LeBron James said that it was "always family over everything" after making NBA history alongside son Bronny during the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener.
LeBron and Bronny checked into the game together with four minutes left in the second quarter, becoming the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA game.
The pair spent over two and a half minutes on the court together and in those minutes, Bronny was credited with one offensive rebound on a put-back attempt and finished 0-for-2 from the field.
Bronny also missed an open three-pointer, but left the court to a standing ovation. However, he did not feature again in the Lakers' 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
LeBron, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, notched 16 points along with five rebounds and four assists, but was left emotional when asked to describe the historic moment.
"It's always been family over everything," LeBron said.
"For me, I lost a lot of time because of this league, committing to this league, being on the road on times, missing a lot of [Bronny's] things, Bryce's things, Zhuri's things.
"So, to be able to have this moment where I'm working still, and I can work alongside my son – it's one of the greatest gifts I've ever got from the man above.
"I'm going to take full advantage of it."
The Lakers have declined to speculate on how long Bronny will stay on their NBA roster, but Bronny expressed his gratitude at being able to share the court with his father.
"I'm just extremely grateful for everything. I was given an amazing opportunity to come in this league and get better every day and learn every day," Bronny said.
"Going up to the scorer's table with my dad and checking in for the first time, that's a crazy moment I will never forget."
LeBron James and Bronny James became the first father and son to play in the NBA together on Tuesday night during the Los Angeles Lakers' 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 39-year-old superstar and his 20-year-old son played almost 2 1/2 minutes together late in the first half of Bronny's NBA debut. They are also the first father and son to play in the NBA at the same time, let alone on the same team.
Anthony Davis had 36 points and 16 rebounds in a dominant performance for the Lakers, while LeBron scored 16 points and Rui Hachimura added 18.
JJ Redick won his head coaching debut for the Lakers, who hired the 15-year NBA veteran for his first coaching job at any level.
Anthony Edwards scored 27 points for the Timberwolves, who are coming off their best season in 20 years.
Julius Randle had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Donte DiVincenzo had 10 points in their Timberwolves debuts after the trade sending Karl-Anthony Towns to New York three weeks ago.
Davis was phenomenal down the stretch, either scoring or assisting on 13 of Los Angeles’ next 15 points after he returned to the game with 7:09 left. LeBron's 3-pointer put it away.
LeBron officially joined Vince Carter as the only players in NBA history to play in 22 seasons. James is sixth in career games played with 1,493 - not counting his NBA-record 287 playoff games.
Celtics tie 3s record in rout of Knicks
Jayson Tatum continued Boston’s Banner 18 celebration by scoring 37 points and making eight of the Celtics' NBA record-tying 29 3-pointers as Boston rolled to a 132-109 drubbing of the New York Knicks on opening night.
Derrick White scored 24 points, Jaylen Brown added 23 and Tatum had 10 assists for the defending champions, who raised their NBA-leading 18th championship banner to the rafters before the game. Boston led by as many as 35 points before missing its last 13 3-point attempts while trying to break the record.
Jalen Brunson scored 22 points for New York, and new addition Karl-Anthony Towns had just 12 points and seven rebounds.
The new-look Knicks were supposed to be the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, but even after adding Towns and Mikal Bridges over the summer, they were no match for the team that finished 14 games in front last season.
The Celtics hit their 29th 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, then fired up two long airballs and 13 misses in a row from beyond the arc as they went for the record set in 2020 by Milwaukee. The crowd chanted “One more 3!” in the final minutes, but on Boston's last possession Payton Pritchard dribbled out the shot clock without making another attempt.
The Philadelphia 76ers will have to wait a little longer to display its new All-Star lineup after announcing Tuesday that Joel Embiid and Paul George will not play in Wednesday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Embiid sat out the entire pre-season due to a sore left knee and is currently on an individualised rehab plan.
The 2022-23 NBA MVP will also be sidelined for Friday’s game at the Toronto Raptors before being re-evaluated. Philadelphia visits the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
George is also uncertain to play this week after sustaining a left knee bone bruise during the preseason.
The 76ers added the nine-time All-Star in the summer to join fellow All-Stars Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the roster.
George, a nine-time All-Star, will also be re-evaluated later this week.
Trinidad and Tobago has named a 52-member team for the inaugural Carifta Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which will see a plethora of the regions rising stars showcase their skills at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston, Jamaica, from November 29-30.
The team to represent the Twin Island Republic across 10 categories was selected after a recent two-day trial event at Woodbrook Youth Facility.
