Sports
LeBron James Wins, Scores Dad Points on Bring Kid To Work Day
PHOTO USA Today Sports Images Fathers, sons, and sports form a link that predates the NBA history made Tuesday night and is sure to transcend it well after.
Smile or squirm, there’s no denying Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his son turned teammate, Bronny, forged a unique piece of the chain by becoming the first dad and lad to play in the Association together.
Forget Christmas. Bring a Kid to Work Day came early.
While James, 39, will have the luxury of suiting up alongside his 20-year-old for at least this season, he surely savored the novelty Tuesday. He did so while helping the Lakers defeat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, which—exhale now, haters—was the focus for much of a national TV broadcast.
“Now that that’s out of the way,” NBA on TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal said postgame, “the Lakers did a great job of doing what they want in the paint.”
Accomplishing that objective required a meaningful moment on the Lakers’ bench, too. With four minutes remaining in the second quarter, the James Gang checked into the game together to a standing ovation.
Moments before, as captured by TNT, LeBron dispensed advice to Bronny, a second-round pick from USC.
“You feel the intensity, right?” LeBron said. “Just play carefree, though. Don’t worry about mistakes. Go out and play hard.”
Los Angeles led by 16 points when Bronny entered the game. He logged 2:41 before returning to the bench, a stint that satiated the crowd, put a huge checkmark on rookie coach JJ Redick’s to-do list, and nearly offered an iconic moment.
Alas, Bronny missed an open 3-pointer from the left wing off a crisp pass from his Pops. Box-score wise, Bronny finished 0-for-2 from the floor with an offensive rebound and minus-five rating, but little minutiae registered with LeBron.
“That was something I’ll never forget, no matter how old I get or how my memory may fade,” he said. “Everything was just great today. Everything.”
Bronny agreed.
“Going up to the scorer’s table with my dad and checking in for the first time—that’s a crazy moment I will never forget,” he said.
Fellow LA rookie Dalton Knecht, a first-rounder from Tennessee, played 16 minutes Thursday, second most among Lakers reserves.
O’Neal’s TNT counterpart, Charles Barkley, spent far more face time analyzing Knecht’s contributions than Bronny’s, a trend likely to continue this season.
Bronny averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds during preseason while shooting just 20% from the floor, which suggests some seasoning with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League could be in store.
Bronny was just a few months from turning 6 when LeBron announced he was taking his talents to South Beach. Tuesday offered a remarkable full-circle moment.
“For me, I lost a lot of time because of this league,” LeBron said, “committing to this league, being on the road… To be able to have this moment where I’m working still and I can work alongside my son—it’s one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever got from the man above. I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
Sports
Coby Mayo leads Orioles past Tigers
Jul 27, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo (16) receives congratulations from teammates after he hits a two run home run in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Coby Mayo homered and drove in three runs as the visiting Baltimore Orioles powered past the Detroit Tigers, 8-5, on Monday.
Leody Tavares and pinch-hitter Tyler O’Neill also homered, while Jackson Holliday supplied four hits and scored twice. Pete Alonso added two hits and scored a run.
Orioles starter Kyle Bradish gave up five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Grant Wolfram (3-2) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and was credited with the victory. Rico Garcia got the last three outs for his fifth save.
Hao-Yu Lee drove in two runs for the Tigers, who have lost three straight. Spencer Torkelson and Zach McKinstry each had two hits, a run scored and an RBI.
Detroit starter Keider Montero (7-6) allowed six runs, four earned, and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Baltimore scored a run in the first on Taylor Ward’s fielder’s choice, which knocked in Alonso.
The Orioles extended their lead to 3-0 in the second. Holliday doubled and Mayo reached on a Colt Keith error before Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI grounder. Dylan Beavers drove in the next run with a single.
McKinstry led off the bottom of the inning with a triple and scored on Lee’s sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.
Mayo drove in the Orioles’ fourth run in the third with a single.
Detroit pulled within 4-3 in the fourth after loading the bases without an out. Lee knocked in a run with an infield single and Matt Vierling drove in the next run with a one-out sacrifice fly.
Tavares blasted his homer with one out in the fifth. After a Holliday single, Montero was replaced by Brenan Hanifee. Mayo greeted him with a 390-foot shot over the left-center field wall for a 7-3 Orioles lead.
The Tigers cut their deficit in half during the bottom of the frame. Torkelson had a sacrifice fly and McKinstry followed with an RBI single.
O’Neill homered to lead off the sixth against Tyler Horton, driving the ball 400 feet over the left-center field wall.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Max Scherzer comes off IL as Blue Jays eke past Nationals
Jul 27, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Mason Fluharty (68) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Luis Urias homered, Myles Straw had two hits and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Nationals 3-2 on Monday in Max Scherzer’s return to Washington.
Scherzer, who spent 6 1/2 seasons in Washington and won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, came off the injured list to make his seventh start of the season. He gave up a run on four hits, walking three and striking out four on 75 pitches in 2 2/3 innings.
Mason Fluharty (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Louis Varland, the last of six Toronto relievers, pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
The Blue Jays have alternated losses and wins for six games.
Andres Chaparro homered for the Nationals, who had won two straight.
Nationals opener Eddy Yean (0-1) gave up two runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings. He didn’t issue a walk nor fan a batter.
Scherzer, making his 100th start at Nationals Park and working on his 42nd birthday, had been sidelined due to back and thumb issues. He pitched in and out of trouble in the first inning.
James Wood led off with a single and stole second, and Luis Garcia Jr. singled him to third. Jose Tena struck out before CJ Abrams walked to load the bases. Scherzer struck out Dylan Crews, and Daylen Lile grounded out.
Nasim Nunez singled with one out in the Washington second and stole second. Wood walked and Garcia doubled off the wall in right, scoring Nunez to give Washington a 1-0 lead.
Urias tied it 1-1 with a solo homer in the third, and Straw and Ernie Clement followed with back-to-back doubles to make it 2-1 Blue Jays.
Scherzer left after striking out Lile to end a 12-pitch at-bat in the third. The crowd gave him a standing ovation and he waved as he entered the dugout.
In the fourth, Toronto’s Kazuma Okamoto singled, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Straw to make it 3-1.
With runners on first and third and two outs in the top of the fifth, George Springer got in a rundown between first and second. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. broke for home but was tagged out on a close play.
Chaparro’s pinch-hit homer made it 3-2 in the fifth.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Nunez singled and Wood walked, but Varland fanned Garcia to end the game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Marlins end 12-game slide as Griffin Conine walks off Phillies
Jul 27, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Griffin Conine (18) celebrates his home run with second baseman Javier Sanoja (8) against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Griffin Conine’s walk-off single capped a three-run ninth inning for the Miami Marlins, who snapped a franchise-record 12-game losing streak with an 8-7 win over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
Heriberto Hernandez and Conine homered for Miami, which had not won since July 9. The Marlins appeared destined for another defeat before Hernandez’s two-run single tied it against Jhoan Duran (1-4), who had previously blown only one save this season.
Bryce Harper hit an early two-run homer and J.T. Realmuto also had two RBIs for Philadelphia, which has lost seven of 10 since the All-Star break. Zack Wheeler struggled through three innings, allowing a season-high five runs and six hits.
With Miami trailing 7-5, Jakob Marsee opened the ninth with a single up the middle and advanced to third on Otto Lopez’s single to right. Duran hit Kyle Stowers to load the bases for Hernandez, whose single up the middle tied the game.
Three batters later, the bases were loaded with one out when Conine lined one into right field, over a drawn-in Philadelphia infield.
There was plenty of early action, beginning with Harper’s two-run homer off Tyler Phillips in the top of the first. In the bottom half, Miami answered with two runs of its own, highlighted by Hernandez’s solo shot off Wheeler.
The veteran right-hander struggled in the second inning as well, as he allowed three more runs, including Conine’s leadoff blast.
The fourth and fifth innings were uneventful, but Philadelphia rallied to take the lead with four runs in the sixth. Alec Bohm, Realmuto and Justin Crawford had run-scoring hits in the frame.
The Phillies led 7-5 after Bryson Stott tripled and scored an insurance run in the eighth before things fell apart in the ninth.
Phillips received a no-decision, allowing two runs and three hits in five innings. Calvin Faucher (5-5) worked the top of the ninth to earn the win.
–Field Level Media
Coby Mayo leads Orioles past Tigers
Max Scherzer comes off IL as Blue Jays eke past Nationals
