Kurt Warner’s son lands NFL rookie camp invitation
EJ Warner, the son of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, has landed an invitation to an NFL rookie minicamp.
Warner has accepted an invitation to the Denver Broncos’ rookie camp set for this week, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. This comes after he previously got a look at the Kansas City Chiefs’ rookie minicamp.
Kurt Warner said he is “excited” for his son to get the opportunity, and that EJ just wants a chance to show that he can perform in the NFL.
Just talked to Kurt Warner on QB son E.J. Warner of Fresno State going to #Broncos rookie minicamp as tryout player “I’m excited. Like so many of these other kids coming out of college, he’s just trying to find an opportunity to show people that they can perform at the NFL level"
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) May 6, 2026
EJ Warner played at Temple and Rice in college before finishing his career at Fresno State last season. He threw for 2,030 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Bulldogs as a senior.
Warner is ultimately a longshot to catch on in the NFL, but the same could have been said for his father. It certainly does not speak poorly of him that the likes of Andy Reid and Sean Payton want a look at him, either.
Russell Wilson says he has an NFL contract offer
Russell Wilson is not shutting the door on his NFL career just yet.
Wilson revealed Wednesday that the New York Jets made him a contract offer during his recent visit to the team. He also confirmed that he has an opportunity to go into TV work, and is still deciding between the two.
“They offered me, and I’m trying to figure out what the next best thing is for me to do,” Wilson said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. “I still know I can play ball at a high level, but also I have an opportunity to do TV, so we’ll see what happens.”
Wilson visited with the Jets a week ago, but left without signing. The fact that he even had a contract offer was not previously known publicly. Since then, it has emerged that CBS is targeting him for a TV job, which he appears to be strongly considering.
Either opportunity would likely be a lucrative one for Wilson, though we have no idea what sort of contract he was offered by the Jets. Obviously, it wasn’t good enough to get him to sign immediately. The 37-year-old would be signing up for a backup job to Geno Smith, which may not be terribly appealing to him at this point in his career.
Wilson played in six games for the New York Giants last season, going 0-3 as a starter with three touchdown passes and three interceptions.
Lane Kiffin responds to Brian Kelly’s son getting job at Ole Miss
The son of the man Lane Kiffin replaced at LSU will be coaching at the school Kiffin just left next season.
Patrick Kelly, son of former LSU coach Brian Kelly, has accepted a job as assistant director of football support at Ole Miss, according to his X bio. The hire drew a reaction from Kiffin, who offered his congratulations.
Congrats 🎉 https://t.co/5mITlbBEL7
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) May 6, 2026
Kelly had previously worked for his father at LSU as a football support and operations coordinator. He has also worked as an offensive graduate assistant and as a recruiting specialist. This will be his first job working for someone other than his father.
Ole Miss is staffing up under new head coach Pete Golding, who replaced Kiffin late last season. This is not the first time Golding has poached a member of Kelly’s old LSU staff.
Given the circumstances of Kiffin’s departure, meetings between Ole Miss and LSU are likely to be on the awkward side for the foreseeable future. This just adds another element of that. Kiffin certainly won’t be bothered by it.
Astros get brutal injury update on Carlos Correa
The Houston Astros will not have Carlos Correa for the remainder of the season.
Correa will undergo surgery on a torn tendon in his left ankle, he confirmed Wednesday. The procedure will end his season and keep him out for six to eight months.
Carlos Correa needs season-ending surgery on a torn tendon in his left ankle. Recovery is 6-8 months, he said.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 6, 2026
Correa sustained the injury on Tuesday during batting practice. It was immediately suggested that it would be a serious issue, though presumably the Astros had been hoping it would not be season-ending.
This is just the latest blow for an Astros team that has had little go right for them this season. They sit at 15-22 and have been hit hard by injuries, with the likes of Hunter Brown and Jeremy Pena also on the shelf.
Correa had been a key figure in the middle of Houston’s order as the team tried to stay afloat. Through 32 games this season, he hit .279 at the plate with 3 home runs and a .787 OPS.
Ankle concerns are nothing new for Correa. Worries about the long-term health of his right ankle led to a pair of $300 million free agent contracts being voided in 2022, though it is the left ankle that will cost him the rest of the season now.
Chiney Ogwumike calls out LeBron James’ teammates after Game 1 loss to the Thunder
LeBron James needed help that didn’t arrive in Game 1 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Facing the reigning NBA champions and still without their highest-scoring weapon, the Lakers needed to rely heavily again on James in a series-opener in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
James responded to the challenge, but the same can’t be said about his teammates, who were called out by ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike while speaking to Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter after the game.
