Shaq had the highest praise possible for Victor Wembanyama
Shaquille O’Neal is notoriously tough on NBA big men, but he had the highest possible praise for Victor Wembanyama on Tuesday.
O’Neal said on “Inside the NBA” Tuesday that Wembanyama is “the first perfect big man,” citing his ability to do virtually anything on the court.
“I think Wemby is the first perfect big man that’s ever created,” O’Neal said. “He can shoot, free throws, play defense, play offense, he’s a great team player. … He is a joy to watch.”
"Wemby is the first perfect big man that's ever created."
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 29, 2026
—@Shaq with amazing praise for Victor Wembanyama 😳 pic.twitter.com/fN96RbmlPP
Shaq is one of the most legendary big men of all time, but has often derided the league’s current class of centers. He has also bemoaned what he sees as softness in the modern game. For him to have such high praise of Wembanyama is notable in light of that.
At this point, though, it would be tough to deny Wembanyama’s excellence. He just became the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner and delivered 17 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks in the San Antonio Spurs’ series-clinching win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Deshaun Watson is growing favorite for Browns QB job
Deshaun Watson may be poised to beat out Shedeur Sanders for the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback position.
Watson has the “inside track” to win the starting job following the team’s voluntary minicamp, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. She added that Watson demonstrated “quicker decision-making, better performance in the pre-snap process, and more efficiency in the passing game” during the three-day minicamp. He has also shown himself to be capable of learning coach Todd Monken’s new offensive system quickly.
Monken is hopeful of naming a quarterback by the end of the team’s June minicamp to ensure that his choice has time to build rapport with the first team offense.
Watson making a comeback and winning the job would be quite something considering he is coming off two Achilles tears. Monken said he would be considered for the starting job, but that was dismissed by some at the time as a cursory comment meant to cover his bases.
The last time Watson got a chance to start for Cleveland, he was downright awful. He has gone 9-10 as the team’s starter since their ill-fated trade for him in 2022 and averaged less than 200 yards a game in his 19 starts. He probably will not last long as starter if those numbers aren’t significantly better this time.
Diego Pavia’s old Lamar Jackson take resurfaces
Diego Pavia and Lamar Jackson will be teammates on the Baltimore Ravens, at least for a period of time. That might prove awkward for Pavia in light of some of the things he has said in the past.
Video resurfaced Tuesday in which Pavia was asked whether Jackson or Johnny Manziel was the best college football player of all time. Pavia brushed aside the question and simply said he was.
Diego Pavia thinks he was a better college QB than Lamar Jackson pic.twitter.com/E4jRGSEqBi
— JacksonMuse (@Jackson_Muse) April 28, 2026
Jackson probably doesn’t care that much about whether he is regarded as the best college football player of all time or not. The clip may still make for some awkward moments in the Baltimore locker room, though.
There is also nothing too unusual about the clip. Pavia’s supreme confidence has been one of his calling cards, though it is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and they have backfired at times. That may have been part of the reason it took him to long to find a job, as teams would prefer their third-string quarterback not be a source of drama, to say the least.
Plenty of people already thought Jackson and Pavia would probably not get along in Ravens camp. Those people will point to stuff like this to further their arguments.
Jordyn Woods captures Karl-Anthony Towns’ unexpected interaction with Knicks fans
Karl-Anthony Towns is not hard to spot on the street. At his size, he will always draw attention even if he’s not donning his New York Knicks uniform.
In a social media video shared by Towns’ fiancée, Jordyn Woods, he was seen running into a couple of adorable Knicks fans while strolling outside.
As Towns was about to cross the street, he saw two young kids with an adult coming over from the other side to greet him. One of the kids was wearing a Josh Hart Knicks jersey while the other had Towns’ New York threads on. Towns gladly interacted with them and shook their hands, looking genuinely appreciative of the attention.
Woods, meanwhile, wrote “made our day but really made ours” on the post, adding three heart emojis in Knicks colors. You can watch the clip here.
Right Place, Right Time 🥹
— NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2026
(via @JordynWoods/IG) pic.twitter.com/bLQxIC4V1n
Seeing NBA stars interact with fans, especially in random places, will never get old.
