We are on the doorstep of the Super Bowl. The NFL playoff bracket spit out the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks to represent the AFC and NFC, respectively, in the big game on Feb. 8.
These playoffs averaged 37 million viewers, according to NFL Media, which reported Wednesday that those numbers are the league’s second highest in the postseason over the past 10 years.
Eight of the 12 matchups were decided by one score, including both conference title games.
The 2023 season’s playoffs still hold the top spot. Two years ago, the league reported that slate of postseason games made up the NFL’s most-watched playoffs, at least since 1988, when tracking began.
Those averaged 38.5 million viewers, per the league. As a refresher, that season the Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC championship that left the mistake-ridden Ravens asking “what if?” Meanwhile, Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers rallied from 17 points down in the NFC title game to end the Detroit Lions’ storybook run.
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Also that season, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen dueled again, with a missed 44-yard Tyler Bass field-goal attempt in the final two minutes spelling doom for the Bills in a three-point, divisional-round loss.
This season’s playoffs were up 5% in viewership compared to last season’s playoffs and were responsible for the sixth-highest playoff viewership average on record, according to NFL Media.
The divisional-round games averaged 39.2 million viewers, per The Associated Press, not far off the round’s record of 40 million average viewers that was set during the 2023 season’s playoffs.
News broke Wednesday, a mere eight days before the NBA trade deadline, that “Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home” and his Milwaukee Bucks “are starting to listen” to “aggressive offers” from “several teams,” according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The two-time NBA MVP might actually, reportedly, be available?!?!
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Lots of people have THOUGHTS. Among them is 35-year-old Jae Crowder, who played parts of two seasons as Antetokounmpo’s teammate on the Bucks in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Crowder pointed to Jan. 23, 2024, two years ago this week, when the Bucks fired head coach Adrian Griffin, as “what started the avalanche” to Antetokounmpo’s inevitable exit.
He is not (entirely) wrong.
The Bucks were 30-13 at the time, though they were a mess. Assistant coach Terry Stotts had resigned following an alleged verbal altercation with Griffin, and Antetokounmpo, just as today, was not happy with his team’s effort. “There was no pride,” he said. Milwaukee adjusted its defensive scheme midseason, reverting to principles installed under previous coach Mike Budenholzer, and a general consensus, honestly, was that Griffin was in over his head.
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But at least one person — Crowder — disagrees, and he was in that locker room.
The Bucks finished the 2023-24 season 49-33, posting a 19-20 record under Rivers. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers, just as they had to the Miami Heat under Budenholzer a year earlier. They were no better in the 2024-25 campaign, going 48-34 and losing in the opening round (again to the Pacers). They are 18-27 this season.
It really has been an avalanche.
Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that the Bucks did not re-sign Crowder at the end of the 2023-24 season, and he has not played in the NBA this year.
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Also, Damian Lillard tore his Achilles last season. That was kind of a big deal, as was the oft-injured Khris Middleton aging into his mid-30s. Injuries happen. People age. Both Lillard and Middleton have been jettisoned in favor of younger, worse players. Teams devolve.
Or perhaps, as Crowder suggested, there was one single incident that precipitated this saga.
American Jessica Pegula is still reaching for her first Grand Slam title, and she’s getting close. Pegula defeated Amanda Anisimova yesterday in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and will now face Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina bright and early Thursday morning in the women’s semifinal. Rybakina ousted No. 2 Iga Swiatek in their quarterfinal match yesterday.
The semifinal match will likely begin sometime after 5 a.m. ET, once the other women’s semi between Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina concludes. Pegula vs. Rybakina will stream live on ESPN Unlimited and be broadcast on ESPN. Here’s what you need to know about the Pegula vs. Rybakina semifinal match at the 2026 Australian Open.
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How to watch Jessica Pegula vs. Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open:
When is the Jessica Pegula vs. Elena Rybakinamatch at the 2026 Australian Open?
The semifinal match between Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open will be on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.
Jessica Pegula vs. Elena Rybakina match start time:
The match between Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina will not start before 5 a.m. ET. The match will be available live on ESPN Unlimited, once the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina is over. The match will also be broadcast live on ESPN, and will re-air on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET.
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Australian Open channel:
In the U.S., the entire Australian Open tournament is streaming on ESPN+ for Unlimited subscribers. ESPN will broadcast the semifinals and final matches.
