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Sports world pays tribute to Lou Holtz after his death

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Tributes poured in for legendary college football coach Lou Holtz on Wednesday following his death.

Holtz died at 89 on Wednesday, his family announced. Notre Dame, where he famously coached for a decade, produced a tribute video for him. Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman also issued a statement, saying he and Holtz “shared a very special relationship.”

While Holtz will always be best known for his coaching career, a number of people also remembered him for his time as a college football analyst on ESPN from 2005 to 2015.

The array of tributes made it clear that Holtz impacted multiple generations of college football fans. Older ones remembered him for his coaching prowess, while younger ones focused on his memorable television career.

Holtz went 249-132-7 in his college coaching career and won a national title at Notre Dame in 1988. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Legendary coach Lou Holtz has died at age 89

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Legendary former college football coach Lou Holtz has died at the age of 89.

Holtz’s family shared the news of the coach’s death on Wednesday, saying he died in Orlando, Fla., surrounded by his family. They even sent a statement through his X profile, and the same statement was distributed to Notre Dame’s football social media accounts.

“Louis Leo ‘Lou’ Holtz, legendary college football coach, Hall of Famer, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential motivational voices, has passed away at the age of 89 in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family,” the statement began. “Born January 6, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, Holtz rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most respected figures in college athletics.

“Over a remarkable five‑decade career, he led college programs at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina.  He transformed every team he inherited and captured the 1988 National Championship with the Fighting Irish. Holtz was preceded in death by his beloved wife of more than 50 years, Beth, with whom he shared a life grounded in faith, devotion, and service.  

“Holtz is remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service, and an unwavering belief in the potential of others. His influence extended far beyond the football field through the Holtz Charitable Foundation and the many players, colleagues, and communities shaped by his leadership. He is survived by his four children, nine grandchildren, and two great‑grandchildren.

“Funeral arrangements, including a Mass of Christian Burial at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, will be announced as details are finalized.”

Holtz also coached one season in the NFL when his New York Jets went 3-10, and he resigned with one week left in the season. Holtz recognized that his calling was as a college coach. He is best known for his run as Notre Dame’s coach from 1986-1996, when the team went 100-30-2. From 1988-1993, the Irish went 64-9-1 under him and won a national championship.

Holtz was inducted into the College Football Fame as part of the class of 2008.

Notre Dame shared this nice tribute video to Holtz.

Everyone said the same thing about Clayton Kershaw’s Team USA appearanc

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Even though he retired from Major League Baseball at the end of the 2025 World Series, Clayton Kershaw is on Team USA’s World Baseball Classic roster for 2026. After his brief cameo on Wednesday, many fans were wondering why.

Kershaw was brought into Team USA’s WBC warmup game against the Colorado Rockies and promptly allowed a home run to Mickey Moniak, the first batter he faced. He wound up allowing two runs in two-thirds of an inning with a hit and a walk.

The brief appearance was enough to make many fans wonder what Kershaw was even doing on the team.

Kershaw is a legend and a future Hall-of-Famer. He also turns 38 later this month and was merely decent for the Dodgers in his final season, posting a 3.36 ERA. His inclusion is more of a reward for his accomplishments and an acknowledgement that he has never taken part in the WBC before.

Even Kershaw seems to know that he should not be pitching in key situations in the tournament. This was only a warm-up game, and it would be a surprise if he takes the mound during meaningful action.

Stefon Diggs sends message to Patriots fans ahead of his release

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The New England Patriots are releasing wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and the veteran had a nice message for the team’s fans on his way out the door.

Diggs posted a message on social media thanking Patriots fans for a memorable year and referred to them as “family forever” ahead of his departure.

Diggs spent just one season with the Patriots, though it will go down as a memorable one. He re-established himself as a valuable player coming off a torn ACL, catching 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. He definitely means it when he says the chance to come back and play again at a high level was quite meaningful to him.

The Patriots’ decision is ultimately a financial one, as Diggs’ cap charge was set to rise to $26.5 million next season. That was more than the team was willing to pay to keep him.