Towns has always carried an image of a good guy on and off the court, and that candid moment with young New York fans further proves that.
But in a basketball sense, he will have to be a bad guy to the Atlanta Hawks, who are just a loss away in the first round of the playoffs from getting eliminated by the Knicks.
New York holds a 3-2 series advantage over the Hawks after a 126-97 win on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., with Towns scoring 16 points on 5/7 shooting.
NBA legend penned an apology after the 76ers’ Game 5 win
Magic Johnson counted out the Philadelphia 76ers too soon.
The Los Angeles Lakers great thought the 76ers were on their way to getting dumped by the Boston Celtics in five games after Joel Embiid and company lost in Game 4 of the all-Atlantic Division first-round series.
But the 76ers responded in Game 5 on Tuesday with a 113-97 victory at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., to extend the series.
Following the game, Johnson apologized for his premature take on the Sixers.
“I have to apologize to the Philadelphia 76ers for thinking the Series was over after Game 4,” the three-time NBA MVP wrote in a post on X.
The 66-year-old Johnson also gave Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse props for steadying the 76ers’ boat amid tremendous pressure to deliver in a win-or-go-home scenario.
“My hat goes off to 76ers Coach Nick Nurse who had an awesome game plan and had his team believing that they could beat the Celtics on the road in Boston!”
Johnson has a well-known history with the 76ers. He helped the Lakers win an NBA championship against Philadelphia during his rookie season, famously stepping in to play center in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals. The 76ers later got back at Johnson and the Lakers, with Philadelphia sweeping the Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals.
The 76ers can earn even more respect from Johnson if they can force a Game 7 with a win on Thursday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa.
Rams GM calls Ty Simpson ‘poor guy’ for staying on script after NFL Draft
One of the many surprises in the 2026 NFL Draft was the Los Angeles Rams taking Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick.
The surprise later turned into drama after Simpson said he had yet to meet Rams head coach Sean McVay following the draft.
As it turned out, Simpson simply continued to buy into a pre-draft plan even after Los Angeles selected him. The truth is that he had a private meeting with the Rams before the draft and knew that the team was interested in him.
However, because the Rams did not want other teams to sniff out their plans, he had to follow a script about not having any contact with McVay or anyone from the organization, Simpson told ESPN Radio’s “Amber and Ian” show on Monday.
Then, during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Rams general manager Les Snead explained that Simpson wasn’t really supposed to stick that narrative beyond the draft.
“Here’s where it went awry,” Snead said. “We do like to emphasize, ‘Hey, look. Try to keep these private meetings between us. For that gamesmanship. We like for other teams not to know we’re interested.’ So we do emphasize that a little stronger. Try to keep it between us.”
Snead said the Rams felt bad for Simpson, who was just following orders.
“So we emphasize, keep it quiet. Felt really bad for Ty. He stayed on script. Poor guy stayed on script,” added Snead.
#Rams GM Les Snead says the team asks prospects to stay quiet about private visits so other teams won’t know they met.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 28, 2026
After being drafted No. 13, Ty Simpson still thought he had to keep it under wraps and told reporters he had never met with the Rams or Sean McVay.
(🎥… pic.twitter.com/lpdq8NNIsZ
So, the Rams wanted radio silence on their interest in Simpson but ended up dealing with a lot of negative noise, prompting Snead to step in and clear things up.
It was not the best way for Ty Simpson to start his Rams stint, though he must have learned a thing or two about handling off-the-field issues.
Jayson Tatum had an honest reaction to Joel Embiid’s form in Game 5
Joel Embiid came to the rescue for the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
Facing elimination in Game 5 of their first-round series against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., Embiid dominated the Celtics and scored 33 points on 12/23 shooting with 8 assists and 4 rebounds.
The former NBA Most Valuable Player was a headache the Celtics couldn’t cure all game long, and Tatum acknowledged that after Boston’s 113-97 loss.
“Give him credit. He played well. He put a lot of pressure on us … we’ll go back, make some adjustments and be ready for Game 6,” Tatum, who scored 24 points, said of Embiid, via Bobby Manning of Celtics on CLNS.
