Some standouts (and letdowns) from NBA summer league, including the Celtics' Baylor Scheierman
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Yuki Kawamura, Chicago
The Japanese point guard, who almost singlehandedly beat France in the Paris Olympics last summer, wowed crowds with his flashy passes. Kawamura was on a two-way contract last season with the Grizzlies but made a bid for a standard NBA contract. Although Kawamura is a dazzling passer, he struggled on offense, which has been the primary reason he has not played considerable NBA minutes. But he showed the ability to control the game and made a positive impression.
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Cooper Flagg, Dallas
Limited to two games because the Mavericks didn't want to risk injury with their
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Dylan Harper, San Antonio
For those who didn't watch much of Rutgers last season, Harper may have entered summer league as a mystery but he possesses great floor vision, athleticism, and the ability to score in the paint. Harper is a potential star. While he didn't post the best statistics in the two games, Harper's upside was apparent and he should play immediately for the Spurs.
Yang Hansen was one of the stars of summer league.
Charles Bassey, Boston
Coming out of nowhere to join the Celtics summer squad, Bassey dominated in his three-game appearance before leaving the team for other commitments. It's believed Bassey wanted to use summer league as a showcase. Bassey, a physical big man, dominated the paint, was decent on defense, and scored easily around the rim. He was one of the best bigs on the floor in summer league and should garner a minimum guaranteed contract.
Kyle Filipowski, Utah
After averaging nearly 10 points and six rebounds as a rookie, Filipowski should have been one of the best players in summer league and he was. He led Las Vegas in scoring with 29.3 points, shooting 39.1 percent from the 3-point line. The Jazz have undergone a facelift in their rebuild and Filipowski should be a key piece in the middle.
Nique Clifford, Sacramento
The Kings drafted the veteran college player for the express purpose of contributing immediately. And he was sparkling, averaging 18.5 points and shooting 52.9 percent from the 3-point line. The swingman also added six rebounds and five assists, giving the retooling Kings hope.
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Cody Williams, Utah
The 10th overall pick from 2024 showed he needed more development as a rookie but played more confidently this summer and could earn more minutes under Will Hardy. He averaged 19 points, 4 rebounds, and nearly 3 assists for the Jazz, who are also integrating Ace Bailey, Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George, Filipowski, and Walter Clayton Jr. into their system in what is an intriguing younger core. Williams could be one of those key pieces.
NEEDS SOME WORK
There were a couple of disappointments, especially some second-year players who struggled mightily despite their experience.
Dalton Knecht, Lakers
Not sure what happened to that sharpshooter who made nine threes in a game last season but Knecht was a nonfactor for the Lakers despite playing extensively in the first half of his rookie season. Knecht shot just 23.8 percent from the 3-point line in his three summer games and 28 percent overall. Things haven't been the same for Knecht since he was
Baylor Scheierman, Boston
There are minutes available for Scheierman this season with all the injuries and departures in Boston but he has struggled to shoot, which was supposed to be his best attribute. He went 8 for 39 from beyond the arc in four games and shot 27.4 percent overall. Many of his 3-point looks were open, which has to be a concern for the Boston brass.