Diggs turned 32 in November. He should have plenty of suitors in free agency.

NFL Draft QB names Browns as his ‘dream’ destination

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Not many NFL Draft hopefuls at quarterback are eager to play for the Cleveland Browns. Ty Simpson is not one of them.

The former Alabama quarterback named the Browns as a “dream” destination while attending the NFL Combine. Simpson and his family have longstanding ties with new Browns coach Todd Monken.

“I think I’d be in great hands with the team that they have and the organization, and then coach Monken, what he does with the quarterbacks and the offense is super quarterback-friendly and I think he’s going to coach me hard if I’m able to go there and I know he’s going to do it the right way,” Simpson said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “So I’m super-excited.

“My dad and coach Monken go way back. They talk often. He texted him when he got the job and they’ve texted a little bit (since), so if I had the opportunity to play for the Browns, it would be a dream come true.”

Simpson’s father Jason attended Southern Miss, where Monken was head coach from 2013 to 2015. Jason Simpson has been the head coach at UT-Martin since 2006.

The Browns have a checkered history when it comes to drafting quarterbacks, to say the least. Baker Mayfield is the only recent pick that has been anything close to a success, and while nobody outright says they don’t want to play there, the history of draft busts does not exactly make them a premier destination for rookie quarterbacks. Simpson, however, does not see it that way.

Simpson has been heavily scouted by the Browns and could be a target for Cleveland with one of their two first-round picks, though it is not clear if they would take him as high as No. 6 overall. The former Alabama quarterback threw for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions for the Crimson Tide last season.

NFL teams have crazy demand to take on Tua Tagovailoa’s contract

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The Miami Dolphins would like to find a trade for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but his contract is making that nearly impossible.

The Dolphins have tried unsuccessfully to trade Tagovailoa, but opposing teams simply do not want to take on the contract. One team executive told Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports that the only way their team would have taken on Tagovailoa was if the Dolphins threw in a first-round pick to sweeten the deal, which is not going to happen.

In all likelihood, the Dolphins will be left with no choice but to release Tagovailoa with a post-June 1 designation. That would allow them to spread his $99 million cap hit over two seasons.

The Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to an ill-fated contract extension in 2024, and the quarterback has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play since. He threw a career-worst 15 interceptions last season, and the Dolphins had essentially lost faith in him by the end of the year. He still has three years left on that contract, making it even less appetizing for other teams.

Tagovailoa has been prominently linked to two teams once he is inevitably released.

Aaron Rodgers has telling quote about Mike McCarthy

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Aaron Rodgers’ offseason of teasing about his future has begun, but he may be dropping some hints about his future already.

Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” Wednesday and was once again evasive about his future. He did have high praise for new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy, however, and did not exactly tone down speculation about a possible return to Pittsburgh.

“He’s one of the great guys in the league,” Rodgers said of McCarthy, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “Deep down there’s so much love and appreciation for the time we spent together.”

Rodgers added that he has not received any contract offer from the Steelers, and there is no deadline for a decision on whether he will play next year or not.

If the past has taught us anything, we know that Rodgers could keep us waiting a while for any decision. The odds of him playing another year with Pittsburgh seem to be decent, however, especially after they hired McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin as head coach. He and McCarthy worked together with the Green Bay Packers very successfully, and Rodgers appears to harbor warm feelings toward him.

Rodgers, 42, was good enough to guide the Steelers to an AFC North title and a playoff appearance last season. He threw for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, and seemingly made a good impression on the entire organization.

Tom Brady’s trainer Alex Guerrero causing problems for Raiders

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Tom Brady’s longtime trainer Alex Guerrero has accompanied him to the Las Vegas Raiders, and is causing some tension within the organization.

Guerrero’s official title with the Raiders is wellness coordinator, but he is seen as a direct pipeline to Brady, who is not around the organization all the time. Guerrero’s presence has “frustrated” many Raiders players and coaches, including Maxx Crosby, according to Mike Silver of The Athletic.

