Sports
Paul George back for Sixers' stretch run; Bulls up next
Jan 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) looks on after a score against the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Following a lengthy suspension, Paul George returns to the court Wednesday when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Chicago Bulls.
Philadelphia (39-33) is looking to avoid the play-in tournament, but it has been a challenge playing without many of its key weapons in recent weeks. In addition to injuries to Joel Embiid (oblique) and Tyrese Maxey (finger), among others, the team has played its last 25 games without George.
The veteran forward was suspended Jan. 31 for taking “improper medication,” but that ban ended with Monday’s 123-103 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. George is expected to be in the starting lineup Wednesday, with no minutes restriction, for an important contest against Chicago.
The Sixers entered Tuesday in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, the first spot in the play-in tournament.
“I think they’ve done a decent job of hanging in there,” said Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse, whose team went 13-12 without George. “I think it just shows you how fast 25 games goes in this league sometimes. It’s hard to believe it’s over with already.”
The players certainly are excited to welcome back George, who averages 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 27 games (all starts) in 2025-26.
“It’s Paul George, man,” said rookie guard VJ Edgecombe. “He’s elite. He’s one of the smoothest players to ever touch a basketball. He’s a two-way player at that, so for him to get back on the floor means a lot.”
Edgecombe has been tasked with holding down the fort while George, Maxey and Embiid have been sidelined simultaneously. He made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 35 points in the loss to the Thunder and has averaged 31.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists over the last three games.
“He’s got a pretty good command of the team right now,” Nurse said. “As far as getting us organized, and as far as playing with great leadership, he’s leading by example a lot.”
Meanwhile, Collin Sexton has emerged as a leader for a Bulls team likely headed for the draft lottery. The veteran point guard supplied 25 points in Monday’s 132-124 triumph over the Houston Rockets — just Chicago’s second win in the last six games.
“I wanted to bring the juice and the energy — that’s all I was thinking about these last couple (of games),” Sexton said.
Matas Buzelis chipped in with 23 points against Houston. He shot 5 of 9 from 3-point range, leading a crisp long-range performance by the Bulls, who made half of their 38 attempts from beyond the arc.
Chicago (29-42) likely faces an insurmountable climb to the play-in tournament with only 11 games remaining, but Buzelis continues to prove he’s a key piece of its future.
“Win every game. Play-in or not. Playoffs or not,” said Buzelis, who is averaging 21.6 points and 6.6 rebounds this month. “(We’re) trying to win every game.”
That mindset certainly jives with the ultra-competitive Sexton, who has contributed 16.1 points in 15 games since joining Chicago in a midseason trade with the Utah Jazz.
“Stay hungry. Stay hungry,” Sexton said. “Don’t worry about the summer. Continue to (take things) one game at a time, one day at a time.”
This is the teams’ third and final meeting this season. The Bulls have captured the first two matchups, both in Chicago.
Embiid is listed as questionable for the contest.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kirby Smart, SEC Continue Complaining About College Football’s Future
As the calendar flips to the next day, things continue to change; however, one consistency will always come to the forefront, and it’s that the SEC will be the biggest crybabies on the planet.
Similar to its geographic counterparts, Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart went to the media to discuss the SEC’s potential to secede from the NCAA. There are currently two issues causing strife for the SEC.
The major power conferences and Notre Dame want to expand the playoffs to 24 teams, while the SEC only wants to expand to 16 teams. I personally don’t think any expansion should occur, as the regular season should still matter in college football. That said, I’m shocked the SEC doesn’t want the larger expansion.
A larger playoffs means more money, more potential home games, and smaller schools feeling that they can genuinely compete for national titles. The SEC complains every year when their 9-3 teams miss the playoffs, so I’m shocked they wouldn’t want half their conference playing in the postseason.
Kirby has his complaints about playoff expansion, but uncontrolled NIL expansion is his bigger concern. I think most people with common sense believe there needs to be more guardrails around NIL. I’m just not sure that head coaches are the right messengers for these complaints.
NIL isn’t going anywhere, either.
College football head coaches tend to be the highest-paid public worker in most states. They can also leave their job whenever they want and hold their universities over the fire for more money. When you hear Kirby Smart complaining about these kids, many of whom coming from limited money, it feels super disingenuous. These high level coaches keep complaining about the current state of NIL, but aren’t coming up with better solutions. Our current “wild west” of NIL is significantly better than these college athletes playing for free in years past.
NIL isn’t the death of college sports, but the SEC leaving the NCAA would be. Smart argues that the SEC can stand on its own, and doesn’t need to play by rules they don’t like.
Things like this is why everyone hates the SEC. If they don’t get everything they like, they take their ball and go home. If the SEC ever left the SEC, maybe the NCAA could survive, but it would always be a shell of its former power.
Also, I feel this is mostly just a bad bluff by Kirby Smart. Yes, SEC fans love their teams, but having an entire season of only SEC football feels like a disaster waiting to happen. Fortunately, the SEC is locked into contracts through the next 5 years, so they’ll have to wait a little before getting too off the rails.
Sports
Report: Serena Williams wants to make comeback at Queen's Club
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian of Los Angeles Golf Club watch their team against Jupiter Links GC during the TGL finals at SoFi Center on March 23, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Serena Williams reportedly is planning a return to professional tennis.
The Telegraph reported Thursday that Williams, 44, plans to request a wild card to play doubles with Victoria Mboko, 19, of Canada in the Queen’s Club Championships next month in London. The tournament, which begins on June 8, serves as a grass-court tune-up for Wimbledon.
Williams had great success on the courts at Wimbledon, where she won seven singles titles. She also teamed with her sister, Venus Williams, for six doubles championships in London.
Serena Williams last played on the WTA Tour in a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open.
In her time away from tennis, Williams gave birth to her second daughter in August 2023.
She reportedly re-entered the registered testing pool for the International Tennis Integrity Agency in December. She has completed the mandatory six-month period in that pool.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion initially dismissed comeback rumors in December before slightly changing her tune during an appearance on the “Today” show in late January.
“I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now,” Williams said, when asked on the show about a potential comeback. “That’s not a yes or no. I don’t know. I’m just gonna see what happens.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
MAAC rebranded, now The Metro Conference
Iona Men’s Basketball vs Siena in MAAC men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal game in Atlantic City on March 10 7:30 PM
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The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is shedding part of its name while trying to maintain tradition.
The conference will rebrand as The Metro Conference effective July 1, as an element of strategic planning launched three years ago.
“The goal of this project was to establish a bold and clear identity that eliminated longstanding confusion surrounding the Conference’s name,” said Travis Tellitocci, MAAC commissioner, in a news release. “Throughout this process, we wanted to create a brand that better positions the Conference for the future while still honoring the tradition and foundation that have defined this league for the past 45 years. We are excited about this next chapter and the future of the Metro Conference.”
Confusion existed with the similar-sounding Mid-American Conference — the Cleveland-based MAC. The length of the full name of the conference also “created inconsistencies in how the brand was referenced and frequently led to the conference being referred to incorrectly,” the new Metro Conference said in its release.
The rebranding includes a new red-and-blue logo with a bold type.
The MAAC was founded in 1980 and has 13 member schools, largely based in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut: Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Marist, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Rider, Sacred Heart, Saint Peter’s and Siena.
–Field Level Media
Kirby Smart, SEC Continue Complaining About College Football’s Future
Report: Serena Williams wants to make comeback at Queen's Club
