Sports
LaMelo Ball delivers late as Hornets fend off Lakers
Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nick Smith Jr. (8) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images LaMelo Ball scored 27 points, including a driving layup with 14.2 seconds remaining, as the visiting Charlotte Hornets pulled off a 100-97 victory in a make-up game Wednesday over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Miles Bridges scored 29 points, Nick Smith Jr. had 12 and Mark Williams added 10 points with nine rebounds as the Hornets won in the NBA’s first game following the All-Star break. Charlotte, which snapped a three-game skid, was in the Los Angeles area in early January when it had two games postponed because of deadly wildfires.
Ball, a Los Angeles-area native, added six assists with five rebounds while helping to fuel a 23-3 run between the third and fourth quarters. The Hornets won while shooting just 36.3 percent from the floor.
LeBron James scored 26 points with 11 assists and Rui Hachimura had 17 points with eight rebounds as the Lakers lost consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 5-7. James missed a pair of 3-point attempts in the closing seconds that would have tied the game.
Luka Doncic had 14 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists in his third game since he was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline. Doncic shot 5 of 18 from the floor and 1 of 9 from 3-point range.
Dorian Finney-Smith had 12 points off the bench for Los Angeles, which was without Austin Reaves (eight points) after he was ejected for arguing a non-call in the third quarter. The Lakers led by as many as 13 in the third quarter.
The Lakers led 63-52 with 4:34 remaining in the third before the Hornets went on a 14-2 run to take a 66-65 lead with 1:46 remaining in the period. Included in the stretch was Reaves’ ejection.
Charlotte extended the run to 23-3 for a 75-66 lead with 10:53 remaining before Los Angeles fashioned its own rally.
The Lakers led 88-85 with 4:44 remaining before Bridges tied it on a 3-pointer with 4:19 left. The Hornets were up 96-94 when Hachimura missed a pair of free throws for the Lakers with 37 seconds remaining.
Ball’s layup with 14 seconds remaining put Charlotte up 98-94 before James made it a one-point game on a 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left. Ball made two free throws with six seconds left for the final margin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
An Autopsy of LeBron's Decision: And Why You Shouldn't Trust Rich Paul
Jan 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) wears a patch affixed to the upper right chest to celebrate his record-setting 23rd NBA season during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images With the dust settling on LeBron’s surprise decision to take his talents to his fourth team in Philadelphia, we’re starting to see why his last dance would be with the Sixers. Well, more than seeing why he decided to go to Philly, we’re seeing why he didn’t go anywhere else.
Cleveland appeared to be the frontrunner to land James for most of July. Both sportsbooks and prediction markets featured Cleveland within the top two teams nearly the entire waiting period, with Golden State and Miami also briefly having the top odds as well.
Now we know that most of that was a smokescreen from Rich Paul’s Klutch Agency. Cleveland and Miami were prohibitive favorites down the stretch, with Shams Charania and even Adam Schefter predicting moves to one of those destinations; however, LeBron’s decision actually came down to Philly and Golden State.
Both of LeBron’s former teams were shocked they weren’t picked for the last dance, and more than just astonishment, both organizations have to be filled with some level of embarrassment. They were strung along by James when they were never really in the running to begin with. Cleveland has been given the most detailed autopsy as to why they weren’t able to bring LeBron home, and the specifics make the move to Philly even more confusing.
When LeBron first decided he was no longer returning to Los Angeles, his biggest reasoning was to find happiness in his final destination. Maybe creating new business connections in a location close to New York is what makes him happy, but that reasoning led many to believe a return home would be in the cards. You can’t enter LeBron’s mind as to why this location makes him the happiest, but it more so felt like he was looking to team up with specific players that Cleveland and Miami didn’t have.
His next complaint of wanting the Cavs to make a move for Jaylen Brown has a multitude of issues. Boston was never shipping Brown to Cleveland without getting Evan Mobley back in the process. Mobley is a flawed player and hasn’t met the lofty expectations laid out for him, but Cleveland has continued to view him as a franchise pillar they were entirely unwilling to move.