Guerrero is known to inform players of impending transactions and has even suggested to staff members that their jobs might be at risk if they do not follow his instructions. That is said to be one of a number of factors to cause serious trust issues within the organization.

This is not the first time Guerrero has caused some friction, as his role with the New England Patriots was a source of controversy at times. There were reports that Guerrero and Bill Belichick had friction at one point, with Guerrero accused of giving players advice that was contrary to what Patriots coaches wanted them to do.

Brady has always stayed loyal to Guerrero, and the two developed the now-famous “TB12 Method” together. It is easy to see why the Raiders would view him as Brady’s eyes and ears around the building, and why that could erode trust and create suspicion within the organization. Ultimately, Brady has never left Guerrero’s corner, and he probably isn’t about to now.

All-Pro CB Trent McDuffie traded to NFC contender

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The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams are completing one of the first blockbuster trades of the NFL offseason.

The Chiefs are trading cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams, according to multiple reports. The Rams are sending their first-round pick to the Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, along with three other draft picks.

McDuffie is expected to sign a long-term contract with the Rams following the trade.

The Rams had a major need at corner, and this fills it. McDuffie is regarded as one of the game’s best defensive backs, and has been part of two Super Bowl champions. He was named a first-team All-Pro in 2023, but was about to become very expensive as he enters his fifth NFL season.

The Chiefs get some solid draft capital back as they essentially try to rebuild on-the-fly. They have been successful in this way before, though they will obviously miss McDuffie.

Ultimately, the Rams remain fully committed to their longstanding view on draft picks. It has worked for them so far and kept them among the group of Super Bowl contenders for years.

Fans noticed the same thing about Angel Reese while she watched her brother play in an NBA game

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There are two NBA teams that Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has a special interest in. One is the Orlando Magic, who have her boyfriend, Wendell Carter Jr., on the roster. The other is the Washington Wizards, who signed her brother, Julian Reese, to a two-way contract in February. 

The former LSU Tigers star got to catch both teams on the same night on Tuesday, as the Magic hosted the Wizards at the Kia Center in Orlando, Fla.

Although Carter did not see action due to an ankle injury, Angel was still able to enjoy watching the game, with Julian making his second career start in the NBA. Wearing a Wizards jersey, Angel was shown on the broadcast during a break in the contest.

Fans on social media, however, couldn’t help but notice her checking her phone instead of having her eyes on the court.

Then again, in this day and age, hardly anyone can sit through an entire TV episode without checking their phone.

As for the game itself, Julian scored an efficient 9 points in 33 minutes of floor duty, shooting 4/6 from the floor while adding 8 rebounds and 3 assists in a 126-109 loss. That was also a much more improved showing by Julian than in his NBA debut on Monday, when he only had 2 points in 28 minutes in a 123-118 loss to the Houston Rockets at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

The Wizards simply are far from being a serious playoff contender, so developing young talents like Julian feels like a bigger priority at the moment for Washington.

Austin Reaves had an honest admission about guarding Zion Williamson

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Austin Reaves knows how to choose his battles on the court.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard knew better than to get in the way of New Orleans Pelicans hulking forward Zion Williamson in Monday’s game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif.

Speaking about it after the Lakers’ 110-101 win, Reaves explained his mindset.

“Don’t be scared to get out of the way. I was terrified,” Reaves said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “There was no way in hell I was taking a charge. He was running too fast. I just kind of slid out the way let him have a layup.” 

That approach ultimately did not affect the outcome of the game in favor of Los Angeles. 

Williamson scored 24 points on 10/18 shooting to lead New Orleans, but the Lakers still came out on top, thanks in part to Reaves’ 15 points, albeit on a salty 4/15 shooting. Luka Doncic paced Los Angeles with 27 points, while LeBron James added 21. 

Now on a three-game winning streak, Reaves and the Lakers can keep it going and improve their 37-24 record on Thursday, when they show up at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., to face Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Johnny Manziel urges Kyler Murray to join an NFC team

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The Kyler Murray era in Arizona is soon to be over officially, as the Arizona Cardinals have informed the quarterback that they intend to release him on March 11. 