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Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
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USA Today
a few seconds ago
- USA Today
Who is getting inducted to Baseball Hall of Fame? Ichiro leads global 2025 class
COOPERSTOWN, NY – They come from Appalachia; Aichi, Japan; Wampum, Pennsylvania; Vallejo, California; and Cincinnati, Ohio. They are sluggers, a slap hitter, an ace and a closer. The quintet makes up one of the most diverse Baseball Hall of Fame classes in history, including three Black players and the first Japanese-born inductee. Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, starting pitcher CC Sabathia, reliever Billy Wagner and deceased Dave Parker and Dick Allen all will be inducted Sunday, July 27, into the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in front of a crowd that could be the largest in history. 'It's an incredible Hall of Fame class," Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage tells USA TODAY Sports. 'These guys all come from different backgrounds and eras, but the thing I love about these guys is their respect for the game, and their place in history." CC Sabathia Sabathia, the 2007 AL Cy Young winner who won 251 games, is hoping that his induction will help pave the way for more young Black pitchers in the game. He will be only the third Black pitcher to be elected into the Hall of Fame with only 15 Black pitchers who have won 20 games, with David Price the last in 2012. 'The one thing that keeps crossing my mind is who's next?' says Sabathia, who is a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred. 'I'm on the search for who's next and what I can do to get that person or kid on the mound and going in the right direction." Sabathia meets with young players today in camps across the country, letting them know that if a kid like him can make it out of Vallejo, they can do it, too. 'Especially with where I came from, just knowing that I'm going to be someplace where the best that ever played have been honored," Sabathia says, 'is really amazing. When I was still playing, Reggie (Jackson) would tell me that having the Hall of Fame attached to my name would give me an edge in life. It's going to be amazing to finally get there.' Ichiro Suzuki When Suzuki arrived in Seattle in 2001, he was already a star in Japan, but he had no idea whether his success would translate to the United States. Well, 3,089 hits, 10 All-Star selections and 10 Gold Gloves later, and he helped open the door for three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and the current crop of Japanese players in MLB. 'We're able to play this game because of players of the past,' says Suzuki. 'Baseball is human beings playing against human beings, and to have the passion and the energy that is created by that is something that I really hope is still part of the game. That's what I really value. It is very important to me that baseball continues to be a game that has the human element to it, with all the emotions and everything that comes along with having humans play this game. … 'If I can be of any help to the players, that's why I'm here.' Billy Wagner Wagner, who already is allotting time for interruptions during his Hall of Fame speech to wipe away tears, will remind everyone that he came from poverty. His dinners often consisted of crackers and water while growing up in the homes of different relatives with his parents divorcing when he was 5, and attending 11 different schools. 'I was just a poor kid," Wagner said, 'who didn't back down." Wagner will let everyone know that he'll continue to do everything in his power to help grow the game as a high school baseball coach, knowing it may not be the same as when he played, but the game still remains great. "Our game's always going to evolve,'' Wagner says, 'and there's always going to be parts that we like and we don't like. Every era has that moment. … But I think the game on the field is as great as it's ever been. But I guess the way we portray it, and push it forward, that's the biggest thing." Dick Allen Dick Allen, who died in 2020, represents the strength of fighting racism during his career. He received death threats playing in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the minor league team's first Black player, and was later pelted with batteries and garbage playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. Fergie Jenkins, who along with Bob Gibson were the only other Black Hall of Fame pitchers before Sabathia, vividly remembers the pain. They were not only teammates, but roommates in Little Rock. 'Dick was a real personal guy, I mean, he got along with everybody," Jenkins told USA TODAY Sports. 'Nobody ever bothered me, but then Dick bought a car, and I think that was the wrong thing to do. They bannered that thing all of the time. They were always putting stuff on it. There were people in the stands who didn't like him with name calling. 'It was just those times in segregation. We couldn't stay with the same players on the road. We stayed in a brothel one year in the summer. Another year we stayed in a funeral home. We couldn't eat in the same restaurants. We had to give our money to other players, have them order the food, and have them bring it back to us in the bus. 