Author: rb809rb

MILAN — In a world where pro athletes are coached to be as deliberately dull as possible in their public statements, the Olympics are a refreshing throwback to an era when athletes spoke their minds, damn the consequences. NFL and NBA players will spiral out cliches like “keeping the main thing the main thing” and “going 1-0 every week,” as easy as breathing … and then a Norwegian Olympic biathlete will just go right on camera and confess to cheating on his girlfriend. Just a bit of a different energy there.

Here are a few of the hundreds of classic quotes from this year’s Winter Olympics:

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“I know what my chances were before the crash, and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today, but I know there’s still a chance and as long as there’s a chance, I will try.”

— Lindsey Vonn, three days before the start of the Olympics, on skiing with a torn ACL suffered the prior weekend

“That’s what I’m f***ing talking about!”

— Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu, after skating the triumphant routine that won her the gold 

“I am greatness, and this is my moment.”

— Team USA halfpipe skier Alex Ferreira’s words to himself before winning gold

“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

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— Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess, who  was later called a “loser” by President Trump

“I am tired of fourth-place finishes. Finishing fourth place three times this Olympics is heartbreaking.”

— Team USA speed skater Brittany Bowe, after her third fourth-place finish in her final Olympics

“I still believe that we didn’t violate any rules. From the beginning, I truly believed that it’s just the wrong interpretation by some IOC representatives.”

— Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych after being disqualified for wearing a helmet showing images of Ukraine’s war dead

“I think that in some ways he understood that but was very committed to his beliefs, which I can respect. But sadly it doesn’t change the rules. And the rules were that for certain spaces — the field of play, the ceremonies, the Olympic Village — should be spaces where athletes are safe from both sides and where there is no messaging of any kind.”

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— IOC President Kirsty Coventry, on Heraskevych’s protest

“Six months ago, I met the love of my life, the most beautiful, kindest person in the world. And three months ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her, and I told her about it a week ago.”

— Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid after winning bronze 

“There’s something so unique and beautiful about skating … it’s the best sport. But don’t tell the other sports.”

— Madison Chock, Team USA ice dancer

“I don’t want to be in life without my dad, and today was maybe the first time I could actually accept this.”

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— Team USA skier and gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin, immediately after winning her first Olympic medal since 2018, on her father, who passed away in 2020,

“Every day training is exhausting because everyone’s so good. I’m getting my ass handed to me every day.”

— AJ Hurt, Team USA slalom/giant slalom skier

“F*** off.”

— Canadian curler Marc Kennedy to Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson after accusations that Canada cheated during their curling match. 

“I really want to enjoy this with my family and friends. It’s my last Games and my final season, and you always just want to hug your mum after the finish, no matter how it goes.”

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— Team USA cross-country skier Jessie Diggins 

“It’s a fight between the slope and you. Who is stronger?”

— Italian downhill skier Dominik Paris

“I blew it.”

— Team USA figure skater Ilia Malinin after falling during his free skate and plummeting from first place all the way to eighth

“We’re going all the way to 2034. I would love to end in the States. Is that possible? I don’t know. Are we going to find out? Damn straight.”

— Team USA snowboarder Nick Baumgarter, age 44 

“If anything was to come to the surface, we would look at anything if it is actually doping related.”

— Oliver Niggli, director general of WADA, on ski jumping’s “Crotch-gate”

“For us this was just enjoying family time. We didn’t realize that the cameras were there and that it would go viral. Things happened, and I guess he’s the ‘curling baby’ now.”

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— Swiss curler Briar Schwaller-Huerlimann after son River caught social media’s eye after a match

“Norway taught me how to be an athlete, how to brave the cold. Brazil taught me how to be myself.”

— Brazilian gold medal skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen after changing nationality from Norway to Brazil. 

“After those five seconds of running, you’re some combination of an F1 driver, a boxer and a Buddhist monk trying to stay calm while everything is processing at 140 kilometers an hour.”

— Israeli skeleton athlete Jared Firestone on the challenges of his sport

“We have a tendency to want to film it all, but put the phone down and really absorb it in, emotionally. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

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— Team USA freestyle skier Nick Goepper on the Olympic experience

“I had it.”

— Team USA figure skater Amber Glenn after missing a triple-loop jump that ultimately cost her a medal

“I’m looking at my team and maybe someone needs to be dismissed because I’m not aware of that.”

— IOC President Kirsty Coventry, in a press conference, when asked about a report that the head of Russia’s 2014 anti-doping agency was in fact involved in that country’s widespread doping scheme 

“He had his arm around my mom. Like, get out of here. This is wild. I think Coach Mom was helping Snoop out, telling him all about curling.”

