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🏀 Five things to know Thursday
- NBA Draft fallout and team grades. The NBA Draft concluded last night, and as always, we've got our major takeaways, winners and losers, plus full 1-60 player grades by CBS Sports' director of basketball scouting, Adam Finkelstein. And in the team grades category, the Grizzlies look like big winners, earning an A for their three picks, including No. 3 overall Cameron Boozer, while also making the draft's only trade involving a current pro. The Jazz and Wizards also earned an A. On the flip side, the Mavericks received a draft low C+ despite four picks across two rounds, and two ACC players might have made million-dollar mistakes by not staying in school. Finally, the conclusion of any draft always brings the biggest snubs of 2026 and the first mock draft for the 2027 class.
- Austin Reaves signed a record four-year contract to stay with the Lakers. Reaves' four-year, $185 million agreement is the largest deal signed by an undrafted free agent in NBA history. Here's what Reaves' pact means for the Lakers, LeBron James and others.
- A timeline of the Brendan Sorsby saga. These are certainly interesting times in the world of college athletics, but Sorsby's saga, which saw him punished for sports betting -- including at least 40 bets on Indiana while a player at the school -- before filing an injunction against the NCAA, seeking to be under center for Texas Tech in the upcoming season. The ensuing firestorm saw Sorsby granted eligibility, widespread condemnation and Sorsby's reversal and attempt to enter the NFL supplemental draft, a draft the league wound up canceling. Jordan Dajani broke down the entire timeline of Sorsby's saga, which does not yet seem to be over.
- Conor McGregor sits down with CBS Sports. The always brash McGregor sat with CBS Sports' Nate Burleson in an extended interview in which the Irishman addressed his upcoming fight with Max Holloway at UFC 329 -- and claimed Holloway hasn't improved since they met more than a decade ago -- as well as admitting that he had lost his drive and "made some mistakes" in the past.
- Five NFL stars who could force a Giannis-like trade. Giannis Antetokounmpo, A.J. Brown and Myles Garrett have been involved in recent NBA and NFL blockbuster trades, showcasing the power players have in seeking to improve their own situations despite the possible wishes of the teams they wound up leaving. Garrett Podell identified five NFL players who could be next to push for a big trade.
⚽ Do not miss this: USMNT's final group stage match
The United States Men's National Team has already won its group in the group stage of the World Cup, but there is one match left before the team can focus on the knockout stage. It is nearly a lock in all projections that Bosnia and Herzegovina await the USMNT in the Round of 32. Despite almost nothing to play for, the Americans must first deal with Türkiye on Thursday night.
There is positive news to heap on top of the other positives, with star Christian Pulisic set to return to the pitch after missing USMNT's 2-0 win over Australia last Friday. Coach Mauricio Pochettino -- who promised a heavy rotation against Türkiye -- has seen the team transform completely since taking the job, embracing his attacking mentality and seeing positive returns after a rocky start, as explained by Pardeep Cattry.
- Cattry: "Two games in, the World Cup run has so far offered plenty of validation to Pochettino's methods. The players have spoken of a learning curve when it comes to the coach's tactical vision, a fluid attack-minded strategy coming together at just the right time. He admitted, though, there was an entirely separate learning curve he and his staff had to deal with.
"'We were so naive when we signed our contract. I don't know if I can explain," he said on Tuesday. "We misjudged the situation. It was worse than we really believed because we were so excited, because we explained to the players from Day One when we signed, we said it's the World Cup ... It was with too much energy and then when we arrived here, we received a big bang, punch and we were knocked out for a while. We said, 'What the f---?''"
Catch up on more World Cup news and notes:
- 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place standings, positions: Who qualifies for the round of 32?
- FIFA World Cup 2026 Power Rankings: France and Argentina still look strong; Five teams eliminated
- 2026 FIFA World Cup Bracket: Where are teams seeded from the round of 32 and potential opponents?
- World Cup scores, live updates: Brazil top group, Morocco finish in second; Scotland in big trouble?
- World Cup scores: South Africa shock South Korea, sneak into knockout round with huge upset
🏈 The best NFL team from every decade
Sometimes the best way to look ahead to the next NFL season is to look back. That's exactly what Bryan DeArdo did, looking back at every decade in NFL history, dating back to the league's inception in 1920, to determine the best team from each 10-year period.
From the Canton/Cleveland Bulldogs in the 1920s to the modern-day Kansas City Chiefs, there are plenty of legendary squads on the list. A few franchises appeared on the list more than once, but only one appeared in back-to-back decades: the New England Patriots.
- DeArdo: "The 2010s marked the first full decade of the Super Bowl era in which only one team won multiple Super Bowls. After another Super Bowl loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, the Patriots ended their decade-long drought by upsetting the defending champion Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Seattle, a year after routing Manning's Broncos in the Super Bowl, came one yard away from winning back-to-back titles.
"From 2014-18, the Patriots won three Super Bowls and four AFC titles while cementing their status as the NFL's greatest dynasty. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick also earned unofficial recognition as the greatest quarterback and coach of all time."
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- Fever coach Stephanie White calls out Mercury players for "cheap shots" on Caitlin Clark.
- There are now LaMelo Ball trade rumors given some teams have reached out to the Hornets with "aggressive offers."
- Lions CB Terrion Arnold is facing kidnapping and armed robbery charges.
- Here are six college football programs best poised to be dominant dynasties in the second half of the decade.
- Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has no intentions of retiring any time soon, but plans to continue making that decision year by year.
- Sparks guard Kelsey Plum was in the middle of a historic season but is now sidelined for at least four weeks with a leg injury, a significant blow to Los Angeles' chances to end a playoff drought that extends back to 2020.
- Lamar Jackson may be able to use Patrick Mahomes' contract to name his own price when it comes time to negotiate a new deal with the Ravens.
- Miami has a case for being college football pre-season No. 1, even if it won't happen this season.
- The two-year postseason probationary period for college football teams going from the FCS to FBS is no longer.
- Is 2026 "The Year of the Underdog" in the UFC? Justin Gaethje's massive UFC Freedom 250 upset of Ilia Topuria has some believing so.
- Who are the winners and losers in the changes to the PGA Tour schedule and structure that begin in 2028?
- Jaron "Boots" Ennis looks to keep justifying the hype when he faces unified junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas on Saturday.
- The latest edition of MLB rumors looks at the trade deadline plans for the Twins, Giants and Cubs.
- Among the most interesting trends for the PGA Travelers Championship is the fact that an international player has not won the tournament since 2016.
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📺 What we're watching Thursday
⚾ Mariners at Pirates, 12:35 p.m. on MLB.tv
⚾ Athletics at Giants, 3:45 p.m. on MLB.tv
⚽ World Cup: Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast, 4 p.m. on FS1
⚽ World Cup: Ecuador vs. Germany, 4 p.m. on FOX
⚾ Phillies at Nationals, 6:45 p.m. on MLB.tv
⚽ World Cup: Japan vs. Sweden, 7 p.m. on FOX
⚽ World Cup: Tunisia vs. Netherlands, 7 p.m. on FS1
⚾ Cubs at Mets, 7:10 p.m. on MLB.tv
⚾ Yankees at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Sparks at Tempo, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ World Cup: Paraguay vs. Australia, 10 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Wings at Aces, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
⚽ World Cup: Türkiye vs. United States, 10 p.m. on FOX