That loss must be deflating to the Celtics, as they have to go through another game to try and eliminate the pesky Sixers instead of starting their preparation for the second round.
With Embiid clearly regaining his form after missing the first three games of the series while recovering from an appendectomy, the 76ers have become a tougher matchup for the Celtics, who will look to close out the series in a hostile environment in Game 6 on Thursday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa.
Victor Wembanyama’s dad was in utter disbelief after his son’s emphatic block
Even Victor Wembanyama’s father, Felix Wembanyama, seemingly felt sorry for what his son did to a shot from Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija.
In what looked like a coup de grâce to Portland’s season, Wembanyama viciously swatted away a shot attempt by Avdija with 3:25 left in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s Game 5 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Wembanyama’s rejection was akin to an NBA player toying with kids at a summer basketball camp.
What made the moment even more entertaining (at least for Spurs fans) was the close-up shot of Wembanyama’s father after the block. The broadcast showed Mr. Felix making a facial expression as if to say, “I’m sorry my kid just did that.” Just like everyone who watched the block, Wembanyama’s dad was simply left in awe.
Here’s the video of that sequence.
WEMBY WITH THE EMPHATIC REJECTION ON AVDIJA 😤
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 29, 2026
His dad was finally impressed with this play 😅 #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/yiXOWwoq0Q
It was one of the six shots erased by Wembanyama in the game, as he also finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 3 assists to help the Spurs come away with a 114-95 win and clinch a ticket to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
In the four games he played in the Blazers series, Wembanyama averaged 21.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks.
He and the Spurs now take some rest before facing the winner of the other series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets.
Don Mattingly clears the air after sudden change of heart on managing
Months after he said he had no desire to be a manager in the big leagues again, Don Mattingly is back in that very role.
The Philadelphia Phillies made him the club’s interim manager on Tuesday after they fired Rob Thomson following a brutal 9-19 start to the 2026 MLB season.
It wasn’t a job Mattingly was after when he was hired by the Phillies in January to be a bench coach, but he implied after Tuesday’s 7-0 win over the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa., that he said that partly to avoid sparking drama.
“I’ve always felt good. Been pretty healthy. I feel like I have energy, but I did want to say that from the standpoint of [Thomson’s] here,” Mattingly told reporters, via Dave Uram of SportsRadio 94WIP. ” I didn’t want anyone feeling like I was here to do something like this, so I really wanted to leave it like that.”
With Thomson gone, Mattingly does not have to worry as much about stepping on anyone else’s toes.
He is also off to a good start in his new role, with the Phillies beating the Giants in a home series opener.
Mattingly, who just turned 65 years old on April 20, managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 before serving the same role for the Miami Marlins from 2016 to 2022.
Draymond Green calls out 1 NBA All-Star as ‘soft’
Draymond Green is looking to add to his lengthy list of enemies.
The Golden State Warriors veteran Green made some waves this week with his comments about the Cleveland Cavaliers on the latest episode of his self-titled podcast. In particular, Green targeted Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen for being “soft.”
“Jarrett Allen seems to get into these playoffs and get really, really, really soft,” said Green bluntly. “Like, he gets into the playoffs and turns into a completely different player. And not for the better. He gets really, really, really soft in these playoff games. And I just don’t understand it.”
Allen, an All-Star in 2022, was one of the most intimidating rim protectors during the regular season. As one of the pillars of Cleveland’s gameplan on both ends of the floor, Allen averaged 15.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game in the regular season.
But the Cavaliers’ first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors (which is currently tied 2-2) appears to be exposing Allen. His averages are down to 8.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game, and the Raptors have regularly attacked Allen at the rim with success.
At 28 years old, Allen is now in the middle of his sixth career trip to the playoffs. But he has not been doing much this year to impress Green, who has not been shy to criticize even the NBA’s biggest stars over the last few weeks.
Shaq’s daughter Me’Arah O’Neal announces her transfer decision
Me’Arah O’Neal is officially headed to Big Blue Nation.
