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🏆 5 things you need to know on Monday
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA MVP for the 2025-26 season. Gilgeous-Alexander becomes the 14th player in league history to win the championship for the second time in as many years. To secure back-to-back MVP honors. of thunder star surpassed Victor Wenbanyama and Nikola Jokic He was voted in thanks to his 31.1 points per game on the league’s best team. But he definitely hopes this isn’t the only hardware he’ll get this year. If Gilgeous-Alexander can lead Oklahoma City to defeat two more opponents and win another championship. He will write a new chapter in his growing legacy..
- Aaron Rodgers will play another season in Pittsburgh. A long-awaited decision has been made. After several months of uncertainty as to whether he would re-sign with the club, steelers Or call it a career, Rogers agreed to a one-year contract (A guaranteed value of $22 million) Return to Steel City. While some of the fan base may be ready to take the next step and hand over the keys to younger options; Rodgers’ return might be for the best. He keeps the Steelers in playoff contention while allowing the young players to develop at their own pace.
- Aaron Rye became the first British player to win the PGA Championship in 107 years. Breakthrough performance at Aronimink Golf Club Rai also set a record for American athletes with 10 consecutive wins. Rai was an unlikely champion. Despite entering the tournament at +75,000 to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy, he finished three strokes behind the rest, earning his first major victory of his career. 31 years old too Secured $3.69 million in prize money In his underdog victory. At the bottom of the leaderboard, things weren’t as stellar for the game’s biggest stars. Scotty Scheffler I noted some “absurd” pin locations Finishing T-14 bryson dechambeau and tommy fleetwood made a headline A huge list of big names who missed out.
- Conor McGregor’s UFC return is scheduled for July 11th. After five years away from the Octagon, the mixed martial arts legend will fight. Max Holloway in a rematch during UFC International Fight Week. The super fighter’s return will bring another feather to the UFC’s cap. Absolutely massive summer for promotions. McGregor likely to step into uncharted territory as a very weak personAlthough he has quite a track record across divisions as a former featherweight and lightweight champion; Our Brent Brookhouse does not foresee The Irishman will compete at welterweight.
- Napoleon Solo wins the 151st Preakness Stakes. horse and jockey paco lopez Despite missing the Kentucky Derby, he settled for third shortest odds, and after taking the lead at the far turn, Napoleon Solo continued to yield to his trainer. Chad Summers Memorable Triple Crown debut. On the other hand, this year’s popular horse Taj Mahal finished in 10th place, 13 lengths behind. Gold Square LLC, Summers and Lopez have a payday ahead of them. Winner’s prize: $1.2 million.
🏀 Don’t miss: NBA Conference Finals begin tonight
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only 4 teams remain in the hunt For the Larry O’Brien Trophy. with the thunder knicks After taking the weekend off to wait for their opponents and playing Game 6 in the Western Conference and Game 7 in the East Conference, they knew what they needed to do to make it to the NBA Finals.
of spurs The series concluded with Timberwolves (He once again fell just short of the conference’s elite.) Set up a battle between MVP finalists Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wenbanyama on Saturday. sunday night, cavaliers shipped piston In Game 7, four players scored at least 23 points, revealing the following: Cade Cunningham Can’t do everything for Detroit.
The Western Conference Finals begin Monday night with Game 1 in Oklahoma City. If you need a reason to tune in, here are two of the game’s brightest stars: Wenbanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander. Also, Brad Botkin identifies five big questions That will determine which of the top two seeds in the conference will qualify for the finals.
Botkin also happens to be a maverick. our staff chooses. Of the six NBA writers, he was the only one to pick the Spurs, but acknowledged it would take seven games for the Spurs to succeed.
- Botkin: “I’m betting the Wemby effect will trump everything else in this series. He’s the defensive version of 2014-15.” steph curry In the way he distorts the shape of the court. Because of that, they warriors Before people are ready to accept that fact, everyone thinks that they were ready to win everything, that they have to endure first without years of “playoff scars,” and San Antonio is going to win not just this series, but every damn game for the same reason. ”
📈📉 NBA Draft Combining Ups and Downs
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The most elite prospects have been in a tier of their own since early on in the college basketball season, if not earlier, and even the NBA Draft Union hasn’t been able to shake the top spot. The prediction is that the draft will actually start with the No. 5 pick. AJ Daibants, Darrin Peterson, cameron boozerand caleb wilson Everything is considered.
After a week of training in Chicago, it’s debatable who the teams behind that group will target. Many players improved their stock at the combineincluding nearly all of the NCAA champions. Michigan List. Our Adam Finkelstein explained why Mores Johnson Jr. He was one of multiple Wolverines who had helped himself over the past few days.