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— Team USA curler Korey Dropkin on Snoop Dogg hanging with his mother

“He sent me a very long and well-written email [wishing me good luck]. His text messages are better than my high school and college papers.”

— Team USA freestyle skier Birk Irving on his grandfather, novelist John Irving.

“I don’t know how it is to be in third place here, because I’m normally either out or first.”

— Italian skier Dominik Paris after winning bronze in men’s downhill 

“This was now my seventh summer owning and operating a window-cleaning business in Steamboat [Colorado]. It’s the perfect place for it. There’s tons of rich people that don’t want to clean their windows.”

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— Team USA’s Cody Winters on how he funded his snowboarding 

“I should tattoo the whole track and then put a red cross over it. I’ll put it on my back or something. Me and Milano Cortina, we just don’t speak the same language, and we don’t like each other.”

— Polish luge athlete Mateusz Sochowicz 

“The Olympics is a beast stronger than me, I just don’t have it.”

— Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller, who has appeared in seven Winter Games without medaling 

“If you’re going through hell, you keep walking, because you don’t want to just sit around in hell. And sometimes when you keep going, maybe you’ll make it back to the top.”

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— Team USA’s gold medal-winning skier Breezy Johnson

“It was the most intense one minute of my life, just watching and wondering if I’m third or fourth.”

— Bulgarian bronze medallist snowboarder Tervel Zamfirov, awaiting the results of a photo finish to determine the men’s parallel giant slalom. 

“You saw me with my naked body. I think you can be super good in shape until maybe 50.

— Australian snowboarder Benjamin Karl, age 40, who celebrated winning snowboarding’s men’s parallel giant slalom by tearing off his shirt. 

“At the third turn I thought, ‘Oh s**t, what am I doing? Come on, Emma’.”

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— German alpine skier Emma Aicher on her thoughts to herself during a downhill race where she would go on to win silver. 

“Push hard, drive fast, see what happens at the bottom. It’s pretty basic.”

— Team USA bobsledder Kaillie Armbruster Humphries on her strategy. 

“What I yearn for most is a worthy opponent … then I have a reason to be better every day. There’s no better feeling than being a better person today than you were yesterday.”

— American-born, Chinese-competing Eileen Gu after winning silver in women’s freeski slopestyle

“I have so much anxiety but thankfully, I have matcha.”

— Team USA snowboarder Chloe Kim

“Honestly, it bores me. I try to concentrate on skiing or something else just to avoid getting lost in the woods.”

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— Italian biathlete Michela Carrara on focus during competition

“If I’m competing in the Salt Lake Games, it might be a medical miracle.”

— Team USA bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor on her Olympic future.

“Just to throw one rock would be the greatest. It would be the greatest moment in my life. My kids know it and my wife knows it, so they’re not going to be mad at me for saying it wasn’t my wedding day.”

— Team USA curler Richard Ruohonen on making his Olympic debut at 54, becoming the oldest American Winter Olympian ever. (He would indeed make an appearance.) 

“I wanted them to sit in the kiss and cry with me and experience the moment, look up at the scores. They deserve to be sat right next to me, like they always have been.”

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— Team USA figure skater Maxim Naumov on his parents, lost last year in a plane crash

“Sometimes you just need a reminder. You’re so focused on where you want to go that you forget how far you’ve already come.”

— Canadian skier Riley Seger on falling short in the men’s super G

“[I was] dying. I had pain everywhere in my body. My stomach was hurting so much, and my legs too. It was difficult to ski because it was getting icy. And also my vision was getting darker and more narrow. It was hell.”

— French biathlete and silver medallist Lou Jeanmonnot, describing her final lap of the 15km individual

“For 10 months everybody was asking, ‘Are you racing in Milano Cortina?’ I didn’t know. I was not able to walk and didn’t know if I was going to ski ever again.”

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— Italy’s Federica Brignone, who overcame catastrophic injury to win gold in the women’s super G. 

“The Olympics are huge and I was nervous. I can usually sleep before a game and I could not sleep. We are good at what we do, but we feel like kids at this tournament.”

— Team Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon

“I think his honest opinion is to pick Johannes on the first leg, Johannes on the second leg, Johannes on the third leg and Johannes on the fourth leg.”

— Norway cross-country skier Einar Hedegart on teammate (and six-time gold-medal winner) Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo’s fantasy Norway’s men’s 4 x 7.5km relay team

“It was the hardest 45 minutes. I ate my fingers, I think.”

