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These are just some of the questions the Orlando Sentinel asked the team at Magic media day to find out truly just how much they know about their new coach who was hired by the franchise over the summer.

While some players knew where Sweeney played majority of his college basketball career, others learned for the first time what his favorite sport other than hoops is and which iconic TV show he enjoys.

The Sentinel also asked the Magic to judge potential hair styles for Sweeney, to describe how he’d take down an alligator and to sum up their new coach in one word.

Watch the video to learn more about Sweeney as he embarks on his first season as an NBA head coach in Orlando.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

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From gravel to grass: FIFA’s record investments empower emerging football nations

Yahoo Sports - Tue, 10/20/2026 - 16:07

From gravel to grass: FIFA’s record investments empower emerging football nations

Through significantly increased funding and expanded tournament access, developing football markets like Mauritania, Bangladesh, and Bhutan are building sustainable, long-term sporting structures.

For many emerging football nations, FIFA represents the primary, if not sole, reliable source of footballing income. Recent financial data and policy shifts indicate a concentrated effort by the governing body to build sustainable structures in these markets, focusing on a triad of financial support, talent development, and expanded tournament access.

The financial progression is clear. Under the FIFA Forward programme, funding for each Member Association has grown from around $1 million (before 2016) over $3.8 million (2016-2018 cycle) to $8 million in the current 2023-2026 cycle. A new proposal currently on the table for the 2027-2030 cycle aims to grant associations a total of $25 million each.

Ahmed Yahya, President of the Mauritanian Football Federation, noted the practical impact of these numbers following a recent FIFA Council meeting. “These financial resources can enable young people today to play football on grass pitches rather than on stony or gravel-covered pitches, and that is precisely what matters,” Yahya explained. He highlighted the fundamental importance of equal funding and voting rights across all nations. “For us, equality is what defines FIFA today. Gianni Infantino is taking football forward worldwide... The majority want [him] to stay.”

Crucially, this financial backing is being paired with the FIFA Talent Development Scheme and an expansion of youth tournaments. By helping associations identify and train talent while simultaneously offering more platforms on the global stage, FIFA is attempting to create a structure where football becomes a genuine career path in developing regions.

In Bangladesh, this combined strategy is yielding tangible outcomes. Tabith Awal, President of the Bangladesh Football Federation, pointed to recent milestones, including a historic victory over San Marino during a European window and an invitation to the FIFA ASEAN Cup. “We have used a lot of FIFA’s good projects, whether it be the Arena Programme or the Forward Programme, to truly develop a football culture in Bangladesh,” Awal stated.

Awal also highlighted the practical governance style of the current administration, noting that Infantino “continues to show the hands of friendship” even when facing administrative disagreements. A recent brief stopover by the FIFA President in Dhaka allowed local officials to demonstrate exactly how international funds are being allocated on the ground.

This strategy of global visibility extends to Bhutan, which recently welcomed a FIFA President on its soil for the first time in history. The visit underscored a broader administrative objective to maintain direct contact with all Member Associations, regardless of size, and allowed local leadership to map out the future.

Dasho Ugen Tsechup, President of the Bhutan Football Federation (BFF), utilized the historic visit to outline ambitious upcoming initiatives. “Because of his hectic schedule, [the time] was short. But what we discussed was concise, to the point,” Ugen Tsechup explained. “With the assistance of FIFA, so much more now can be done in Bhutan.” He detailed a comprehensive development plan that includes the Rama academy and school project for men and women, commercial upgrades to existing football infrastructure at Changjiji and GMC, and the construction of a new stadium in Paro.

When asked to highlight a single project from the Infantino era that he was most proud of, Ugen Tsechup declined, emphasizing the cumulative effect of consistent support. “I can’t single even one out, because every investment has been an important contribution to the development of football in Bhutan,” he said. “The headquarters, giving us independence... the academy, the infrastructure, the grounds, the mini-pitches, the futsal pitches—each and every aspect of the infrastructure development contributed by FIFA has added an important moment for the Bhutan Football Federation.”

This localized investment is having a profound human impact, particularly in the women's game. Pema Choden Tshering, Captain of the Bhutan Women’s National Team, has witnessed the transformation of the sport's baseline firsthand. “I grew up playing in dusty fields. I now get to play on artificial turf, on grass fields as well, through my international match experiences,” Tshering noted.

She pointed to the establishment of a girls’ academy in Gelephu—where over 60 girls receive regular, year-round training—as a direct result of improved infrastructure. Tshering also credited the FIFA Forward programme for funding vital match experiences that allow the squad to test themselves internationally. “That has provided a lot of opportunity for the girls to grow, not just as players, but also as a person,” she added. With national team players now securing international contracts, Tshering is optimistic: “I hope this will inspire our future girls as well, and also encourage our parents to allow more girls to play the sport.”

While elite European football traditionally dominates the media landscape, the administrative reality for countries like Mauritania, Bangladesh, and Bhutan is that consistent, structured investment is creating a new baseline. By marrying reliable funding with clear talent pathways and grassroots infrastructure, FIFA is establishing the necessary foundation for the global game to grow equitably.

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Kulusevski admits he feared long-term injury could end his career

Yahoo Sports - Tue, 10/20/2026 - 16:07

Kulusevski admits he feared long-term injury could end his career

Dejan Kulusevski admitted that he told people close to him that he might not return to football because of his long-term knee injury.

The Swede had not featured for Spurs in 526 days before he was brought on as a substitute in their 3-1 win over Coventry at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In a clash with Marc Guehi, Kulusevski suffered a knee injury that would keep him out not just Spurs’ Europa League final win, but for a whole season. During that time period, he missed the reigns of two permanent managers, Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank.

