Sports
A'ja Wilson's status unclear as Aces prepare for Sky
Jun 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) drives to the basket against Chicago Sky forward-center Azura Stevens (30) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images The Las Vegas Aces are looking for their second win over the Chicago Sky in six days on Friday, after sustaining a shorthanded setback against the New York Liberty in Tuesday’s Commissioner’s Cup championship game.
Las Vegas had to fend without reigning MVP A’ja Wilson in Tuesday’s loss, as Wilson rolled her ankle in the Aces’ 107-99 win over the Sky in Chicago on Sunday. Jackie Young led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting while also dishing out seven assists, but she didn’t get enough help from her teammates to overcome a combined 51 points from New York’s Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart.
“It’s just about getting (Young) the ball and getting her kind of freeing her up and shaking her loose a little bit,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “Jackie will get cooking if you just give her the ball enough. She’ll find her spots.”
Wilson is questionable for Friday’s rematch with Chicago with that ankle injury, but it’s safe to say she’ll be a problem for the Sky if she is capable of playing. Before she left Sunday’s win in the closing moments, Wilson racked up a performance of 30 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and three blocks that had never previously occurred in WNBA history.
However, given the Sky’s struggles this season, it also wouldn’t be too shocking to see the Aces (14-5) play it safe with Wilson, named Thursday to start in the WNBA All-Star Game. The Aces listed Wilson as questionable for the contest.
To put the Sky’s struggles into perspective, the team started 3-1 but lost prized offseason acquisition Rickea Jackson during that third win (against the now league-best Minnesota Lynx) with a torn ACL after leading the team with 29 points in their previous game.
In the immediate aftermath of Jackson’s injury, the Sky dropped 11 of their next 12 games to fall to 4-12. Back-to-back wins over the expansion Portland Fire brought the Sky to their current total of six wins, but the Aces are heavily favored to hand them a second straight loss on Friday after Sunday’s initial meeting in Chicago.
A silver lining in the Sky’s loss to the Aces on Sunday was the production the team got from center Kamilla Cardoso and forward Azura Stevens, who each tallied 24 points on an efficient shooting clip while also anchoring the team defensively. Wilson’s 30 points and an additional 28 points from Young ended up stealing the show, but it was at the very least something to build off of for the Sky (6-13).
“We try to get (Cardoso) touches every single game, and she’s been playing amazing,” Stevens said. “We’re all so proud of her. She creates so much of an advantage for us against other teams, so it makes all of our jobs easier when she’s being aggressive because it opens up. They send doubles, they have to give attention to her down there, and it opens up wide open shots for us, cuts all around the perimeter, so yeah, she’s been killing it.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Canadiens sign G Jakub Dobes to 3-year, $16.07M extension
May 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) walks to the ice for warmups before game five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images The Montreal Canadiens’ Jakub Dobes, who led all rookie goaltenders with 29 wins this past season, signed a three-year, $16.07 million contract extension on Thursday.
Dobes, 25, who could have become a restricted free agent after this coming season, now is signed through the 2029-30 campaign. The new terms have an average annual value of $5.357 million beginning in 2027-28. He signed a two-year, $1.93 million contract in July 2025.
Dobes went 29-10-4 with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in 43 games (42 starts) this season. He also went 9-10 with a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage in the playoffs as the Canadiens advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
He made the NHL All-Rookie Team for 2025-26.
For his career, Dobes is 36-14-7 with a 2.77 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 59 regular-season games (57 starts) over two seasons.
Montreal selected Dobes in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lucas Glover, Zac Blair share early lead at John Deere Classic
Jul 2, 2026; Silvis, Illinois, USA; Lucas Glover lines up his putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images Lucas Glover and Zac Blair share the first-round lead at the John Deere Classic after posting bogey-free, 8-under 63s on Thursday in Silvis, Ill.
Zach Johnson, Lee Hodges and German Stephan Jaeger are one stroke behind the co-leaders after one trip around TPC Deere Run. Davis Riley used a hole-in-one and an eagle on consecutive holes to shoot a 6-under 65, where he’s tied with Ben Kohles and Patrick Fishburn.
Glover, 46, birdied seven of his first 11 holes before cooling down the rest of the way. The 2009 U.S. Open champion won the John Deere in 2021 and has collected three of his six PGA Tour titles in this decade.
Blair, meanwhile, is searching for his first PGA Tour victory. The 35-year-old started his day on the back nine, then went birdie-eagle at Nos. 1-2 for a boost. He led the field in strokes gained on approach.
Johnson’s eagle-birdie finish pushed him near the top of the leaderboard and all but ensured he will make the cut at the John Deere for an incredible 18th year in a row. The native of nearby Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has played the event every year since 2002 and skipped the U.S. Senior Open this week to keep that streak going.
Riley stood at 2 under for his round before sinking the first hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career at the par-3, 150-yard 16th hole. His shot landed just behind the pin and slowly spun back to the cup. He followed that up with an 18 1/2-foot eagle putt at the par-5 17th.
Defending champion Brian Campbell and two-time John Deere winner Jordan Spieth opened with 1-under 70s.
–Field Level Media
Sports
USMNT round of 32 World Cup win scores historic ratings
July 1, 2026; Santa Clara, California, U.S.; Giovanni Reyna and Malik Tillman of the U.S. celebrate after the match as United States qualify for the round of 16 stage of the World Cup. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images The United States’ World Cup knockout victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday was the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history, according to Fox Sports.
Fox reported a record-breaking average viewership of 24.429 million, citing Nielsen preliminary data. The peak audience clocked in at 31.883 million during the 9:45-10 p.m. ET window as the match neared its conclusion.
The co-hosts of this year’s tournament, the United States played the round of 32 match in Santa Clara, Calif. It helped that the match began in prime time on the East Coast at 8 p.m. ET.
With goals by Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, the U.S. beat Bosnia 2-0 to win a World Cup knockout stage for the first time since a round of 16 victory in 2002. They advanced to face Belgium on Monday in Seattle.
The average viewership came close to the numbers for the New York Knicks’ title-clinching Game 5 win against the San Antonio Spurs last month, which posted 24.5 million viewers on average. Similarly, Game 7 of the World Series last fall, in which the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, put up an average of almost 26 million.
–Field Level Media
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