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Zion Williamson-Derik Queen pairing sparks jokes online

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Zion Williamson and Derik Queen are now teammates in New Orleans, and the jokes are flying as a result.

The New Orleans Pelicans acquired the rights to the former Maryland standout Queen during Wednesday’s NBA Draft. Queen originally went with the No. 13 overall pick to the Atlanta Hawks but ended up with the Pelicans in exchange for the No. 23 overall pick and an unprotected first-round pick in 2026.

Perhaps the most notable development with Queen in New Orleans was his new pairing in the frontcourt with the embattled Pelicans star Williamson. X users had plenty of wisecracks about the new Williamson-Queen tandem.

The 20-year-old Queen is officially listed at 245 pounds. He has spoken openly in the past about his weight-loss journey, noting that he once weighed up to 262 pounds.

Of course, Williamson has infamously struggled with his conditioning as well, especially earlier on in his career when he reportedly ballooned to an alarming weight. Now Williamson is officially listed at 284 pounds (though he continues to be plagued by other troubling issues these days).

Queen looked great in college at Maryland, averaging 16.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game last season while providing some clutch moments in the NCAA Tournament as well. But with Williamson as his new veteran in New Orleans, many are concerned about what that will mean for Queen both on and off the court.

Tre Johnson gets roasted over his shorts look at NBA Draft

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Tre Johnson dressed for the occasion at this year’s NBA Draft … at least from the waist up.

The former Texas Longhorns star Johnson went viral during Wednesday’s draft over his bizarre outfit choice. Johnson showed up in a jacket and tie, complete with a matching [checks notes] … pair of shorts.

When Johnson was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the No. 6 overall pick, his bold outfit was on full display as he posed for pictures with NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Social media let Johnson hear it about the ridiculous look. Here were some of the funniest posts roasting the 19-year-old.

Not only did Johnson have the shorts on, but those looked like basic white basketball socks too (rather than dress socks). That takes guts showing up for the biggest day of your life dressed up like that.

Wizards fans will be hoping that Johnson’s game speaks louder than his sense of fashion. As a freshman at Texas last season, Johnson averaged 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game en route to being selected as the SEC Freshman of the Year.

On the bright side for Johnson’s suit, at least it wasn’t as horrendous as the one that Gradey Dick wore on draft night a couple of years ago.

Collin Murray-Boyles looked so upset to be drafted by Raptors

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The first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday was a joyous time for many players who got drafted. Their childhood dream of getting chosen by an NBA came true. But for Collin Murray-Boyles, the moment was overshadowed by some disappointment.

Murray-Boyles was selected No. 9 overall by the Toronto Raptors. He did not seem happy about the selection. He was seen looking down and shaking his head. He even dropped an F-bomb.

Did Murray-Boyles not want to go to Toronto? The Raptors went 30-52 last season. They’re rebuilding and have only had one winning season in the last five years. Perhaps that isn’t something Murray-Boyles wants to be a part of. Or maybe he saw what Pascal Siakam said about his time with the Raptors and is not thrilled.

It’s not the greatest sign to see a player react to being drafted by dropping an F-bomb, though the Raptors are not worried. They shared a post on X to set the record straight.

Murray-Boyles also tried to clarify things in comments to the media.

“What I said was not a bad thing,” Murray-Boyles said. “Just very thankful for it. That was a very surreal moment.”

Murray-Boyles averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game as a sophomore for South Carolina last season. His girlfriend, who is also a basketball player, stole the show at the draft.

Collin Murray-Boyles’ girlfriend Chloe Kitts shines at NBA Draft

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Collin Murray-Boyles’ girlfriend was the star of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

Murray-Boyles’ girlfriend Chloe Kitts was in attendance for the event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. She was wearing a long red dress and was styled her best as well. When Murray-Boyles was selected No. 9 overall by the Toronto Raptors, he gave her a hug, which resulted in Kitts receiving some screen time. Fans took note and enjoyed seeing her.

Kitts and Murray-Boyles form quite the basketball power couple.

Kitts, 20, just completed her third season at South Carolina. She averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Gamecocks last season.

Murray-Boyles, 20, just finished his sophomore season at South Carolina. Murray-Boyles averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game last season.

The two are in a serious enough relationship that Murray-Boyles wanted Kitts with him at the draft. They will have to work to keep their relationship together while he heads to the NBA and Toronto while she remains at South Carolina.