Gymnasts were selected from eight clubs, with Tots & Tumblers (28) and Olympia (14) set to field the most representatives at the event, which will also see Barbados, Bahamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, along with host Jamaica, in action.
Thema Williams Gymnastics Academy (three), Gymnastics Explorers and Lees Gymnastics qualified two, while Academic Flippers, Golden Stars Gymnastics Academy and Mucurapo Artistic Achievers all qualified one athlete.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Gymnastics Federation explained that athletes who qualified were required to make minimum scores and finish in the top four positions within their level and age group to earn an automatic placement on the team.
“The fifth and final spots within each level and age group were subsequently awarded to the fifth place all-around qualifiers out of the trials event,” the federation said in a statement.
Anabeth Vargas (Panama) and Mabel Moreno (Colombia) officiated at the trials.
Team:
USAG Level 1 – Andaya Singh, Azalea Pierre, Brittney Joseph, Genesis Canzius, Imani Regis, Janicia Hall, Krisanne Ramoutar, Ricquel Marcellin, Sophie Espinoza, Yarii Alexander
USAG Level 2 – Ashley Castillo, Avni Lopez, Eemaan Boucaud, Harleigh Chin Leung Kam, Keira-Leigh John, Kenzie Gonzales, Larisah Nevins, Miya Mondesir, Savannah Thomson, Xara Rampersad
USAG Level 3 – Arya Hagley, Bren Newallo-Badal, Cacique Darbeau, Isoke Morgan, Jael Baker, Kyra Johnson, Zariah Dopwell-Gittens, Zoey Ottley
USAG Level 4 – Aaliyah Gosai, Annabelle Aanensen, Asia Ali, Jaelyn Heywood, Me’Hera Callendar, M’Kaiyah Williams, Onia Hepburn
USAG Level 5 – Alicja Chang Kit, Alissa Mathias, Gabriella Christopher
USAG Level 6 – Chelsea Edwards, Haley Caldeira, Soriya Alleyne
USAG Level 7 – Amba Boodansingh, Gabrielle Webb, Michaela Francis, Shanika Joseph, Tessica Laurence, Tyanna Edwards, Yandy Stafford
USAG Level 8 – Annaleigh Edwards, Dailia Burke, Kathryn Alexander
USAG Level 9 – Alora Morang
PAGU Hopes – Shanika Joseph, Yandy Stafford, M’Kaiyah Wiliiams (level one), Annaleigh Edwards, Alora Morang (level two), Dailia Burke (level three)
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has described Red Bull's contentious ride-height device as "outrageous" and demanded the FIA investigate it further.
The build-up to Sunday's United States Grand Prix in Austin – won by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc as Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished third – was dominated by speculation about a device found on the RB20 car.
Rival teams have suggested the device could be used to advantageously alter the car's ride height when teams are in restricted 'parc ferme' conditions.
Under the 'parc ferme' regulations, teams are prohibited from making adjustments to their setups between the end of qualifying and the start of a race.
Constructors' championship contenders McLaren are among the teams to have questioned the device, though Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insisted it was not accessible to use when the car was fully assembled.
Mercedes chief Wolff – a long-time rival of Horner's – has now entered the debate, calling on the FIA to take action.
"My view is from a distance, what I've seen and what I've heard, it's outrageous," Wolff said.
FIA officials were seen observing a demonstration of how the device operates in advance of Sunday's race, but Wolff is not sure those checks were adequate.
"I really liked that, when they put this broom in the car to demonstrate the only way that the height could get changed," Wolff said.
"I wonder how long it took them to make this, and to stick it in there. I didn't know that in Formula One that we were using such devices!
"It's not good enough to say, 'that's it, we promise we're not going to do it again'.
"I cannot speak for the FIA at all. Obviously, that's something that's not been spotted for a long time. I think the leadership of the FIA is going to look at that and say, 'what are we doing with this?'"
The San Francisco 49ers have confirmed Brandon Aiyuk has torn the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season.
Star wide receiver Aiyuk was injured near the end of the second quarter as the 49ers lost a Super Bowl LVIII rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, 28-18, on Sunday.
That result dropped them to 3-4 after an injury-plagued start to 2024, with running back Christian McAffrey another big-name absentee.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested after the game that Aiyuk's injury looked serious, and the team's worst fears were confirmed when he undertook additional tests on Monday.
"I talked with him last night, just calling him at his house," Shanahan said of Aiyuk. "He was hurting, just bummed out, exactly how you'd expect.