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— Polish speed skater Vladimir Semirunniy on the long wait to see how his time in the men’s 10000m would stand up; he won silver

“The emotion I’m feeling right now is an internal sun inside of me that is shining so bright and towards so many people. It is the very light that brought me the power to be the fastest in the world today and to become an Olympic champion.”

— Brazilian giant slalom gold medallist Lucas Pinheiro Braathen after winning the country’s first-ever Olympic Winter Games medal

“You have to get to this mental state where you’re basically a racehorse. You need to have horse blinders on and be calm because you’re trying to do the most ballistic, violent running anyone’s ever done, and, yet, it’s very technical.”

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— Canadian bobsledder Mike Evelyn on how to push start a bobsled 

“Probably the pub.”

— Great Britain’s Matt Weston on plans after winning mixed team skeleton gold

“If you get intimidated, you shouldn’t be playing pro hockey.”

— Czechia’s Radko Gudas on playing Canada in men’s ice hockey

“Having a medal at the Olympic Games is completely different from not having one.”

— Japanese speed skater Ayano Sato after a bronze medal in the women’s team pursuit

“I told myself I did not want to buy one, I wanted to earn one.”

— Chinese speed skater Zhongyan Ning on obtaining sold-out stuffed Milano-Cortina mascot; he got one by winning bronze in the men’s team pursuit 

“I had to show up today and believe I could do it, look at [Johannes Hoesflot] Klaebo’s butt and lock in and follow that to the finish line.”

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— Team USA cross-country skier Gus Schumacher on how he won silver in the men’s team sprint free event

“I became famous with a dog that came across the finish line and everyone wants to interview me now. It is the first time I have given any interviews.”

— Greek cross-country skier Konstantina Charalampidou after meeting a dog named Nazgul at the finish line during team sprint qualifying.  

[No comment.]

— Nazgul the Dog

“We are really proud of what we did, because we knew that, on paper, we would be able to reach the medal, but then on snow it’s not exactly like on paper.”

— Italian cross-country skier Federico Pellegrino after winning bronze in team sprint 

“That’s what we’re going to remember when we get old. It’s not necessarily the physical gold medal, but it’s the gold medal of memories. And we had thousands and thousands of them these past weeks and months.”

— Norwegian biathlete Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen 

“I tried. I dreamt. I jumped.”

— Lindsey Vonn, in an Instagram posting following her catastrophic downhill injury

Team USA’s 2-1 overtime victory over Canada helped the country win its first Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the famed 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”

Team USA center Jack Hughes scored the team’s overtime goal, exchanging his knocked-out tooth for a gold medal. Team USA goalie Connor Hellebuyck saved 41 of the 42 shots he faced.

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Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Ohno and Mikaela Shiffrin expressed their support for Team USA’s hockey team on social media.

Super Bowl champions Tom Brady, Jason Kelce and Kurt Warner, and current NFL players George Kittle and J.J. McCarthy were also watching the game.

Phoenix Suns Devin Booker got up early to tune in as welll, while Indiana Pacers Tyreese Haliburton shouted out Hellebuyck’s performance.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Since joining the Southeastern Conference, the Texas Longhorns have taken the league by storm.

In two years, they’ve won all four team titles in swimming and diving.

Texas was the biggest change to the league in 2025, and although it once again swept the championships, the SEC looked different in 2026.

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The meet was defined by a lack of COVID-19 fifth-years, new roster limits, top-end speed and a new event schedule.

Here are the main takeaways from this year’s SEC swimming and diving championships:

Texas cements itself as the kings and queens of the SEC

A year ago Texas took over the SEC in the pool and on the boards. In 2026, the Longhorns pulled off another sweep, winning both the men’s and women’s title.

The scariest part: The squad from Austin still had room to improve.

The Texas men left no doubt, holding down first place from the start. The women’s meet was close through three days of competition, but the Longhorns’ elite depth proved to be too much for the rest of the conference.

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The Texas men are the blueblood in collegiate swimming. With 16 national championships to their name, the Longhorns have been title contenders for the past four decades. They have also won 28 consecutive Big 12 titles, which is every single year of the league’s existence until they left for the SEC. It’s no surprise they have taken over the conference.

Hubert Kos’ SEC performance encapsulated the dominance of the Texas men. The 2024 Olympic 200-meter backstroke gold medalist won two of his three events. His most impressive feat is that he swam two championship finals on Saturday night and won gold in the 200-yard IM and silver in the 200-yd backstroke, with only about 45 minutes of rest between the two swims.

To put it simply, Texas has the talent of a pro roster. Whether it’s young stars or veteran leadership the Texas men have it.

