aba Page 32 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Rockets have become the NBA’s most polarizing team
The Houston Rockets have been stuck in zero gravity since their post-Harden rebuild began two years ago. Despite their lottery successes they still have no direction. The Rockets lit the fuse this summer expecting a controlled explosion and witnessed the creation of the NBA’s most opulent sparkler....

Hey, at least the Houston Rockets are trying
We laughed at Dillon Brooks’ unceremonious exit from the Memphis Grizzlies, but it will be him with the cheshire grin plastered to his face every time that a direct deposit hits his account. On Saturday he signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Houston Rockets. The day before, Fred VanVle...

Domingo Germán throws perfect game, but he’s still a domestic abuser
Domingo Germán achieved the pinnacle of single-game pitching performances Wednesday night, throwing only the 24th perfect game in MLB history, the first by a Dominican-born player, the fourth by a New York Yankee, and the first since in baseball Felix Hernandez in 2012. There have been plenty of no-...

We have a new Michael Jordan gambling-related conspiracy theory
Michael Jordan’s sale of his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets to Melvin Capital founder Gabe Plotkin prompted a new strain of conspiracy theories pertaining to the relationship between MJ’s purported half-billion dollars in stock losses due to the GameStop meme-stock short squeeze in January ...

Team USA Basketball needs to bring back multi-year commitments
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And if it does break, fix it the same way you did after you originally broke it. Grant Hill, this is for you....

Leonard Fournette’s car caught on fire with him behind the wheel
What’s left of free-agent running back Leonard Fournette’s SUV was on the side of a major highway on Tuesday, as the former LSU star posted on his Instagram footage of the frame of his black car burnt to a crisp, all while he was allegedly driving it. Leonard appears to have walked away from the inc...

Trent Dilfer is daring coaches to poach his players at UAB — someone should
Laying the groundwork is important. Sometimes that includes letting people know you’re not to be played with....

First-round NBA Draft grades on a pass/fail system
If you’re like most underachievers and procrastinators, the letter grade doesn’t matter as long as you pass. I’ve lived most of my life by the mantra that “C’s are for degrees” and look where it’s gotten me: Writing about sports for living, and passing judgment upon others without retaliation....

Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s job is to keep aging Golden State Warriors at a championship level
Monday was the introductory press conference for Mike Dunleavy Jr., the new general manager of the Golden State Warriors. Three days later he gets the privilege of hitting the ground running with the Warriors holding the 19th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft....

Kirby Smart: New Nick Saban, or Urban Meyer with a visor?
The Georgia Bulldogs football program entered rarified territory after back-to-back titles this year, joining Alabama, and USC as the only programs to accomplish that feat this century. Kirby Smart has constructed a doomsday machine in Nick Saban’s image, and the proof is not only clear from the win...

Trevor Bauer calls new sexual assault allegation an extortion attempt
Three months after former Major League Baseball and current Yokohama DeNA BayStars pitcher Trevor Bauer had his lawsuit against Deadspin dismissed, new accusations of sexual assault have surfaced. This time, it’s for an alleged incident that took place in late 2020 in Arizona. Per USA Today, the wom...

The Rockets are the NBA’s most ambitious offseason franchise
After the Denver Nuggets championship parade, it will be the Rockets time to shine. The Houston Rockets’ ‘Light the fuse” mantra has encapsulated their offseason machinations since Jalen Green’s bold IG Live set the tone for the summer by vowing to reach the postseason in 2024. That’s easier said th...

Florida Panthers faceplanted in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final
It’s not that the Florida Panthers haven’t faced adversity in this playoff run. They were down 3-1 to the Bruins. But then, nothing was expected of them, so it’s not like they had much to lose. They certainly do now, so close to the parade, and they certainly appeared intent on losing it all in Game...

The Sooners survived Stanford again and appear destined for another WCWS title
It’s over. Maybe it was over before the festivities began in Oklahoma City? That’s why you play the game right? This year’s Women’s College World Series had eight national seeds survive regionals and super regionals to become the elite group in college softball. Seven teams hoping to knock the crown...

IDIOT OF THE MONTH: Legends of stupidity return to May leaderboards
Welcome to Deadspin’s IDIOT OF THE MONTH. Please enjoy our latest offering to the pageview gods, presented thusly in a convenient slideshow format....

Alabama walk-on Kai Spears suing New York Times for linking him to Jamea Jonae Harris shooting
More than two months after the New York Times published a story stating Alabama basketball walk-on Kai Spears was in Brandon Miller’s car during the fatal shooting of Jamea Jonae Harris in January, Spears is suing the Gray Lady....

Student-athletes getting paid is not ruining college athletics
The way NIL deals are covered, you’d think they’re illegal. The go-to analogy for every college football pundit over 50 is it’s the Wild West, a time period of American history readily associated with outlaws, bank robberies, train heists, gunslingers, genocide, and general lawlessness. Also rampant...

Have a look at the Tom Brady succession battle between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask
NFL content — we in sports media will scrape the entire margarine container to give sports fans just enough pigskin to butter their toast. In the age of social media, one of the best sources of extra flavor is practice clips. These days there is no need to wait until the afternoon sports segment on ...

The Miami Heat have the Boston Celtics right where they want them
Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals is going to decide nature vs. nurture, talent vs. culture, once and for all. Jimmy Butler has been giving the cameras a wry smile and an occasional wink since the Miami Heat lost Game 4, and even went as far as to say “We can and we will win this series.” Desp...

MLB scheduling change making it easier for American League East to assert its dominance
Six months or so after the NFC East was the best division in football, the American League East has overtaken MLB. No team is below .500 as of Friday morning/early afternoon, and the fives clubs are a combined 105-56 against opponents outside the division. The Tampa Bay Rays (37-15) and Baltimore Or...