"But he's a strong dude and spiritual guy and believes everything happens for a reason, so he'll be all right.
"He was definitely a little down last night, and I was just telling him how bad I felt for him and just let him know we're all here for him through this."
Fellow wideout Deebo Samuel, meanwhile, was limited to four snaps against the Chiefs after feeling unwell and was subsequently checked into hospital with a form of pneumonia.
"I think it started acting up in the middle of the night Saturday night or early Sunday morning and then it just evolved as the day went on," Shanahan said of Samuel.
"Once we found out he had the fluid in his lungs after the game, then I believe they sent him over there."
There is no timeline for Samuel's return to action, with the Niners' next outing pitting them against their long-time rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, on Sunday.
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla insists his team are under no pressure to win back-to-back NBA championships, as they prepare for Tuesday's season opener.
The Celtics will lift the curtain on the 2024-25 campaign when they face the New York Knicks at TD Garden, where they will raise a record-breaking 18th championship banner.
Boston went a league-best 64-18 through the regular season last term, then cruised through the playoffs with a combined 16-3 record against the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks.
They start the new campaign as favourites to claim a record-extending 19th crown, with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday forming an impressive spine.
Mazzulla, however, will not pile any more pressure on his team, the first to deliver the NBA championship to Boston since 2007-08.
"We're all going to be dead soon, and it really doesn't matter any more. So there's zero pressure," he told reporters on Monday.
"You have an opportunity to carry the organization forward, to double down on the tradition and history of what this organization has. What else would you expect than someone expecting you to win all the time?
"It's not pressure. There's nothing anyone in this circle can do to me that's going to impact my identity and who I am as a person or a coach.
"We're either going to win or we're not, and 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral and that's it."
While Mazzulla is urging calm, he also expects his players to be ready for a challenging opening fixture against the Knicks, who reached the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.
"I trust who they are. I think they have an understanding of both 'this is what we accomplished' and 'this is what we're trying to do'," he added.
"All the intangibles that go into winning should carry over from one season to another season.
"You have to appreciate it. But you've got to know what got you there and if you forget what got you there, you'll never get back."
While the San Antonio Spurs' 2023-24 season was all about experimentation, their upcoming campaign must be about getting results, says Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama was named Rookie of the Year last season after being selected first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Spurs.
He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last term, but the Spurs still missed the playoffs for a fifth straight year.
After finishing 22-60 last year, San Antonio's young team must take a step forward when they begin 2024-25 against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, believes Wembanyama.
"Last year was just a lot of experimenting," the 20-year-old said. "Here, we want to perform. First minute, first play of the game. It's very different.
"I'm learning, and I'm worried for the opponents in a couple of years."
Head coach Gregg Popovich, who is entering his 28th season in the role, says players have been encouraged to take more responsibility this term.
"I think, if anything, it's a little less tolerance," Popovich said.
"Since the start of camp, we have been a little bit more disciplined in the sense of accountability, knowing that mistakes happen too often, we're telling players they need to understand that by now."
Lamar Jackson tied a career high with five touchdown passes as the rolling Baltimore Ravens earned a fifth consecutive win with Monday's 41-31 victory over the injury-riddled Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Baltimore (5-2) overcame a 10-0 deficit after one quarter to extend its streak behind big performances once again from Jackson and running back Derrick Henry. Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes for 281 yards without an interception, while Henry had one of the Ravens' five touchdown grabs while adding 169 rushing yards on just 15 attempts.
Mark Andrews hauled in two of Jackson's touchdown throws and Rashod Bateman accounted for another receiving score while finishing with a career-high 121 yards on four catches.
The Ravens amassed 508 total yards against Tampa Bay (4-3), which lost its top two receivers in addition to its defensive woes with both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin exiting with injuries.
Evans aggravated a previous hamstring injury while attempting to make a touchdown catch in the second quarter, while Godwin was carted off in the final minute after suffering a likely season-ending injury to his left leg.
Baker Mayfield threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns - two to running back Rachaad White - but was intercepted twice by Marlon Humphrey in the first half. The first of those picks occurred in the end zone with the Bucs looking to extend a 10-7 lead.
Evans had a 25-yard touchdown catch before exiting for the game's first points, while Cade Otton topped Tampa Bay with 100 receiving yards on eight catches.
Baltimore scored on all six of its possessions in the second and third quarters - four Jackson touchdown passes and two Justin Tucker field goals - to erase its early deficit and make head coach John Harbaugh a winner in the opener of a Monday night doubleheader that also featured the Los Angeles Chargers, coached by his brother Jim.
