LeBron hints at the end, plus USMNT survives yet again
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There was no retirement announcement, no planning of a farewell tour. But yesterday's news that LeBron James opted into the final year of his contract — a first for him — made one thing extremely clear: This is the beginning of the end for maybe the best player to ever grace a basketball court.
It's a fascinating double dose of reality, because of course a 40-year-old player entering his 23rd season is about to retire. James will become the longest-tenured NBA player ever this year, by both season total (23, topping Vince Carter's 22) and games played (he's 49 games behind Robert Parish's total of 1,611 games).
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But also … I don't think I ever truly expected James to retire, only because of how unremarkable his longevity has become. His career has spanned seven presidential terms now. LeBron playing in the NBA is just a part of the fabric of our reality.
Yet it will come to an end — at some point. A quick explainer on where we are:
So what now? We have two options, as Sam Amick expertly explained: This is LeBron's farewell tour, with the Lakers gunning for a title, or James finds a new place to finish his career at 41 years old next offseason.
Either way, the beginning of the end. Prepare yourselves.
We also had a flurry of NBA free agency news yesterday. Quickly:
Let's keep going:
Beasley under investigation
Free-agent guard Malik Beasley is a person of interesting in a federal gambling investigation, his lawyer confirmed to The Athletic yesterday. Beasley has not been charged with any crime yet, his lawyer added, but the investigation is being conducted by the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, the same outfit that charged six people in the Jontay Porter affair. Read more in our full report.
Severino won't back down
A's pitcher Luis Severino is, to the objective observer, refreshing. Earlier in the week, Severino lambasted the conditions in the A's temporary Sacramento home, saying the atmosphere and park made it feel like spring training. He didn't backtrack yesterday when asked about it, even after USA Today reported the organization 'can't wait' to trade him.
The A's signed Severino to a three-year, $67 million deal in the offseason. Whoops. Also: Severino may have a point, as his home-road splits are wild (6.79 ERA at home vs. 3.23 on the road). See his full comments here.
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It's been a weird time for the USMNT. The star coach and the star player aren't getting along. There was that awful stretch earlier this month where the Americans couldn't win a friendly. Then the Gold Cup began, and things are … OK.
Vibes were back to iffy last night, as the team could not put Costa Rica away. A loss would've meant complete disaster, much like Canada saw in its round of 16 matchup. Then Matt Freese, in a time of uncertain American goalkeeping, did this:
Matty 'Ice' Freese 🥶 pic.twitter.com/Ri6RwsD55f
— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) June 30, 2025
That's three saves in one shootout, which is good for any keeper at any level. Embattled coach Mauricio Pochettino called it 'priceless.' And with it, the Americans advance to play Guatemala in the semifinals Wednesday.
Over at the Club World Cup, it was a great Sunday for Europe:
Almost done:
📺 Wimbledon: Moller vs. Tiafoe
6 a.m. ET on ESPN
Consider this a placeholder, because Wimbledon begins today and ESPN (and ESPN+) will have first-round matches throughout the morning into the early afternoon. We have storylines for both the men's and women's brackets ready for you, including that Coco Gauff-Aryna Sabalenka 'olive branch.'
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📺 MLB: Padres at Phillies
6:35 p.m. ET on MLB Network
These teams are both A) very good and B) very ready to hit the All-Star break. The Padres need some offense, and watching their former prospects batter Padre pitching last week was an interesting sight. Philly needs outfield help. Let's see who limps more here.
Get tickets to games like these here.
We're in a football lull, so you know what time it is: Our NFL writers picked one lingering question from each NFL team as the summer break begins. See them all here.
Aaron Judge is swinging more than ever. That's a good thing, as Ken Rosenthal explained.
Achilles tendon injuries are becoming all too common in the NBA of late. Dominique Wilkins knows the pain well — and wants to help fix it.
I thought Mark Puleo's write-up of another odd Jake Paul boxing night was great. The fight was meh, but Paul's win opens up his road to facing legitimate fighters.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The George Costanza bobblehead.
Most-read on the website yesterday: ☝️
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