Malika Andrews makes brutal ‘Colin Cowherd’ mistake during NBA Draft

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The Portland Trail Blazers selected a 61-year-old sports media personality during this year’s NBA Draft … at least according to Malika Andrews.

The ESPN host Andrews made a rough mistake during Wednesday’s draft. She was anchoring the network’s coverage of the first round and was on the call as ex-Washington State star Cedric Coward went with the No. 11 overall pick to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Regrettably though, Andrews accidentally said “Colin Cowherd” instead of “Cedric Coward” while speaking about the pick. Here is the video.

Andrews clearly had Cowherd, the former ESPN personality who now works for FOX Sports, on her mind there. Cowherd himself responded to the gaffe with a couple of fantastic posts to his X page.

With his second post, Cowherd was referencing the fact that Coward was soon rerouted to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a draft-night trade with the Blazers. Memphis acquired the rights to Coward in exchange for the No. 16 pick, a 2028 first-round pick, and two future second-round picks.

Meanwhile, Andrews has been at ESPN since 2018 and serves as the network’s go-to studio host for much of their NBA coverage (including the show “NBA Today”). While Andrews has been praised in the past for her poise and professionalism on the air, she clearly was not at her best during Wednesday’s coverage of the NBA Draft.

Mark Williams gets traded to Western Conference team

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Mark Williams is headed to the Pacific Division after all.

The Charlotte Hornets center Williams has been traded to the Phoenix Suns, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Wednesday. The trade was announced in the middle of the NBA Draft, which had its first round Wednesday night.

In exchange for Willliams, the Suns are sending the No. 29 pick in this year’s draft as well as a future first-round pick in 2029 to the Hornets. That 2029 first-rounder is top 1-5 protected, Charania adds. Hornets guard Vasilije Micic was later reported to be heading to Phoenix as part of the deal too.

The 23-year-old Williams is a former first-round pick himself, going with the No. 15 overall selection in 2023. He was originally supposed to be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, who agreed with the Hornets on a trade for Williams back in February. However, that deal ended up falling through over concerns about Williams’ physical.

Williams’ agent later ripped the Lakers for failing Williams on his physical, stating that there was no legitimate medical reason for them to do so. The seven-footer Williams himself also later trolled the Lakers after they were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round this year.

With averages of 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game last season for the Hornets, Williams has plenty of upside. He will be especially useful too on a Suns team that is very weak in the frontcourt. Phoenix also landed former Duke center Khaman Maluach with the No. 10 overall pick on Wednesday and are now adding Williams to what has become a very interesting roster after their recent blockbuster trade of Kevin Durant.

Aaron Boone blames ex-Yankee for Jazz Chisholm’s ejection

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Aaron Boone thinks that a former New York Yankees player had a role in Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s ejection on Tuesday night.

Chisholm was ejected from the Yankees’ 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Chisholm was upset with a strike call made by umpire Mark Wegner during an at-bat where Chisholm struck out in the top of the 9th inning. Chisholm took issue with a 2-0 pitch low in the zone that was called a strike. The strike call changed his at-bat from being 3-0 to 2-1 and helped Lyon Richardson battle back for the strikeout.

Chisholm kept letting Wegner hear about the call even as he went to the field for the bottom of the 9th inning.

On Wednesday, Boone said there is a strong case that Chisholm should not have been ejected. In fact, the Yankees manager suggested that former Yankees catcher Jose Trevino played a role in the ejection by pointing Wegner’s attention to Chisholm.

Trevino was serving as Cincinnati’s designated hitter and apparently told Wegner to look at Chisholm, who was complaining and got ejected. Take a look:

Chisholm homered in Wednesday’s game between the teams and apparently told Trevino, who was catching, that he had gotten him back.

As for the pitch that set off Chisholm, it looks like he was correct that it was a ball.

Utah Jazz pull off ‘stunner’ in NBA Draft

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The Utah Jazz pulled off a “stunner” in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, according to one draft analyst.

The Jazz had the No. 5 overall pick and used it to select former Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey. Speaking on ESPN after the pick, draft analyst Jonathan Givony described the pick as a “stunner.” The reason has to do with Bailey’s preferences.

According to Givony, Bailey did not work out for any NBA teams prior to the draft. He was the only US-based prospect not to work out for a team. Givony further reported that Bailey wanted to be drafted by Brooklyn, New Orleans or Washington.

“This is a little of a stunner,” Givony said.

Even though Bailey did not prefer to go to Utah, the Jazz are viewed as a good landing spot for him. The Jazz are rebuilding and went 17-65 last season, which was the worst record in the league.