The winger received a standing ovation from the Spurs crowd when he came onto the pitch and played a part in helping Spurs over the line in their first Premier League win since they beat Everton 1-0 on the final day of last season.

“The journey felt impossible. It was the most difficult it could be, but I had a feeling I was going to come back to play football. I just had to believe and that is what I do,” he explained after the match.

“I had to tell my closest ones it might not work out, just a couple of months ago, but in my heart I always knew it would work out.

“I kept working, 10 hours every day when no one is watching, so when everything was impossible and everyone gave up, I never gave up because of this that happened today.

“God gives me all the power. I can’t take credit for what I have done because I haven’t done it alone. Every day he has been doing it for me.”

Roberto De Zerbi said after the match that he brought Kulusevski on “for the fans” who have “suffered” over the last two years with back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League.

“I am so grateful that they miss me play,” the Swede said about the fans reception for him. “It means a lot and I am here to show them a better me. And a better me will be a better Spurs so we will be good.”

“I was not nervous. I was ready to play. It was fun, it was fun.”

“I will tell everyone about the journey. It has been an amazing journey even if it is hard sometimes. Hard is beautiful and I am so grateful that I had to experience it.

“Now I am ready to play football. I see myself a little differently now. I think I am a different man now. Same guy, same guy who wants to play football but a little bit smarter.”

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University Interscholastic League to establish girls' flag football pilot program

Yahoo Sports - Tue, 10/20/2026 - 16:06

The girls' flag football is one step closer to be an officially sanctioned sport in Texas.

On Monday, the University Interscholastic League voted to launch a pilot program for the 2028-29 school year.

Flag football was an immediate success when it launched last school year in Pasadena ISD.

The South Houston High School team made the state championship in its debut year and, in August, played at halftime during a preseason Texans game.

The team, like others in the Houston area, is currently funded by the Houston Texans.

Questions remain about how schools would maintain teams without that funding.

"There's a lot of costs associated with it when you talk about teams and uniforms and officials and putting the games, something that we haven't experienced before because the Texans have been funding and sponsoring us," Pasadena ISD athletic director Patrick Longstreet said.

The UIL also hasn't decided which days and seasons flag football will be played.

"Obviously, in the fall we have tackle football, so are we gonna try to fit in flag when we're playing tackle?" said Longstreet.

The UIL said flag football would be limited to two classifications during the pilot program but hasn't specified what those classifications will be.

More information is expected at future UIL meetings.

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Are Yankees making right move keeping Aaron Boone? Scouts, exec have strong (and mixed) opinions

Yahoo Sports - Tue, 10/20/2026 - 16:06

The Yankees have considered changing managers since being swept out of the postseason by the World Series-bound Rays two weeks ago.

How could they not? Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman couldn’t ignore all those former Yankees calling out the organization for bad clubhouse culture. Those big names included Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Paul O’Neill, Joe Girardi and Anthony Rizzo.

As NJ.com has been predicting, the Yankees will be sticking with Aaron Boone, although Monday night’s reports were slightly premature. NJ.com baseball columnist Bob Klapisch reported Tuesday that a final decision will be made soon for Boone to manage the final year of his contract, which will be his 10th since succeeding Girardi.

Klapisch also reported that this is Steinbrenner’s call and the upcoming work stoppage has played a role in the decision to retain Boone.

If the Yankees fired Boone now and found a replacement in a few weeks, the new manager wouldn’t be permitted to talk to his players from the time the lockout begins on Dec. 1 until it ends. The offseason is a critical bonding period for new managers and players.

If this lockout lasts until summer, as many predict, spring training could be shortened to three weeks instead of six, similar to 2020 when COVID shortened the season to 60 games.

Boone’s time with the Yankees is checkered.

He has a great regular-season résumé — nine consecutive winning seasons, eight postseasons, one pennant and a .583 winning percentage that is second among active managers and 17th best all-time. But Boone hasn’t won a World Series, and it’s now been 17 years since the Yankees’ last championship in 2009.

Also, clubhouse culture criticism reflects poorly on any skipper. Are Jazz Chisholm’s antics on Boone? Does Cashman deserve blame for trading for a player who was a problem with the Marlins?

Are the Yankees making the right move in keeping Boone?

NJ.com sought opinions from four people in baseball who follow the Yankees closely.

All four were granted anonymity because they’re not authorized by their organizations to publicly comment on opposing teams.

Here’s their take:

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOUT

“I like Aaron Boone. I think that his inability to have the courage to sit Jazz Chisholm when he needed to sit became a problem. I saw Joe Torre lose the clubhouse when he was in New York, Charlie Manuel lose the clubhouse when he was in Philly. I saw Terry Francona lose the clubhouse when he was in Boston. I’m seeing the same thing with Aaron. That doesn’t make them bad managers, but sometimes you need a change. Sometimes you need somebody that’s not so nice to the players.

“When you watch the Yankees, you see all the lackadaisical crap, the bonehead defensive plays, the bonehead baserunning, the Jazz Chisholm show. That’s sadly a young, five-tool player who hurts you more than he’ll ever help you.

“I would have made a change. I think Aaron’s a good manager. He’s a good person. He sticks up for his players. He takes the slings for some of the crap his players do, but at a certain point, you can’t just continue to be their friend.

“Pat Murphy just took the Brewers to the World Series. He benches guys, but you never hear anyone say, “I wouldn’t want to play for Murphy.’ His guys love him because it’s consistent. If Aaron Judge pissed Pat Murphy off, Pat Murphy would call out Aaron Judge. I don’t think Aaron Boone would do that. Even when Murphy was the Brewers’ bench guy, if guys were screwing around during a spring training practice, he’d air them out in front of whoever was there. I don’t think Aaron Boone would ever do that.