Ryland's final-play field goal lifts Cardinals over Chargers
The Arizona Cardinals prevented a Harbaugh family sweep, however, as Chad Ryland's 32-yard field goal as time expired dealt the Chargers a 17-15 loss.
After Cameron Dicker's fifth field goal of the game gave the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 remaining, Kyler Murray quickly got the Cardinals in scoring range with a 33-yard completion to running back James Conner that put the ball on Los Angeles' 22-yard line.
Arizona (3-4) ultimately got to the Chargers' 14 while bleeding the clock to set up Ryland's kick that split the uprights as time ran out.
Murray ripped off a 44-yard touchdown run earlier in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals a 14-9 advantage, and added a touchdown pass to Greg Dortch in the first half while finishing 14 of 26 for 145 yards with one interception.
Conner accounted for 101 rushing yards in addition to his key catch as Arizona piled up 181 yards on the ground.
Los Angeles (3-3) lost for the third time in four games following a 2-0 start after failing to score a touchdown and losing two fumbles, one of which landed out of Arizona's end zone for a touch-back after Jalen Reagor was stripped of the ball just short of the goal line on a 41-yard reception in the first quarter.
Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards in the loss, while Will Dissly recorded 81 yards on eight catches for the Chargers.
Dicker converted two field goals of 50 or more yards in the second quarter, including a 59-yarder that matched the longest in franchise history.
The Denver Nuggets made another big move towards keeping its core together for the long term by agreeing to a new four-year contract with forward Aaron Gordon prior to Monday's extension deadline.
Gordon, a major contributor to Denver's NBA championship run in 2022-23, was the lone player on a veteran contract to be extended at the deadline. Eight members of the 2021 draft class received extensions on their rookie deals, most notably the Houston Rockets' duo of center Alperen Sengun and guard Jalen Green.
Sengun was awarded the largest contract of that group, a five-year, $185 million deal. Green, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft, agreed to a three-year, $106 million extension.
Gordon's new deal is essentially a three-year extension that includes a $37.1 player option for 2028-29, as the 10-year veteran exercised a $22.8 million player option for 2025-26 as part of the agreement.
The 29-year-old, who averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in 73 games last season and is one of the Nuggets' most important defenders, is the second starter Denver has locked up this off-season. The Nuggets handed high-scoring guard Jamal Murray a four-year, $208 million max extension in September.
Green and Sengun have emerged as essential parts of an up-and-coming Rockets team that finished 41-41 in 2023-24, a 19-game improvement over the previous season.
Sengun himself took a big step forward last season by averaging career bests of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists per game and finishing third in voting for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. The Turkey native was one of six players to average 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists, a list that also includes superstars Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Julius Randle.
Green has averaged 19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over his first three seasons, and his 4,450 career points are the most of any player of the 2021 class.
Three other teams reached notable extensions with young players. The Orlando Magic signed guard Jalen Suggs to a five-year, $150.5 million deal, Jalen Johnson got a five-year, $150 million contract from the Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to a four-year, $112 million extension with sharpshooter Trey Murphy.
Suggs, the fifth overall pick in 2021, is coming off his best season, as he averaged 12.6 points in 75 games and shot nearly 40 per cent from 3-point range to help the Magic end a three-year playoff drought.
Johnson is coming off a breakout campaign as well, as the Duke product averaged 16 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists while starting 52 of 56 games in his third NBA season.
Murphy is a career 39.2 per cent 3-point shooter and excelled as a sixth man for a New Orleans team that went 49-33 in 2023-24. The 2021 No. 17 overall pick has averaged 14.6 points per game over the last two seasons.
Others to agree to rookie-scale extensions were Washington Wizards shooting specialist Corey Kispert (4 years, $54 million), Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (3 years, $39 million) and Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (3 years, $18 million).
After an offseason of massive free agent signings, blockbuster trades and the captivating Olympic Games in Paris, the 2024-25 NBA season will tip off on Tuesday.
While player movement and new rosters have grabbed the majority of the headlines since June, the defending champion Boston Celtics remain mostly unchanged and poised to make a run at a repeat.
Jayson Tatum returns as one of the top scorers in the league, and Jaylen Brown is coming off a Finals MVP performance. Tatum, however, barely played for this year’s gold medal-winning Team USA squad – and Brown was left off the roster entirely – despite Boston teammates Derrick White and Jrue Holiday playing key roles in Paris.