On the women’s side the Longhorns were fueled by the pure depth of the roster.

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Campbell Stoll and Angie Coe both won two of their three events. Stoll swept the 100-yd and 200-yd butterfly while Coe swept the 200-yd and 400-yd IM’s.

The Longhorns freshman and sophomore classes reinforced the team’s strengths and were a major factor in their seven wins this week.

“Great competition, a lot of fun…this environment brings out the best in our team,” Texas women’s head coach Carol Capitani said after the meet.

Texas will now set its sights on the NCAAs in March where the women look to compete for another top-three finish and the men look to repeat as national champions.

Florida’s Josh Liendo chases history in the 100-yd butterfly

For four years Florida’s Josh Liendo dominated SEC waters.

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He’s a 19-time All-American, two-time Olympian, and, as of this week, an 18-time SEC champion.

Liendo stole the show at this year’s SEC championships. After winning his fourth straight 100-yd butterfly and first 50-yd freestyle title this week, Liendo has cemented himself as one of the most successful swimmers in SEC history.

He swam the 100-yd butterfly in 43.06 seconds, the second fastest of all time behind Caeleb Dressel. That morning he swam the fastest preliminary time in history in 43.26 seconds.

Liendo has broken SEC records, posted the fastest splits in history, and led relays to multiple NCAA championships in NCAA record fashion. However, he has never broken an individual NCAA record.

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Still eluding Liendo is what many considered an untouchable record. Dressel holds the national record in the 100-yd butterfly at 42.80 seconds. Achieving that mark would move Liendo into the top tier of all-time collegiate swimmers.

Liendo ended his SEC career on a low note, falling to LSU’s Jere Hribar in the 100-freestyle final, spoiling his perfect week. Hribar’s win was the breakout swim of the meet, stealing the gold, posting the fastest time in the country this year and breaking Liendo’s SEC meet record.

Regardless, all eyes will be on Liendo come March. The senior will be the focal point of the NCAA championships, and he has a chance to become one of the most recognizable names in collegiate swimming history.

Tennessee women find success a year ahead of schedule

As the final race came to a close, Texas wasn’t the only team celebrating its week in Knoxville.

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The Tennessee Lady Volunteers left their home pool with smiles on their faces and momentum on their side. The Lady Vols have only two seniors on the roster, and were able to jump up to second in the team standings after a third-place finish in 2025.

Camille Spink dominated the sprints, sweeping the 50-yd, 100-yd and 200-yd freestyle for the second year in a row. She won the 50-yd freestyle in SEC meet record fashion, becoming the sixth woman to ever break 21 seconds, stopping the clock at 20.87.

Spink is now the fourth-fastest performer of all time in the 50-yd free and fifth fastest in the 100-yd freestyle.

“Nobody does it like a Tennessee Vol,” Spink said in her postrace interview after winning her third straight SEC 50-yd freestyle title.

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Tennessee won three of the five relays and set two SEC conference records in the process in the 200-yd and 400-yd medley relays. Japanese Olympian Mizuki Hirai, junior world record holder in the 100-meter butterfly, was the catalyst Tennessee needed for championship season.

Tennessee has the No. 1 signing class arriving next fall and the Lady Vol sophomore class stacked up 12 medals this week, including two individual golds. With only two seniors graduating in 2026, the Lady Vols are set up for success in the near future.

A new era of SEC swimming and diving has arrived

SEC records were falling throughout the week, but one of the biggest takeaways from the week was the way the depth of the conference fluctuated in 2026.

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The meet saw success by a new wave of freshmen and sophomores, noted by Capitani in her postmeet interview on ESPN. The field was young and extremely talented, but also inexperienced.

There was no lack of speed from the top-end talent in Knoxville, but the overall conference depth took a hit in 2026.

In the men’s 400-yd IM, it took a time of 3:52.26 to get a second swim in the finals session. In 2025, swimmers had to be 3:47.63 to be in the top 24. That’s a 4.63-second difference year-over-year.

The men’s 50-yd freestyle field was impressive, which saw nine men break the 19-second barrier. However, the majority of events saw that times for 24th place were slower than a year ago.

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That raises the question: Why? There are a number of factors. In the past year, men’s rosters in the SEC were limited to 22 and teams were forced to cut a significant chunk of their rosters. This means smaller training groups, less margin for error and less depth on a team-by-team basis.

Additionally, the SEC reordered the event lineup for the meet in 2026, changing the flow of a typical swimming and diving championship meet event order.

The final factor could be the turnover in athletes. Last year was the final time COVID-19 fifth-year swimmers dominated finals, as the majority of the class that were freshman in 2022 aged out of college athletics.