The 19-year-old Me’Arah announced to her Instagram page this week that she is transferring to the University of Kentucky. Me’Arah entered the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month and is now set to play the 2026-27 season with the Wildcats.
A 6-foot-4 guard, Me’Arah is the daughter of retired basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal. She is one of six children that Shaq shares with his ex-wife Shaunie.
Me’Arah played out the first two seasons of her collegiate career with Florida. As a sophomore last year for the Gators, Me’Arah had a strong individual showing too, averaging 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game as an everyday starter in the backcourt.
But Florida posted a medicore record of 18-15 on the season and ended up firing head coach Kelly Rae Finley as a result. Meanwhile, Me’Arah is not sticking around for the Gators to right the ship and will instead be headed to play elsewhere in the SEC for Kentucky.
Me’Arah was already drawing attention at 13 years old for her impressive athleticism. Now Me’Arah is set to join a Wildcats team that went 25-11 last season and made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
Javy Baez suffers an ugly ankle injury on ill-advised slide into first base
Javy Baez cost himself with a lapse in judgment during Tuesday’s game.
The Detroit Tigers infielder Baez was up to bat in the fifth inning at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga. with a runner on second and nobody out. Baez bounced a routine groundball to Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubon, but Dubon’s throw sailed a bit high.
Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson got pulled off the bag a bit, and Baez attempted to slide into first base to avoid the tag. As a result though, Baez’s ankle got caught underneath him awkwardly.
Here is the unfortunate video of the injury (which led to Baez being carted off the field).
Javy Baez left the game on a cart after this slide into first base pic.twitter.com/hEFcZX3MVP
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 29, 2026
Baez seemed to have made a split-second decision there to slide and paid the price for it. Instead of running through the bag at full speed, Baez slowed himself down and picked up an ugly-looking ankle injury in the process.
The 33-year-old Baez, an All-Star last season for the Tigers, was batting .263 with two home runs and six RBIs through 23 appearances so far this season. But now he appears to be looking at some time on the shelf after that slide into first base (adding to Baez’s history of suffering injuries in unfortunate ways).
Joel Embiid exits Game 5 with a concerning knee injury
It is Groundhog Day all over again for Joel Embiid.
The Philadelphia 76ers star center Embiid had to leave Game 5 against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday due to an apparent knee injury. In the third quarter at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., Embiid rotated over to defend a drive by Boston’s Jaylen Brown.
The two players appeared to bump knees, and Embiid seemed to get to the worst of it. He immediately grabbed at his left knee in pain, and the 76ers had to take a timeout as a result.
Embiid would end up leaving the game and going straight to the locker room. Here is the video of his injury.
Joel Embiid bumped kness with Jaylen Brown and he is hurt.
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) April 29, 2026
Just went back to the Sixers locker room. pic.twitter.com/IKs4V5Iwq1
The former NBA MVP Embiid, now 32, had just returned in Game 4 of the series after missing roughly two-and-a-half weeks while recovering from an emergency appendectomy. But now Embiid is injured again, and the left knee is of extra concern as well since that is the knee that has given him so many problems since a 2024 meniscus tear (even being described several months ago as a “debilitating” issue).
Philadelphia was facing elimination on Tuesday, entering play down 3-1 to the Celtics in their first-round series. Embiid also recently had an evasive response to questions about his future with the 76ers, and now the uncertainty may be reaching a crescendo with yet another left knee injury to the seven-footer.
Titans have a major shakeup in their front office
The Tennessee Titans are getting thrown a curveball this week.
Tennessee president of football operations Chad Brinker announced in a statement on Tuesday that he is stepping down from his position. Brinker noted that “as I’ve spent less time in personnel, I have a renewed conviction that it is time to return to what I love and move towards my next chapter.”
You can read Brinker’s full statement here.
Titans President of Football Operations Chad Brinker announced he is stepping down.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2026
Here is his statement: pic.twitter.com/N9GqCZ0lgO
Brinker, 46, had been in charge of the Titans since 2024 after originally joining the team in 2023 as their assistant general manager. Prior to Tennessee, Brinker had been with the Green Bay Packers, spending over a decade there in various scouting roles.
