Sports
How Los Angeles Lakers Might Need Bronny James in NBA Playoffs
The Los Angeles Lakers just can’t catch a break.
After Luka Doncic’s regular season ended with a hamstring injury, the Lakers just got another dose of brutal injury luck. Austin Reaves is also done for the remainder of the remainder of the regular season due to an oblique strain.
There’s no timetable for Doncic or Reaves, arguably the best two Lakers players, to return. Of course, Los Angeles will remain hopeful that they can play in the NBA Playoffs, but there’s still five more regular season games to get through before those decisions.
For years, a viral internet social media post that reads, “accidentally became important at work and it’s ruining my life,” has become quite the viral meme.
For Lakers point guard Bronny James, that meme might’ve turned into a reality.
Could Bronny really play in the postseason?
Without Doncic or Reaves, Luke Kennard is the only healthy ball handler in Los Angeles that has gotten consistent minutes throughout the regular season. Of course, LeBron James is a ballhandler and can efficiently run an offense – but that takes him out of his current role.
There’s a real world, if Doncic and Kennard can’t suit up, that Bronny could end up playing significant minutes in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Lakers coach JJ Redick has been trusting Bronny a bit more in his second NBA season. As a rookie, he played in just 27 games. This year, he’s already appeared in 37 games. That could be as many as 42 games – especially with the new need for a point guard in Los Angeles.
Bronny averaged just a tick under eight minutes per night when he was called on to enter action for the Lakers this season. He’s played a much bigger role for the South Bay Lakers, where Bronny has played six games this season. In those 14 G League appearances, Bronny has averaged 15 points per game.
That’s not exactly the sort of production that screams to the Lakers that the 21-year-old is ready for action in the NBA Playoffs. The lights are brighter, the pace is faster and the game is way more physical in the postseason.
But out of necessity, could Redick find himself desperate?
In reality, Bronny isn’t going to see postseason minutes. The Lakers still have Kennard and Jake LaRavia would be ahead of Bronny in a playoff rotation if push came to shove.
The Lakers are currently the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Right now, they’d be matched up with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. However, there’s still more than one week in the regular season, and the seeding can change with all of this injury news.
Before his injury, Doncic was playing at an MVP level. LeBron has enjoyed his role as “OG in residence,” contributing as a consistent third option with Doncic and Reaves handling the workload every night.
If Doncic and Reaves can’t suit up for Game 1 of the postseason, James is back to being the No. 1 option for the Lakers.
In that scenario, nobody should be surprised if Bronny gets a few minutes of run in the postseason. If the Lakers find themselves with their backs against the wall without their best two players against an athletic Anthony Edwards or a talented Houston Rockets team, they might as well bank on chemistry and genetics.
Sports
Islanders fire Patrick Roy, tab Pete DeBoer as coach
Apr 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy reacts against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images The New York Islanders fired Hall of Famer Patrick Roy as the team’s head coach Sunday and replaced him with Peter DeBoer.
The Islanders (42-31-5, 89 points) have lost a season-high four in a row and reside in third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. New York is idle until Thursday, when they’ll host the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Roy, 60, posted a 97-78-22 record in three seasons since taking over for Lane Lambert as coach of the Islanders.
DeBoer, 57, guided the Dallas Stars to the Western Conference final in three straight seasons before being fired by the team on June 6. He posted a 149-68-29 record with Dallas.
DeBoer has a 662-447-152 coaching record with the Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Golden Knights and Stars. He guided the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 and the Sharks to the finals in 2016.
Roy was a four-time Stanley Cup champion and a three-time Vezina Trophy recipient during his playing days.
He is the fourth coach to be fired this season. Rick Bowness replaced Dean Evason in Columbus on Jan. 12, D.J. Smith took over from Jim Hiller in Los Angeles on March 1 and John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy with Vegas on March 29.
–Field Level Media
Sports
ATP roundup: Rafael Jodar wins in Marrakech for first career title
Mar 4, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Mariano Navone (ARG) hits a shot against Marcos Giron (USA) in his first round match during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Spain’s Rafael Jodar, 19, captured his first ever ATP tour title in smooth fashion, taking down Argentinian qualifier Marco Trungelliti in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 in the Grand Prix Hassan II final on Sunday in Marrakech, Morocco.