Some people thought that Bailey exhibited signs that he was not happy to be drafted by the Jazz.

Will the Jazz keep Bailey or trade him elsewhere? New president of basketball operations Austin Ainge apparently does not care about preferences.

Bailey averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season, which was his first with Rutgers.

Shams Charania surprises fans with his move during NBA Draft

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Spoiler Shams appears to have lost his fastball this year.

ESPN reporter Shams Charania surprised many fans during the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday. Charania had become infamous in past years for spoiling picks in the NBA Draft by posting about them online before the selections were actually announced.

This year though, Charania was curiously silent to kick off draft night. Cooper Flagg went No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks, and then Dylan Harper went No. 2 to the San Antonio Spurs … both without a peep from Charania.

Many fans (and even the Atlanta Hawks’ official team page) commented about the lack of spoilers from Charania.

Charania did eventually resurface by posting about pick Nos. 3-5 in the draft. But he only posted about those picks a few moments before they were announced (rather than several minutes beforehand like he used to). Charania also then went radio-silent again for pick Nos. 6-8, all of which were announced by commissioner Adam Silver before Charania could post about them.

The 31-year-old Charania used to work for ESPN rivals in Yahoo! Sports and The Athletic. However, he joined ESPN in Oct. 2024 as the effective replacement for his former mentor Adrian Wojnarowski, who decided to retire from sports reporting.

As such, it does not really make sense any more for Charania to spoil NBA Draft coverage, which is being provided by his now employer. That served as welcome news for a lot of fans, especially since Charania has been criticized in the past over his handling of NBA Draft coverage.

Adam Silver heckled with ‘rigged’ line during NBA Draft

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It took the hecklers approximately 0.02 seconds to get on Adam Silver’s case during the NBA Draft.

The National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver received a notable heckle right at the very beginning of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. Silver walked out at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. to kick off the first round of the draft and immediately heard it from one fan who was in attendance.

ESPN’s broadcast picked up the fan loudly yelling at Silver, “Dallas was rigged!” right as Silver emerged from the backstage area. Here is the video.

For reference, the Dallas Mavericks had the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. That came as a result of Dallas winning the draft lottery last month despite only having a 1.8 percent chance of doing so (with just the 12th-best odds among NBA teams).

The Mavericks made the shocking decision in February to trade away franchise star Luka Doncic to the L.A. Lakers (a marquee franchise in a top market). With Dallas then immediately getting rewarded with a new generational star in Cooper Flagg to build around, many fans believed that there was something fishy going on with the draft lottery.

Meanwhile, heckling the NBA commissioner during draft day is a tradition like no other. Silver’s predecessor, the late David Stern, was famously booed at the draft almost every year (and even sometimes invited the jeers).

ESPN makes embarrassing Cooper Flagg mistake during draft coverage

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ESPN still is not doing themselves any favors.

During Wednesday’s coverage of the 2025 NBA Draft, ESPN made a humiliating mistake. With roughly an hour to go before the start of the draft, ESPN was covering the arrival of some of the top prospects to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The network ran a Cooper Flagg graphic while panning up to one of the draft prospects who was posing on the red carpet. The only problem? It was not Flagg (nor anyone even close to him).

Instead, it was fellow 2025 prospect Ace Bailey who was shown on camera. Take a look at the brutal video.

Bailey does not even have the slightest resemblance to Flagg (in large part because they are of two different ethnicities). But that much was apparently lost on ESPN.

The mistake was further compounded by the anchor who was on duty for ESPN at the time. After realizing the error, the anchor noticed that the broadcast had cut to a different prospect and said, “There’s Cooper Flagg!” Unfortunately, the second prospect wasn’t Flagg either (instead it was Dylan Harper).

The 18-year-old Flagg, who is one of the most hyped basketball prospects of the 21st century, did indeed go with the No. 1 overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. But this is far from the first time in recent months that ESPN has made a brutal mistake while covering a major sporting event.

Tampa Bay Rays facing a problem if they make the playoffs

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The Tampa Bay Rays are on a hot streak that has them positioned to make the MLB Playoffs, but that could present a pretty big challenge due to their stadium situation.

The Rays have already begun to discuss with the league whether they would even be able to host playoff games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The stadium only seats 10,046, and that could be too small for a potential American League Championship Series or World Series.