Overall, there are a lot of moving parts in non-revenue sports, and the SEC experimented in many different ways in 2026.

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MILAN — They gathered on the ice, two dozen of the best hockey players the United States has ever produced, all of them with wide smiles on their faces and gold medals around their necks having just beaten Canada 2-1 in an overtime thriller. They carried the American flag with them, but they carried something else, too: a Team USA jersey emblazoned with the No. 13 on the back, the name of Johnny Gaudreau embroidered along the shoulders.

It felt good to have a jersey for Gaudreau, who died in a shocking traffic accident 18 months ago, out there in the team’s finest moment. But it didn’t feel quite right.

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And then Matthew Tkachuk and Zach Werenski went to the stands and hoisted up Gaudreau’s two oldest children, Noa and Johnny Jr., and brought them out onto the ice. In that perfect moment, all of American hockey smiled through tears.

“To have Johnny and Noa out there,” Dylan Larkin said afterward, “it just felt right.”

Johnny Gaudreau was one of the best hockey players of his generation, a prolific scorer, seven-time All-Star and member of the NHL’s Quarter Century Team. On the night of Aug. 29, 2024, he and his brother Matthew were riding bikes near Oldmans Township, N.J. It had been a good day; they were in town for their sister Katie’s wedding the next day. But around 8:00 p.m., the two were struck by a car making an illegal pass. The brothers were pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver was charged with vehicular homicide.

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Gaudreau’s death devastated the hockey world, including so many members of Team USA. “We miss him on the ice dearly,” Brady Tkachuk said. “He would have been on this team.”

Throughout its international competitions over the past two years, Team USA has brought along a Gaudreau jersey as motivation, inspiration and comfort. The No. 13 jersey hung in American locker rooms during the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2025 IIHF World Championships, a testament to Gaudreau’s love of international hockey.

Just prior to the start of the Olympics, Gaudreau’s family released a statement noting just how much he would have loved to be a part of these Games.

“In that final summer, John was training harder than ever, with his dad, pushing himself to be in the best shape of his life,” the family wrote in a statement. “He was determined to earn his spot on that Olympic roster. While it breaks our hearts that John won’t be there to live out that dream, we know he will be so very present with Team USA and all of his close friends competing throughout these games.”

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Larkin laughed that maybe the Gaudreau brothers were here in some way after all, helping Team USA on a spiritual level. “Somehow,” he said, “they put a spell around our net where the puck didn’t go in.”

Members of the Gaudreau family, including Johnny’s widow Meredith, parents Guy and Jane, and 10-month-old son Carter, have attended the last two United States hockey games. Cameras captured them in the crowd Sunday in tearful celebration.

“He’s touched everybody on the ice, everybody in Team USA’s lives,” Brady Tkachuk said. “We just wanted to show the Gaudreau family our support. He was so near and dear to a lot of us.”

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“We miss him and we love him and we love his family,” Larkin said. “We can’t wait to celebrate with them.”

Add in there: “He’s had a big impact on a lot of guys in our room. A lot of guys grew up with him, played with him, spent a lot of time with him,” said Team USA captain Auston Matthews said, adding that the jersey was “just a subtle reminder that him and his brother, they’re with us in spirit.”

Nothing will replace Johnny and Matt Goudreau in the lives of all who loved them. But thanks to Team USA, his children will have a treasured memory honoring their father. And thanks to the gold medal win, his memory will live on as long as there’s American hockey.

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Legendary commentator Derek Rae joins Christian and Alexis for a wide-ranging conversation on soccer, culture, and storytelling. From his upbringing in Scotland to his deep connection with German football, Derek explains how his love for languages and history shaped his broadcasting career—and why getting players’ names right is about far more than phonetics. He shares a powerful story about the real impact correct pronunciation can have on players and their families.

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Derek also takes listeners behind the scenes of how he became the voice of EA FC, revealing what the audition process was like, how the opportunity came together, and what it means to be recognized worldwide through a video game. Along the way, he reflects on the evolution of soccer media, iconic broadcasting moments, and the responsibility that comes with being a trusted voice of the sport.

Finally, the conversation dives into the global game itself. Derek breaks down the cultural differences between MLS and European leagues, explains why Germany has become such fertile ground for American players, and offers thoughtful insight into the unique identity of soccer fandom in the United States. It’s a smart, funny, and deeply human conversation with one of the most respected voices in the game.

Timestamps:

(2:00) – Why pronouncing player names correctly is important to Derek Rae

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(10:45) – Derek Rae’s soccer origin story

(15:00) – How Europeans currently perceive MLS

(23:45) – Is Germany the best place for Americans to develop?