“Yeah, I think the Yankees need a change. There are good managers out there who would air guys out. Buck Showalter isn’t young, but he wouldn’t be a bad choice. Brandon Hyde wouldn’t be a bad choice.”

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOUT 1

“You know what? That’s a tough one. I’d keep Boone there. I like what he’s done. It ain’t his fault that a pitcher can’t win a big game. It’s not his fault that Aaron Judge gets hurt. It’s not his fault that Giancarlo Stanton is overpaid and can’t stay on the field. And it’s not Boone’s fault that Cashman doesn’t move some of those minor leaguers or players to go out get pieces to help them win. That’s why Judge is chirping now.

“The stuff that Jazz is getting away with, that is on Boone, and that’s when he needs to clamp down. I know it’s New York, and I know Boone would get hollered at by management for being too tough, but at some point, you’ve got to sit Jazz down for a week and prove a point. Sometimes you have to do that. Sometimes you’ve got to call a guy out like that. Then you go to the people above you and say, ‘Look, if you want to win and you want to get the best of this guy, you got to call him out.’ Jazz knows he can get away with it and he knows Boone ain’t gonna call him out, so nothing’s gonna be done, and I think that’s total BS.

“Here’s another thing: Teams used to be afraid of the Yankees. Not anymore. They’re on even ground now. Baltimore is not afraid of them anymore. Toronto’s not afraid of them anymore. Tampa definitely’s not afraid of them. The Yankees have more stars and a bigger payroll, but other teams now say, ‘Be patient, boys, something stupid is going to happen. Let’s wait to see what Jazz does.’ That’s on the whole organization. That’s on Boone. That’s on Cashman. That’s on Steinbrenner. Yeah.”

NATIONAL LEAGUE EXECUTIVE

“I guess the first thing is, who are you going to go get to replace Boone if the Yankees fired him? You’ve got teams out there right now that can’t find a manager. Look at some of the teams that hired guys in the last year. Who’s better than Boone? Now I’m not saying Boone’s the greatest, but who do you want to put on the list? That would be my question to all the people that want to replace him.

“I think it’s going to be a short year next year. It’s the last year of Boone’s contract. Give him one more shot. Get everybody healthy. If everybody was healthy this year, they might win the division. You never know.

“The bottom line, I don’t think the Yankees are outmanaged. At the end of the day, these guys have to hit the ball, play the game, field the ball. Right? They obviously pitched well. It again came down to the playoffs where they were a couple hits away here and there. I didn’t see a team that was outmanaged, but the culture is definitely something that you could address as being a real thing.

“Culture is a very big deal. I would say that there were some issues this year. Obviously, you see a guy with a sucker in his mouth out in the field. That’s a problem. But I don’t know if it was just Jazz.

“I don’t know that the culture was bad. It might be a little stale at some point. On every team, eventually things run stale. Was Dusty Baker a bad manager? He moved around four or five times to different teams and the guy should be or will be a Hall of Fame manager. He was great for culture.

“I wonder if Boone has anyone policing the clubhouse. In Boston, the Red Sox always had Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz to police Manny Ramirez. Was anyone there to do that on the Yankees this year? Judge was hurt half the year and not on every roadtrip. Giancarlo Stanton wasn’t around almost the whole year. I don’t know.

“Again, when I watched the Yankees, I didn’t see a team that was getting outmanaged and I’ll come back to who are you getting that’s better than Boone? I can’t think of anyone.”

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOUT 2

“I don’t think Boone’s the problem. I don’t think Boone’s ever been allowed to manage. I think Boone’s given a script, and he follows the script. There’s a reason why Joe Girardi was let go. He didn’t follow the script. It’s a symptom of Major League Baseball now. Stuff comes down from the front office, the manager is giving a script and he runs with it. When Cashman says Boone is making the lineup, I have zero belief in that. Zero.

“I think Boone’s biggest flaw is he hasn’t reined guys in. Like I think he let Jazz get away with too much. Boone’s a good guy. He’s been there, done that as a player. But when you’re managing, you’ve got to put a foot in somebody’s ass at some point. Because Boone is a player’s manager, he thinks the clubhouse is going to take care of itself. I don’t think Aaron Judge is the guy to put a foot in somebody’s ass. Boone has no enforcer in there. You think back to those great Yankee teams with Derek Jeter, the captain. He had Jorge Posada. He had Paul O’Neill. Roger Clemens was there. Those guys were enforcers. Judge is a great player and a great teammate. He’s a good guy. I don’t think he’s an enforcer. I don’t think he’ll get in someone’s face and yell, ”Hey, enough of this crap! This this ain’t the Yankee way!’ I’m not blaming all of that on Boone because he doesn’t make the roster.

“I’m not blaming the Yankees’ playoff exits on Boone, either. Defensively, the Yankees were poor this year. I thought Ryan McMahon would help them at third. Turns out, outside Colorado, McMahon is a bad player. Jazz is one of the most talented players of Major League Baseball, but you don’t see it enough because of all the stupid stuff he does.

“Every year, the Yankees are built for the regular season. They always have enough pitching and a good bullpen. But their offense every year beats up on really bad pitching where they put up numbers, then when ... you have to play that team with good pitching that’s good defensively and waits for you to make a mistake, the Yankees crash. They have clubhouse problem and a roster problem. Boone’s not winning World Series because the team’s not built to win the World Series. It’s built to win the regular season. That’s just the truth.”

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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NFL in Paris: League eyes big debut as Steelers-Saints game comes amid security concerns

Yahoo Sports - Tue, 10/20/2026 - 16:06

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) aims a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Chris O'Meara

The NFL hopes to bring a “mini-Super Bowl” vibe to Paris this week for its first regular-season game in France, even as authorities consider imposing curfews following civil unrest.

