For today’s Kevin O’Connor Show, KOC is joined by Raj Chipalu from Lakers Screen & Roll to continue the NBA Entertainment rankings with Luka Doncic’s Lakers. Who’s the fifth starter for Los Angeles? Can Luka win MVP with this roster?
Then, KOC reviews the young Spurs fresh off an NBA Finals appearance. What will they do with Dylan Harper?
Plus, EV + tech guru Sawyer Merritt joins to talk about Tesla’s new Cybercab.
01:01 Entertainment Rankings No. 4 with Raj Chipalu: Los Angeles Lakers
28:26 Entertainment Rankings No. 3: San Antonio Spurs
37:42 Inside Telsa Cybercab with Sawyer Merrit
HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 18: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on March 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
The NFL is back! The first game of the regular season kicks off Wednesday night, which is being branded as Sunday Night Football, because nothing makes sense in football and thatâs how we like it.
Our panel of NFL writers is back to predict every game in the regular season this year. When it comes to picking Week 1 itâs all a total toss-up based on what we saw from these teams last year. Lest we all forget that in the season opener of 2025 we saw the Raiders beat the Patriots, and the Broncos struggle against the Titans â so safe to say thereâs a little wiggle room for randomness.
Each week weâll update each of the panelâs overall records to keep us accountable for our horrible picks. Letâs football.
Making sweeping conclusions from Week 1 of college football
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – SEPTEMBER 05: Running back Dilin Jones #13 of the LSU Tigers is defended by safety Corey Myrick #22 of the Clemson Tigers during the first half of a game at Tiger Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The thing that makes college football the amazing product that it has always been is what outsiders may see as a criticism. The game is always and forever a complete mess. Think you know who the best team was? Well that guy thinks itâs a different team so now they are both national champions. Assume this team will have the best season based on all their highly recruited talent? Well you forgot they are all 18-22 year olds with zero concept of consistency.
Combine all of that with the fact that the entire regular season lasts just 12 games and itâs primed for chaos. That truncated schedule means each performance, each weekly showcase is wildly important to crafting a teamâs narrative. For most teams it takes at least two or three weeks before opinions are strongly held and preseason priors can be thrown out. But with the right kind of performance that can all happen after just one game.
Which team was most impressive in Week 1?
Preseason college football polls still hold a tight grip on the game. So when a team comes out even in just one game and shows something that wasnât expected in the three months of anticipation leading up to that game, it makes an impression. Even teams with high expectations can shake fans awake with just how good they look. Despite all being ranked in the top 10, it was jarring to see just how good Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, and Indiana looked in their wins, annihilating lesser opponents with jaw-dropping efficiency. LSU looked no less dominant, but likely gets bonus points for doing it against a name-brand program like Clemson. SMU didnât dominate Florida State by any stretch, but the Mustangs were the only ranked team to play a true road game against a Power Four opponent and get the win.
Which team was most underwhelming in Week 1?
Being on the other side of the expectations game is significantly less fun. Because style points matter in college football, a team can win their game and still be the laughing stock of the country because of how it happened. Looking squarely at you Michigan, Oregon, and West Virginia.
But even that is better than being just flat-out beaten in front of the whole country like Clemson and Oklahoma State had happen. Which brings up the question, is it worse to technically win the game but because of expectations the vibes are bad, or have a program that should be good, but everyone saw how really bad you actually are?
Be on the lookout for results to these surveys and other SB Nation Reacts surveys later this week!
Brock Bowers injury: Raiders star to miss âgame or twoâ after knee surgery
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 13: Brock Bowers #89 of the Las Vegas Raiders waves to fans after warming up before a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Las Vegas Raiders open the 2026 NFL regular season against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
But Kirk Cousins and the rest of the Raiders offense will be without standout tight end Brock Bowers for that game, and possibly longer.
According to multiple reports, first surfaced by ESPNâs Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, the Raiders tight end suffered a knee injury during training camp and was diagnosed with a meniscus injury last week. Bowers underwent a âmeniscus trimâ procedure on Tuesday in Dallas, with Dr. Daniel Cooper performing the procedure.
Quoting âleague sources,â Schefter reports that Bowers is expected to miss âa game or twoâ as he recovers from the procedure.
Bowers caught 64 passes for 680 yards and seven touchdowns last season, despite missing five games due to a knee injury. The tight end suffered a bone bruise and PCL injury in Week 1 against the New England Patriots last season, and missed three games after playing through the injury during the early part of the year. Bowers was placed on season-ending injured reserve in late December of last year.
Michael Mayer is the Raiders backup tight end. Las Vegas plays the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.
After five seasons at Purdue, the first of which he redshirted, Kaufman-Renn was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 59 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. In five NBA Summer League games, he averaged 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9 forward never signed a contract with the team.
Unlike many college basketball players petitioning for an extra season of eligibility under the NCAAâs newly adopted five-for-five model, Kaufman-Renn was not part of the 2022 recruiting class. He was a top-50 recruit in the 2021 class, a group that also included the likes of Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero, both of whom are preparing to enter their fifth seasons with NBA franchises.