“This man[James] invests a million dollars in his body every year. The professionalism for him to show up and also capitalize on what the Thunder gave. I was thoroughly impressed with LeBron James,” Ogwumike said before turning her attention to the other Lakers players
“Everyone else has to raise their game. The Deandre Aytons, the Rui Hachimuras, again, the Austin Reaves, those guys have to be top tier for them to have any sort of a chance.”
"I was thoroughly impressed with LeBron James. Everyone else has to raise their game." 🗣️
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 6, 2026
–@chiney on the Lakers' Game 1 loss to the Thunder. pic.twitter.com/3rwGFHW2bY
The 41-year-old James led all scorers in the game with 27 points, shooting at an efficient 12/17 from the floor, while adding 6 assists and 4 rebounds.
Hachimura provided 18 points for the Lakers, but Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves combined for 30 points on a horrid 12/43 shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Luke Kennard, who had his moments in the first round against the Houston Rockets, took just four shots and finished with 7 points.
The Lakers are clearly feeling the absence of Luka Doncic, who has yet to play in the playoffs because of a hamstring injury he suffered in an April 2 game against the Thunder.
James can’t carry the Lakers alone like he used to. In Game 2 on Thursday, the production from his supporting cast will once again be a major point of emphasis.
Video: Brent Burns accidentally strikes Kirill Kaprizov in the groin with his skate
Minnesota Wild Kirill Kaprizov nearly had a nightmarish injury on Tuesday.
During Game 2 of the second-round series between the Wild and the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., Kaprizov was accidentally hit in the groin by Avs veteran blueliner Brent Burns’ skate.
The two were battling it out for the puck along the boards when Burns tried to kick the puck. However, his skate struck Kaprizov’s groin area instead, leaving the Wild star forward grimacing in pain.
Here is the video of that moment.
Brent Burns was trying to kick the puck away, missed, and kicked Kirill Kaprizov in a sensitive area 😭😵💫 pic.twitter.com/RZDPKyPGwY
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 6, 2026
That dangerous moment further underscored the inherent risk of playing a high-contact sport involving sharp blades. Kaprizov can also thank the protective layers for preventing Burns’ skate from puncturing him in the sensitive area. It easily could have been much more serious.
The Wild can’t afford to lose Kaprizov, especially with the situation they are in.
Minnesota is being totally outclassed by the Avalanche in the series. Colorado has scored 14 times through two games, while the Wild have scored 8 goals.
Kaprizov, who scored a goal in Game 2, will be counted upon by the Wild to deliver again in Game 3 on Saturday at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul, Minn., as they look to avoid a 3-0 series deficit.
Chet Holmgren’s joke says everything about LeBron James’ longevity
Chet Holmgren had a different vision of facing LeBron James in the NBA Playoffs.
After Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business in Game 1 of their series against the Lakers on Tuesday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., the former Gonzaga Bulldogs star candidly answered a question about taking on James in the postseason.
In a postgame interview with NBC, Holmgren admitted that he did not expect James to still be playing in the league when the opportunity came to face the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player in the playoffs.
“Maybe with him coaching or something,” the Thunder center said. “It’s fun to go at it with great players and he’s one of them.”
Chet was asked if he ever imagined being in a playoff series against LeBron:
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) May 6, 2026
"Maybe with him coaching or something… It's fun to go at it with great players and he's one of them." 😂🤝 pic.twitter.com/khefcKSjmi
With the way James is playing at age 41, a head-coaching job in the Association could still be far down the road.
Although the Lakers lost Game 1 to the Thunder, 108-90, James arguably had the best individual performance of any player on either side. The future Basketball Hall of Famer scored a game-high 27 points on 12/17 shooting with 6 assists and 4 rebounds in 36 minutes.
Holmgren and the Thunder will see more of James, as they need three more wins to eliminate the Lakers and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Thunder players were disturbed by Jarred Vanderbilt’s injury
Los Angeles Laker forward Jarred Vanderbilt’s finger injury left Oklahoma City Thunder players repulsed.
The Lakers dealt with a bad hand on Monday, not just because of their 108-90 loss to Oklahoma City in Game 1 of their second-round series at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., but also because of Vanderbilt’s gruesome injury.
Vanderbilt apparently dislocated his right pinkie finger while trying to challenge Thunder big man Chet Holmgren’s dunk attempt in the second quarter. He was in immediate pain after hitting his finger on the backboard, forcing the Lakers to burn a timeout.