Even if they were to trade him, a starting lineup of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Jarrett Allen would have one of the worst defenses we’ve ever seen in NBA history. And it wouldn’t have just been on defense; those five paired together would have little synergy on offense, a problem I foresee occurring for the Sixers this year as well.
Lastly, the most egregious reason from the Klutch team is that the Cavs no longer had Darius Garland. For the last two years, Rich Paul had asked for Cleveland to move Garland elsewhere, and they did that for him.
Cleveland moved on from Garland, a player who had become exceedingly unreliable, for another unreliable option in Harden. Nevertheless, Cleveland was finally able to get over the hump and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals by moving off of Garland.
I find it patently ridiculous that Paul requested that Garland be traded, then used that as leverage to remove Cleveland from the equation. If those are truly LeBron’s reasons for picking Philly, a lot of mended bridges between James and Cleveland have been burned back to the ground.
Not only should Cleveland feel scorned by this entire endeavor, but the entire league should be over the Klutch Agency. They put out completely fake news to hinder other Eastern Conference teams during the early stages of free agency, when they never had a real chance at LeBron.
This past season, the Cavs gave James a tribute video that led him to tears. While they will always be thankful for his championship run in 2016, I think the city has truly soured on him this time around. For now, Cleveland will be angry with LeBron, but in the future, I feel it won’t be anger, but apathy. One of the greatest players of all time has continued to make short-sighted moves for his legacy, all in the vein of trying to chase down Jordan in the win column. Unfortunately for LeBron, his legacy is now set, and he will never be looked at like Michael Jordan.
Sports
Report: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope joining 76ers after Grizzlies buyout
Feb 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is set to reunite with former teammate LeBron James after agreeing to a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and planning to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN reported on Saturday.
Caldwell-Pope, 33, who played with James on the 2020 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, must clear waivers before signing with Philadelphia.
Per the report, the Grizzlies and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — Caldwell-Pope’s agent — finalized the buyout on Saturday, a day after Sixers agreed to sign James to a two-year, $8 million deal.
Caldwell-Pope, who also won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, missed the last 31 games of the 2025-26 season after surgery to fix a misalignment on his right pinkie finger. He finished with averages of 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 21.3 minutes in 51 games.
A 13-year veteran selected eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft, Caldwell-Pope has averaged 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 29.2 minutes with the Pistons, Lakers, Washington Wizards, Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Grizzlies in 963 games (784 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trey McBride says Cardinals fans not so bad after all
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride speaks to the press during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 25, 2026. Arizona tight end Trey McBride made some waves with criticism of the Cardinals’ fan base earlier this offseason. On Saturday, he attempted to walk back some of his earlier remarks following training camp practice.
In a June appearance on Will Compton and Taylor Lewan’s podcast “Bussin’ with the Boys,” McBride noted that a significant portion of Arizona’s population is transplants, and he criticized the Cardinals’ fan base for being too focused on other teams.
“Living in Arizona, no one’s from Arizona,” McBride had said. “Everyone has kinda moved in from another state, so they’re all fans of their own teams, so now you have the Arizona that sits there and there’s no Arizona fans in Arizona.
“So, it’s a tough deal. Hopefully, we start winning some games and we can bring some of those fans back.”
Saturday, possibly because of some backlash, McBride was singing a different tune.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that,” McBride said. “It came out wrong, and obviously the fanbase is great. We have a tremendous fanbase. Arizona’s been here, loyal fans to all the sports teams here, and we’re very lucky to have a lot of these guys, and we’re going to have a great season.
“I love it here in Arizona, and I hope they love me too, but it’s a special place. The fans are great, and I’m excited for this year to give them something to be proud of.”
In 2025, McBride signed what was the richest deal for a tight end in NFL history, re-signing with the Cardinals for four years and $76 million.
He backed that figure up last fall, posting career highs with 126 receptions for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Cardinals in each category while earning his second straight Pro Bowl berth and being named first-team All-Pro.
A second-round draft pick in 2022, the 26-year-old has exceeded 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last two seasons.
–Field Level Media
An Autopsy of LeBron's Decision: And Why You Shouldn't Trust Rich Paul
Report: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope joining 76ers after Grizzlies buyout