The security situation has partially overshadowed the buildup to Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at Stade de France.

People walk past a looted store, after violence erupted during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools, in Paris, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

But the league says preparations are on schedule with an “NFL House” to open later in the week and other fan activities. The Saints arrived in Paris on Monday morning and have their own fan events planned, too.

The NFL has teamed up with Paris Saint-Germain and French stars like Kylian Mbappé and rugby player Antoine Dupont to help promote the game.

Brett Gosper, the NFL’s head of Europe and Asia-Pacific, told The Associated Press that the French market has been one of “high interest” for some time.

“It would make sense to play regularly here each year, but we haven’t made that call yet,” Gosper said in a recent interview. “We like to see how things go the first time, but we’re pretty confident it will be a successful execution of that game.”

To land lucrative media-rights deals in any market, the league knows it needs to attract new fans and push higher into that country’s TV viewership preferences.

“(The) Super Bowl is your first meeting, normally, with new entrants, so if we can make this week as much like a Super Bowl as possible, a mini–Super Bowl, then we’ll hopefully recruit some new fans this week and that’s the whole goal,” Gosper said.

NFL: ‘No disruption’

The league said Sunday that “preparations continue as scheduled for NFL events and the game at Stade de France.”

“We continue to work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters,” the NFL’s statement read. ”We are also providing the two clubs with regular updates. There’s been no disruption or impact at league sites.”

The Saints left for Paris from New York shortly after beating the Giants 34-27 on Sunday.

“Our guys are really looking forward to this. It’s going to be an awesome setup, awesome opportunity,” coach Kellen Moore said at his postgame news conference.

Mbappé, PSG part of the plan

Soccer club PSG announced it has partnered with the NFL on two distinct game jerseys. Saints players were also invited to PSG’s Champions League game against Barcelona at Parc des Princes on Tuesday night.

Mbappé, the France and Real Madrid star, pulls on shoulder pads and a helmet in an NFL social media segment with Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

“It works very well and it raises the profile and it makes the game more accessible to people who aren’t as familiar with it in that country,” Gosper said of the collaborations.

Antoine Griezmann, a former France international soccer star who now plays for Orlando City in Major League Soccer, has been a big NFL supporter through the years through podcasts and TV appearances.

Rugby plays a role

Another gateway into the French sports scene is through rugby, Gosper said, speaking before last weekend.

“This is a very strong sports market. Yes, it’s dominated by soccer, but rugby has a big part in it,” said Gosper, the former CEO of World Rugby.

“The familiarity with a physical sport like rugby, we think helps, as it has in the UK and Australia. People are used to watching collisions and contact and enjoy that and like to see a different version of that. So, we think that’s helpful in France.”

France rugby star Antoine Dupont will be at Sunday’s game. He once spent a day at the training facility of the Los Angeles Chargers and showed coach Jim Harbaugh how to pass a rugby ball.

The Americans are coming

Just what France needs: more Americans.

“There’s a particularly high U.S. inbound on this,” Gosper said, estimating around 20%, which is higher than a typical London game.

The stadium capacity is about 82,000. He said 70% of the tickets were bought locally, and the remaining 10% are from elsewhere in Europe.

“We don’t announce sellouts, but the stadium is full,” Gosper said.

Climbing the ladder

State-owned France Televisions is covering Sunday’s game.

“They’re seeing this as a major national event in France. They’ll have a very big free-to-air audience,” Gosper said.

Sports daily L’Equipe also will have a free-to-air broadcast, and its print edition recently published an NFL supplement for readers.

“You want to rise up that viewing preference ladder on French broadcasts over time. We know if we get into that top five it starts paying back,” Gosper said.

“You do that by increasing the number of fans, engaging really well with them, being part of the local landscape, and that happens over time.”

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NHL stars help contestants win prizes on ‘The Price is Right’

SportsNet - Tue, 10/20/2026 - 16:02

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The 27 people who will define the 2026-27 NBA season

SportsNet - Tue, 10/20/2026 - 16:00

The 27 people who will define the 2026-27 NBA season By Blake Murphy and Michael Grange

The 27 people who will define the 2026-27 NBA season With eight different NBA champions in the last eight seasons, we are living in the era of NBA parity. These 27 names will likely play a major role in whether that trend continues. By Blake Murphy and Michael Grange #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 { padding: 20px; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #0B223E, #00436E); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 100% 50%; } .br-header-inner { position: relative; } .br-info-block { width: 100%; padding: 0 20px 20px 20px; } .br-info-block.top { position: relative; text-align: center; } .br-info-block.left { position: absolute; text-align: left; bottom: 0; } .br-info-block.center { position: absolute; text-align: center; bottom: 0; } .br-info-block.right { position: absolute; text-align: right; bottom: 0; } .br-title { font-size: 60px; font-weight: 600; } .acf-block-component .br-title { font-size: 20px; } .acf-block-component .br-info-block.mobile { display: none; } .acf-block-component .br-logo.mobile { display: none; } .acf-block-component .br-read-duration.mobile { display: none; } .acf-block-component .br-excerpt { max-width: 56%; text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 { font-family: urw-din; } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-logo { display: none !important; } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-logo { display: none; background: url("/wp-content/themes/sportsnet-nhl/images/logo-big-reads.svg"); width: 114px; height: 30px; margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 24px; } @media only screen and (max-width: 767px) { #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-logo { display: none; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 767px) { #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-logo.mobile { display: block; } } @media only screen and (min-width: 768px) { #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-logo.mobile { display: none; } } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-title { color: #ffffff; } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-author { color: #ffffff; } @media only screen and (min-width: 768px) { #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .coauthor-profile-link { color: #ffffff; } } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-photographer { color: #ffffff; } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-author.mobile { color: #343434; } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-photographer.mobile { color: #343434; } #block_949d0dcb935beaf4edb841b508315672 .br-excerpt { color: #343434; } .acf-block-preview .btn-social-group-wrapper { display: none; }

M ore than ever the NBA might be undefinable.