When some OKC players saw Vanderbilt’s dislocated finger, they reflexively recoiled in horror.
You can watch their reactions here.
The Thunder's reaction to Jarred Vanderbilt's hand injury 🤕 pic.twitter.com/k9qHwGXyh7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 6, 2026
At least they did not have to see what was done to Vanderbilt’s hand following the game.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Vanderbilt’s hand had to be stitched up “because the bone in his dislocated pinky finger broke skin.”
Vanderbilt did not return to the contest, as the Lakers struggled to contain the Thunder, who took control in the second half.
Given the extent of his injury, Vanderbilt is unlikely to see action in Game 2 of the series on Thursday and could potentially miss the rest of the playoffs.
Trevor Story responds to Framber Valdez plunking
Boston Red Sox Trevor Story is not buying any other narrative about Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez’s intention during a controversial moment on Tuesday.
In the fourth inning of the game at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich., Valdez hit Story with a fastball. That led to both benches clearing and Valdez’s ejection from the game.
Here is the video of the pitch and the benches clearing after it.
Benches clear in the 4th inning of the Red Sox-Tigers game in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/8CigiKH63L
— MLB (@MLB) May 5, 2026
Whether it was intentional or not on Valdez’s part, Story believes the pitcher did it on purpose.
“I was in there ready to hit and it showed up way behind me, off the numbers,” Story said after the game, via Chris Henrique of the Boston Sports Journal. “I think we all know what’s what.
“It’s pretty indisputable,” added Story, who went 1-for-4 with 2 runs scored in Boston’s 10-3 victory over the Tigers.
It was a night to forget for Valdez, whose frustration over his ugly performance might have factored in Story’s plunking.
Before Story got hit by a pitch, Valdez gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu. The southpaw Valdez exited the contest after surrendering 10 runs (7 earned) on 9 hits with 3 strikeouts in three innings.
Fortunately for Story, he didn’t suffer a serious injury, as the Red Sox came away with their second win in a row in the Detroit series.
Fever rookie had an interesting comment about her head coach’s partner
Indiana Fever rookie Raven Johnson’s education in the pros is just beginning, but she’s already picking things up fast, even non-basketball-related ones.
The former South Carolina Gamecocks star was recently asked what she’s learned so far from Fever head coach Stephanie White, and her answer caught many off guard.
“Oh, she’s funny,” Johnson responded, via James Boyd of The Athletic.
The 23-year-old guard then turned her attention to White’s partner.
“Don’t tell her this, but her wife came to practice the other day, and I was like, ‘Dang! You got some taste!’ Johnson exclaimed.
It may not be common knowledge, but White is the partner of ESPN personality Lisa Salters, whom Johnson was referring to.
Johnson will be exposed to more personalities as she continues her WNBA journey following a successful college career.
After winning two national championships with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Johnson declared for the WNBA Draft and was selected 10th overall by the Indiana Fever, who are entering their second season under White. Johnson is expected to be a contributor right away for Indiana, which went 24-20 in the 2025 season.
The Fever won two of their three preseason games and will start their 2026 campaign on Saturday against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Jose Altuve had the worst whiff of the season against Shohei Ohtani
Jose Altuve may want to avoid social media for the next day or so.
The Houston Astros icon got clowned on Tuesday for one of the worst swings and misses of his career against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. To make matters worse for the Astros star, his miserable strikeout came against Shohei Ohtani, which has understandably drawn even more eyeballs to the moment.
With a pair of Astros runners at the corners and two outs in the bottom of the 5th inning, Altuve swung at a 1-2 sweeper outside that was in the dirt in the opposite batter’s box. Check out the play for yourself.
lmao pic.twitter.com/HTncVyHmxt
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) May 6, 2026
The jokes quickly began flying at Altuve’s expense.
Shohei got Altuve swinging at a ball in another county pic.twitter.com/4dEHrmHxtL
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 6, 2026
Altuve missed this Shohei Ohtani Sweeper by 2 Altuves. pic.twitter.com/UeMozHShqL
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 6, 2026
THIS PITCH WAS ALMOST A FULL ALTUVE OUTSIDE pic.twitter.com/ZmhHeQIqGy
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 6, 2026
The location of the pitch on MLB.com was almost comical. Even if you extended the strike zone threefold, it would have still been called a ball outside.