Steinbrenner Field is the temporary home of the Rays after Tropicana Field suffered hurricane damage last October. It usually functions as the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

The low capacity risks a modest profit for the team due to diminished gate receipts. However, players may be reluctant to play in a neutral stadium such as Miami’s loanDepot park or Atlanta’s Truist Park, due to the travel and how it would impact their families.

The league and the team have time to make a decision, but one can assume the league would not be eager to showcase a minor league stadium during the playoffs. A lack of clear alternatives could leave them without much choice.

The Rays enter play Wednesday with a 44-35 record, good for second place in the American League East. If the playoffs started today, they would be the AL’s first Wild Card team.

Report: Jason Kidd wants the Knicks job

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The New York Knicks are still searching for a new head coach, and Jason Kidd reportedly wants the job.

Reporter Scoop B. Robinson was a guest on “The Zach Gelb Show” on Tuesday. During his appearance, Robinson said that the Knicks were a “dream job that Jason Kidd wants.” However, Robinson said that Kidd would likely need to be traded to the Knicks in order to end up with them and would have to “force his way out” of Dallas.

Kidd, 52, played for both the Mavericks and Knicks during his playing career. He also played for the Nets and ended up as a head coach for both Dallas and Brooklyn. If he were to end up coaching the Knicks, that would make it three of the teams he played for that he later coached for.

Kidd has served as a head coach for the Nets and Bucks, and he has been the Mavericks’ head coach since 2021. The Mavs have made the playoffs in two of his four seasons, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2024. Dallas missed the playoffs in 2025 after trading away Luka Doncic to the Lakers.

The Knicks reportedly tried to interview Kidd for their job but were denied. The Knicks are looking to replace Tom Thibodeau, who had coached them the last five seasons.

H/T Hoops Wire

MLB star commits to Home Run Derby

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Major League Baseball has convinced a big-name star to take part in the 2025 Home Run Derby.

In an appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” Wednesday, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. announced that he would take part in the Home Run Derby. Acuna will be the hometown favorite, with the 2025 All-Star festivities set to take place at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga.

This is the third time Acuna will compete in the Home Run Derby. He made it to the second round in 2019 but was eliminated in the first round of the 2022 event, both times falling to Pete Alonso of the New York Mets.

MLB has had a difficult time getting big-name stars to do the Home Run Derby. That may still remain the case this year as the league tries to fill out a full field, but they will at least have Acuna to point to.

Acuna is the first player to confirm his participation in the 2025 event. He has just nine home runs on the season, but has reached that total in 104 at-bats since returning from injury on May 23.

Carter Bryant looked so awkward next to Cooper Flagg’s media scrum

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Cooper Flagg was, unsurprisingly, a huge draw for reporters ahead of Wednesday’s NBA Draft. The same could not be said of some of his fellow prospects.

Yahoo Sports posted video showing the pre-draft media availability of Flagg, who is certain to go No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks. Flagg was surrounded on all sides by reporters and cameras.

In stark contrast, Carter Bryant, another top prospect, was positioned next to Flagg. He had just four media members around him.

Bryant, a former Arizona star, is a solid prospect in his own right, and has a good chance of going in the top 10. That does not matter as long as he has Flagg next to him, though. It is somewhat reminiscent of Shohei Ohtani at the All-Star Game in 2023, though Ohtani’s scrum was on another level.

Flagg will not be put off by the attention. He has already proven that, and is certainly ready for the next level.

Oregon’s new 4-star QB recruit has an awkward name

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The Oregon Ducks landed a significant recruiting victory on Wednesday, but their new quarterback might have some explaining to do when it comes to his name.

2026 recruit Bryson Beaver, a four-star recruit from Vista Murrieta High School in Murrieta, Ca., has committed to the Ducks, according to Matt Prehm of 247 Sports. He had previously been committed to Boise State, and Ole Miss also pursued him once he reopened his recruiting.

In one sense, Beaver fits Oregon perfectly, as the state’s nickname is The Beaver State. On the other hand, the Beaver nickname has also been claimed by the Ducks’ chief rivals at Oregon State, making things a little bit awkward for the young quarterback.

Despite the somewhat contradictory name, Beaver is a great get for Oregon. He is viewed as a future starter and has been hugely impressive during offseason quarterback camps. As a high school junior last season, he threw 33 touchdown passes to 6 interceptions, and has seen his name rise quickly up recruiting boards.

Beaver is regarded as a decisive passer with mobility, though his deep passing needs work. If he can clean that up, he might be a star at Oregon, and they will probably overlook that last name.