'I only stayed a month and a half. Dick was there all year. He never forgot it." Allen went on to become one of the greatest sluggers of his era, hitting 351 homers with a .534 slugging percentage, but his refusal to accept the bigotry and racial hatred in the country prevented him from getting the accolades he deserved. 'Dick Allen played the game in the most conservative era in baseball history," Hall of Famer Willie Stargell once said. 'It was a time of change and protest in the country, and baseball reacted against all that. They saw it as a threat to the game. The sportswriters were reactionary too. They didn't like seeing a man of such extraordinary skills doing it his way. Dick Allen was ahead of his time. His views and way of doing things would go unnoticed today.'' Says Gossage: 'He's the greatest ballplayer I've ever seen play in my life. There's no telling the numbers this guy could have put up if all he worried about was stats. He's the smartest baseball man I've ever been around in my life. He taught me so much about pitching and how to respect the game. He's probably the most misunderstood player in the history of the game." Dave Parker The shame is that Allen, and Parker, aren't alive to stand on the stage themselves to deliver their speeches. Parker, who died just a month ago from Parkinson's, let his son know just what he wanted to convey before he died. 'That's just heartbreaking," said Gossage, who was also teammates with Parker. 'Dave was one of my all-time favorite teammates. He was a true five-tool player. He was like Dick. There was not one ounce of BS from those guys." Parker's speech will remind folks of the leadership legacy he left behind. Sure, he was a fabulous player as an MVP, seven-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner, three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time batting champion and two-time World Series champion. Yet he will be remembered as one of the game's finest team leaders, guiding the Pirates to the 1979 World Series title while mentoring Reds stars Barry Larkin and Eric Davis in Cincinnati. 'The Pirates meant a lot to me," Parker said in a Zoom call after learning of his election in December. 'They were a great brotherhood, and they were always behind me. I could leave, come back, and everything is the same.'' Now, they'll be immortalized together, with Suzuki, Sabathia and Wagner on stage and Allen and Parker smiling from the heavens. They'll be enshrined in this beautiful hallowed place where Suzuki visited seven times, easily the most by an active player during his career. The next time he walks in he'll see his plaque inside the gallery room alongside his new Hall of Fame teammates. 'Ichiro would go all of the time and I always wondered why," Sabathia said. 'Now I know. It would have been super-motivating as a player. It's almost like a church. It's surreal to be in that room, especially now as a Hall of Famer, with my peers. 'When I walked in there, I almost came to tears. The way the sun beams through, it's almost magical." Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale Who is getting inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame? The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class features five inductees
New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
Swimming's world championships have arrived, with a ‘race of the century'
One year to the day after the 2024 Olympic swimming competition began in Paris, the first major international competition of the 2028 Olympic cycle is set to begin. The swimming program at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships starts Sunday (Saturday night Eastern time) in Singapore as Katie Ledecky, Summer McIntosh, Léon Marchand and more stars from the Paris Games kick off their runs to Los Angeles. Advertisement The year after a Games is typically one of transition. Some athletes are taking time off after the Olympic grind. Some have retired. Some new faces are emerging, and some familiar ones are plowing ahead. 'It's going to be a unique world championships, because you don't know what you're going to get,' longtime NBC swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines said by phone from Singapore. 'You know, in two years, we will kind of know what's gonna happen, but this is always a strange one, the one after the Games.' The rivalry between McIntosh, the 18-year-old rising Canadian who won three golds and a silver in Paris, and Ledecky, the 28-year-old American with more swimming medals than any woman in history, will be one of the top storylines over the next week. As will Marchand's pursuit of more hardware. The 23-year-old French star won four golds in his home Olympics to stamp his place as the new force of men's swimming. Here's a look at what to keep your eyes on over the next week in Singapore. The first medal event on Sunday is the women's 400-meter freestyle, and it's expected to be a showdown between the best women's swimmer of all time and the best right now. Ledecky won gold in the 400 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, then took silver in Tokyo in 2021 (behind Australian rival Ariarne Titmus) and bronze in Paris (behind Titmus and McIntosh). McIntosh has the clear edge in the event now, having just set the world record last month at the Canadian trials — one of three she set in five days there — in a time of 3:54.18. Ledecky's best time this season is more than two seconds slower, but that time was good enough to beat McIntosh in their last meeting in the event, in May at a Pro Series meet in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 'It's always a great race when we're next to each other,' Ledecky said of McIntosh after that one. Near the end of next week's meet, Ledecky and McIntosh are scheduled to clash again in the 800-meter freestyle in one of the most anticipated events of the world championships. 