(35:00) – Is 2026 the year where the US becomes a real soccer country?

(39:00) – How Derek Rae became the voice of EA FC

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In a jam-packed Kevin O’Connor show, KOC analyzes the first trade of the deadline week and what it means for Keon Ellis, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Sacramento Kings. Then, he discusses updates in the Ja Morant trade market: is there a new interest in him coming out of Chicago?

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Next, Kyle Neubeck joins to talk Sixers: what’s up with the Paul George suspension? Is Joel Embiid back? Is a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo without giving up VJ Edgecombe a possibility?

Later, KOC chats All-Star reserves before being joined by Kirk Henderson. They look back at the Luka Doncic to Los Angeles trade one year later, marvel at Cooper Flagg’s 2-game tear and ask the question: will Anthony Davis be traded this season?

Corey Tulaba then joins the pod for this week’s Draft Class to chat AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, the future of Richie Saunders and the biggest college games to watch for this weekend.

(0:25) Cavs trade for Ellis & Schroder
(6:31) Bulls interested in Ja Morant?
(8:22) Kyle Neubeck talks 76ers
(27:27) All-Star reserves announced
(30:48) Kirk Henderson talks Mavericks
(46:01) Hornets win 6 straight games
(1:00:00) Draft Class with Corey Tulaba

🖥️ Watch this full episode on the Yahoo Sports NBA YouTube channel

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On Tuesday, the NBA announced the lineups for this year’s All-Star Celebrity Game. Both teams are stocked with a cast of characters and even have some NBA talent involved with the game. One team will be coached by the Antetokounmpo brothers, Giannis, Alex and Thanasis, along with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts. The opposing team will have the trio of Anthony Anderson, Instagram star Lethal Shooter and trainer Chris Brickley.

On the court for the Antetokounmpos, fans will see stars like Keegan-Michael Key, Shams Charania of ESPN — which could be quite interesting just days after the trade deadline — Jeremy Lin, rapper Glorilla and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Anderson’s team includes actor Simu Liu, renowned record producer Mustard, Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen and former NBA guard Jason Williams.

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An interesting cast of characters are on tap for the 2026 version of the Celebrity All-Star Game. One of the biggest characters, Giannis Antetokounmpo, could also be a main character this week as the trade deadline approaches. It’s been made clear that he is reportedly ready to move on from Milwaukee, so the timing of this exhibition couldn’t be more perfect.

Given the fact that the person (Shams) who is likely to break the news of any potential trade involving Antetokounmpo will be on the same team just days later, it could not have been set up any better by the NBA. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Shams and Giannis will be taking part in the game and forced to work together. This should be a fun way to kick off the weekend that runs through Sunday, ending with the actual All-Star Game.

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The 2026 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game tips off Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. ET, at the KIA Forum in Inglewood, California, and will air exclusively on ESPN.

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The San Francisco Giants signed Luis Arráez to a one-year deal, with the hope that the three-time batting champion will be able to help solidify their offense after their blockbuster deal that brought Rafael Devers to the Bay last season. However, after finishing at 81–81, are the Giants doing enough to try and compete for a title?

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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman examine the questionable offseason that President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey has navigated for his Giants. While being in the same division as the Los Angeles Dodgers does present some difficulties, should the Giants be doing a bit more to show their commitment to winning? Could they still find a way to improve their rotation before the start of the season?

Later, Jordan and Jake talk about the trade that saw the St. Louis Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan in a three-team deal to the Seattle Mariners and why he is going to be a key player for them. They then discuss the Chicago White Sox’s active weekend, the Sacramento A’s signing Jacob Wilson to an extension, all before they get into the problem that insurance is causing with World Baseball Classic rosters.

2:29 – The Opener: A look at the Giants

29:58 – Around the League: Mariners trade for Donovan

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48:18 – Turbo Mode: Reds sign Eugenio Suárez

58:37 – Tarik Skubal vs. Detroit Tigers

1:01:44 – We Need to Talk About: WBC insurance

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🚨 Headlines

🏀 NBA trades: The Clippers are sending James Harden to the Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a second-round pick. Plus: The Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz, the Celtics and Bulls swapped Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vučević, and the Pistons added Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić in a three-team deal.

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🇺🇸 America’s flag bearers: Speed skating gold medalist Erin Jackson and bobsledder Frank Del Duca will serve as flag bearers for Team USA at the Milan Cortina Opening Ceremony on Friday.