These dynamics could cause a lesser team to engage in a power struggle, but the core of this Celtics team appears to be as cohesive as they come, with Brown and Tatum gladly passing the “primary scorer” baton back and forth in their seven seasons together.
The Celtics finished last season 64-18, then followed with a 16-3 post-season, making them one of the most dominant champions in recent memory. Sports books have forecasted Boston’s win total this season at 58.5, the highest in the league.
With Tatum and Brown still in the heart of their primes, the Celtics will be difficult to dethrone, but Al Horford, 38, and Holiday, 34, may begin to regress. Boston will also closely monitor the status of Kristaps Porziņģis, who underwent left leg surgery in June and may be out until the calendar turns to 2025.
Knicks, Sixers load up to compete in East
The Celtics’ most likely challengers in the Eastern Conference appear to be the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, both of whom made attention-grabbing acquisitions in the offseason.
The Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein to free agency but made a massive trade to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns. The multi-talented big man joins a stacked starting lineup that includes Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
New York won 50 games last season before injuries decimated their play-off hopes. This year’s squad is undoubtedly more talented than last year’s, but how quickly can this group gain cohesion after losing three of last season’s top five scorers?
The Knicks will play in the NBA’s tip-off game Tuesday in Boston, where the Celtics will raise another championship banner.
The 76ers were successful in their gambit to accrue salary cap space for last offseason and made a massive addition in signing Paul George to a four-year max contract that includes a player option.
George teams up with former MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey on a team with title aspirations. Philadelphia also added veteran role players this offseason in Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin and Reggie Jackson.
The 76ers are built to contend this season but face a number of durability questions. Embiid announced last week that he will not play on back-to-back nights after missing 45 games last season. George, 34, played 74 games last season but averaged 47 games played over the previous four seasons.
Philadelphia have said that their sole focus will be on having a healthy roster when the playoffs start in April, so Embiid and George could have plenty of rest days during the regular season.
While Philly and New York appear to be Boston’s most formidable challengers in the East, others are lurking just a tier below.
The Milwaukee Bucks expect the second year of the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pairing to yield better results under coach Doc Rivers, while Tyrese Haliburton and a young Indiana Pacers team will look to build on last season’s Eastern Conference finals appearance.
James family history
While the Western Conference is loaded with championship contenders, a team likely outside the title conversation has stolen most of the attention this offseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers used the 55th overall pick in June’s draft on Bronny James, making him teammates with his father, LeBron James. The pair will become the first father-son duo to play in the same NBA game.
Bronny struggled in six preseason games, shooting under 30 percent from the field and racking up more turnovers than assists. Even if Bronny spends most of the season in the G League, the Lakers will almost certainly allow him to take the court with his legendary father at some point.
The elder James will celebrate his 40th birthday this season as the future Hall of Famer enters his 22nd NBA season.
While James seems to have defied the aging process over the last several years, Los Angeles will likely ease his workload and give more opportunities to Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and DeAngelo Russell.
James and Davis missed just 17 combined games last season, and the Lakers will need a similarly healthy season to compete in a loaded West.
MVP race: West is best
Luka Dončić won last season’s scoring title at 33.9 points per game and guided the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance.
The Mavs added veteran sharpshooter and long-time Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson in hopes of a title run and will be banking on big growth from second-year center Derek Lively II.
Dončić opens the season as the betting favourite to win MVP, but he will have plenty of competition both for personal accolades and team success.
Nikola Jokić was voted MVP for the third time last season and enters the 2024-25 season as one of the favourites, although he would need a truly spectacular season to overcome voter fatigue and win a fourth MVP in a five-year span.
After the free agent departures of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green the last two off-seasons, the Nuggets will need contributions from younger players and will hope Jamal Murray’s health improves as the season progresses.
For years, the Oklahoma City Thunder were considered a sleeping giant, and OKC has signalled over the past year that they are ready for contention.
The Thunder were the top seed in the West last season with a 57-25 record, then used the playoffs to identify weaknesses and gain experience. OKC acquired Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason, giving them a better-fitting and more flexible roster, and the Thunder enter this season as the favourites in the West.
Hartenstein will miss the first six-or-so weeks of the season after breaking his left (shooting) hand, but once healthy he should help negate a rebounding weakness that doomed the Thunder in the playoffs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the MVP favourites after averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists last season while shooting a career-high 53.5 percent from the field.
As deep and talented as the Thunder are as currently constructed, they own a staggering amount of future draft capital and could become a juggernaut if they decided to trade for another star player.