During Brinker’s time at the helm, the Titans experienced back-to-back 3-14 seasons. Though that allowed them to draft franchise quarterback Cam Ward at No. 1 overall last year and wide receiver stud Carnell Tate at No. 4 overall this year, the team is still very much a work in progress.
Now Brinker has decided to resign from his post just days after the completion of the 2026 NFL Draft. That will give Tennessee an almost entirely clean slate coupled with the hires of new head coach Robert Saleh and a very well-known new offensive coordinator as well.
Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. takes a shot at Lakers in middle of playoff series
You at least cannot accuse Jabari Smith Jr. of frontrunning.
The Houston Rockets forward Smith spoke with reporters on Tuesday before Wednesday’s Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. Houston is currently facing elimination in the first-round series as they trail the Lakers 3-1.
During his remarks, Smith took a shot at the Lakers. Smith said that the Rockets were “obviously” the better team than the Lakers despite being down to them in the series.
“We’re obviously the better team, I feel like,” said Smith, per Rockets analyst Adam Wexler.
“I just feel like from top to bottom, you could say it’s an opinion, you could say I’m biased, but I just think we’re the better team,” Smith continued.
While the Rockets did win Game 4 over the Lakers by a convincing 115-96 final score, there is not a lot of evidence to back up Smith’s claim right now. The Lakers had the better overall record and also won two out of three head-to-head matchups against the Rockets during the regular season. Now the Lakers have won three out of four playoff games against the Rockets as well, putting Houston on the brink of elimination.
That said, the first-round series would have been a lot more competitive if not for a disastrous late choke job by the Rockets in Game 3. Thus, Smith is clearly clinging onto hope that his team can somehow become the very first one in NBA history to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
Lakers get worrisome news on Luka Doncic injury return timeline
The Los Angeles Lakers are up 3-1 in the first-round series against the Houston Rockets, and they have done that without Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic.
There is a chance that Reaves could return for Game 5 on Wednesday, but Doncic remains out for this series. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania had a worrisome update on Doncic, suggesting the Lakers star could remain out for the second-round series as well.
“The expectation is if the Lakers are able to beat Houston and advance, Luka Dončić will be out for the next series. There’s still no timetable for him as of right now,” Charania said on an episode of SportsCenter.
"It is a slow-path on the recovery front for Luka. The expectation is if the Lakers are able to beat Houston and advance Luka Dončić will be out for the next series. There's still no time table for him as of right now. He's starting to do more court movement as JJ Redick said the… pic.twitter.com/ayA0zuKreU
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) April 28, 2026
Doncic, who is the Lakers’ leading scorer, was diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain toward the end of the season, and the expectation all along was that he would miss the first-round series.
However, there was hope that Doncic would return for the second-round series, although Charania pushed back on that sentiment on Tuesday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the next opponent for either the Lakers or Rockets after Oklahoma City swept the Phoenix Suns in four games, and th Lakers will need everyone available if they want any chance to knock off the defending NBA champions.
No. 1 college hoops recruit Tyran Stokes has announced his commitment
Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2026, has decided where he will play in college basketball.
Stokes announced on “Inside the NBA” that he is headed to the Kansas Jayhawks, and he made the announcement while holding a 2K video game with himself in a Kansas jersey on the cover.
Breaking: Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 recruit in the SC Next 100 Class of 2026, has committed to Kansas, he announced on Inside the NBA. pic.twitter.com/tPjZWdLYPo
— ESPN (@espn) April 28, 2026
Stokes, who played at Rainier Beach High School in Louisville, Ky., is No. 1 in the SC Next, 247Sports and On3 rankings.
Stokes is 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds and plays forward, and he is a massive get for Bill Self and the Jayhawks program.
The other two finalists for Tyran Stokes were Kentucky and Oregon, but Kansas landed a top player once again. Stokes also had offers from programs including Vanderbilt, Washington, Louisville and USC.
This past season, Kansas had Darryn Peterson on the team, and the freshman is now considered the potential top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after spending just one season in Lawrence with the Jayhawks.