How to watch the 2026 Australian Open:
Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open without cable:
If you want to catch every match of the Australian Open and don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, cable or a live TV streaming service, in Australia a majority of the action will be streaming free with ads on 9Now.
Don’t live in the land down under? Don’t worry, you can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) helps protect your data, can mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to tennis coverage without a cable package, a VPN can help you out. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user.
9Now. Plus it’s Engadget’s pick for the best premium VPN. ExpressVPN offers three tiers of subscriptions: The Basic Plan (starting at $3.49/month), the Advanced Plan (starting at $4.49/month) and the Pro Plan (starting at $7.49/month).
ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.
Australian Open 2026 schedule:
All times Eastern
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Tuesday, January 27
(Day 10) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.
(Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 28
(Day 11) Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals: 3:00 a.m.
Thursday, January 29
(Day 12) Women’s Semifinals: 3:00 a.m.
(Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 8:00 p.m.
Friday, January 30
(Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 3:30 a.m.
Saturday, January 31
(Day 14) Women’s Final: 3:30 a.m.
Sunday, February 1
(Day 15) Men’s Final: 3:30 a.m.
Who is playing in the 2026 Australian Open?
The top 10 seeded players for the singles draws are listed below.
Men’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026
1. Carlos Alcaraz
2. Jannik Sinner
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Novak Djokovic
5. Felix Auger-Aliassime
Women’s singles seeds for the Australian Open 2026
1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Iga Swiatek
3. Amanda Anisimova
4. Coco Gauff
5. Elena Rybakina
Australian Open prize money:
For 2026, the men’s and women’s singles winners of the Australian Open each get $4,150,000, with the runner-up receiving $2,150,000 and Semi-finalists $1,250,000.
Legendary New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady isn’t a fan of a report’s news that Bill Belichick will not be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Brady made his first public comments on the situation Wednesday, saying he didn’t understand the argument for keeping Belichick out of the Hall of Fame. Those were followed later in the day by Patriots owner Robert Kraft who echoed the sentiment.
Brady was asked about the reported snub during an appearance on the “Brock & Salk” radio show in Seattle.
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His full response reads:
“I don’t understand it. I was with him every day. If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is completely ridiculous because people deserve it.
“He’s incredible. There’s no coach I’d rather play for. If I’m picking one coach to go out there to win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I’m taking Bill Belichick. So, that’s enough said.
“Outside of that, when it comes down to votes and popularity and all that, welcome to the world of voting. You may as well go try out for the Oscars or whatever and get a big panel to tell you if you’re good or not. It’s the way it works, unfortunately.
“He’s gonna get into the Hall of Fame, and I’m not worried about that. A lot of times in life, for all of us, things don’t happen exactly how you want them on your timeline. But we’ll all be there to celebrate him when it does happen. He’s gonna have a huge turnout from so many players, coaches that appreciated everything he did and the commitment that he made to winning and the impact he had on all our lives. And it will be a great celebration when it happens.”
“Whatever perceptions may exist about any personal differences between Bill and me, I strongly believe Bill Belichick’s record and body of work speak for themselves. As head coach of the New England Patriots for more than two decades, he set the standard for on-field excellence, preparation, and sustained success in the free agency and salary cap era of the National Football League. He is the greatest coach of all time and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.
In the podcast interview, Brady didn’t address Spygate, the scandal that may have resulted in Belichick being snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters. The ESPN report that revealed Belichick’s snub cited Spygate as a potential reason Belichick did not make it during the first year in which he was eligible. That report alleged former Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian suggested Belichick wait a year for induction as penance for the scandal.
Polian refuted that report Tuesday. While Polian initially said he supported Belichick’s candidacy and voted for him, he later clarified that he wasn’t sure whether he voted for Belichick.
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Belichick was fined $500,000 for his involvement in Spygate, a scandal in which the Patriots were found to have filmed opposing coaches’ signals from unauthorized locations. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ruled that was a violation of NFL rules. In addition to fining Belichick, Goodell also fined the Patriots and took away the team’s first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. After the investigation, Goodell ordered the destruction of the tapes and notes uncovered on the scandal.
Brady’s answer in that clip doesn’t address his own Hall of Fame candidacy and whether he thinks Spygate or Deflategate will play a role in whether he is inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first try. While that seems absurd given Brady’s status as arguably the best player in NFL history, Belichick seemed certain to glide into the Hall of Fame before Tuesday’s report.