The Minnesota Timberwolves turned heads with their run to the West finals last season and stunned the basketball world when they traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
The decision to move on from Towns puts more of the offensive load on Anthony Edwards, whose scoring and efficiency have improved each year since being the No. 1 overall pick in 2020.
Minnesota made easy work of the Phoenix Suns last post-season, but the Suns will look to rejoin the contenders’ conversation as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal enter their second season as a teammate trio.
Wembanyama: A matter of time
One of the most prevalent storylines entering 2024-25 is the continued growth of Victor Wembanyama in his second NBA season.
Wembanyama had one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory, with the 7-foot-4 center leading the league in blocks and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Wembanyama followed with an impressive run in the Paris Olympics and has hit all the early checkpoints of a future MVP.
Most experts agree that the San Antonio Spurs aren’t ready to compete for a play-off spot this season, but Wembanyama seems destined to become a top-five player, and his ascendancy could happen sooner rather than later.
Flounder for Flagg?
This year’s rookie class is full of questions, but prognosticators are bullish on several top prospects in the 2025 class, setting the stage for a race for the bottom.
Duke forward Cooper Flagg is projected to be a two-way force and is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the class after playing with Team USA Select Team over the summer.
Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, along with Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper of Rutgers, have also got scouts excited in a draft class considered much deeper than 2024’s crop.
With one or more possible franchise-changers available in the 2025 draft, many of the NBA’s less talented teams will be content to sit at the bottom of the standings this season, especially in the Eastern Conference.
From the Washington Wizards to the Brooklyn Nets to the Portland Trail Blazers, there will be a handful of organisations focused more on the 2025 draft than their 2024-25 record.
Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) has issued an apology to its customers and stakeholders following the cancellation of Monday’s Heroes' Day race meet at Caymanas Park. The cancellation came after a series of disruptions stemming from the disqualification of the first-place finisher in Race 2, which caused unrest among some punters at the track.
In a statement, SVREL explained the incident: "On Monday, October 21, 2024, a series of unfortunate events led to the disruption and subsequent cancellation of races at Caymanas Park by the Jamaica Racing Commission Stewards."
The unrest began when the stewards' decision in Race 2 led to the disqualification of the initial winner. Displeased with the result, some punters expressed their dissatisfaction by throwing debris, creating an unsafe environment for patrons, participants, and horses.
"After the announcement of the race results, some punters became agitated and expressed their dissatisfaction in a manner that compromised the safety and security of all present. This included the throwing of debris across the Park, creating an unsafe environment for patrons, participants, and horses alike," the statement continued.
As the situation grew more volatile, trainers began voicing concerns for their safety, leading to the cancellation of subsequent races.
"In light of this development and prioritizing the safety of the horses, horsemen, punters, and all attendees, the stewards made the decision to abandon race 4 and subsequently, the entire race meet for the day," SVREL said.
The company further emphasized that security personnel, supported by the police, were working to manage the situation and prevent any further escalation.
SVREL concluded by offering a formal apology for the inconvenience caused: "Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment Limited, the operator of Caymanas Park, extends our sincerest apologies to our valued customers and stakeholders for the inconvenience caused by the abandonment of the race meet."
The company reiterated its commitment to the safety of all involved in the sport, while promising to address the issues that led to the disruption.
Naomi Osaka apologised after a troublesome back injury forced her to withdraw from the Hong Kong Open and cut her comeback season short.
The four-time major champion was expected to feature in the final WTA 500 event of the year but has pulled out, still citing an injury she suffered in the China Open against Coco Gauff this month.
Osaka has posted a 22-17 record since returning from maternity leave, but her comeback campaign was confirmed to have hit an abrupt end on Monday.
"I'm really sorry that I have had to withdraw from competing at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open and the rest of this tennis season," said Osaka.
"I love visiting the tournament and, despite the obvious disappointment of not being able to play, I want to reassure all my wonderful Hong Kong fans that I will still be attending the event.
"I am very much looking forward to meeting you all.
"There is a wonderful line-up of world-class players coming to the tournament and I want to wish them all the best of luck in this exciting event."
Osaka racked up six victories over top-20 opponents this year, including her first win over a top-10 opponent in two years by beating Jelena Ostapenko in the first round of the US Open.
Peter Johnston, the director of International Events at the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association, offered his well-wishes to Osaka despite her withdrawal.
"We are obviously very disappointed that Naomi has had to withdraw from competing, and we sincerely hope that she makes a speedy recovery from her injuries," he said.
"We are nevertheless confident that we have a stellar field of world-class players to enthuse and excite Hong Kong tennis fans."