Once ruled by long-running dynasties anchored by generational stars and where only a handful of franchises ever get a shot at winning the last game of the season, in the NBA’s current iteration seemingly half the league will emerge from the pre-season thinking that — with the right dose of luck — they can be the next champion.

There have been eight different winners in eight season — something that has never happened before — so why not nine in nine?

The league has never been more wide open. Not only has there not been a repeat champion since the 2018 Golden State Warriors, but there hasn’t even been a team that has made the NBA Finals two seasons in a row. That doesn’t mean there aren’t great teams and compelling young stars. It’s just that there are more of them and championship windows seem to open and close so quickly that it’s a wonder the league’s biggest injury issue isn’t broken fingers.

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Will 2026-27 be different? Will one of the New York Knicks or San Antonio Spurs return to the NBA Finals or, in the case of the Knicks, break the parity streak and repeat as champions? Or will form hold and the NBA Finals feature two more teams were on the outside looking in last season? The odds would favour the latter, as there are probably a dozen teams across the two conferences that believe that they could be lifting the trophy come June.

No matter which team pulls it off, the NBA’s six-month long marathon soap opera guarantees that there will be plenty of spotlight to share. In that inclusive spirit, here are 27 names of people who will shape the 2026-27 season.

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For all the efforts the Oklahoma City Thunder have made to gather draft assets in the name of dynasty building, they haven’t had the San Antonio Spurs luck and found themselves picking in the upper reaches of the draft lottery all that often. Sure, OKC has managed to scrape by — getting Jaylin Williams with the 34th pick in 2022 certainly helped. But it’s not like Nikola Topic (12th in 2024) or Thomas Sorber (15th in 2025) project to be part of their rotation. But if you take enough swings, eventually you’ll run into one, and the Thunder may have done that with Mara (taken 12th this past June), the 7-foot-3 centre out of Spain, by way of Michigan. All he’s done in pre-season is average 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 78.8 per cent from the floor, looking like the second coming of Pau Gasol. It’s just pre-season, as they say, but the prospect of adding another elite seven-footer to a rotation that includes Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren could be crucial as the Thunder look to solve their nemesis: the San Antonio Spurs and 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama.

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The Washington Wizards are very much done tanking, and Davis is very much in the market for a new contract. The intersection between those two lines could make for an interesting season in the District. The Wizards were finally rewarded for three miserable seasons of planned losing when they won the draft lottery and selected AJ Dybantsa, who could very well be the kind of generational talent that changes the course of a franchise, even the historically inept Wizards. They want to start winning which they signalled when they traded for veteran point guard Trae Young and Davis, who has played just 80 games over the past three seasons. Given he only has one year left on his contract after this season, Davis will likely be very motivated. The 33-year-old averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and blocked 2.3 shots in his last healthy season, back in 2024-25 with the Lakers. An engaged and healthy Davis could either help the Wizards to the fringes of the Play-in Tournament or become one of the NBA’s most intriguing trade deadline targets.

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The Warriors’ build around late-career Steph Curry has been perplexing. The “two timelines” strategy after a gap year never really panned out, and thanks in part to an untimely injury to Jimmy Butler, the greatest shooter of all time has been outside of the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. Now, Curry is 38, Butler is 37 and coming off a torn ACL, Draymond Green is 36, and Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with an undisclosed health issue. The Warriors desperately need someone to pop to support the aging core, and Brandin Podziemski is the likeliest candidate. As of this writing, he’s one of only seven players from the 2023 draft class to sign a rookie-scale extension (five years, $110 million); that shows an investment in him beyond just the Curry era, but he’ll be measured, for now, by his capacity for a fourth-year jump.

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It’s a new era in Memphis. Again. With Ja Morant shipped to Portland and a pretty strong youth movement underway, all eyes will be on Boozer, the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Boozer’s freshman year will be about more than just the Grizzlies’ future, too — a four-way battle between him, Caleb Wilson, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa has the potential to be one of those Rookie of the Year races that will be looked back on, debated and, if things really break, define the next wave of young, star talent in the NBA. In Boozer’s case, there’s a lot to love with size, scoring versatility and off-the-charts feel for the game, plus all the usage he can handle if he looks good early.

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Assistant coaches and skill development coaches perform vital work in the NBA, helping players prepare tactically and identify and drill the kind of skills they will need to execute and enhance their careers long term. Usually, it’s quiet work done by largely anonymous tradesman. But Engelland who was hired by the Houston Rockets prior to the season, is a little bit different. He’s one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the NBA because he has a proven record of successfully teaching the most vital skill of all: the ability to shoot the basketball. In his 17 years with the Spurs, he worked with Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Dejounte Murray to great success. Then it was on to Oklahoma City where he helped turn Lu Dort into a credible three-point shooter. The Rockets are borderline contenders in the West, but if Engelland can turn Amen Thompson — a career 21.9 per cent three-point shooter — and Alperen Sengun (28.1 per cent) into league average three-point shooters (36 per cent last season), it might be enough for the Rockets to put some real pressure on the Thunder and the Spurs at the top of the West.

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Here are some of the luminaries that never managed to score 50 points in an NBA game as a teenager: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant or Victor Wembanyama — and yes, the list goes on. In fact, the only teenager to do it is Cooper Flagg, who had 51 in what ended up being a loss to Orlando last April. It was just one of many highlights from Flagg’s rookie season, where he joined the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor and Luka Doncic as one of eight players in NBA history to average at least 21 points, six rebounds and four assists as a rookie. And here’s the thing: the Dallas Mavericks prodigy will still be a teenager until the midpoint of this season. But Flagg’s potential is such that he could help lift the Mavericks into the fringes of the Western Conference playoff picture not at some theoretical point in the future, but here in 2026-27.

