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The Los Angeles Lakers have added another piece to their offseason puzzle, signing small forward Ziaire Williams to a one-year, $3 million deal, according to multiple reports on Monday. Williams now joins a Lakers team that is clearly loading up for the new campaign, and there is a familiar connection in the mix too: he reunites with Bronny James, after the two once played together at Sierra Canyon High School. Selected No. 10 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, Williams has shown steady progress since entering the league. He has built a reputation as a versatile wing and averaged a career-best 10.2 points per game last season with the Brooklyn Nets, his second year in Brooklyn after three seasons in Memphis. The signing brings the Lakers to the 15-player roster limit, but the front office may not be done yet. ESPN reports that Los Angeles is still in the hunt for Jonathan Kuminga, who could potentially arrive through a sign-and-trade move. Williams becomes the late...

  Former Kansas basketball player Lagerald Vick was charged with attempted first-degree murder in Tennessee. Vick, 29, was a guard for the Jayhawks from 2015-19 and started for ‌coach Bill Self's 2018 Final Four squad. He was arrested in Memphis on Saturday in connection with a July 4 shooting in the city and was also charged with using a firearm during the commission of a ⁠dangerous felony. According to arrest documents obtained by ESPN, a man who was hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the back told police he tried to run away after a fight when he saw the other man was armed. The shooting victim identified Vick as the alleged shooter in a photo lineup. Bail was set at $1.5 million for Vick, who was ‌scheduled ⁠to be arraigned on Monday. He is already facing two felony charges in a separate incident, accused of theft and breaking into a former girlfriend's home earlier this year. Vick averaged 9.4 points, 3.5 ⁠rebounds and 1.4 assists in 117 games (61 starts) for the Jayhawks...

  With an average of 20.6 million views, per Nielsen, this month's NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and ‌the San Antonio Spurs was the most-watched finals since 1998. The Knicks' 94-90 title-clinching Game 5 victory on Saturday night drew an average of 24.5 million viewers on ⁠ESPN and ABC, the most in a Game 5 of the finals since 1998. That 1998 series, with Michael Jordan and the Bulls winning their sixth championship by ousting the Utah Jazz, averaged 29.04 million in six games. The audience for Game 5 peaked ‌at ⁠33 million, as Finals MVP Jalen Brunson (45 points) and the Knicks rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit. Since ABC and ESPN began broadcasting the NBA ⁠Finals in 2003, this year's ratings were the highest and marked only the third time since ⁠1999 that the finals averaged at least 20 million viewers. As a comparison, last year's ⁠finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers -- won by the Thunder -- averaged 10.31 million over...

  The New York Knicks also are the champions of the sports merchandise world. The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five ‌games in the NBA Finals on Saturday night, and the New York franchise had the most sales in the first 24 hours after their victory than any other league champ had ⁠in the same time frame, Fanatics announced Monday. The previous 24-hour sales record belonged to the Philadelphia Eagles after they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025. The Knicks doubled the sales of the top NBA seller, the Los Angeles Lakers, who won their most ‌recent ⁠title in 2020. Knicks fans had been waiting 53 years for a championship, and they were ready to spend more than $40 on items such as T-shirts and hats ⁠that proclaimed the series victory. Fanatics reported that it received more than 8,000 orders per minute to set ⁠another company record. The championship team with the top overall sales is the 2016 Chicago Cubs, and ⁠the Knicks could eclipse ...

  Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr underwent surgery for a fractured right foot, ‌the team announced, and is expected to be available at the start of the 2026-27 season. Sarr, 21, sustained ⁠the injury during an offseason workout, according to the Wizards. His surgery was performed in New York. Sarr averaged 16.3 points with 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots in ‌48 ⁠games (all starts) this past season. As a rookie in 2024-25, he averaged 13.0 points with ⁠6.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 67 games (all starts) while finishing ⁠fourth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting. A native ⁠of France, Sarr was the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NBA draft.

  New York Knicks fever has engulfed the five boroughs this week, with the team just one win away from snapping a 53-year NBA title drought and the kickoff of the first of the region's eight World Cup matches across the river on Saturday taking a backseat for many locals. Brazil and Morocco will ‌have the eyes of the world when they kick off the soccer action in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 6:00 pm ET on Saturday. But the attention of born-and-raised New Yorkers will be on the Knicks when they tip off against the San Antonio Spurs in Texas in Game 5 of the championship series two-and-a-half hours later. "This is an incredible time to be a sports fan and, frankly, an even greater time to be a New Yorker," said the city's sports-mad ⁠Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday, wearing a Knicks jersey underneath his blazer as he addressed locals and out-of-towners ahead of Saturday's World Cup match. The steamy-hot streets of Manhattan were clogged with blue-and-orange-clad...