'The women's 800 is the race of the meet,' said Gaines, the gold medalist in the men's 100-meter freestyle in 1984, 'and, for that matter, at least from a world championships standpoint, the race of the century.' Advertisement In May, Ledecky broke her 9-year-old world record in the 800 at the Fort Lauderdale event, finishing in 8:04.12 to best her previous mark by 0.69 seconds. It was a loud message to McIntosh, who in February, when they met at the Southern Zone Sectional Championships, handed Ledecky her first defeat in the event since 2010. But McIntosh hasn't raced the 800 much in international competition and skipped it in Paris as well. Ledecky edged Titmus — who is skipping worlds this year to take time off after the Olympics — there for gold. 'Sometimes you build up races, and they don't play out,' Gaines said. 'But this one, I think, it's going to come down, after eight minutes, to within a half a second.' McIntosh is scheduled for five individual events in Singapore — the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys (IM) and the 200 butterfly, along with the two freestyle races. She'll be the gold-medal favorite in four events after setting the world record in both IMs at Canadian trials and owning the fastest time of the year, by more than two seconds, in the 200 fly. Ledecky also has the 1,500-meter freestyle on her program. It's one of the surest things in sports — she owns the 23 fastest times ever in the event, hasn't lost at that distance since she was 13 years old, and the closest anyone else has come to her top time this year is 15 seconds. The Frenchman was the breakout star of his home Olympics, winning gold in his four events, and is expected to compete in just the 200-meter individual medley and the 400-meter IM. That could be bad news for Ryan Lochte. Lochte, the former American swimming star, still holds the world record in the 200-meter IM (1:54.00) that he set at the 2011 world championships in Shanghai. But with Marchand dropping his two other signature events — the 200 breaststroke and the 200 butterfly — to focus on the IMs, he might have enough to swipe the 14-year-old record away. Marchand, the two-time defending world champion in both medleys (excluding the 2024 edition that he skipped), nearly got the record at the Olympics, finishing in 1:54.06. Advertisement 'Sooner or later, you get a feeling that he's gonna be the first one to do it, that's for sure,' Gaines said of Marchand breaking the 14-year-old record. 'Nobody else is gonna do it until Léon does it.' His performance in Paris put Marchand into elite company. The list of men's swimmers with at least four individual Olympic golds in a single Games is Michael Phelps (twice), Mark Spitz and Marchand. 'He's certainly the greatest since (Phelps),' Gaines said of Marchand, who works with Phelps' former coach, Bob Bowman. 'He's not in that category yet, but he's the greatest since Michael dominated, that's for sure.' American Gretchen Walsh entered the Paris Olympics looking to shed a reputation as a 'bathtub swimmer' — referring to her prowess in the 25-meter, short-course pools that place more emphasis on turns and swimming underwater as opposed to the longer, 50-meter pools used for Olympic competition. She then won three relay medals and an individual silver in the 100-meter butterfly. But that silver was a bit of a surprise, given that Walsh had set the long-course world record in the event at the U.S. Olympic trials. Now, the 22-year-old looks even better. She owns the fastest times this year in the 50-meter freestyle, 50-meter butterfly and 100-meter butterfly. That includes resetting her world record in the 100-meter butterfly twice on the same day (in the heats and then in the final) in Fort Lauderdale. 'I think going into Paris and being the world-record holder, she wanted that gold medal,' Gaines said. '… I don't think it's gnawing at her, certainly, but I think she's got something to prove — 'Hey, me breaking the world record was no fluke.'' Walsh has an aggressive schedule in Singapore, with four individual races and likely multiple relays. With the 50-meter butterfly among the adds to the Olympic program for 2028, Walsh is on track to be a major name to watch in Los Angeles. 