Shohei Ohtani got Jose Altuve to swing at this pitch pic.twitter.com/tDDGFWnE5a
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) May 6, 2026
Ohtani pitched a gem on Tuesday, allowing just four hits and a pair of earned runs across 7.0 innings. The Dodgers’ two-way star has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball so far this season.
Shohei sports a sub-1.00 ERA across six starts this season. But as has been the case all season, Ohtani got minimal run support on Tuesday in a 2-1 loss to the Astros. The Dodgers have gone 2-4 in games Ohtani has started this season.
Astros star Carlos Correa suffers ‘serious’ injury
The Houston Astros may have to soldier on without Carlos Correa for the foreseeable future.
Correa was a late scratch for Tuesday’s contest, which the Astros won 2-1 at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. He reportedly suffered a “serious” left ankle injury before the Astros’ game Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, Correa sustained the injury during pregame batting practice. He is slated to visit a foot specialist on Wednesday morning to “determine the exact diagnosis and severity of the injury.”
Through 32 games this season, Correa has hit .279 at the plate with 3 home runs and a .787 OPS. His 16 RBIs rank fourth on the team.
It’s the second significant injury in two days suffered by an Astros player during batting practice. Houston catcher Yainer Diaz strained his oblique during Monday’s batting practice, which manager Joe Espada believes will keep him out “for a while.”
Correa and Diaz join an already crowded Astros injured list that already includes shortstop Jeremy Pena, ace Hunter Brown, and closer Josh Hader.
Correa had a pair of $300 million contracts voided in 2022 due to concerns surrounding his right ankle. It’s the left one that’s bothering him this time around.
Chris Finch calls out referees for giving Victor Wembanyama an unfair advantage
Chris Finch wants every official and the entire NBA world to be more discerning when it comes to Victor Wembanyama’s blocks.
The Minnesota Timberwolves head coach was critical of the officiating during his team’s 104-102 Game 1 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals matchup. Wembanyama blocked an NBA-record 12 shots in the contest, including three in the opening minutes at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
The Timberwolves had reason to argue that a good chunk of those blocks were actually goaltending violations. On the eve of Game 2, Finch spoke out on the matter.
“When we looked at them, at least four of them were goaltending. Maybe even a fifth,” Finch told reporters. “To me, it’s a little alarming that none of them were called. Here’s a generational shot-blocker who’s 7-foot-6 who goes after everything, and there’s no heightened awareness that these blocks could be goaltends?
“I mean, the third possession of the game was a goaltend — and it was a clean, obvious one. So let’s just say there were four. That’s eight points. You know the value of eight points in an NBA game? Massive.
“That’s also 33 percent of his blocks were goaltending, uncalled. If I were to give you a 33 percent raise, you’d like that, right? That’s a huge number.”
Finch wasn’t just complaining to rant about Game 1. On a deeper level, his comments were more about changing the officiating POV for the rest of the series.
In directing awareness toward Wembanyama’s blocks as potential goaltends, referees will be looking more intently at such plays in the games to come. Finch also had a similar criticism during his postgame press conference on Monday night, and fans were siding with the T-Wolves coach.
It’s tough for referees to call goaltends on Wembanyama exactly because of his being a once-in-a-lifetime defensive force. He blocks shots at angles and heights referees could never fathom from anyone else, which adds complexity to the block vs. goaltending call in a playoff series involving Wemby.
In directing awareness toward Wembanyama’s blocks as potential goaltends, referees will be looking more intently at such plays in the games to come.
Finch also had a similar criticism during his postgame press conference on Monday night, and fans were siding with the T-Wolves coach.
Fans furious over NBC’s ’embarrassing’ decision on NBA playoff broadcast
NBC is taking some serious flak for its questionable scheduling decision for the start of the NBA conference semifinals.
The broadcasting giant got the assignment on a pair of series openers on Tuesday for the Detroit Pistons-Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder-Los Angeles Lakers series. With only eight teams remaining in the NBA postseason field, fans expect to get treated to back-to-back conference semis matchups every day.
However, NBC scheduled about an hour overlap between the Pistons-Cavs game (7 p.m. ET tipoff) and the Thunder-Lakers game (8:30 p.m. ET tipoff). With no other games on the slate, fans were fuming about not being able to watch the games one after the other.
NBC overlapping these playoff games really pissing me off dawg THERES ONLY 2 GAMES A NIGHT NOW
— A ✩ (@adryanashton) May 6, 2026
This nbc coverage of the nba playoffs is terrible
— cre8flow.the (@cre8flow) May 6, 2026
2 games on tv at same time
I knew when tnt lost the contract fans were getting screwed
I think @peacock @NBCSports @NBA need to explain why they chose to overlap the only 2 NBA playoff games that are on today? Lakers/Thunder could have been pushed an hour.