Murray is still just 28 years old and is far from a complete failure in the NFL, despite how things have gone for him in Arizona.

He can be expected to find a new landing spot before the start of the 2026 season. If it were up to a fellow Heisman Trophy–winning QB, there’s one team in the NFC North where the former Oklahoma Sooners star should take his talents next.

After ESPN shared the news on Murray on Tuesday via Instagram, former Cleveland Browns QB Johnny Manziel left a comment, urging Murray to connect with the Minnesota Vikings.

“Wowowowowowow. Hit up Josh McCown and let’s get active Minnysota,” Manziel wrote, referring to the Vikings and the team’s quarterback coach.

Of course, the Cardinals can still trade Murray to get an asset or two in return, but unless there’s a major change of heart from the team, the two sides are parting ways one way or another.

The Vikings have a profile of a team that needs a change of scenery under center after watching JJ McCarthy put together an unimpressive 2025 season. 

The same can be said about Murray, who could use a fresh environment to jump-start his pro career after appearing in only five games and passing for 962 yards and 6 touchdowns against 3 interceptions in 2025.

Video: Bill Self’s ejection gets a dramatic assist from the smoke machines

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Where there’s smoke, there’s a coach being ejected.  That was true during at least one moment in Tuesday’s game between Bill Self’s No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks and the unranked Arizona State Wildcats at the Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

With 6:07 remaining in the first half, an offensive foul was charged against Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson. Self clearly did not like the call, as he vehemently protested it, leading to consecutive technical fouls that caused him to be thrown out of the game.

Self then started to walk off the court as Arizona State fans cheered in the background. As he was about to enter the tunnel, multiple smoke machines went off, as though to add some more flavor to the raucous atmosphere inside the building. You can watch that moment here.

Whoever was in charge of those smoke machines was probably waiting all season long for such an opportunity to present itself.

Without Self calling the shots from the sidelines, the Jayhawks struggled to catch up to Arizona State, which ended the first half with a 20-point lead and later came away with a 70-60 win, leaving Kansas with its second straight defeat and third in four games.

The ejection was just Self’s second since taking over as the Jayhawks’ head coach in 2003.

Self and the Jayhawks, who dropped to 21-9 overall and 11-6 in Big 12 play, will look to get it together on Saturday against the visiting Kansas State Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.

Miami head coach does not want Bruce Pearl’s opinion on his team

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The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks are just a win away from completing a historic undefeated regular season. 

After guiding his team to its 30th consecutive victory to start the 2025-26 campaign, RedHawks head coach Travis Steele took time to address the critical comment made by former Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl about his team’s March Madness credibility.

It can be recalled that Pearl implied the only way for the RedHawks to dance in the NCAA Tournament is to win the Mid-American Conference tourney. Otherwise, Miami does not belong in the Big Dance even if they finish with a spotless regular-season record.

Understandably, Steele doesn’t agree with Pearl’s sentiment one bit, but he expressed it in a far less incendiary manner than Miami’s athletic director.

“I like Bruce (Pearl). Bruce is a great guy. But I’m not calling Bruce and asking him for his opinion on our team,” Steele said after his RedHawks improved to 30-0 overall on  Tuesday by defeating the Toledo Rockets at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio, via Mike Petraglia of the Jungle Roar Pod.

“All respect to Bruce, he’s a way better coach than I’ll ever be. He’s a Hall of Famer… But we control our own destiny.”

Steele is right. Miami has control of its March Madness fate. As long as the RedHawks avoid a stunning loss in their regular-season finale on Saturday against the Ohio Bobcats at Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio, and win all their games in the MAC tournament to earn an auto-bid, there is nothing Pearl or the selection committee can do to keep them from having a spot in the field of 68.

JJ Redick responds to his heated interaction with Luka Doncic

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JJ Redick and Luka Doncic recently grabbed people’s attention after a video of a tense interaction between the two key Los Angeles Lakers figures went viral.