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While Darius Acuff Jr. isn’t given quite the same odds to make it a five-man Rookie of the Year chase, it’d be wrong to sleep on him. After all, that’s an award that is often voted off the stat line, and there may not be a prospect with as much scoring — and highlight reel — upside. Acuff just feels like a Sacramento King, too, for better and worse. The peak Kings era was defined by highlight-fueled offensive talent, while more recent eras haven’t really cared about defence if the ball’s going in the hoop. The fit alongside Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis — and hey, Ben Simmons is here! — shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out, and there won’t be pressure to win early. League Pass surfers, take note of Acuff early.

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Unlike some other top rookies, Darryn Peterson’s freshman year will include expectations at the team-level, and maybe even some immediate pressure as the No. 2 pick. The Jazz have been bad for four consecutive seasons, and their moves (plus the possibility of their 2027 pick being swapped downward) suggest they’d like to shift out of the rebuild. While keeping Walker Kessler for a frontcourt with three seven-footers would have been cool, Peterson alongside Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. is pretty intriguing for the Western Conference play-in picture. Peterson might feel he has something to prove, too, after losing his status as the presumptive No. 1 pick despite the enormous all-around upside.

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Rookies and the playoffs don’t mix, is an NBA axiom. The stakes are too high, the physicality too much, the in-game adjustments too rapid-fire and the opposition too good for even the most talented youngsters to excel. So how do you explain the 20-year-old San Antonio Spurs guard averaging 18 points, six rebounds and three assists (with a nearly 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio) while shooting nearly 50 per cent from the floor in the NBA Finals last June? Maybe having a father (Ron Harper) who won five NBA titles helps? Or maybe the burly, 6-foot-5 point guard is just … awesome? Regardless, if Harper’s NBA Finals breakout following an already impressive rookie season proves a launching pad for Harper to reach the level of stardom long predicted for the No.2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Spurs will have a superstar point guard to mesh with Wembanyama, their superstar centre, and the NBA could be in deep trouble.

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Remember this guy? You get the sense that now that Antetokounmpo has finally left Milwaukee and arrived in Miami, he’ll want to remind some people that that before he spent — what, three years? — as the NBA’s most chiselled trade rumour, he was and remains one of the best basketball players on the planet. Prior to last season when injuries limited him to just 36 games, Antetokounmpo had finished in the top seven of the league’s MVP voting for nine straight seasons and fourth or better in the previous seven, winning back-to-back MVPs in 2018-19 and 2019-20. And even last season on a horrible Bucks team that went 15-31 in the games he didn’t play, Antetokounmpo’s per/36 minutes numbers were eye-popping: 34.4 points,12.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists with a career-best 65.8 True Shooting percentage. All of which is to say if the soon-to-be 32-year-old plays 70 games or more, he has to be taken very seriously as an MVP candidate, and the Heat will have to be taken seriously too.

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Suspensions, injuries and a shift in competitive timeline led to an unceremonious end to the Morant era in Memphis. A former Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player who was briefly synonymous with Grizzlies basketball was dealt in June for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray — hardly a superstar’s return. With two years left on his deal, Morant has a lot to prove — that his massive drop-off in scoring efficiency was a ramping-up blip, that he can co-exist in a backcourt with Damian Lillard, Jure Holiday and Scoot Henderson, and maybe even that he can perform in a sixth man role (ROY, MIP and 6MOY would be a heck of a trophy case!). You might not be able to squint and see Morant’s path back to superstardom at this point, but at just 27, he has plenty of runway to reinvent himself and kickstart a fun second act in Portland.

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Fresh off a remarkable regular season, Detroit’s 22-year-old centre Jalen Duren had a regrettable playoffs, with his productivity falling off in every measurable category as the Pistons’ 60 wins and first-seed in the East resulted in an uninspiring second-round exit that probably would have been a first-round departure had the Orlando Magic not run into injury problems. Then came the NBA’s most contentious contract negotiation with Duren finally ‘settling’ for a five-year, $200-million deal that was either a steal for a fifth-year player coming of an All-NBA season where he averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 65 per cent from the floor, or an overpay for a player that seemed overwhelmed in the playoff crucible. The Pistons have bet that Duren’s best days are to come. If they are right, the summer-long contract drama will fade away quickly as they continue their rise in the East.

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The Atlanta Hawks boast one of the deepest rotations in the league, especially defensively. They finished the season on a 19-5 run and took the eventual champion Knicks deeper into a series than any other opponent did, even leading 2-1 at one point. So why isn’t there more buzz? That’s partially due to a very tough Eastern Conference. There may also be some caution around Jalen Johnson, who took an enormous step to All-NBA status last season but still doesn’t seem to be universally viewed as a true top guy. After averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists in the regular season, Johnson saw his playmaking and efficiency dip in the postseason, and the more advanced metrics grade him as great-not-elite. A super deep team with a lot of “great” can be, well, great over 82 games; Johnson’s offensive ceiling will determine how far they can go beyond 82.

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It’s put up or shut up time for this Orlando Magic core. They’ve made the first round of the playoffs in three consecutive years, all of their young core pieces are on their second (and pricey!) contracts, and they already project to be well over the 2027-28 salary cap for less than half a roster, even before factoring in a new deal for Anthony Black. In the apron-restriction era, almost no team is going to deal with luxury tax hell for first-round exists, and the Magic don’t exactly have a rich history of spending (they are one of six teams to not pay into the luxury tax in the last 15 years). All that to say, if things don’t go well, Jalen Suggs becomes a very interesting name in that scenario. He has three years and $83 million owed to him beyond this year, but it’s with a declining salary structure, and that’s a reasonable hit for a starting-calibre defensive ace, even with the scoring limitations.