— Doctor Sunshine (@doc_sunshineMD) May 6, 2026
No concern for the viewers. Blatant disregard for those with genuine interest in both series. Ridiculous
Many felt like it was a money grab, given that anyone hoping to catch both games live and in their entirety would have needed a Peacock subscription.
The NBA letting NBC air games simultaneously so that you’re forced to subscribe to Peacock if you want to catch the beginning of the 2nd game is lame.
— Jamal (@FinesseBucket) May 6, 2026
It is SO embarrassing that an NBA playoffs second round game is exclusively on Peacock.
— Jack Goods (@GoodsOnSports) May 6, 2026
There may have been some underlying reason as to why Tuesday’s games in particular overlapped. All the currently scheduled games beyond Tuesday have 2.5-hour gaps between starts.
Without any real explanation, it’s not surprising fans felt like they were being hosed by some corporate agreement between Adam Silver and the bigwig executives at NBC.
Last month, NBC also drew heat for a glaring error made during its broadcast of Game 2 of the first-round series between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.
Shohei Ohtani got the most embarrassing swing-and-miss from Jose Altuve
Jose Altuve haters were eating good on Tuesday night.
Altuve and the Houston Astros played Tuesday at home against Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the fifth inning at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, Altuve ended up producing one of the most humiliating moments of his entire career.
Batting against the Dodgers superstar Ohtani, Altuve went down in the count 1-2 with runners on the corners and two outs. Ohtani ended up throwing Altuve a two-strike waste pitch … well, at least until Altuve swung at it.
The reigning NL MVP Ohtani clearly pulled a 89-mph sweeper, and the pitch ended up nowhere even remotely close to the strike zone. But somehow, Altuve was completely fooled and fanned at the pitch from another zip code for an inning-ending strikeout.
Here is the embarrassing video.
Shohei Ohtani made Altuve look SILLY to get out of the jam pic.twitter.com/CxFAk5Z74u
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) May 6, 2026
Altuve used to regularly face Ohtani in the AL West back when Ohtani was still a member of the Los Angeles Angels. But during Tuesday’s game, Altuve looked no better than an eight-year-old with an inflatable bat swinging at that awful pitch.
In the end though, the Astros got the last laugh by earning a 2-1 win after the Dodgers offered no run support to Ohtani (only scoring once in the eighth inning after Ohtani had thrown his final pitch). But Ohtani, who struck out eight over his seven innings of work, is still looking like a frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award. As a bonus on Tuesday, he got to make Altuve look even more overmatched than he did during his brief stint as an outfielder.
Masai Ujiri has great message for Mavericks fans still hurting from Luka Doncic trade
Masai Ujiri knows what he’s getting into as the next team president of the Dallas Mavericks.
News broke on Monday that the Mavs were hiring Ujiri to replace disgraced executive Nico Harrison, who remains public enemy No. 1 in Dallas for orchestrating the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Ujiri spoke candidly about taking over following the ill-fated trade that left so many Mavs fans scarred. He went back to his African roots to send a message to a fan base needing hope for the future.
“I want to be very respectful to everybody here, and yes, there’s a healing process with that. Luka’s a future Hall of Famer. That’s the past,” Ujiri told reporters.
“In Africa, we say when kings go, kings come. And a king went, and we have a little prince here that we’re gonna turn into a king.”
That “little prince” Ujiri is referring to is, of course, Cooper Flagg. The 19-year-old bears the weight of the entire franchise on his shoulders.
Ujiri served as the Toronto Raptors’ top executive from 2013 to 2025, with his crowning moment being the team’s 2019 championship run. Ujiri made the move to acquire Kawhi Leonard, whose one year with the team resulted in Toronto’s title run.
Ujiri has made some questionable moves (or non-moves) since Leonard departed, with the team failing to reach similar heights up until his exit. There were reportedly concerns that Ujiri had spread himself too thin with his other ventures.
In Dallas, Ujiri gets a new chance to build something from the ground up.
Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt suffers gruesome finger injury in Game 1 vs. Thunder
Jarred Vanderbilt had quite a painful moment during Tuesday’s series opener.
The Los Angeles Lakers met the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday for Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. During the second quarter at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., the Lakers forward Vanderbilt leapt high to try to contest a dunk by Thunder big man Chet Holmgren.