🏈 Kraft also denied: Patriots owner Robert Kraft has joined his longtime head coach Bill Belichick in getting denied entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year as a finalist. First nominated in 2013, the 84-year-old will have to wait at least another year to make it to Canton.

⛳️ LIV granted OWGR points: The Official World Golf Ranking will grant points to LIV Golf events this season, with a catch: Only the top 10 players will receive points, and they’ll receive fewer than in most PGA Tour events under the OWGR’s “small field tournaments” classification.

🏀 Meet the dunkers: Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, Spurs wing Carter Bryant and Pistons center Jalen Duren will compete in the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend, leaving one spot still open. Three-time defending champion Mac McClung has already said he isn’t participating.

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⛷️ The star of the Olympics is now the hero, too

Despite a torn ACL, Lindsey Vonn insists she will be in the starting gate for the women’s downhill on Sunday. She was already one of the stars of these Olympics. Now she’s one of the heroes, too.

From Yahoo Sports’ Jay Busbee:

With one agonizing, heartbreaking wreck on a Swiss ski slope last Friday, all of Vonn’s work to get back to the Olympics — a knee replacement, lengthy rehab, retirement, then un-retirement followed by race after race to qualify for these Olympic Games — seemed to evaporate.

But this is Lindsey Vonn we’re talking about, one of the toughest, most determined, most relentless athletes America has ever produced. Vonn metaphorically tightened her straps and clicked back into her skis.

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“This is not, obviously, what I had hoped for,” she said. “I know there’s still a chance, and as long as there’s a chance, I will try.” Damn right. That is the true Olympic spirit.

For all the Olympics’ many sins — corruption, petty nationalism, doping controversies, political gamesmanship, endless grifting — there’s a deeper truth that surges above them all. The Olympics showcases the very best athletes in the world, and the finest elements of the human spirit, as well.

“Maybe I can’t do this with no ACL, but I still believe in myself, and that makes me smile. That makes me confident. That makes me happy,” Vonn said. “No matter what, I’m going to try my best, so what is there to be sad about? I’m still able to be here. I’m still skiing. I’m still living the dream at 41.”

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Vonn has nothing left to prove, no reason to go back up that hill other than the fact that she simply couldn’t imagine doing anything else. That’s how you go from being a darling of NBC’s Winter Olympic promos to a legitimate national hero, by embodying the best of what we all strive to be.

She will continue to test her knee before the downhill competition begins on Sunday. Regardless of how she feels leading up to then, regardless of what happens on the slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo, she plans on being in that starting gate. She’ll push off. She’ll fire down the mountain for one more Olympic run.

She’ll have the eyes of the world on her, and the hearts of the world behind her. Who could ask for anything more?

Further reading: Why doctors say Vonn has ‘a great chance to perform well’ despite ACL tear (Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports)

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🏀 NBA All-Star teams: Stars, Stripes, World

The rosters are set for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, which will feature three teams competing in a round-robin tournament with four 12-minute games.

• Game 1: USA Stars vs. World

• Game 2: USA Stripes vs. Game 1 winner

• Game 3: USA Stripes vs. Game 1 loser

• Game 4: Championship (top two teams from round-robin play)

Late addition: Commissioner Adam Silver named Kawhi Leonard an All-Star to bring the American player pool to 16, allowing for the creation of two 8-member teams.

📸 In photos: Olympic venues

The Milan Cortina Olympics will be held across 15 venues in eight cities spanning 8,500 square miles, making these the most spread-out Games ever. With the Opening Ceremony just two days away, let’s meet the venues.

Milan: Italy’s second-most populous city is home to one-third of the venues: Milano Ice Skating Arena (figure skating, short track speed skating), San Siro (Opening Ceremony), Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena (hockey), Milano Speed Skating Stadium (speed skating) and Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena (hockey).

Cortina d’Ampezzo: The co-host, which sits 250 miles northeast of Milan, has three of the 15 venues: Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre (alpine skiing), Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (curling) and Cortina Sliding Centre (bobsleigh, luge, skeleton).

Livigno: The small ski town 150 miles due west of Cortina, and just a couple miles from the Swiss border, is the only other city with multiple venues: Livigno Snow Park (freestyle skiing, snowboard) and Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park (freestyle skiing).

The rest: Five other cities have one venue each: Tesero’s Cross-Country Skiing Stadium (cross-country skiing, nordic combined), Antholz-Anterselva’s Biathlon Arena (biathlon), Bormio’s Stelvio Ski Centre (alpine skiing, ski mountaineering), Predazzo’s Ski Jumping Stadium (nordic combined, ski jumping) and Verona’s Olympic Arena (Closing Ceremony).