Just 12 months ago, Jodar was ranked No. 911 in the world rankings but has had a quick ascent the last few months after making his tour debut earlier this year at the Australian Open. He became the first ever teenager to lift the trophy in Marrakech.
Jodar came out hot as he broke Trungelliti’s in the very first service of the game in which there were six deuces. Jodar led in winners (21-5) and faced just one break which he saved. He knocked home 15 of 17 second serve points (88.2 percent) and converted four of nine break points.
Trungelliti, 36, was also playing in his first career final after taking down the first, third and fifth seeds on the way to the finals. On Monday he will become the oldest man to make his top 100 debut in the rankings. This final marked the fifth-largest age gap between participants since 1990.
Tiriac Open
Seventh-seeded Mariano Navone of Argentina held strong to take down Spaniard qualifier Daniel Merida 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in a 2-hour, 17-minute final in Bucharest, Romania.
Navone took control in the first set by converting 19 of 21 first serves and breaking Merida twice. After faltering in the second set and losing his second service of the all-decisive third set, Navone broke Merida’s serve on three of the final four games of the match.
This is Navone’s first ever title after he lost in this same final in straight sets in 2024. According to the ATP live rankings, this should bump Navone up 18 spots to No. 42 in the world which would surpass his highest ranking of No. 47 in 2024.
U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship
American fourth-seed Tommy Paul is facing off with Roman Andres Burruchaga of Argentina in the final in Houston, Texas.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Alabama locks down Nate Oats, makes him one of highest-paid coaches
Alabama head coach Nate Oats reacts to a play against Michigan during the first half of NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round at United Center in Chicago on Friday, March 27, 2026. Alabama has agreed to a contract extension with men’s basketball coach Nate Oats that will make him one of the five highest-paid coaches in the sport, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced Sunday via X.
“Appropriate members of The Board of Trustees have been notified of the proposed terms of the new agreement and it will soon be formally approved through the Board process,” Byrne wrote in a statement.
“We are good! He’s not going anywhere,” Byrne wrote on his personal X account.
This is the third contract extension in four years for Oats, whose previous extension in early 2024 ran through March 2030 and was scheduled to pay him $6.02 million for the 2026-27 season.
Complete details on the new contract have yet to be announced but, according to USA Today, the five highest-paid coaches at public schools in 2024-25 each made at least $6.1 million — when Oats tied for ninth nationally with a $5 million base salary.
Oats’ impending raise should put him in the same neighborhood with Kansas’ Bill Self, Arkansas’ John Calipari, UConn’s Dan Hurley, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd. On Friday, Arizona announced a new five-year deal with Lloyd that starts at $7.2 million, presumably to keep the national Naismith Coach of the Year from leaving for the open North Carolina job.
Alabama’s rationale for a new deal could have been driven by the same fear.
“As long as we’re able to compete to win championships here — SEC, national championships. We haven’t done that here yet — I’d love to be the coach to bring us our first national championship,” Oats said March 26 when asked about potential links to the North Carolina head coaching vacancy.
“To me, there’s absolutely no reason to leave here. While it’s flattering that a high school guy that caught a couple of breaks would be mentioned with some of these jobs, because they’ve got a lot of tradition, I’m not a guy that’s looking to get out of here any time soon.”
Oats, 51, has been the head coach at Alabama since 2019 and has compiled a 170-73 record (.700) in his seven seasons. The Crimson Tide have competed in a program record-tying six straight NCAA Tournaments.
This season Alabama lost to Michigan, who will play for the National Championship on Monday, in the Sweet Sixteen.
Oats’ deepest run was when he helped lead Alabama to the Final Four as a No. 4 seed during the 2023-24 season. The Crimson Tide fell short to eventual champion UConn.
Oats has led Alabama to at least two NCAA Tournament wins in all but one of his six appearances with the school.
–Field Level Media
Islanders fire Patrick Roy, tab Pete DeBoer as coach
ATP roundup: Rafael Jodar wins in Marrakech for first career title