By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye  The curtains may have fallen on the sixth edition of the Jordan Nwora Basketball Camp in Ilupeju, Lagos, but the event once again highlighted a troubling reality, up Nigeria continues to underutilise its vast basketball talent and potential. That was the verdict of former D'Tigers head coach, Alex Nwora, one of the driving forces behind the prestigious camp, during an exclusive interview with FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG's Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye. The camp, which concluded on Sunday at the Warriors Basketball Court in Ilupeju, attracted more than 200 young basketball players from different parts of the country, providing them with an opportunity to learn, develop and showcase their skills. However, despite the impressive turnout and abundance of talent on display, Nwora believes the event exposed the failure of Nigeria's basketball authorities to properly develop the game at the grassroots level. "For these kids, it should ne...

  San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said his team went into attack mode in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on Monday as ‌they beat the Knicks 115-111 to trim New York's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. The game felt like a must-win for San Antonio, who dropped the first two at home and faced a hostile crowd in New York, where Knicks fans emptied out their ⁠wallets for tickets to their first home NBA Finals game in 27 years. San Antonio rose to the occasion, with their 7-foot 4-inch superstar Victor Wembanyama leading the way with 32 points to end New York's 13-game postseason win streak. "We showed better poise at times. I thought we finished the game still with some things that need improvement, but stronger than we did the last (two) games," Johnson told reporters. "We were in attack mode." After a ‌costly ⁠error from Wembanyama helped New York to a 105-104 win in Game 2, the Frenchman earned snickers from some corners of soci...

  FIFA has reached a settlement with former France midfielder Lassana Diarra in a player transfer rights case, the global soccer body ‌said on Monday. Diarra had been seeking 65 million euros ($75 million) in damages from FIFA and the Belgian FA after the European Union's top court (CJEU) ruled in October that some world soccer body rules breached ⁠EU laws. FIFA had fined Diarra 10 million euros after the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid player left Lokomotiv Moscow one year into a four-year contract in 2014. "Following the global agreement they have reached, Mr Lassana Diarra and FIFA have settled all legal proceedings between them," FIFA said in a statement. "FIFA has not made any ‌admission ⁠of liability nor payment by way of compensation. FIFA will not be providing any further comment at this time." Diarra's lawyers have yet to respond to a Reuters request for comment. FIFA ⁠later amended its transfer regulations after the CJEU ruling, adopting an...

  By Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye and Mishael Emmanuel in Ilupeju, Lagos    The curtains came down on the sixth edition of the Jordan Nwora Basketball Camp at the Warriors Basketball Court, Ilupeju, Lagos, after three days of intensive training, mentorship and competition. The camp, which attracted over 200 young basketball talents from across Nigeria, provided participants with a unique platform to learn, improve their skills and showcase their abilities under the guidance of experienced coaches and mentors. Among the standout participants was Ogun State's promising young basketball player, Mojoyinoluwa Mash, who comes from a rich basketball background and has already begun making her mark on the court. Speaking in an exclusive interview with FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG's Oluwatobiloba Zeal-Adepetu Kumoye, Mojoyinoluwa described the camp as a rare opportunity to learn, compete and elevate her understanding of the game she loves. "It is a great opportunity to be here. I...

  The Philadelphia 76ers continued their front-office rebuild by naming Mike Gansey the president of basketball operations on Thursday. Gansey, 43, comes to Philadelphia after 15 seasons with the Cleveland ‌Cavaliers organization. He was promoted to general manager on Feb. 23, 2022, and the Cavaliers have won 259 games -- third most in the NBA -- since then. He replaces Daryl Morey, who parted ways with the Sixers on May 12 after six seasons ⁠as the franchise's top decision-maker for on-court matters. Gansey rose from a basketball operations seasonal assistant in his first year in Cleveland to a key role with the Cavaliers' G League affiliate and to assistant general manager before being named GM. "Today's announcement of the hiring of Mike Gansey is an important step in our desire to take the Philadelphia 76ers to the next level. Mike has built ‌a ⁠reputation as a tremendous leader and relentless worker who has a sharp eye for basketball talent," said Josh Harris...