Deshaun Watson won't take another snap for the Cleveland Browns this season.
An MRI on Monday confirmed that Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture in Sunday's 21-14 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The results of the tests were expected after the embattled quarterback was injured on a non-contact play with 1:26 remaining in the first half.
Watson took a snap and dropped back to pass, but when he tried to plant his right foot, his leg buckled underneath him. He immediately dropped to the ground and was carted off the field after he was tended to by trainers.
With Sunday's loss, the Browns fell to 1-6 this season.
Watson is in the third year of a five-year, $230million fully guaranteed contract he signed with the Browns in March 2022 after being traded from the Houston Texans.
He has not lived up to the mega-contract, however, playing in just six games in each of his first two seasons in Cleveland before making it to seven this year.
In his first season in 2022, he served an 11-game suspension and in 2023, he was limited to just six starts because of a shoulder injury that required surgery.
In seven games this season, Watson had five touchdowns and three interceptions, ranking 27th in passer rating (79.0) and 31st in pass yards per attempt (5.31).
He was replaced Sunday by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but he later left with a finger injury and was replaced by Jameis Winston.
The Browns have been a mess offensively and just traded away their top receiver Amari Cooper last week, though they did manage to top 300 yards of total offence Sunday for the first time this season (336).
They still failed to reach 20 points, and their 109 total points are the franchise's fewest through seven games since the 2017 team scored 103.
Aryna Sabalenka has ended Iga Swiatek 11-month reign at the summit of the world rankings ahead of the WTA finals.
Sabalenka previously held the top spot for eight weeks from September to November last year, and has returned once again after a sensational run of form.
The Belarusian has compiled a record of 20-1 since mid-August, during which she claimed her third grand slam title at the US Open after beating home favourite Jessica Pegula.
Sabalenka also recently claimed the Cincinnati Open and Wuhan Open titles, while she also started the year with a major triumph at the Australian Open.
She is the player with the most wins in 2024 with 46, including the women's singles grand slam and WTA-1000 events, one more than Swiatek who is in second.
The next chance for Swiatek to return to number one is the season-ending WTA Finals next month in Riyadh.
Five-time losing finalists, the New York Liberty, can finally call themselves WNBA champions after defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime of a decisive Game 5 on Sunday night in Brooklyn.
Bahamian Jonquel Jones scored 17 points to lead New York, which was one of the original franchises in the league.
The win gave the city of New York its first basketball title since 1973, when the Knicks won the NBA championship.
With stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggling offensively, other players stepped up for the Liberty, mainly Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally.
Fiebich, a rookie from Germany, started off overtime with a three-pointer before Nyara Sabally had a steal for a layup to make it 65-60 and bring the sellout crowd to its feet.
Minnesota didn’t score in the extra period until Kayla McBride hit two free throws with 1:51 left.
The Lynx, five-time WNBA Champions, missed all six of their field goal attempts in overtime.
After Ionescu missed a shot with 21 seconds left, her 18th miss in 19 shot attempts, the Lynx had one last chance, but Bridget Carleton missed a three-pointer with 16 seconds left.
Stewart, who missed a free throw with 0.8 seconds left in Game 1, hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds left to seal the victory.
Jones was named Finals MVP with averages of 17.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 56 percent shooting throughout the five games.
During Game 5, Jones finished with 17 points, six rebounds and one assist to help the Liberty grab the title.
Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski fears that quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during their 21-14 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Watson will go through tests to confirm a diagnosis for his injury, which he suffered on Sunday.
But Stefanski did not have a great outlook after the game.
"Obviously, it doesn't look good with the injury," he told ESPN.
"I'll give him a call here in a little but ... disappointed for him. Any of our guys that you lose, you're disappointed because you know much this means to them and how hard they work. It's tough."
Watson's injury was sustained during a non-contact play when his leg hyperextended and he fell to the ground.
It compounds a miserable start to the season for the Browns, who are bottom of the AFC North with a 1-6 record.
Fan frustration was noticeable, with many seeming to cheer Watson's injury after he had been booed during the pregame.
"We don't boo guys that are injured on the field, especially when the cart comes out," said defensive end Myles Garrett said after the game.
"We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall."
Stefanski was in agreement with Garrett.
"I don't think it's ever OK to cheer when someone's injured. I'm sure it's not every person in the building doing that, but that's disappointing," he said.
