCAA's coming appeal of Sweeney's order and whether to risk bringing back players who could then be declared ineligible if her decision is overturned. NCAA President Charlie Baker issued a statement after Sweeney's initial ruling came out Friday, saying the ruling was potentially chaos-inducing and a reason Congress needs to pass the Protect College Sports Act. That bill, being considered in the Senate, includes lawsuit protection for the NCAA over eligibility rules, the likes of which they defending in several courts around the country.___AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

WASHINGTON After nearly nine hours of intermittent heavy rain, thunder and lightning Sunday, the DC Open postponed its womens and mens finals until Monday.Rain delayed the start of the womens final between the No. 1 seed American Jessica Pegula and rising star Alex Eala of the Philippines by three hours Sunday. Pegula won the first set, 6-4, in smothering humidity and Eala led 2-1 in the second before the rain came again and the tournament suspended play just before 4 p.m.Pegula and Eala will resume their match at noon Monday. The mens final between No. 3 seed Taylor Fritz of the United States and the young Spaniard Rafael Jodar will follow.The tournament announced the postponements at 9:06 p.m. to a hearty few members of the crowd who were still hanging out on the grounds.The prospect of a Monday final is slightly complicated for the DC Open, which, as a late-summer tournament held in the mid-Atlantic, deals with weather delays nearly every year. But summer storms rarely affect the final in Washington, and extending the tournament by a day puts players in a slight time crunch as the next event on most players calendars the National Bank Open, which hosts its mens event in Montreal this year and womens event in Toronto already started Sunday.Rain also halted the evening session in both Canadian sites Sunday.All four finalists in Washington have first-round byes in Canada.This article originally appeared in The Athletic.Tennis, Women's Tennis2026 The Athletic Media Company

With the MLB trade deadline set to spark major roster shakeups, we highlight the top Week 20 waiver wire targets you need to add before your league mates do

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 11: Matt Hughes gives his introduction speech for BJ Penn before he is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at the UFC Fan Expo in the Sands Expo and Convention Center on July 11, 2015 in Las Vegas Nevada. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesHow are Donald Cerrone, Wanderlei Silva and Urijah Faber Hall-of-Famers when Pride, Strikeforce, DREAM, K-1 and UFC legend Alistair Overeem isn't? I spoke to Overeem about this and he offered an interesting answer. Let's talk MMA.Key Facts at a GlanceMMA record: 47-19 with 1 no-contestUFC record: 12-8 across nearly a decadeTitles held: Strikeforce heavyweight, DREAM heavyweight, 2010 K-1 World Grand PrixUFC debut: first-round finish of Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, December 2011Released: March 2021, after a TKO loss to Alexander VolkovRetired: October 2023, age 43UFC Hall of Fame status: not inducted, and eligible under Modern Era rulesWhy Isn't Alistair Overeem In The UFC Hall Of Fame?WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 07: Alistair Overeem of Netherlands stands in his corner between rounds of his heavyweight bout against Jairzinho Rozenstruik of Suriname during the UFC Fight Night event at Capital One Arena on December 07, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesOvereem does not think the answer is on paper."Well, I think that the UFC Hall of Fame all has to do with, if you are on Dana White's favorite list," he said. "If he likes you, then you're on there. And if he doesn't like you, you're not going to be on there. Well, in my case, I'm not on there. So I guess he doesn't like me."I carefully pressed on how a Hall can hold his rsum against those already inducted, he narrowed it further. "I think Dana also knows his stuff, but then it's just, yeah. It just comes down to the ego thing."How Did Overeem's UFC Run End?He traces it to the signing rather than the exit. Talks between his management and White collapsed in 2011, and the deal only closed when Lorenzo Fertitta stepped in."And I think, yeah, somehow that rubbed him the wrong way or something," Overeem said. "Cannot see in the man's mind."The finish was blunt. Overeem was released roughly three months short of ten years with the promotion, immediately after a loss, and just after turning down a proposed reduction."We want to give you like a pay reduction of 50%," he recalled being told. "I'm like, no. Why would I do that? And then I lost. And then they released me."The loss hes referring to came against Alexander Volkov in February 2021.He added something more telling than the release itself. "We don't have personal relationship. The guy never, we're not even talking. Which to me is weird. Because I'm like one of the higher paid athletes."Who Has Alistair Overeem Beaten?Sure, he has 19 losses. But he also has 47 wins and when you take a look at the list of names Overeem has beaten, how can he not be in the Hall?HOF - Vitor Belfort (twice)Sergei KharitonovMark Hunt (twice)Gary GoodridgeFabricio Werdum (twice)Brock LesnarFrank MirStefan StruveRoy NelsonJunior dos SantosAndrei ArlovskiSergei PavlovichAlexey OleynikOne of those fighters (Belfort) is already in the UFC Hall and it's possible we could see Werdum, Lesnar, Mir and dos Santos inducted at some point.Does The Snub Bother Him?Not enough to chase it."Listen, I have fought for a long time. And I've dealt with people that don't like me for a long time," Overeem said. "I'm not bothered by it. I just cruise on with my life. I just describe it as you can't be friends with everyone. Ultimately if somebody does me dirty, they always pay the price."He allowed one concession. "Of course, everybody would like to be Hall of Famer. I was with them for 10 years. But if it's not yet, it's not up to me."Then the line that says the most about how little airtime this has gotten: "This is the most I've been talking about the hall of fame ever in my life."Maybe thats the problem.This article was originally published on Forbes.com