  Jalen Brunson was beaten and battered but not dismayed, and the New York Knicks star had enough energy to orchestrate a fine George Gervin impersonation with an Iceman-like final quarter in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Spurs icon surely appreciated Brunson's zest for heroics but the city of San Antonio was stunned over an opening defeat as the red-hot Knicks controlled the final two minutes while prevailing 105-95 on Wednesday night. Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and the Knicks overcame ‌a 14-point third-quarter deficit to win their 12th consecutive playoff game, tied for the second-longest postseason streak in league history. "Jalen was MVP in the second half," New York coach Mike Brown said. "He was huge for us. He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do. He carried us home and we put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch." Brunson had a rough time during the first half as he injured his right knee in...

  The Spurs are big favorites to win the NBA Finals, but observers thinking it will be an easy road are overlooking the fact that the New York Knicks beat San Antonio in the mid-December NBA Cup championship game. The Knicks dominated the fourth quarter that night in Las Vegas and rallied for a 124-113 victory. Some Spurs have not forgotten as they enter Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night in San ‌Antonio. "Obviously, it was a tough loss," Spurs guard Stephon Castle said on Tuesday. "It wasn't season-ending, so it doesn't feel as bad as probably your season ending in the playoffs. Obviously, we wanted to win. I think just us as competitors, you want to win every single game." That marks one of eight New York victories in the past 12 meetings, including two of three this season, counting a split of the two regular-season meetings. The Spurs are riding high after taking down the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the Western Con...

  De'Aaron Fox is surrounded by younger teammates and is accustomed to "unc" treatment from his junior peers at the ripe age of 28. Fox, acquired in 2025 from the Sacramento Kings, has helped Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper and ‌the collective future of the roster blend with the tradition and winning-rich history of the five-time champion Spurs. "You feel it when you walk through the building, the expectation," Fox said Tuesday at NBA Finals media day. "You handle it with a level of respect. You handle it with a level of responsibility. It's not always to ⁠win. You're not going to always win. But go through that process. I think that's why we've been able to do it with -- we have four guys that are under 22 and about seven guys under 26. And we're in a position to play for the championship." Fox said the attention to detail and calm exhibited by the entire roster in big games this postseason is the biggest sign of maturation into a ...

  The New York Knicks will try to deliver the city its first NBA title since 1973 when they face a Spurs team looking to launch a new dynasty behind Victor Wembanyama in a highly anticipated Finals match-up beginning ‌on Wednesday in San Antonio. Led by versatile point guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have powered their way to their first Finals appearance since 1999, winning 11 straight games and posting a record point differential of plus-271 through 14 playoff contests. The run has electrified long-suffering Knicks fans, including courtside regulars Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet, who have watched New York move within four wins of ending one of the NBA's longest championship droughts. There is reason for optimism. The Knicks won two of their three meetings with ⁠the Spurs this season including a 114-89 rout on March 1 at Madison Square Garden, where they made 17 three-pointers and forced 22 turnovers to snap San Antonio's 11-game winning streak. New York's b...

Luke Kornet returned to the bench a hero. The San Antonio Spurs backup big man had just turned in perhaps the biggest defensive play of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, coming in for a stretch in relief of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama exited the game with five fouls and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder had what seemed like a prime chance to seize control. But instead, Kornet blocked Isaiah Hartenstein just seconds after entering, the Spurs came through on the other end, and the Spurs were on their ‌way to an NBA Finals berth with a 111-103 road win over the Thunder on Saturday. "The definition of a winning play," Wembanyama said. San Antonio will open the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks at home Wednesday. The teams have met in the Finals once before, with San Antonio winning the 1999 NBA Championship in five games. It was the first of five titles for the Spurs. Their last visit was in 2014, when they beat the Miami Heat in five games. In...

  After a disappointing Game 5 loss in the Western Conference finals, San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said his team needed more from superstar Victor Wembanyama. Two days later, Wembanyama appeared in his first playoff elimination game, and he came through in a big way. Wembanyama set the tone from the beginning, helping the Spurs build a lead they never relinquished while beating the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 on Thursday to even the best-of-seven series at three wins apiece. Wembanyama finished with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, and he added 10 rebounds and three blocks. However, it was in a period when Wembanyama was on the bench that the Spurs put the game away. The Thunder were still within striking distance, trailing by 10, when Wembanyama came out with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. For much of the series, ⁠Oklahoma City had controlled the game when Wembanyama was on the bench. This time, though, the Spurs were dominant, scoring 11 consecutive points...