Unlike Belichick, Brady was suspended by the NFL for his involvement in Deflategate, in which it was alleged he had footballs deliberately deflated during the AFC championship game against the Colts, making them easier to grip and throw. Brady was eventually suspended for four games and the Patriots were fined $1 million and docked two picks in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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Brady, who last played in the NFL in 2022, isn’t eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame until 2028. The quarterback — who owns the NFL records for most passing yards and most passing touchdowns — looked like a lock to sail into the Hall prior to Tuesday’s report.
Following Belichick’s reported snub, the possibility now exists that Brady, widely considered the greatest quarterback to ever set foot on an NFL field, could also be punished for his involvement in the Patriots’ scandals that occurred during his playing career.
It’s an emergency live podcast for today’s Big Number!
Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine react to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s trade request from the Milwaukee Bucks. The pair discuss the paltry roster Milwaukee has built around the Greek Freak that has him “ready for a new home,” and mull over potential trade scenarios.
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Do the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat have a shot at Antetokounmpo? Are there any dark horse candidates that can provide the Bucks’ demand for young talent and draft picks? Can Stephen Curry and Giannis team up in the Bay?
Answers to all that and more in today’s Big Number!
(1:14) Giannis ‘ready for a new home’ (15:44) Giannis to Nets? (29:22) Giannis to Heat? (35:54) Giannis to Hawks? (42:10) Why Giannis won’t go to New York (55:42) Giannis to Pistons? (1:03:07) Giannis to Spurs? (1:10:29) What if Giannis stays with Bucks?
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 23: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks walks off the court after a game against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum on January 23, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Eli Manning has once again missed out on making it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The longtime former New York Giants quarterback fell short of making the cut into the Hall of Fame again this year, marking his second straight time falling short as one of the 15 modern-era finalists, according to The Athletic.
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Manning is generally expected to eventually earn his way into the Hall of Fame, though the topic is often debated and there are plenty who think he shouldn’t. He currently ranks 11th in both career passing yards and career passing touchdowns in league history, and he won two Super Bowls during his 16 seasons with the Giants. The four-time Pro Bowler was the 2016 Walter Payton man of the Year, too.
Manning finished with a 117-117 overall record with the Giants, however, and he was eventually replaced by then-rookie Daniel Jones during his final season with the franchise in 2019. Manning also led the NFL in interceptions three times.
But despite the areas where he may have struggled, history is on Manning’s side. He is one of six players with multiple Super Bowl MVP awards to his name. Of that group, three were first-ballot inductees. The other two, longtime New England Patriots star Tom Brady and current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, are expected to be first-ballot entries once they are eligible.
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The Hall of Fame is controlled by Canton’s selection committee, which is made up of a 50-person panel of media members all selected by the Hall’s board of directors and appointed to two-year terms. Each team’s media contingent gets a representative, as does the Pro Football Writers of America organization. The last 17 spots are then filled by at-large contributors. It takes at least 80% approval to get in.
Around April 2018, a 23-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo told Nick Friedell, then of ESPN.com, “one of my goals” is to spend his entire career with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Almost eight years later, Antetokounmpo’s partnership with the Bucks appears to have run its course. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that “Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home” at the Feb. 5 trade deadline, and the Bucks “are starting to listen.”
“The writing is on the wall with Giannis,” multiple sources reportedly told Charania.
What, exactly, is that writing? A timeline of The Decade in Giannis spells it out for us: Antetokounmpo’s goal to win a second championship takes precedent over his goal to remain a member of the Bucks, and they can no longer provide him with what he wants.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new NBA home. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
(Patrick McDermott via Getty Images)
He has said the same since he won his first title in 2021. Which takes us back to the fall of 2020, when a looming contract extension first drove rumors about his future, which feels so … familiar. Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for another maximum contract extension in October.
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In the meantime, let us see how the past has informed Antetokounmpo’s present.
Sept. 8, 2020: The Miami Heat eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks from the 2020 NBA playoffs, winning their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals series, 4-1. Antetokounmpo missed the elimination game of that series with a sprained right ankle.
Sept. 18, 2020: Antetokounmpo won a second consecutive Most Valuable Player award, joining Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon and Chicago’s Michael Jordan as the only NBA players ever to capture the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season.
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Nov. 23, 2020: The Bucks acquired Jrue Holiday, pairing the All-Star and All-Defensive guard with Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez on a championship favorite. The deal cost Milwaukee the rights to five of its first-round draft picks (2020 and 2024-27).