Red Sox pitcher out for season after suffering an accident

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The Boston Red Sox are having a difficult season, and it keeps getting worse thanks to an unusual injury.

Red Sox pitcher Kutter Crawford is likely out for the season due to an injured right wrist. Manager Alex Cora revealed Wednesday that Crawford injured his wrist in an off-field “accident,” but refused to give details beyond saying Crawford was not doing anything irresponsible.

“I’m not going to get into details,” Cora said, via Tim Healey of the Boston Globe. “It’s not disappointing (to the organization). It’s just an accident. It [stinks] that it happened this way.”

An off-field wrist injury will certainly create theories about some sort of weird injury. Crawford may well have simply fallen on the wrist awkwardly, but there would certainly be worse ways to end one’s season.

Crawford has not pitched at all in 2025 due to a knee injury, but was expected to be back at some point. He led the American League in losses in 2024, but was somewhat unlucky, as he went 9-16 with a 4.36 ERA in 33 starts for Boston. Aside from the unsightly number of losses, those are fairly average numbers from someone who ate up 183 innings for the team.

Outside of Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello, Boston’s starters have had a rough year. Perhaps Crawford could have stabilized things, but he will not have the chance now.

Ace Bailey does not seem interested in 76ers

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Top NBA Draft prospect Ace Bailey does not seem too enthralled with the idea of being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Sixerdaily posted a video to their social media pages on Wednesday that showed Bailey in attendance at Tuesday’s New York Mets game at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y. Fans were heard yelling at Bailey about the “Sixers.” They yelled at him to “come to the Sixers.”

Bailey walked over towards the fans and then turned around and headed back in the other direction.

Did Bailey walk over to their direction because he heard them call his name? Or was he planning to exit that direction until he heard the Sixers talk and was turned off? We don’t know, but what we do know is that Bailey does not seem to want to go to Philly.

Bailey was a standout during his freshman year for Rutgers and averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season. Bailey has not been working out for teams ahead of the draft and even canceled a visit he had scheduled with Philly. The belief is that he prefers to go to a team where he might be able to be a standout scorer immediately. Jonathan Givony has mentioned the Wizards, Pelicans and Nets as potential preferred landing spots for Bailey.

Giants planning significant honor for Barry Bonds

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The San Francisco Giants kept their distance from Barry Bonds for years, but that has changed recently. Now the team is going to some significant lengths to ensure that Bonds is a part of their history forever.

Giants CEO Larry Baer revealed on 95.7 The Game on Wednesday that the team is planning to create a statue of Bonds at Oracle Park. Baer offered no details, but said “it’s coming.”

Bonds was kept at a distance by the Giants for a while following the end of his career due to the controversy surrounding his alleged steroid use. That faded, and his No. 25 was retired by the organization in 2018. Since then, he has appeared at a number of games, and has received a very warm reception from fans. He has even had an informal role around the organization in recent years.

Under normal circumstances, a Bonds statue would be a no-brainer. His 762 home runs remain the league record, and no one has surpassed his 73-home run season of 2001. However, many see those accomplishments as tainted, and the allegations have kept him out of the Hall of Fame.

The Giants, of course, can do whatever they want. They see Bonds as a legend, as do their fans. Based solely upon his accomplishments, a statue would be a fitting tribute.

Colin Cowherd shares interesting prediction about Dolphins

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Colin Cowherd shared an interesting prediction about the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday.

Cowherd was talking on his FS1 show and giving some predictions. He said that he thinks the Dolphins could end up firing coach Mike McDaniel and GM Chris Grier after a season where they finish third in the AFC East.

“A lot of flashy moves. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of steak; it’s a lot of sizzle,” Cowherd said of the Dolphins. “I don’t like their direction. I think both Grier and Mike McDaniel are gone … third place gets both the GM and the coach removed.”

The Dolphins are entering their fourth season under McDaniel. They went 9-8 in his first season, 11-6 in his second, and 8-9 last season. They made the playoffs each of McDaniel’s first two seasons, though they lost in the wild-card round both times.

The true determining factor for Miami’s success is the health of Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins have gone 38-24 when he starts. They’re 9-13 without him starting. For Miami to finish higher in the standings and to help McDaniel and Grier keep their jobs, Tagovailoa needs to stay healthy. As long as he’s in the lineup, they’ll be able to win games.

Cowherd calling Chris Grier “Scott” sure was something. Grier has been the Dolphins’ GM since 2016. Even if the team disappoints, I wouldn’t expect him to go anywhere.

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