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Good read: The 2026 Winter Olympics will give an untraditionally Italian region its moment (Andrew Gastelum, SI)

⚾️ Spring training: 30 teams, 30 storylines

Spring training is almost here, with pitchers and catchers beginning to report to camp early next week. So with America’s Pastime returning soon, here is one storyline to watch for all 30 teams, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Russell Dorsey.

AL East

• Blue Jays (94-68 in 2025): The quest to return to the Fall Classic begins

• Yankees (94-68): Similar team, similar results?

• Red Sox (89-73): Roster construction problems

• Rays (77-85): Getting Shane McClanahan back healthy

• Orioles (75-87): The time is now

AL Central

• Guardians (88-74): Travis Bazzana watch

• Tigers (87-75): The Skubal saga*

• Royals (82-80): A fresh start for Jac Caglianone

• Twins (70-92): Star trade watch

• White Sox (60-102): Fun times coming to the South Side

AL West

• Mariners (90-72): Can they build on 2025?

• Astros (87-75): The health of Yordan Alvarez

• Rangers (81-81): Getting back to contention in the AL West

• Athletics (76-86): What’s in store in Year 2 in Sacramento?

• Angels (72-90): What will they get from Mike Trout?

NL East

• Phillies (96-66): Keeping up in an improving National League

• Mets (83-79): New-look roster makes its debut

• Marlins (79-83): Taking another step

• Braves (76-86): The core needs to bounce back

• Nationals (66-96): CJ Abrams trade watch

NL Central

• Brewers (97-65): The post-Freddy era begins

• Cubs (92-70): The Alex Bregman effect

• Reds (83-79): Who is this team?

• Cardinals (78-84): The fire sale is complete

• Pirates (71-91): Making the most of Paul Skenes

NL West

• Dodgers (93-69): Embarrassment of riches on full display

• Padres (90-72): Navigating new financial constraints

• Giants (81-81): Avoiding mediocrity

• Diamondbacks (80-82): Nolan in the desert

• Rockies (43-119): The Paul DePodesta era begins

*What to watch: Skubal’s historic arbitration hearing, featuring an MLB-record $13 million gap between the player’s request ($32 million) and the team’s offer ($19 million), will take place today.

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📺 Watchlist: Wednesday, Feb. 4

It’s hard to imagine a much better doubleheader than this. The Knicks host the Nuggets at MSG to kick things off (7pm ET, ESPN), then it’s Thunder at Spurs (9pm, ESPN) in their fifth and final matchup of the regular season.

Just how good is tonight’s slate? It features four of the seven betting favorites to win the NBA title in OKC (+135 at BetMGM), Denver (+600), New York (+1400) and San Antonio (+1600).

In New York or San Antonio? Use Gametime to grab tickets to tonight’s games at Madison Square Garden and Frost Bank Center.

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🥌 Olympic Curling

The Opening Ceremony isn’t until Friday, but Winter Olympic competitions begin today with the round robin for curling’s mixed doubles event (1pm, Peacock).

Hometown heroes: The Italians are the defending mixed doubles champions. Can they secure another gold in front of the home crowd?

More to watch:

• 🏒 NHL: Bruins at Panthers (7pm, TNT); Blues at Stars (9:30pm, TNT) … The defending champion Panthers (28-24-3) are currently last in the Atlantic.

• 🏀 NCAAM: UCF at No. 8 Houston (7pm, FS1) … Can the Knights (17-4), coming off a win over then-No. 11 Texas Tech, pull off another upset?

• 🏀 NCAAW: No. 22 Maryland at No. 12 Michigan State (6:30pm, BTN+) … Two of seven ranked Big Ten teams.

• ⚽️ EFL Cup: Manchester City vs. Newcastle United (3pm, Paramount+) … City bring a 2-0 lead into the second leg of their semifinal against the reigning champs.

• ⛳️ LIV Golf: Riyadh (10am, FS1) … The breakaway tour’s fifth season opener is the first to feature 72 holes instead of 54.

• 🏁 NASCAR: The Clash (6pm, Fox) … The preseason exhibition at North Carolina’s Bowman Gray Stadium was postponed to Wednesday due to weather.

Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events happening in your city. Get tickets now!

🏈 Super Bowl trivia

The Patriots will make their record-extending 12th Super Bowl appearance this weekend, four more than any other team.

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Question: Which four teams are tied for second, with eight appearances?

Hint: Two AFC, two NFC.

Answer at the bottom.

📸 Photo finish

41 years old. Still got it.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Trivia answer: Steelers, Cowboys, 49ers, Broncos

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