Dec. 9, 2020: Entering the final season of his rookie-scale contract extension, Antetokounmpo said of his deal, “I’m not focused on that. I know my agent, Alex [Saratsis], and [Bucks general manager] Jon Horst and the Bucks ownership are focusing on those discussions, but I’m just trying to focus on myself — how I can get better, how I can help my teammates get better, how can we be ready Saturday to play our first preseason game?”
Dec. 15, 2020: Facing a midnight deadline, Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a five-year, $228.2 million contract extension that included a player option for the 2024-25 season.
July 20, 2021: The Bucks captured the 2021 NBA title, winning a fourth straight game to defeat the Phoenix Suns in a best-of-seven set, 4-2. Antetokounmpo was the Finals MVP.
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Sept. 27, 2021: “Hopefully, we can give that feeling again to people,” said Antetokounmpo. “It might not be this year. Maybe it might be two years or three years down the road, but I need that feeling. I’m going to chase that feeling until my legs can’t move no more.”
May 15, 2022: Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points, as the Boston Celtics defeated the defending champion Bucks in Game 7 of the East semifinals, 109-81.
Sept. 26, 2022: “I want to win a championship,” said Giannis. “Any way or the other I get it done, the feeling I felt, it was a nice feeling. And, you know, I kind of got jealous of Golden State, seeing them in the parade and in the ESPYs. You know that feeling now. You know what is getting stripped away from you. Hopefully God can bless us to win another one.”
April 26, 2023: The Heat ousted the Bucks from the first round of the playoffs, 4-1. Antetokounmpo missed two games of the best-of-seven series to a bruised lower back.
Sept. 27, 2023: The Bucks dealt Holiday and the rights to their first-round draft picks from 2028-30 to the Portland Trail Blazers for 33-year-old, seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard.
Oct. 2, 2023: “I gotta always look out for what’s best for me and my family, for my situation, but at the end of the day, I want to be a Milwaukee Buck for the rest of my career as long as we are winning. It’s as simple as that,” said Antetokounmpo. “What do you expect me to say? To be a Milwaukee Buck and be a loser? That’s never going to come out of my mouth.”
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Oct. 15, 2023: “I always envisioned myself to be in Milwaukee for a long time,” Antetokounmpo told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “And I always say that I want to play 20 years. I want to be like Tim Duncan, like Kobe [Bryant], all those guys that played with one team for a lot of years and won the championship. But at the end of the day, before loyalty, winning comes first. We are judged on winning. I’m a winner. I want to win. And the words that I say, I feel like sometimes they’ve been taken out of proportion because I’ve said these words for four or five, six years now. And I don’t know why it’s different this time. It is different when your extension comes around, when your extension is three, four years down the road and you say those words like, ‘Hey, I want my team to be the best available team and I want everybody to be on the same page,’ nobody really cares.
“But when your extension comes around, it’s like, ‘Oh, he might leave.’ No, no, no. It’s not the case. I want the best possible team. I want to wake up every single day when I come to work and know that I have a chance to win. And I want the organization to be on the same page and not to be comfortable because we won one [title]. So, what, we going to wait 15 more years to win another one? No, no, no way.”
Oct. 23, 2023: Antetokounmpo signed a three-year, $176 million contract extension that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, recommitting to the Bucks, even when it made more financial sense for him to wait until free agency in 2025 to sign an extension.
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Oct. 24, 2023: “I had a conversation with my [brother Thanasis] … that it would make more sense for me to sign because I’d be able to — first of all, you don’t know what tomorrow holds — to have eligibility to re-sign in 2026 or I don’t remember when he told me, but that was the smartest thing to do,” said Antetokounmpo. “So I just kind of trust his thinking. But also for me, it takes kind of like focus away from that. I don’t have to think about that. I don’t need the media talks to be about my contract and if I’m going to stay, if I’m going to leave. Because I knew in my heart that I wanted to stay. … I’m committed. I’m here. And I want with my teammates to be successful and I want to win another championship.”
May 2, 2024: The Pacers eliminated the Bucks from the first round of the playoffs, 4-2. Antetokounmpo missed the entirety of the opening-round series to a strained left calf.
Feb. 19, 2025: “I don’t think that I would ever text [and ask for a trade],” Antetokounmpo told Greece’s COSMOTE TV. “I am not this kind of guy. They would have to kick me out.”