Stokes is the fifth player to commit to Kansas in the 2026 class, joining four-stars Tay Kinney, Davion Adkins and Trent Perry and three-star Luke Barnett.
joins four-star point guard Tay Kinney (No. 17 NATL), four-star power forward Davion Adkins (No. 44 NATL), four-star small forward Trent Perry (No. 101 NATL), and three-star shooting guard Luke Barnett (No. 120 NATL).
Jets ‘considering’ 10-time Pro Bowler as backup to Geno Smith
The New York Jets quarterback room could soon get another addition in the form of a 10-time Pro Bowler and one-time Super Bowl winner.
The Jets are reportedly “considering” bringing in Russell Wilson to be the backup to Geno Smith, according to a report from Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
Rosenblatt added that the Jets had Wilson in for a visit on Monday, and revealed that Smith is “excited” about the chance to work with Wilson again.
Geno Smith was presented with various options at backup quarterback and he was excited about the prospect of Russell Wilson, per source.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) April 28, 2026
Jets and Wilson spoke at some point prior to the draft and scheduled Monday night’s visit then. https://t.co/BEdgecKfDI
Smith and Wilson were together with the Seattle Seahawks, although Smith was the backup to Wilson during that time.
Wilson, who began 2025 as the starter for the New York Giants, was later benched and replaced by rookie Jaxson Dart.
The Jets have been busy at the QB position. They traded Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs and acquired Smith in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
And, the Jets moved up in the 2026 NFL Draft to select Clemson QB Cade Klubnik in the fourth round.
Smith was selected by the Jets at No. 7 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft and began his career there before going to the Giants in 2017.
As it stands, all signs point to Smith being the Jets’ QB1 in 2026, even if Wilson signs with them, but he would add experience to the roster.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trolls Dillon Brooks with must-see photo edit
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder completed a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns in the first round with a 131-122 win at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Suns veteran Dillon Brooks had been going at it all series, but it was the Thunder star who had the last laugh. On Tuesday, Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a series of photos on Instagram, and one of them was Brooks with an edited name on the back of his jersey.
The jersey read, “Cancun On 3.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s Instagram caption also seemed directed towards Brooks: “everybody wants to be villainous until the brooms come out & the dust settles & you realize who the villain is.”
Brooks called out Gilgeous-Alexander for flopping, saying the Thunder star was “frail” and added it is a “man’s game” after some questions about flopping.
After the Thunder’s Game 4 win, Gilgeous-Alexander appeared to take the high road while talking about Brooks, calling him “a great guy, no matter what people say about him.”
However, Gilgeous-Alexander’s photo dump says otherwise. The series of photos also included several clips of Gilgeous-Alexander scoring on Brooks and a photo of Brooks looking upset in the background.
For now, Brooks and the Suns have seen their season come to an end, and Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning defending champions will face the winner of the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.
Former Kansas State coach Jerome Tang has landed a new job
Former Kansas State Wildcats men’s basketball coach has landed a new job just two months after being fired.
Baylor is finalizing a deal with Tang to make the program’s new associate head coach, and Tang was on the staff at Baylor from 2003 until 2022, when he left for the Kansas State job.
Sources: Baylor is finalizing a multi-year deal to hire Jerome Tang as the school’s new associate head coach. Tang was a long-time Baylor assistant under Scott Drew before taking the Kansas State head job in 2022. pic.twitter.com/IBaNX3ySKA
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 28, 2026
Tang’s tenure at Kansas State started off well as the Wildcats made the Elite Eight in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, which was Tang’s first season as the head coach.
Kansas State didn’t make the Big Dance since, and Tang made waves by ripping his players following a blowout loss in the 2025-26 season.
Tang said it was “embarrassing” and added that the players “don’t deserve to wear this uniform” following a blowout loss to Cincinnati.
Shortly after, Tang was fired for cause, and Kansas State ended up hiring Belmont coach Casey Alexander after the season.
Tang and Baylor head coach Scott Drew go way back, and they have been together a long time in Waco, Texas. Their time together included the 2021 national title, five Sweet 16 trips and three Elite Eight appearances, so Baylor is hoping that magic can return with Jerome Tang returning to the program.