Vanderbilt was not able to get there in time, but he did manage to pick up an ugly-looking finger injury in the process. The 27-year-old Vanderbilt slammed his pinky finger into the side of the backboard and appeared to suffer a gruesome dislocation.
Here is the video of the play.
— Follow: @PurpGoldLakers (@PGMediaaa) May 6, 2026
The NBC broadcast also showed players on the Thunder bench reacting with visible disgust to Vanderbilt’s injury.
Look at the Thunders reaction to Vando’s injury. pic.twitter.com/KknAV1Yg2e
— Showtime Luka (@showtimeluka) May 6, 2026
Vanderbilt left the game and did not return during the first half. While Vanderbilt, who is in his fourth season with the Lakers, is a defense-first player who shoots lefty anyway, he definitely has a reputation for being injury-prone. Now Vanderbilt’s latest injury in Game 1 of the Thunder series had to be especially frustrating, particularly given his personal history with OKC.
Notable update emerges on Joe Mazzulla’s future after playoff choke
The Boston Celtics still have more screenings of “The Town” in their future.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is expected to remain in his position despite the team’s playoff choke, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reported this week. Himmelsbach notes that Mazzulla will likely be named NBA Coach of the Year in the coming days as well.
Mazzulla, 37, just completed his fourth season as the head coach of the Celtics after taking over for the fired Ime Udoka in 2022. He has gone a scorching 238-90 (.726) overall in Boston and also guided the Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship.
Meanwhile, this past regular season marked some of Mazzulla’s best work yet. Despite being without Jayson Tatum for most of the year and trading the likes of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis before the season even began, Boston went a stunning 56-26 and secured the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, the wheels then fell off the bus for the Celtics in the postseason. They blew a 3-1 lead to the No. 7 seed Philadelphia 76ers and ended up bowing out in the very first round (after some questionable decisions down the stretch by Mazzulla).
One could obviously argue that this was always going to be a bridge year for Boston and that they overachieved and created unrealistic expectations for themselves with their impressive regular season. Celtics management appears to feel the same way and will likely be giving another chance to Mazzulla (and his highly unusual personality).
James Harden gets a technical foul for shoving Duncan Robinson in Game 1
James Harden and Duncan Robinson were two unexpected combatants during Tuesday’s game.
Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers played Robinson and the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. In the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., the Pistons sharpshooter Robinson hit a basket off a drive and was fouled by Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell in the process.
The “and-1” sequence got Robinson hyped up, and he let out a roar and got into the face of the Cavaliers star Harden, who was standing nearby. In response, Harden gave Robinson a shove.
Here is the video.
Duncan Robinson and James Harden pic.twitter.com/82ItTdnUBu
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 6, 2026
Harden was given a technical foul for the shove, and Robinson surprisingly got a technical foul as well (possibly for initiating the incident). As such, the two Ts offset, and Robinson just got his one free throw from the “and-1,” which he went on to miss.
The former MVP Harden has had an up-and-down postseason for the Cavaliers. He averaged 20.6 points and 6.1 assists per game during his team’s first-round series against the Raptors but was badly inefficient at times and also produced a very bizarre moment during Sunday’s Game 7.
Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brothers are turning off 1 interested team
One interested suitor apparently does not want the entire Antetokounmpo clan.
The Brooklyn Nets are hesitant to trade for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo because of his brothers, NBA reporter Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson said this week on “The Big Shot Bob Podcast.” Robinson noted that the Nets do not want to use roster spots on Antetokounmpo’s brothers Thanasis and Alex.
Additionally, Robinson said that, though Brooklyn has the assets to swing a trade for the ex-MVP Antetokounmpo, they would not meet Antetokounmpo’s wish of bringing his brothers along with him. You can see Robinson’s full remarks at the link here (beginning at the 24:45 mark).
Antetokounmpo’s older brother Thanasis has been a mainstay in Milwaukee over the last several years. He has spent six total seasons with the Bucks since 2019 and was a part of their 2021 NBA championship team (though Thanasis does not have the best reputation as an NBA-caliber player).
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo’s younger brother Alex also spent the 2025-26 season with the Bucks. That meant that roughly 17 percent of Milwaukee’s available roster spots (including two-way players) were used up on members of the Antetokounmpo family.
The Nets, who went 20-62 this season, have been linked to a possible trade for The Greek Freak for some time now. But with roster spots holding particular value for rebuilding teams when it comes to depth, veteran mentors, and player development, Antetokounmpo’s brothers could end up making Brooklyn’s entire pursuit a non-starter.