April 29, 2025: The Pacers defeated the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, 4-1. A healthy Antetokounmpo played the entire series, averaging a 33-15-7 across 37.6 minutes per game.
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July 1, 2025: In order to sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract, the Bucks waived and stretched the final two years of Lillard’s deal, committing to carry an annual salary of $22.5 million through the 2029-30 season for the point guard not to play for them.
August 2025: According to Charania, the New York Knicks — the one team Antetokounmpo “wanted to play” for outside of Milwaukee — called the Bucks about their star, and the two sides entered a weeks-long “exclusive negotiating window” to no avail.
The Bucks and Knicks reportedly engaged in trade talks this offseason. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
(Patrick McDermott via Getty Images)
Sept. 23, 2025: “Look, I hope it never happens, but I’m expecting it to,” Antetokounmpo said of the possibility of a trade in an interview with Greece’s Sport24. “Just because you’ve given a lot to the team doesn’t mean the team won’t do what’s best for itself.”
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Sept. 29, 2025: “Guys, every summer, there’s truth to every report. It’s the same thing I’ve been saying my entire career,” Antetokounmpo said on media day. “I want to be on a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship. I think it’s a disservice to basketball to not want to compete at a high level, to want your season to end in April. It’s pretty much the same. I had the same thoughts last year. I had the same thoughts two years ago. I had the same thoughts five years ago in 2020. It’s never going to change.”
Dec. 2, 2025: Antetokounmpo “cleaned up” his social media, removing a ton of Bucks-related content, though not all of it. Speculation swirled about why he had done this then.
Dec. 3, 2025: Antetokounmpo and his agent resumed “conversations with the Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP’s future — and discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere,” Charania reported. A resolution was expected “in the coming weeks.” Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo suffered a right calf strain, which would cost him eight games.
Dec. 18, 2025: “My agent is talking to the Bucks about it,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “He’s his own person. He can have any conversation he wants about it. That doesn’t — at the end of the day, I don’t work for my agent, my agent works for me. …
“I personally have not had the conversation with the Bucks. I’m still locked in, locked in on my teammates and most importantly locked in on me getting back healthy. …
“This is the most I’ve ever been talked about in my career. I’m in my house, with my kids and all that, and the TV is like, ‘Oh, Giannis is going to the Memphis Grizzlies, or Giannis is going to the Detroit Pistons.’ Which, hey, man, I’m not gonna lie: I’m the hottest chick in the game.”
Dec. 27, 2025: Asked if he wants to be in Milwaukee, “I’m here,” insisted Antetokounmpo, who returned from injury in 25 minutes of a victory against the Chicago Bulls. “I’m here. I’m here. Don’t ask me that question. I’m here. It’s disrespectful towards myself and my teammates. I wear that jersey every single day. Disrespectful to the organization, my coaching staff, and all the people that work hard for me to come out here and say, ‘I don’t want to be here.’ Don’t ask me that question. I’m here. I’m putting on the jersey, and as long as I’m here, I’m going to give everything I have, even in the last second of the game.”
“As of today,” he added. “You know how they say this thing about your significant other, or your wife, you always have to say, ‘As of today.’”
Jan. 13, 2026: As the Bucks were being blown out at home by a Minnesota Timberwolves team that was playing without Anthony Edwards, Milwaukee fans began to boo their team. Antetokounmpo soon responded by booing the hometown crowd, declaring, “Boo this.”
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“I was definitely booing back,” he added. “When I get booed, I boo back. I’ve been doing it all season. … I play basketball for my teammates. I play basketball for myself and my family. When people don’t believe in me, I don’t tend to be with them. I tend to be against them.”
Jan. 21, 2026: “We’re not playing hard,” he said after his team fell to 18-25. “We aren’t doing the right thing. We’re not playing to win. We’re not playing together. Our chemistry’s not there. Guys are being selfish, trying to look for their own shots instead of looking for the right shot for the team. Guys trying to do it on their own. At times, I feel like when we’re down 10, down 15, down 20, we try to make it up in one play, and it’s not going to work.”
Jan. 23, 2026: Antetokounmpo re-injured his right calf and declared himself out until “end of February, beginning of March.” The Bucks have not provided a more official timetable.
