Sports
Bulls hire Hawks senior VP Bryson Graham to lead basketball ops
Sep 30, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans general manager Bryson Graham takes part in Pelicans Media Day at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images The Chicago Bulls are turning to Atlanta Hawks senior vice president Bryson Graham to head up their basketball operations.
The Bulls named Graham their executive vice president of basketball operations on Monday, replacing Arturas Karnisovas, who was fired late in the season.
Graham, 39, served as the New Orleans Pelicans’ general manager for the 2024-25 season before joining the Hawks. He spent 15 seasons rising the ranks in New Orleans from intern to GM.
“I am incredibly honored to join the Chicago Bulls organization,” Graham said in a statement. “This is one of the most storied franchises in the history of professional basketball, and I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to deliver results for this city and these fans. My entire career has been built on the belief that sustained success starts with finding the right players and developing an all-around impactful culture. I want to thank Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf and the entire Bulls organization for presenting me with this opportunity. I am ready to get to work.”
Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement that Graham “has earned tremendous respect across the league” as a talent evaluator.
“He has worked his way up through basketball operations from the ground level, and that experience has given him a deep understanding of how to build and sustain a successful organization,” Michael Reinsdorf said in part. “He is an effective communicator, a disciplined and thoughtful decision-maker, and someone who truly connects with players and people. He understands today’s league, today’s players, and what it takes to develop talent and build a winning culture.
“Just as important, Bryson is committed to building a high-level group around him. He knows what he does well, and he is focused on surrounding that with strong leadership across strategy, scouting, and player development. This is an important step for our organization. We know there is work ahead, but we are confident in Bryson’s ability to lead, build and move us forward.”
Graham hails from San Antonio and played college basketball at Texas A&M.
ESPN reported that the other finalists for the job were Detroit Pistons senior VP Dennis Lindsey and Minnesota Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd.
Chicago is in the midst of an overhaul after it also fired general manager Marc Eversley before head coach Billy Donovan stepped down. The historic franchise finished the season 31-51 and missed the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years; the Bulls haven’t won a playoff series since 2015.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tempo upbeat on playing in Montreal, but seek different outcome vs. Liberty
Jul 10, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Dallas Wings forward Jessica Shepard (32) and Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey (3) in the second half at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images The Toronto Tempo aim to use the energy from another big Montreal crowd Sunday afternoon against the New York Liberty to end a four-game losing streak.
The expansion Tempo (9-13) lost the first of two home games at Montreal, 108-95 to the Dallas Wings before a WNBA regular-season record crowd of 20,966 fans on Friday night at the Bell Centre. The previous record of 20,711 was set in 2024 in Washington.
“Being the only team in Canada, it’s a responsibility for us and how cool is that,” Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said. “We get to be seen all over Canada.”
Marina Mabrey scored 34 points for the Tempo on Friday despite early foul trouble, but the Wings dominated the fourth quarter 24-10.
Rookie forward Laura Juskaite added a career-best 25 points.
“I thought the atmosphere was fantastic,” Brondello said. “It’s great to be up here and have the fans come out and support the WNBA and the Tempo.”
The Tempo will be facing a team also trying to get back on the winning track. New York (13-10) lost its second straight Saturday afternoon 90-85 to the Minnesota Lynx to open a four-game road trip. The Liberty lost for the sixth time in their past eight games despite 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists from Sabrina Ionescu.
The Tempo’s fourth-quarter struggles could be the result of injuries to some key players. Nyara Sabally (left knee) joined the list on Friday. Already out were Temi Fagbenle (concussion protocol), Kiki Rice (left ankle) and Brittney Sykes (left foot).
“We had four of our main players out, but we fought hard,” Brondello said. “We just ran out of gas, didn’t have enough in the tank to finish it off. But credit to Dallas.”
The Liberty were without Leonie Fiebich (left foot) and Satou Sabally (concussion protocol) on Saturday.
They trailed by 15 with 5:14 left in the third quarter before rallying to take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter.
“We just have to stop digging ourselves these very big, very deep holes that we have to get out of,” said New York center Jonquel Jones, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds. “If we could stop doing that and mitigate that and then put our second half together that we’ve been doing, we’ll be great.”
Breanna Stewart added 17 points and seven rebounds for New York.
