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🏀 Five things to know Thursday
- The NBA shuffle continues as the Celtics trade Jaylen Brown to the 76ers. Boston dealt Brown to Philadelphia for a package that includes Paul George, two first-round picks (2028 and 2031) and two second-round picks (2028 and 2030). The 76ers received an A+ in our trade grades, while the Celtics’ baffling move landed them a D-. The move has seen the betting odds on Philadelphia’s success shift sharply in a positive direction. Robby Kalland also has a look at how the relationship between Brown and Boston led to the superstar being sent away. And, in case you’re wondering, John Gonzalez says the Knicks are still elite in the East, but all the new looks in the conference will make for interesting times next season.
- The Lakers find a big for Luka Dončić. Los Angeles traded for center Walker Kessler, sending unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030 to the Jazz. As the Lakers grapple with LeBron James’ legacy, they must also face the reality that building an incomplete team around Dončić could see their latest superstar leave them in the future.
- A fairly stable day at Wimbledon. While women’s No. 5 seed and 2026 French Open champion Mirra Andreeva was upset by Barbora Krejcikova, the men’s and women’s draws mostly held out as expected on the first day of the second round.
- Handing out MLB midseason awards. We’re halfway through an already wild and unpredictable MLB season, so who are the leaders for awards such as MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and more?
- Who is primed to win the John Deere Classic? None of the world’s Top 12 players are set to tee it up in Silvis, Illinois, which means the race for the title appears wide open. American Ben Griffin is the betting favorite, but the pre-tournament favorite has not won the tournament in 11 years.
⚽ Do not miss this: USMNT wins a World Cup knockout stage match for the first time since 2002
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While the United States Men’s National Team was the clear favorite entering their Round of 32 match with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the expected win didn’t come without a heavy dose of drama. While the USMNT did pick up a 2-0 victory to advance — the Americans’ first knockout stage victory in a World Cup in 24 years — they had to do it shorthanded after Folarin Balogun picked up a controversial red card in the 64th minute. Balogun had an adventurous match, scoring the United States’ first goal shortly before the half.
Despite being down to 10 men, the USMNT dug down, fought through and continued with their trademark attacking mindset, leading to Malik Tillman putting the match out of reach with the team’s second goal on a gorgeous free kick in the 82nd minute. The United States advances to the Round of 16, where the team will face Belgium, who scored a stunning comeback earlier against Senegal earlier in the day. Balogun, one of the USMNT’s most dangerous players, will miss that match as a consequence of his red card. (And here are our player ratings after the historic victory.)
Also on Wednesday, England survived a scary match with DR Congo, who held a 1-0 lead until Harry Kane scored twice late to preserve England’s hopes of World Cup glory. Curiosity leads to concerns that Thomas Tuchel‘s flawed team construction could hamper England’s dreams.
👊 The storylines of the first half of UFC’s year
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2026 has already been a wild year for UFC action. The “Paramount Era” kicked off in January with UFC 324, an event that saw Justin Gaethje win the interim lightweight championship in the main event. That felt like a nice moment for a beloved all-action fighter, but no one could predict the ripple effect that victory would have. Gaethje’s win over heavily hyped prospect Paddy Pimblett turned out to be the moment that launched Gaethje into the main event of UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, fighting full champion Ilia Topuria. Gaethje made good on the opportunity, following his victory — the first time he has held undisputed UFC gold — with a now-iconic backflip from the top of the Octagon with the White House in the background.
Gaethje’s win may have locked up the Fighter of the Year race before we even reached the halfway point of the year, which is one of the five takeaways that define the first six months of the UFC year by combat expert Brian Campbell.
- Campbell: “In one of the more truly surprising and inspiring stories to come out of 2026, Gaethje went from being a 37-year-old action star one loss away from retirement to putting the capstone on his already Hall-of-Fame legacy by finally becoming an undisputed UFC champion. And, according to ‘The Highlight,’ he’s not done yet when it comes to defending his title to close out the year. All Gaethje needed was a pair of high-profile upset wins while co-authoring two of the leading candidates for fight of the year.
“It’s difficult, at this point, to imagine any fighter overtaking him in the fighter of the year race unless Gaethje were to lose badly in a third appearance. Ciryl Gane has a shot, however, should he be able to package a stoppage win over Pereira with an undisputed title victory in a rematch with Tom Aspinall. Sean Strickland, who upset Khamzat Chimaev in May to become a two-time middleweight champion, also has a shot at splashing the pot, as does flyweight king Joshua Van should he claim a second title defense. But it will undoubtedly take something spectacular, given how unlikely Gaethje’s win over Topuria appeared to be heading into the fight.”
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching Thursday
🎾 Wimbledon second round, beginning at 6 a.m. on ESPN
⚾ Pirates at Phillies, 12:35 p.m. on MLB.tv
⚽ World Cup: Spain vs. Austria, 3 p.m. on FOX
⚾ Marlins at Rockies, 3:10 p.m. on MLB.tv
⚾ White Sox at Guardians, 6:40 p.m. on MLB.tv
⚽ World Cup: Portugal vs. Croatia, 7 p.m. on FOX
🏀 Wings at Sun, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Tigers at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ World Cup: Switzerland vs. Algeria, 10 p.m. on FS1
⚾ Padres at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on MLB Network