Jan. 28, 2026: The Bucks “are starting to listen” to “aggressive offers” from “several teams” for Antetokounmpo, who “is ready for a new home ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline,” and he has been, really, dating back to the end of last season, according to Charania.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. And the Cavs would welcome LeBron James back this summer, too, if he wanted to join the team for his 24th NBA season, according to an ESPN report that came out hours before tip-off.
He returned to the court on Nov. 19 and has played in 28 games so far. James has started in every game he has played this season, and he’s averaging 22.4 points — his fewest since his rookie season with the Cavaliers in 2003-04 — along with 6.7 assists and 6 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per outing.
A bit more than midway through the regular season, James’ eighth with the Lakers, L.A. is 28-17 and fifth in the Western Conference.
James is amid the longest uninterrupted stay with a team of his NBA career. But his contract is set to expire at the end of this season, and the 26-year-old Dončić has become the focal point for a franchise that James helped return to the mountain top with an NBA championship after the 2019-20 season.
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If James doesn’t retire and decides to take his talents back to Cleveland for the 2026-27 season, he’d be embarking on his third stint with the Cavaliers, who famously selected the Akron, Ohio, native out of St. Vincent–St. Mary High School with the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft.
James played for the Cavs from 2003 to ’10 and then, after winning two NBA titles with the Miami Heat as part of their “Big 3,” again from 2014 to ’18. In his second stint, he delivered Cleveland its first NBA championship in historic fashion, guiding the Cavaliers back from a 3-1 Finals deficit against a record-setting, 73-win Golden State Warriors team.
He signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018. And for now, he is reportedly committed to the Lakers.
James stopped drinking alcohol during his rehab from sciatica and has dropped weight in an attempt to alleviate back and joint pressure and stay fresh alongside his younger teammates, as reported by ESPN on Wednesday.
The Houston Rockets will be without Steven Adams for the rest of the season.
Adams underwent season-ending surgery on his left ankle on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Adams had already been out indefinitely with the sprained ankle, though there was no timetable provided for him to return.
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Adams went down in the team’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this month. He was trying to guard Zion Williamson at the rim, but Adams immediately grabbed his left ankle after landing back down on the court from contesting a shot. He crashed to the floor and had to be helped off the court back to the locker room.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka initially said that Adams had a “severely sprained ankle,” but that nothing was broken. While specifics aren’t known, the injury was clearly something Adams wasn’t going to be able to recover from quickly.
Adams has averaged 5.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in Houston this season, his second with the team. Clint Capela has largely stepped in to replace Adams in his absence behind starter Alperen Şengün.
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Adams is now the second major injury the Rockets are dealing with this season. They are also without point guard Fred VanVleet, who went down with a torn ACL during a workout in September.
Houston currently holds a 28-16 record entering Wednesday night’s game with the San Antonio Spurs. While they are in fourth in the Western Conference standings, they are just two games back from the Spurs in second place.
Up 3-2 against nine-man Real Madrid and needing to score again for a goal-differential tie-breaker advantage over Marseille and Pafos, Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin headed home a free kick in the 98th minute to send José Mourinho’s men into February’s playoffs.
The defeat affected Real Madrid as well as it finishes ninth in the table and will be a seeded team in next month’s two-legged playoffs.
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Eight teams won’t have to worry about playing Champions League soccer in February. Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting and Manchester City all earned automatic places in March’s Round of 16.
The Gunners beat Kairat Almaty 3-2 on Wednesday to take the top overall spot with an 8-0-0 record. Viktor Gyökeres opened the scoring two minutes into the match and Kai Havertz helped regain the lead after 15 minutes.
Finishing behind Arsenal in the table is Bayern Munich, who earned second place after a 2-1 win over PSV, thanks to a Harry Kane 84th-minute goal.
Along with Real Madrid, Inter Milan, PSG, Newcastle, Juventus Atlético Madrid, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen will be the seeded teams in the playoffs. Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabağ, Bodø/Glimt and Benfica all move on as well and will be the unseeded clubs in the next round.
Wednesday was the end of the road for 12 clubs with Marseille, Pafos, Union Saint-Gilloise, PSV, Athletic Club, Napoli, Copenhagen, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal and Kairat all seeing their European dreams come to an end.
Playoffs: Feb. 17-18 and 24-25 Round of 16: March 10-11 and 17-18 Quarterfinals: April 7-8 and 14-15 Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6 Final: May 30 (Puskás Aréna, Hungary)
Here’s how Matchday 8 played out live on Wednesday:
