Sports
NBA commissioner Adam Silver sends message to tanking teams
Feb 14, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media during a press conference before 2026 NBA All Star Saturday Night at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Nothing is worse than a sore loser, except maybe an intentional one.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed a number of topics facing the league at his annual All-Star Weekend press conference on Saturday and the biggest of them at the present time surrounds teams tanking for better draft picks.
The Utah Jazz were just fined $500,000 for limiting the court time of two of its best players, while the Indiana Pacers were docked $100,000 for roster manipulation that kept three starters from a recent game.
Silver is not ignorant of the reasons why teams would prefer to lose during a season that has already gone sideways. But he is not shy about pointing out that their blatant approach is an eyesore.
“Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view,” Silver said before All-Star Saturday festivities. “Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we’re going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams’ behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice.”
It’s the integrity of the game that Silver says gives him the most pause.
While $600,000 in fines were handed out this week alone, Silver says the league could impose additional penalties, up to and including the forfeiture of the teams’ draft picks.
“I think we’re coming at it in two ways,” Silver said. “One is, again, focusing on the here and now, the behavior we’re seeing from our teams and doing whatever we can to remind them of what their obligation is to the fans and to their partner teams. But No. 2 … the competition committee started earlier this year re-examining the whole approach to how the draft lottery works.”
While Silver also addressed NBA expansion, he said more details will be known next month. The WNBA’s labor strife was framed as a more pressing issue, with the commissioner hopeful that the upcoming season will spur a willingness to reach a deal.
“I’m not ready to set a drop-dead date, but I will say, as I look at the calendar and the amount that we need to get done really over the next two months, because training camps are scheduled to open roughly two months from now,” Silver said.
“… I’m encouraged there has been more back and forth over the past few weeks. I think there’s been more direct engagement from players and team owners. I have not been at the table, but I’m very involved behind the scenes.”
Las Vegas and Seattle have been rumored to be next in line for NBA expansion teams, with Silver neither confirming nor denying interest in either city. He did say the NBA is not considering relocating any of its teams at this time.
“My sense is at the March board of governors meetings we’ll be having further discussions around an expansion process,” Silver said. “We won’t be voting at the March meeting, but we will likely come out of those meetings ready, prepared to take a next step in terms of potentially talking to interested parties.”
–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media
Sports
New All-Star format takes center stage in Inglewood
Feb 14, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Team World center Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets during a news conference for the NBA All Star game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Inside an arena covered by a shell that could pass for a globe, the NBA will try to entertain on Sunday while also reaching out to the rest of the world.
The NBA All-Star Game’s latest concept involves a team of the league’s top international players competing against two teams composed of domestic talent. The format will be a round-robin, leading to a championship game after one of the three teams is eliminated through a series of head-to-head matchups.
Team World will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada, yet still features the talents of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic of Serbia, Luka Doncic of Slovenia and Victor Wembanyama of France among its nine players.
The USA Stars team skews younger with Devin Booker, Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards, while USA Stripes boasts experience with Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard of the host Los Angeles Clippers.
Leonard is eager to showcase what the Clippers’ two-year-old Intuit Dome is all about. He appears less enthusiastic about the All-Star Game format that departs from traditional norms.
“I know it’s three teams and I’m like, ‘Is it a pickup game where we wait until somebody (wins)?” Leonard said. “I’d rather just be East and West and go out there and compete and see what the outcome is.”
At first glance, the setup appears to give players worldwide a chance to represent themselves in basketball’s best league, but even that opportunity feels somewhat empty. At least until the competition kicks off, it does.
“For me, I’m going to play like I played every year,” Jokic said Saturday. “… I’m not sure that it is going to bring (more) fire to me, no, because I play (that way) every game the same.”
The NBA is known for setting trends, but Sunday’s format appears to draw inspiration from the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off last year and the ongoing international showdown that is the Milan Cortina Olympics.
And yet, it doesn’t seem to be generating the same passion as either event. Jokic even has a prediction about how it all will unfold.
“We are going to have (veteran) OGs and maybe they’re going to play the most. They’re going to try to prove they can still be in this league,” Jokic said. “They are really good players. Probably all of them are Hall of Famers.
“I think Europeans are going to probably pass the ball a lot and have fun out there. OGs (are) probably going to win it, and the third team is probably going to dunk the most times.”
For all of the complaints that All-Star Weekend no longer moves the needle, Jokic does point out what is on the line for each squad. Perhaps that is the lens to use come Sunday.
“They need something to complain about (and) I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, to be honest, the All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend,” Durant said about All-Star Game criticism. “Just here to celebrate the game of basketball. People still coming to celebrate the game of basketball. They’re coming to watch.”
–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media
Sports
In key SEC clash, No. 14 Florida handles No. 25 Kentucky
Florida guard Boogie Fland (0) steals the ball from Kentucky guard Jasper Johnson (2) during the first half of a NCAA mens basketball game at Steven C. O’Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, February 14, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] Urban Klavzar netted 19 points off the bench and sparked a second-half run as No. 14 Florida led wire-to-wire to knock off No. 25 Kentucky 92-83 on Saturday afternoon in Gainesville, Fla.
Klavzar, who was 5 of 11 from distance, scored eight points in a span of 4:06 to turn an eight-point game into a 14-point lead to help the Gators win their fifth straight game and 10th in their last 11.
Leading the Southeastern Conference standings, the Gators (19-6, 10-2 SEC) led by 15 in the first half and created a two-game lead over the Wildcats (17-8, 8-4), who fell to 8-2 in their past 10 games.
Florida’s Xaivian Lee scored 22 points and Thomas Haugh had 17 points and eight rebounds. Alex Condon posted 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Rueben Chinyelu also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Kentucky’s Denzel Aberdeen notched 19 points and four assists, while Collin Chandler had 18 points, three rebounds and three steals. Otega Oweh had 13 points and five boards and Malachi Moreno totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The home side started fast by making four of five shots, including Lee’s two three-pointers, as it led 10-2. The Gators then built a 20-8 advantage at 13:55 on Lee’s driving layup.
Just after the half’s midpoint, the Gators moved the margin to 32-17 as Haugh and Lee combined for 25 points. Boogie Fland punctuated a 5-0 burst with a steal and dunk at 9:24.
Aberdeen’s driving hoop with 4:03 left cut Kentucky’s deficit to 34-29, but the Gators left the court with a 43-34 advantage after shooting 50% (17 of 34) from the field.
A member of Florida’s national champion squad last season, Aberdeen netted nine points, but the Wildcats were successful on just 12 of 32 shots (37.5%).
Florida held a 16-5 margin in points off turnovers after the first 20 minutes.
However, Kentucky broke out on a 7-0 run to start the second half to make it a one-possession game. Klavzar, a long-range specialist, hit a wing three-pointer at 13:14 to make it 59-51.
With just over 10 minutes left, Klavzar canned a corner three and added a layup as Florida’s lead moved to 72-58.
Kentucky managed to slash the deficit to five in the final 36 seconds, but the Gators hit four free throws to seal the win.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oklahoma overcomes Georgia's fast start to post victory
Feb 7, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Tae Davis (13) drives to the basket past Vanderbilt Commodores forward Devin McGlockton (99) during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Tae Davis scored 19 points to help lift Oklahoma to a 94-78 win over Georgia on Saturday in Southeastern Conference play at Norman, Okla.
The Bulldogs led by seven early in the second half before going ice cold from the field, missing nine consecutive shots and going more than five minutes without scoring.
The Sooners poured it on during that stretch, scoring 18 consecutive points and starting a period where they hit 10 of 12.
Oklahoma’s run wound up being extended to 27-4, putting it up by 16 before the midpoint of the second half.
Kuol Atak tied his season high with six 3-pointers as the Sooners tied their season high with 14 overall.
Atak scored 18 points off the bench while Nijel Pack added 16.
Davis and Pack combined for 31 points in the second half.
Oklahoma (13-12, 3-9 SEC) shot 58.9% from the floor, including 67.9% in the second half. The Sooners’ shooting percentage was tied for their second-best of the season.
After Wednesday’s loss to Florida, Bulldogs coach Mike White said he would be open to lineup changes to help add some energy to his team from the jump.
White did just that, moving freshman Kareem Stagg – who had what White described as perhaps his best game of the season vs. Florida – into the starting lineup.
In that loss to the Gators, it took Georgia nearly six minutes to put points on the board.
There was no such slow start Saturday.
The Bulldogs (17-8, 5-7) hit their first nine shots, not missing until more than nine minutes had passed.
Four early turnovers, though, kept Georgia from creating much separation early as it led just 21-20 after that opening barrage.
The Bulldogs hit 15 of their first 17 from the field.
But after shooting 70.8% from the floor in the first half, Georgia was just 38.2% after the break.
About five minutes into the game, there was a brief delay after a popcorn machine in the arena’s upper concourse caught fire, with flames and smoke visible from the court.
The sprinkler system in the area was activated.
Oklahoma has won back-to-back games after losing nine consecutive.
The Sooners have scored 92 points in each of their two wins.
Georgia has dropped five of its last six.
Blue Cain led the Bulldogs with 20 points while Marcus Millender added 16.
–Field Level Media
New All-Star format takes center stage in Inglewood
In key SEC clash, No. 14 Florida handles No. 25 Kentucky