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It’s another season of heavy change in Boston. Swapping Jaylen Brown out for Paul George drew the most headlines, and though it’s largely a product of the current apron era’s restrictive nature, swapping out a player who received some MVP votes is a massive bet that Jayson Tatum will be back to his prior level for 2026-27. Somewhat surprisingly, Tatum made it back in time for 16 regular season games last year, looking better than you might expect for the type of injury (Achilles) and length of layoff. He wasn’t super-efficient and he missed a pivotal Game 7 loss against Philadelphia in the first round, but it was surely helpful to shake some rust off with meaningful ball and enter the offseason mostly healthy. In the four years before his injury, Tatum had finished between fourth and sixth in MVP voting each season, making All-NBA First Team each year. Boston might be the league’s deepest team, which should mean Tatum can focus on getting back to that level by April, not by November.

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The defending champions don’t have a ton left to prove on the court. Their starting five finally figured it out in the playoffs, stampeding through the field with one of the most dominant title runs in recent history. It wasn’t enough to secure Karl-Anthony Towns (or Josh Hart, or Deuce McBride) the extension he was eligible for, yet another product of the apron restrictions (and, depending on your perspective, the James Dolan of it all). From afar, the Knicks don’t seem like a group that would fall victim to Pat Riley’s “Disease of More,” and Towns is so resoundingly well-liked that it’s hard to see him letting that effect the group. Still, repeating has never been harder and there was a brief window last year where Mitchell Robinson (now a Celtic) closed a few games over an ineffective Towns. Plus, OG Anunoby got more lines on SNL, and Jalen Brunson got the Roman Reigns rub. Acknowledge KAT.

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It has all the makings of a feel-good movie: after heading home to find his fortune in sunny Los Angeles, the prodigal son returns, realizing that there is only one place where he is truly appreciated as a Fun Guy and hall-of-fame talent. Now, Los Angeles Clippers fans might find fault with that storyline, given the mess Kawhi Leonard left behind after seven seasons with their franchise that yielded just one trip to the Western Conference Finals and chaos otherwise. But in Toronto? Leonard is the super star that got away (when he joined the Clippers in free agency after leading the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship) and now that he’s back, hopes are high that even at age 35 he can elevate the Raptors into contention again. It’s a big ask given he’s joining a core that has never won a playoff series. But another All-NBA season by Leonard could change that in a hurry and give his basketball biopic a spectacular ending.

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The Rookie of the Year runner-up nearly pulled off the Cooper Flagg upset, thanks to one of the greatest rookie shooting seasons in league history. The volume, the percentages, the versatility — Kon Knueppel looked like a guy you can build an offence around, almost immediately. The Hornets seem to have agreed, making pretty wholesale roster changes. With LaMelo Ball and others outbound, it’s not immediately clear what the Hornets will look like, stylistically. Nor is it clear whether the net effect of all those changes is a better team in 2026-27, or just one set up to be better in 2028 and beyond. However the new pieces fit, Knueppel’s development now that every defence will be gunning to shut him down will be the most important predictor of the team’s future.

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We finally get to find out if the super-gifted point guard is actually a franchise-lifting talent, or merely a flaky, injury-prone tease with unimaginable car insurance premiums. Unlike his driving record, LaMelo Ball’s basketball talent has never been questioned. The 6-foot-7 guard can drive offence like few others with his combination of quick-trigger passing and willingness to launch threes with volume from distance, if not always accurately (36.8 per cent for his career). He helped the surprising Charlotte Hornets post the league’s fourth-best record and second-best offence in the second half of last season, but the Hornets still chose to trade him even if Charlotte was 11.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor than when he sat. Could it be they determined his porous defence, so-so efficiency and penchant for turnovers wasn’t the path to championship contention? Were they concerned for the pedestrians of Charlotte? Maybe, but the Minnesota Timberwolves — already championship contenders — decided that his brand of make-things-happen offence was what they needed to pair with Anthony Edwards to get them over the hump in the West. It could work or it could fail as miserably as Ball driving in snow. In either event, it should be exciting.

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A year-and-a-half of Luka Doncic paired with LeBron James was unquestionably fun, and it’s a bummer that Doncic was injured for a second-round playoff series with the Thunder. That pairing always felt a little short-term, though, with the Doncic acquisition as much about what the Lakers would look like post-LeBron as it was maximizing the LeBron window. Now, Doncic and Austin Reaves have a roster around them with far less star appeal but with an eye toward 3-and-D or rim-running pieces that fit around a Doncic-centric offence. How good can that group be? Well, Doncic has made All-NBA First Team in six of the last seven seasons (only 16 players have ever made more, let alone by age 26). He finished top six in MVP voting in five of those. He took the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024. He ranked sixth in on-court impact last season, by EPM. And the West is still tough, but it’s not quite so deep that a Doncic-led group can’t make noise. The questions are more about whether the supporting pieces were the right ones rather than whether Doncic is the right centrepiece.

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Give an NBA head coach the choice between a team with a high ceiling and plenty of question marks, or a predictable floor but limited ceiling and they’ll choose the high ceiling group every time. Or at least they should. There is no coach in the NBA who has had more talent injected into his lineup over the summer than Nick Nurse has with the 76ers. But it will take some expert massaging. He got to make a roster relying on the iffy availability of Joel Embiid, the quirkiness of LeBron James as he turns 42(!), the strengths and weakness of Jaylen Brown and the (relative) youth of Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe and mold them into an NBA champion. Anything less will be considered a failure. There is plenty to work with — including some solid bench pieces — but so many unknowns too. Nurse has always prided himself on his ability to deal with a little bit of basketball chaos and he’s proven that when the spotlight shines brightest, his hard-earned coaching instincts hold up. Navigating this Sixers group through the regular season and into the playoffs will be high-wire act with potential for grievous career damage if things go wrong, but it’s the kind of risk Nurse would never not sign on for.