'I'm very excited about (the addition of the 50-meter race to the Olympics),' Walsh said in Fort Lauderdale, 'and the opportunity to focus on this event more and emphasize it more in my lineup.' The most decorated recent name in U.S. men's swimming, Caeleb Dressel, isn't in Singapore, and the Americans are coming off an Olympics with just a single individual men's gold — Bobby Finke in the 1,500-meter freestyle. It was their worst showing in that statistic since 1956, when there were just six individual men's events. Advertisement But with three years to go until Los Angeles, there's time for young talent to develop. Luka Mijatovic is among those names. At 16, he's the youngest American male swimmer to compete at worlds since Phelps in 2001. At last month's U.S. nationals, he set national age-group records in the 200- and 400-meter freestyles — even besting the 17- and 18-year-old group record times. 'I think this guy is going to be a rocket ship in the future,' Gaines said, 'and especially in events that the U.S. has been pretty weak on.' There's also Campbell McKean, 18, who won the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke events at nationals to qualify for worlds. His winning time of 58.96 seconds was the first time he'd broken the one-minute barrier — a significant jump in such a short race. 'The men will be great in L.A.,' Gaines predicted. 'Once L.A. rolls around, these young kids like Luca Urlando (23) and Thomas Heilman (18), and some of the people that most people have never heard of, you're gonna hear a lot about in the next three years.' — Australia's Kaylee McKeown also has an excellent shot at multiple gold medals. She has been the backstroke queen the last two Olympics, winning gold in the 100- and 200-meter in both. Americans Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff will be the top contenders to stop her. Smith, in particular, will be anxious for another crack at it. She set the still-standing world record in the 100-meter at U.S. trials last year just before the Olympics, but swam the final in Paris a half-second slower, finishing second to McKeown. Five days later, she set an Olympic record in the 100 backstroke during the women's medley relay. Berkoff, meanwhile, has the world's best time in the 50-meter race this year. — The men's 100-meter freestyle in Paris was blazing fast, with all eight swimmers in the final finishing under 48 seconds, the first time that had ever happened in the event. China's Pan Zhanle set the world record in that race, and he and Australia's Kyle Chalmers headline a field that will feature seven of the eight finalists from that Paris race. Advertisement '(Pan) is going to be the favorite, without a doubt,' Gaines said of the race he conquered 41 years ago. 'But with (American Jack Alexy) and some of the other guys out there, (Romania's David) Popovici, it's going to be a great race.' — If you're in the U.S., all sessions will be streaming on Peacock. The prelim sessions run every night Saturday through Aug. 2, starting at 10 p.m. ET. The morning medal-race sessions begin at 7 a.m. ET every day Sunday through Aug. 3. (Top photo of Katie Ledecky competing in the 800-meter freestyle at the U.S. national championships in June: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
James Guy hopes to make a splash at another Olympic Games
James Guy is targeting a trip to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles after admitting he has never been happier in his swimming career. The 29-year-old, a six-times Olympic medallist, will head into the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore with one eye firmly on LA and retirement currently far from his thoughts. Guy said: 'Yes, 100 per cent LA is in the plan. Obviously I'll be 32, turning 33, but I don't look like I'm going to change much in the next couple of years unless something drastically goes wrong.' A member of the Great Britain 4×200 metres freestyle team which retained its Olympic title in Paris last summer after taking gold at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Guy is one of the nation's most decorated swimmers. Asked what he still had to tick off, he replied: 'Nothing really. I would say just in terms of where I am right now, I'm the happiest I've probably ever been in terms of my swimming career. 'That's why I'm still going, obviously, back on my best again, hitting personal best times. 'I think in terms of athletes of my age, it doesn't really happen that often, so to be where I am right now, really enjoying the sport, I'll try to do for as long as I can.' The British quartet of Guy, Tom Dean, Duncan Scott and Matt Richards face stern competition for top spot on the podium in Singapore with the Americans in impressive form at their trials. They will walk out having been lauded by the crowds at Wimbledon having been invited along with their partners into the Royal Box for the middle Sunday of the tournament. Guy said: 'We had a really good day, had some great seats. The food was fantastic – we ate scones and food all day and had lunch with the chairwoman of the club. I was talking to her and she said that Tom Cruise was in my seat the day before, so it was actually really, really cool.' Asked if he and his team-mates should have been eating scones as they prepares for the World Championships, he replied with a smile: 'I know. I only had a couple. Matt had more than me – he probably didn't tell you that, did he? I had two or three.'