- Finkelstein: “Johnson didn’t need to play 5-on-5 to help his draft stock. His height was bigger than expected, with a massive 6’9″ without shoes, 7’3.5″ wingspan, and an NBA-ready 250-pound frame.”
But not everything was good. Five turnovers were committed in 5-on-5 action Daylene Swain Fell among potential first-round prospects, and core peat The new shooting mechanism backfired and became a hot topic among scouts.
It will be important that Pete’s decision to stay or leave is followed by the May 27 deadline. Finkelstein says the Arizona freshman asked team executives. Should he stay in the draft or go back to school? he also Kentucky’s Malachi Moreno He reportedly emerged as a mid-to-late first-round target and is just using leverage to get more from the Wildcats.
- Finkelstein: “The fact that Moreno chose not to play 5-on-5 means that the top big teams Ruben Chiniel, Tallis Reedand flora bidunga The fact that everything was opt-in was also seen as a sign that Moreno’s presentation was very careful about controlling how the big name was perceived. After all, most people still expect him to return to school. ”
📅 NFL Week 1 Ahead
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Last week’s schedule announcements set the stage for the 2026 NFL season, and one of the most obvious facts is that Week 1 should be great. Once the preseason is over As the teams embark on an 18-week journey, the league will soon be filled with can’t-miss games.
I ranked all 16 opening races.including a Super Bowl rematch and a huge NFC West battle. The top five are:
- patriots in seahawks
- 49ers versus rams
- invoice in texans
- broncos in chiefs
- bear in panthers
Additionally, the odds for all of these Week 1 contests have already been set and Tyler Sullivan has weighed in with his own predictions. He wants the 49ers to cover at least a 2.5-point deficit against the Rams in the NFL’s first game in Australia, and doesn’t count them as outright winners. Check out Sullivan’s other picks.
Our schedule analysis goes far beyond just the Week 1 lineup. Here’s a breakdown of the four more slates:
👍👎 The best (and not the best) of the rest
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- manchester city They won 1-0 and became FA Cup champions. chelsea In the final. their victory is A bright spot in an overwhelming seasonwhile Chelsea Their downward spiral continued With loss. Xabi Alonso He will be tasked with rebuilding the Blues. After becoming his manager.
- clay holmes I’ll be out for a “long time” After he broke his leg. mets Friday’s Subway Series loss, and jordan westberg Orioles will miss the rest of the season with partially torn UCL.
- of phillies It’s back to over 500 15 wins out of last 19 games. at the same time, Kyle Schwarber He showed why he is the way he is. The most beloved man in baseball.
- It took 17 seconds in total ronda rousey knock down gina carano In her return to MMA.
- Although the third year has just begun, caitlin clarke Already belongs to the WNBA Career leader with 20 points and 10 assists.
- Michigan has the building blocks to defend its national title. elliott gift announce his return.
- The commitment of first-class tackle mark matthews give Texas A&M No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle.
- Jose Fernandez I cried out Wings’ “selfishness” 2 consecutive losses.
- of guardian Moved Stephen Kwan missed the leadoff spot for the first time in almost 4 years.
- USMNT defender chris richards I injured my ankle, But he may recover very quickly.
- chelsea gray Showing off her clutch gene again the winner of the game Ace-san victory over dream.
- arnold allen sweep marquisael costa on 2 of 3 scorecards Win by unanimous decision At UFC Fight Night.
- Senate bill coming soon It could codify NCAA rules and revolutionize college sports.
- Two years have passed since her overwhelming tenure; stanford women’s basketball coach Kate Pay Accused of fostering a ‘toxic’ environment.
- On the way to a potential title fight, gunther lost lois keys On WWE Smackdown.
- celtic controversially defeated heart To win the Scottish Premiership.
- ranked the 26 most feared defensive players and The most complete 10-man roster In college football.
- in 2025 NBA Rookie Class Redraftthe top five remained the same, but the rest of the lottery seems to have changed significantly.
📺 What I’m Watching on Monday
- ⚽ Burnley vs Arsenal, 3pm on USA Network
- ⚾ Guardian of the Tigers, FS1 6:40pm
- 🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Canadiens vs. Sabers, Game 7; 7:30pm on ESPN
- 🏀 Wings Mystic, on NBC Sports Network starting at 8 p.m.
- 🤼 WWE Raw, 8pm on Netflix
- 🏀 NBA Playoffs: Spurs vs. Thunder, Game 1; 8:30pm on NBC
- ⚾ White Sox vs. Mariners, 9:40pm on ESPN Unlimited
- ⚾ Dodgers vs. Padres, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
- ⚾ Giants vs. Diamondbacks, 9:40pm Peacock