That moment now seems like ancient history for Redick. He doesn’t even understand the fuss about it.

“I don’t know why it went viral. It felt very normal to me,” Redick told reporters before the Lakers took on the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

A head coach and a player going at it on the sidelines is certainly not an uncommon sight in the NBA, but it’s always going to get people’s attention, especially when major personalities from a big-market team are the ones involved.

It wasn’t hard to see where the frustration for Redick and Doncic came from, as Los Angeles was in a losing skid when that video was taken. At the end of the day, they both just wanted to win.

Lakers fans can move on from it all and turn their focus on something much more positive.

After beating the Pelicans, 110-101, Redick, Doncic and the Lakers are now on a three-game winning streak. They can extend that to four games when they visit the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Thursday.

Rudy Gobert throws subtle jab at his Timberwolves teammates

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Rudy Gobert was not afraid to take a humorous shot at his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates while praising one of the team’s midseason additions, Kyle Anderson.

Gobert spoke to reporters Tuesday before the Timberwolves’ Western Conference clash against the Memphis Grizzlies at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The Frenchman was asked about what the T-Wolves had missed from Anderson with the latter on different teams over the past season and a half.

“I think just passing the ball,” Gobert answered with a straight face, drawing laughs from reporters in the scrum.

“I’ll be honest, I’ll be straight up. I’m not going to lie. But like, yeah, someone that is looking to pass the ball to his teammates. Simple, right?”

The Timberwolves switched up their starting lineup this season, replacing pass-first point guard Mike Conley Jr. with the more trigger-happy Donte DiVincenzo. The move has coincided with Minnesota dropping from being a top-10 assist team last season to about middle-of-the-pack so far this season.

While DiVincenzo has averaged a career-high 4.2 assists this year, Gobert evidently misses the playmaking that veterans like Anderson and Conley bring to the table.

Gobert didn’t touch the ball much on Tuesday, as Anthony Edwards went off for 41 points in a 117-110 win over the Grizzlies. Ant-Man finished with just two assists, neither coming on a pass to Gobert, who tallied just five points on two field goal attempts.

Anderson, who ironically finished without an assist in his 14 minutes of play, infamously got punched by Gobert during an altercation two seasons ago. Gobert appears to be willing to look past their past transgressions so long as Slo-Mo can throw him a lob every once in a while.

Gobert’s 10.9 points on 6.3 shot attempts per game through 58 contests this season are his lowest averages over a full decade.

Jeremy Lin reveals text he sent that led Kobe Bryant to ignore him ‘for months’

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Jeremy Lin spoke candidly about a falling out he had with Kobe Bryant when the two were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lin spent one year on the Lakers during the 2014-15 season, which was Bryant’s penultimate season in the league. During a recent episode of Dwight Howard’s “Above the Rim” podcast, Lin dished on one incident that led Bryant to ice him out for several months.

The Taiwanese-American guard recalled a disagreement he had with Bryant during a late-game situation that year. Bryant was supposedly telling Lin to foul intentionally, while then-Lakers head coach Byron Scott urged Lin not to. The conflicting advice kept Lin from fouling right away.

Lin noticed Bryant display negative body language toward him over the incident, prompting the point guard to text his superstar teammate after the game.

“I texted him, ‘Hey man, I don’t appreciate the body language,’ Lin recounted to Howard. “And he came back with a sharp response, and I came back at him.

“It ended cordial, where I ended up saying, ‘I’m not saying you can’t teach me. You’re obviously a hundred times the player that I am. I want to learn anything and everything I can from you. I’m just asking if, could you just say and do it in a way that’s respectful to me as a man.’”

According to Lin, Bryant initially responded positively, saying he understood the message and even gave him specific areas to work on. Lin then revealed that Bryant didn’t speak to him “for the next five months.”

Lin shared that the two patched things up later on, and Bryant revealed he just wasn’t used to being challenged the way Lin did.