According to the ruling Wednesday from Clark County (Indiana) Circuit Court No. 6 Judge Kyle P. Williams, the NCAA cannot deny Kaufman-Renn eligibility based on his five years in college and four years playing for the Boilermakers, or his professional status. Additionally, the NCAA must allow member schools to recruit and enroll Kaufman-Renn while permitting him to participate with the basketball team.
If Kaufman-Renn continues his college career, it wonât be with the program he called home the past five years. In a post on Instagram, Kaufman-Renn said he will not return to Purdue.
âFour truly unforgettable years,â he wrote. âGrateful for my teammates, Coaches, Coach (Matt) Painter, the Paint Crew, and Boiler Nation. My chapter in black and gold has come to an end, but Purdue will always be part of me.â
Kaufman-Renn told reporters on Tuesday, Sept. 8 that âsix or sevenâ teams had expressed interest in the Sellersburg, Indiana native playing for them for the upcoming 2026-27 season. He said multiple programs told him he could earn “significantly more” than what he would have as a late-second round NBA draft pick.
Whoever ends up with Kaufman-Renn will be getting a potential difference-maker at an extraordinarily late stage in the transfer portal process.Â
Kaufman-Renn started every game as a sophomore for a Purdue team that made the national championship game in 2024, where it lost to UConn. As a junior in 2024-25, he averaged 20.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and was named an honorable mention All-American. Last season, he averaged 14.2 points and a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game as the Boilermakers advanced to the Elite Eight for a third-consecutive season.
MAC wants Michiganâs win overturned after reversing course on end of game controversy
Michigan wide receiver JJ Buchanan (6) catches a 47-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary against Western Michigan to win, 13-12, as time expires in the fourth quarter at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Just one full week of college football action is in the books, and one thing has become abundantly clear. This season, there will be lawyers.
In a statement from Mid-American Conference commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, citing âfurther study and investigation,â the MAC has submitted âformal appeals to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff.â
Specifically, the MAC asserts the following:
After further study and investigation, it is now evident that replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether time remained on the game clock at the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Michigan football game. Â The established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed on the program feed be used in determining whether time remained. Instead, the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied upon the clock feed embedded within its replay system. As a result, one second was placed back on the game clock and an additional play was awarded. Â This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. It was an error in the application of the established replay protocol governing this specific end-of-game timing situation. Had the protocol been properly followed and the program-feed clock been used, no additional play would have been awarded, and Western Michigan would have won the game, 12â7.
Previously, the Big Ten released a statement supporting the decision to put one second back on the game clock, referencing âa side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadiumâ that was used in reaching that decision to put one second back on the clock, allowing Michigan one last chance at converting a Hail Mary.
Rather than relying upon the designated game clock displayed on the program feed, the Big Ten replay crew relied upon a separate clock embedded within its replay system. The two clock feeds were not synchronized.
The game clock displayed on the program feed showed that the clock had expired. The clock embedded within the replay system, however, showed time remaining. Despite the protocol expressly requiring replay officials to rely solely upon the game clock displayed on the program feed, the replay crew utilized the unsynchronized replay-system clock and restored time to the game clock.
That decision resulted in Michigan being awarded one additional play. On that play, Michigan scored a touchdown, changing the outcome of the game from a 12â7 Western Michigan victory to a 13â12 Michigan victory.
This is not simply a disagreement over the proper amount of time to place on the clock, nor is it a judgment concerning an officiating call. It is a failure to follow an established and specific replay protocol designed expressly to govern end-of-half timing situations.
The MAC Commissioner then asks that the Committee recognize Western Michigan as the âactual winnerâ of the game, 12-7, and that further action be taken to reflect that determination in âNCAA records, rankings, postseason consideration, and any other appropriate NCAA purposes.â
A similar letter was sent to General Rich Clark, the Executive Director of the College Football Playoff.
Over the weekend, Western Michigan President Russ Kavalhuna and head coach Lance Taylor appeared to accept the decision at a press conference. Kavalhuna stated that he did not âdiscern anything unfair or untowardâ during the process, citing his background as a prosecutor.
âI will say Iâve looked into this pretty closely, and I used to be a federal prosecutor. I donât discern anything unfair or untoward in this process. Can the process be improved by having what the viewing public sees as the same as what the reviewing officials see? Maybe. Frankly, thatâs not for me to decide.
âOur students and our coach and our university live in a world where we donât always get what we want. Thatâs an opportunity for us to show that, unlike what we see a lot in our society, where we point fingers at someone else and we say that what happened to us was bad because of someone else, even if it was, we know that those people exist in our lives, and we also know that the people we want on our teams and we want in our houses of worship and in our neighborhoods, theyâre the kind of people who say, âMan, that really hurt, but weâre stronger together. Weâre going to move forward. We can take this pain and use it to galvanize strength.â
âSome have read our actions as weak. However, supporting student-athletes and their growth during a time of adversity is strength. Being bitter doesnât make you better and this should not be mistaken for weakness or agreement. We can show respect for the game while also asking serious questions; Iâve done both, and Iâll keep doing both.â
Will this appeal be successful? While college football history is filled with controversial endings, changing the outcome of a game would be an âextraordinaryâ act, as noted by Dr. Steinbrecher:
I recognize that the Oversight Committee does not ordinarily alter results recorded on the field. Nevertheless, the circumstances of this game are extraordinary. The final outcome was directly affected by a replay officiating error resulting from the failure to follow an established and specific protocol governing precisely this type of end-of-half timing situation.
