Author: Mikesportz
The calendar nears August, which means the NBA is in its driest part of the year. Rosters are mostly set as front offices head into vacations for the next couple of months before training camps start. The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season with the hopes of being repeat NBA champions. They had one of the greatest seasons ever with a 68-14 regular-season record and captured the Larry O’Brien trophy. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were all signed to new contract extensions this offseason. But what about another Thunder starter who is sneakily extension-eligible? With plenty…
Which OKC Thunder Player is Most Likely to Breakout Next Season? There’s a clear path for a second-year guard on OKC’s roster to having a breakout season. Fresh off an NBA title, the Oklahoma City Thunder have practically maintained their same roster from the championship-winning team. In fact, the roster is the exact same. This should allow for the stars to shine and the role players to keep in their same roles, but there are a few players who came off the bench last season who could see an increase in playing time and production. This is from a variety…
The history of the Atlanta Braves is a storied one. Tracing their history back to the 1800’s in Boston, the franchise has seen 57 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame suit up for it at least once, with others claiming a legitimate case to join them in Cooperstown. Along the way, the Braves have won four World Series across three different cities. They won their first title in Boston in 1914 and wouldn’t win their next until 1957 in Milwaukee. Atlanta has seen the organization double its championship count, once in 1995 and again in 2021. With such…
The Atlanta Braves are open to offers for at least some of their key players. Atlanta is willing to deal slugger Marcell Ozuna and closer Raisel Iglesias, both of whom are pending free agents, ahead of next week’s deadline, a source told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. However, in order to part with either Ozuna or Iglesias, the Braves want a proper return in terms of talent and aren’t willing to send them out in a salary dump, Rosenthal adds. An Ozuna trade may be out of the Braves’ hands regardless, however, as he holds 10-and-5 rights – 10 years…
Former Atlanta Braves World Series Champion Officially Retires at Age of 41 Jesse Chavez pitched 18 years in the big leagues with nine teams. Former Atlanta Braves World Series champion pitcher Jesse Chavez announced his retirement on Thursday after spending parts of 18 seasons in the big leagues with nine different teams. Per David O’Brien, who covers the Braves for The Athletic. 41, announced his retirement today on Foul Territory podcast. “Coach” had 18-year MLB career, more stops with Atlanta than any other team. Extremely popular in clubhouse. Pitched better for ATL each time he returned in recent years than…
In a sense, Jonathan Bender was supposed to be what Tyrese Haliburton currently is for the Indiana Pacers. Bender was billed as the next face of the franchise in Indianapolis. He was selected No. 5 overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. In a draft day deal, he was then shipped to Indiana for veteran big man Antonio Davis. Bender entered the NBA from Picayune Memorial High School in Mississippi. Former Pacers $22 Million Forward Signs With Western Conference Squad Bender joined an elite team coached by Larry Bird, It featured the likes of Reggie Miller, Chris…
The Indiana Pacers were devastated by Tyrese Haliburton’s injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He tore his Achilles tendon just seven minutes into the game, ending any shot they had of winning the title. Now, Haliburton will miss all of next season because of the injury. It has been just over a month since he suffered the injury, and he is still in a cast and using a scooter to get around. Just because Haliburton won’t be playing next season doesn’t mean that he won’t be a big part of what the Pacers are going to do. More…
The Indiana Pacers plan to sign rookie guard Taelon Peter to a two-way contract. The Pacers selected Peter with the 54th overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft. The first-year player comes to Indiana from Liberty University, where he played his fifth and final season of college basketball. At Liberty, Peter was one of the most efficient play finishers in the NCAA ranks. He canned 45.3% of his 170 three-point attempts while knocking down 75.6% of his two-point looks. Few players combined his athleticism and jump shooting ability, which is why he was a draft-worthy prospect despite coming off the…
Ahead of the coming 2025-26 NBA campaign, the Cleveland Cavaliers look primed to be in the mix for the 2026 NBA title. They largely have the same roster intact that won 64 games a season ago and was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2025 NBA Playoffs. While rotation pieces Ty Jerome and Isaac Okoro are gone, veterans Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr. are in, and Cleveland still has the makings of a championship contender. But just because the Cavaliers look like championship contenders on paper doesn’t mean the coming season will be smooth sailing…
Athletics Ireland is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our esteemed Life Vice President Maeve Kyle RIP, aged 96, a true pioneer of Irish sport and one of our most iconic and inspirational athletes. A native of Kilkenny, Maeve Kyle broke new ground for women in Irish athletics. She made history as Ireland’s first female Olympian in track and field, representing the country with distinction at the Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, and Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games. At the Tokyo Games, she reached the semifinals in both the 400m and 800m. Maeve went on to win a bronze medal…