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The NBA moves quickly, even when you’re moving right along with it. Since winning the championship in 2023, the Nuggets have only won two (of five) playoff series, changed coaches (on the eve of the postseason), and tweaked the supporting cast as apron restrictions dictated. Nikola Jokic, though, has been Jokic through it all — he won MVP in their run-it-back season and came second in each of the last two years (despite missing 17 games in 2025-26). He’s the world’s best passer, a great rebounder and has fashioned himself into a damn good three-point shooter just for kicks, too. Other than the missed games, there really aren’t questions about Jokic’s play. Still, he’ll be 32 later this season, and nobody has won an MVP over age 30 since Steve Nash, and the Nuggets are still having to replace lost pieces (Peyton Watson) with veteran fliers (DeMar DeRozan). Jokic has to be near MVP level for this to all work and disrupt the presumed Thunder-Spurs top two. Oh, and Jokic can be a free agent after the season, which everyone will surely be reasonable about.

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The Chicago Bulls finally appear to have embraced the need to properly rebuild instead of living in the play-in. That didn’t mean a full youth movement, though; Chicago brought in a few veterans to help guide the younger core and to soak up playing time until more youth is in the door through future drafts. All eyes will be on Caleb Wilson for the bulk of the season. Norman Powell, though, is one of the most well-regarded plug-and-play rotation pieces in the league. On a two-year, $44-million deal, he is exactly the kind of player a half-dozen contenders will be calling about at deadline time. Given how hard it is to find two-way players in February, let alone ones who don’t require a ton of outgoing salary to match with, Chicago’s Powell addition might end up being a high-return rental that has a big impact on the playoff race elsewhere.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have averaged 54 wins the past four seasons and won four playoff series in the past three, including advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. But they’ve done it with a lineup loaded at guard and the front court, but lacking at the wings. So what if they added a bouncy, 6-foot-7 defender who averaged 20 points a game on elite efficiency to fill out that hole? Would that be good? The Cavaliers certainly hope so as they pushed all their remaining roster building chips in to acquire Peyton Watson from Denver this past summer. Watson put himself on the radar with a torrid 24-game mid-season run when he had to shoulder more offensive responsibility than he ever had previously for the injury-plagued Nuggets. If those numbers hold up — especially his three-point shooting (41 per cent on the season) — Watson could be the piece that pushes the Cavaliers to the top in the East.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has done some incredible things in his still (relatively) young NBA career, but the Oklahoma City star has a chance to build on his growing legend by doing something only Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Larry Bird have ever done: win three consecutive MVP awards. The competition for the award seems to only be get stiffer: Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo — multiple MVP award winners themselves — are still able to put up jaw-dropping numbers; a big year by Luka Doncic with the Lakers would generate buzz; you have to assume that Victor Wembanyama — who finished third in the voting last season — will be coming for the top spot, too. But it’s safe to say that the Hamilton-raised point guard would trade another individual trophy for a chance to raise the Larry O’Brien for the second time in three years after losing to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals last season.

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The sight of the Indiana Pacers point guard writhing in pain, slamming his fist to the floor in frustration is not one that many NBA fans — and Pacers fans especially — will ever forget. It was Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals and Tyrese Haliburton — playing through a calf strain — was trying to guide Indiana to an upset for the ages and help the franchise win its first NBA title. Instead, Haliburton’s Achilles tendon gave out and OKC went on to win their first championship. Haliburton missed the entire 2025-26 season and the injury-plagued Pacers were forced into taking a gap year. But one of the NBA’s most dynamic floor generals is back and one of the looming questions that will impact the Eastern Conference playoff race is whether or not he will be able to re-ignite the frantic pace Indiana used to roar through the East in the second half of the 2024-25 season. If he picks up where he left off before his injury, the East will be even more beastly than already projected, and Haliburton could nudge his way into the MVP race.

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Victor Wembanyama will likely be on lists like this for however long his career lasts. The hype has been very, very real. Prior to last season the only players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal per game were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Patrick Ewing. Wembanyama joined that list last season and put himself in a category of one by becoming the only player in league history to do it before his age 26 season (Wembanyama was 22) and — perhaps more incredibly — the only one to do it while playing less than 36 minutes a game. Wembanyama put together one of the greatest seasons in league history while working part-time, basically, at 29.6 minutes per game. But the most concerning element of all of this for the NBA at large is that in the midst of leading the Spurs to 62 wins and an unexpected run to the NBA Finals, Wembanyama was somewhat humbled as the Knicks were able to defeat the Spurs in five games in part because the young Spurs star proved not quite ready for all the tests required at the pinnacle of the sport: He was fatigued, made some crucial mistakes and lacked a battle-tested late-game offensive repertoire. It’s extremely unlikely that Wembanyama hasn’t taken those lessons to heart. If so, the NBA’s ‘parity era’ could be coming to a screeching halt.

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Additional Credits Design by Drew Lesiuczok. Photos by Julio Cortez/AP; David J. Phillip/AP; Adam Hunger/AP (2); Brandon Dill/AP; Marta Lavandier/AP; Frank Franklin II/AP (2); Mark J. Terrill/AP (2); Tyler Tate/AP; Rebecca Blackwell/AP; Matt Kelley/AP; Heather Khalifa/AP; Abbie Parr/AP; Chris Szagola/AP; Eric Gay/AP. More from Sportsnet

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