Lin told the story after Howard shared a similar experience he had with Bryant during the big man’s own ill-fated first run with the Lakers in the 2012-13 season. Bryant infamously gave Howard the silent treatment as the pair’s personalities clashed on and off the court.

Grizzlies announce brutal news about Zach Edey

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Zach Edey’s 2025-26 season will go down as a complete wash.

The Memphis Grizzlies announced the bad news on Tuesday night that their center Edey has undergone season-ending surgery on his left ankle to address ongoing discomfort and bone stress. Memphis’ release adds that Edey is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Edey has a lengthy history of ankle sprains and missed the start of this season after undergoing surgery last June in order to re-stabilize his left ankle (which he had re-sprained during an offseason workout at the time). The former National College Player of the Year then returned in mid-November and played in 11 total games for Memphis, averaging 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.

But Edey went out of the Grizzlies lineup again in December after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left ankle. He had not played for Memphis ever since then and has now been forced to undergo another surgery on that troublesome ankle.

It was obviously a longshot that Edey was going to play again this season. The Grizzlies stink right now at 23-37 (11th in the Western Conference) as they pivot into a full rebuild amid their trades of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. in recent months as well as the continued injury woes of Ja Morant.

But the surgery news for Edey is a major concern, especially because of his size (7-foot-3 and 305 pounds). While Edey is still only 23 years old, his already-extensive injury history seems very troublesome for his career outlook (particularly given how ugly some of his ankle sprains in the past have looked).

Giants cut ties with team captain in surprising move

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The New York Giants are parting ways with a key piece of their 2025 roster.

The Giants on Tuesday informed linebacker Bobby Okereke that the team was set to release him, according to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz. Okereke was one of the team’s five team captains last season and also the franchise’s Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year club awardee.

The Giants linebacker was slated to make $9 million next season, entering the final year of his 4-year, $40 million contract. Instead, the Giants cut ties with Okereke to give themselves more wiggle room ahead of the free agency period.

The move is surprising on the surface, given that Okereke led the Giants in both combined tackles (143) and solo tackles (78) by a wide margin. The numbers, however, didn’t tell the whole story, as PFF graded Okereke as a subpar run stopper and about average in coverage and in rushing the passer last season.

Schultz added that the 29-year-old Okereke is expected to have a strong market for his services, both as a player and as a veteran voice in the locker room.

The Giants hold the fifth overall pick in the draft next April, which the team could use to add Okereke’s replacement. Several mock drafts have New York taking Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles once the team is on the clock.

Fans are calling cap on AJ Dybantsa claiming he ‘might not leave’ BYU

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AJ Dybantsa claims he may not declare for the NBA draft just yet, but fans aren’t buying what the BYU star is trying to sell.

Dybantsa turned heads on Tuesday when he told Utah-based outlet Deseret News that he “might not leave” BYU just yet. In an interview, Dybantsa told reporter McKay Coppins that his mom wants him to finish his degree before moving on to the next chapter of his career.

“I’ve just got to get to the end of the season. … Because my mom wants me to graduate. Yeah, so I might not leave. But I might leave. I don’t know,” Dybantsa told Coppins.

Dybantsa added that fans may “get into my head” about staying for “one more year, maybe three more years.” Some of those same fans believed Dybantsa wasn’t being truthful. Many called him a bold-faced liar on social media.

Even former NBA players such as a TNT analyst Greg Anthony weren’t convinced Dybantsa would truly consider spurning a pro paycheck.

When asked further about why his mom wants him to stay, Dybantsa said it was about being prepared for life after basketball. He noted that such a move would provide him with a “backup plan” in case he suffers a career-threatening injury.

The fact that Dybantsa is already making millions in NIL money makes the decision more plausible. Several former NBA stars with little financial literacy ended up squandering their wealth after their careers. But if anything, AJ’s reasons for staying make it a smarter idea to declare for the draft now while he’s still a healthy, highly touted prospect.

Cooper Flagg, the 2025 first overall pick, signed a 4-year, $62 million rookie contract last season. Dybantsa could secure similarly life-changing money if he becomes a top-2 pick this year, as many expect.

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