Meanwhile, it is feared San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL during their 28-18 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
"That's what it looks like, but we don't know for sure," coach Kyle Shanahan told ESPN. "Been wrong before. So, praying that we are [again]."
Further tests will confirm the exact issue and determine whether Aiyuk will miss the rest of the season.
With fitness problems mounting for the 49ers, Deebo Samuel was also announced to be suffering from illness before kick-off but was still expected to play.
He was withdrawn after four snaps with no catches or carries.
"Throat, stomach things, just real fatigued," Shanahan said, on Samuel. "Struggled to breathe, couldn't catch his breath ... he kept trying to fight through it, but once he was struggling with the breathing and everything, we had to shut him down."
Aiyuk's teammates, meanwhile, were vocal in their disappointment at potentially missing the wide receiver for the remainder of the season.
"It sucks," said tight end George Kittle. "I love Brandon Aiyuk, the energy that he brings, what he can do on the football field, routes, catching the ball. He's an incredible football player. You can't really replace, in my opinion, one of the best receivers in the NFL."
Quarterback Brock Purdy echoed Kittle's sentiments.
"What BA does for our offense and who he is and as a teammate and the brother of ours, man, it's sad," he said.
"Wish him nothing but the best and praying for him. So that's my guy. And when he goes down like that, obviously we have other guys that can step up and do their job really well ... we all just got to come together as a group collectively, the receiver unit and all of us."
Lando Norris described the decision to penalise him for a passing move that saw both him and Max Verstappen go off the track as a "momentum killer" in the race for the Formula One Drivers' Championship.
The penalty given to Norris saw him leapfrogged by Verstappen onto the podium positions, with the McLaren driver dropping from third to fourth.
Following the race, the gap between Norris and Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship was 57 points with five to go and 146 points available.
The United States Grand Prix started controversially, with both Norris and Verstappen jostling for position on the first corner in a way that allowed race winner Charles Leclerc to gain ground on the duo.
While Norris admitted he had "driven like a muppet" at that point, an incident with four laps to go was more pertinent.
With Norris attempting an overtake, Verstappen defended the inside and both cars ran off the track with Norris emerging in front. The McLaren driver was penalised for overtaking off the track, although he saw it a different way.
"For me, the thing that is incorrect is what Max did, which is defend his position by going off the track and effectively keeping his position," he told BBC Sport.
"He over-defended and made a mistake and gained from that. I had to go off the track.
"It is impossible for people to know whether I could have made it on the track or couldn't, therefore you cannot steward that kind of thing."
Norris thought that the stewards should have waited to review the incident with both drivers after the race had finished.
"It's just a rash decision," he said. "They don’t hear or understand our points, which they should do after the race. They just want to make a decision at the time so they don’t alter points and podiums and things like that.
"But they don’t hear my point or my team's point or Max's point, which I don't think is the most correct thing. But today it's a penalty and there's not a lot I can do apart from accept that.
"It was a great battle. Max defended very well but he ended up on top and congrats to him."
Despite his magnanimous comments, Norris' frustration was palpable as he claimed that race officials were "just guessing."
He added: "I don’t think that's how stewarding should be done".
Cheryl Reeve lashed out at the officiating after her Minnesota Lynx team lost 67-62 to the New York Liberty in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
The Liberty clinched their first championship with an overtime victory on Sunday.
Yet Reeve, who has won four titles with the Lynx, was left seething after a disputed foul handed New York's Breanna Stewart the chance to restore parity with 5.2 seconds of the game remaining in regulation time.
She did not hold back during her postgame media duties.
"We know we could have done some things, right, but you shouldn't have to overcome to that extent," Reeve said.
"This s*** ain't that hard. Officiating is not that hard.
"Bring it on, because that s*** was stolen from us.
"This is for a championship, for both teams. Let them decide it. What contact is legal should be the same for both teams."
Reeve was not the only big name to criticise the officiating.
LeBron James posted on X: "I'm sorry but that wasn't a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battle-tested game."
Damian Lillard posted on X, too.
"Refs called this game like they knew the assignment in the second half boy. Great game," he wrote.
While Reeve and the Lynx will have to accept defeat, the Liberty celebrated a famous moment in their history.
"This is something special right here and I'm trying not to cry," said Stewart, who finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.
"We had some ups and downs. This series was tough but we fought through because we wanted to bring it home to this city and this crowd."
Jonquel Jones top-scored with 17 points and was named the WNBA Finals MVP.
"I could never dream of this," said Jones. "It's the biggest moment and you have to lock in if you want to be a champion. It was all about this and us winning together because we really love each other."
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