The Liberty defeated the Tempo 97-82 on June 3 at New York.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Argentina oust Switzerland in extra time, advance to semifinals
July 11, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez celebrates scoring their third goal. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Julian Alvarez scored the tiebreaker in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martinez added an insurance goal in stoppage time as defending champion Argentina defeated 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals on a hot and humid Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo.
Alexis Mac Allister also tallied, off an assist from Lionel Messi, for Argentina, which will face England in the semifinals Wednesday in Atlanta. England defeated Norway 2-1 in extra time earlier Saturday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Dan Ndoye scored for Switzerland, which played short-handed from the 72nd minute on after Breel Embolo received a second yellow card and was ejected.
Alvarez’s winner came after Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel knocked away an 18-yard strike from Messi, whose streak of scoring in nine straight World Cup matches came to an end.
Jose Manuel Lopez tracked down the rebound in the left wing corner and passed to Alvarez, who was just outside the top left corner of the penalty area. Alvarez took a couple of strides toward the center of the field before unleashing a curling, right-footed shot that found the far upper corner of the net, just out of Kobel’s reach.
Martinez clinched the victory in the first minute of stoppage time, converting a rebound after Kobel stopped a shot by Thiago Almada.
Kobel and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez both made four saves.
Switzerland got the tying goal in the 67th minute following a sustained push.
Ndoye played a give-and-go with Ricardo Rodriguez near the top left corner of the penalty area. Ndoye got the ball back and dribbled to the edge of the 6-yard box before putting a low shot between Martinez’s legs as the goalie started to go down.
Switzerland’s momentum didn’t last long as Embolo received a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, this time for simulation. Referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro originally was going to issue a yellow to Argentina’s Leandro Paredes for a foul on Embolo, but a video review determined the Swiss attacker was hardly touched and the booking was changed. Embolo received his first card in the 44th minute for a late foul on Paredes.
Kobel’s lone save in regulation came in the final minute of second-half stoppage time as he dove to his left to knock away a sidewinding, 15-yard shot from Lisandro Martinez following a Messi corner kick.
Argentina opened the scoring in the 10th minute as Messi’s corner kick from the left wing found Mac Allister at the top of the 6-yard box just outside the near post. Mac Allister’s glancing header into the far side netting left Kobel flat-footed. It was Messi’s record 10th career World Cup assist.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ty France powers Padres past Blue Jays in back-and-forth game
Jul 11, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) celebrates with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images Ty France’s solo homer snapped a tie in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday night as the San Diego Padres outlasted the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 8-7.
France cracked his 11th homer of the season an estimated 377 feet into the second level of the Western Metal Supply building in left field off Mason Fluharty (4-1). It broke the game’s third tie.
San Diego’s bullpen held the line from there. Bradgley Rodriguez (2-2) fired a 1-2-3 seventh, Adrian Morejon pitched the eighth and closer Mason Miller took care of the ninth for his 24th save in as many chances.
Neither starter made it past the second inning, both undone by wildness. Toronto’s Trey Yesavage lasted only 1 2/3 innings, giving up one hit and four runs thanks to his seven walks. The Padres’ Walker Buehler pitched only two innings, yielding three hits and four runs with four walks and a strikeout.
Yesavage gifted San Diego two runs in the bottom of the first with four walks, the last to Gavin Sheets with the bases loaded. France accounted for the other run via a sacrifice fly.
The Blue Jays erased that deficit quickly in the second with four runs, fueled by Buehler’s four walks. Alejandro Kirk doubled down the right field line for an RBI, followed by Andres Gimenez’s run-scoring groundout and Jonatan Clase’s two-run homer to right, his second of the year.
Three more walks by Yesavage in the second teed up Manny Machado for a two-run single that made it 4-4. The Padres regained the lead in the third on a two-out, two-run single by Sung-Mun Song.
Jake Cronenworth increased the lead to 7-4 in the fourth by grounding a two-out RBI single up the middle that scored Sheets. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. erased that lead in the sixth when he belted a three-run homer to left. The 385-foot shot was his sixth of the year.
The teams combined for 17 walks, 11 by Toronto’s five pitchers. The teams drew 11 walks in the first two innings, the most in a major league game this year.
–Field Level Media