Lakers to honor Phil Jackson â who led team to five championships â with statue outside stadium
Outside the Los Angeles Lakersâ stadium, thereâs a statue of legendary guard Kobe Bryant. In 2027, the man who helped lead Bryant to five NBA championships will get his own statue outside the arena.
The Lakers will honor Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson with a statue of his own outside Crypto.com Arena during the upcoming season, the team announced.
Phil Jackson, who won five of his record 11 NBA coaching championships with the Lakers, will be honored with a statue outside https://t.co/zIICYNuCoG Arena this season, the team announced. The statue will be unveiled April 9, 2027 before L.A. hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The statue will be unveiled April 9, 2027, before the team takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jacksonâs resume as a coach is unmatched. Over his 20 seasons in the role, Jackson won 11 times â six with the Chicago Bulls and five with the Los Angeles Lakers. When he retired after the 2010-11 NBA season, Jackson owned the highest winning percentage of any coach, coming in at .704. That figure has since been passed by Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who has a .726 winning percentage over five seasons. Jackson, however, maintained a 70 percent winning percentage over a much longer period.
Jackson also won two championships as a player, was the 1996 NBA coach of the year and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Jackson and Bryant are far from the only members of the Lakers to get their own statue outside Crypto.com Arena. Magic Johnson, Chick Hearn, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille OâNeal, Elgin Baylor and Pat Riley are all honored at the arena. Additional Los Angeles athletes such as Wayne Gretzky and Oscar De La Hoya also have statues outside Crypto.com Arena. The team also put up a memorial dedicated to Bryant and his daughter Gianna following their deaths in 2020.
Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson will get statue outside of Crypto.com Arena in 2027
Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson share a few words during Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Western Conference semifinals in Dallas. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Phil Jackson will be the next member of the Lakers to receive a statue outside Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers announced on Tuesday that they have commissioned a statue of the coach who led them to five NBA championships â with help from Kobe Bryant, Shaquille OâNeal, Pau Gasol and others â that will be unveiled April 9 when the Minnesota Timberwolves are in Los Angeles for the next-to-last game of the 2026-27 season.
The statue will be designed and created by Omri Amrany of Rotblatt Amrany Studio.
Jackson had already led Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles during the 1990s when then-Lakers owner Jerry Buss hired him before the 1999-2000 season. He ended up coaching the team in two stints â winning three championships with Bryant and OâNeal as his stars from 1999-2004 and two more with Bryant and Gasol leading the way from 2005-11.
Jacksonâs 11 championships are the most for any NBA coach, a record he claimed from former Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach (nine).
âPhil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,â Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement released by the team. âHis masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game.
âAfter he accepted my dadâs invitation to join the Lakers, Philâs unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.â
Jackson will join Bryant, OâNeal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Pat Riley and Jerry West as former Lakers with statues at Star Plaza.
Spurs Villain Tournament, Sweet 16: Former Spurs and Haters
Dec 14, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz small forward Richard Jefferson (24) drives in front of San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As you can see below, all the top seeds advanced to Round 2. The only semi-competitive matchup was Stephen Jackson vs Dennis Rodman, the latter of whom was surprisingly ranked 7th. Iâm disappointed that Rodman is gone so soon, as I personally think he has an argument as the most disliked player whoâs ever played for the Spurs, though Jacksonâs up there too. Other than that matchup, everything else was chalk, so letâs now continue previewing Round 2 of our tournament.
Round 2: Former Spurs
1. Kawhi Leonard vs. 4. Richard Jefferson
The Nephew is back in the news, and Spurs fans are rejoicing once more. Itâs a shame since he was supposed to be the heir to the dynasty, and Kawhi used to be a fan favorite. Then his true colors were revealed during the 2017-18 season when he abandoned the team and rehabbed a nagging knee injury privately, which he used as an excuse to ask for a trade. It seemed like a death knell for the team at that point, but I think everything eventually worked out in the Spursâ favor.
Kawhi should win this in a landslide, especially since Jefferson has a surprisingly high seed in the bracket. Sure, he had three disappointing seasons in San Antonio and jokingly called the city a dump, but heâs had more positive things to say about the organization than negative ones. Iâve never had any ill will towards RJ, and all the âinsultsâ heâs levied against the Spurs are in jest, though sometimes it does get old â especially when you hear him calling games 24/7. Plus, if RJ never flamed out in San Antonio, then we wouldnât have witnessed one of the greatest shoves ever.
2. Stephen Jackson vs. 3. Robert Horry
Stephen Jacksonâs one of the most unlikeable players I can think of, and thatâs before factoring in my Spurs fandom. Heâs called out Pop more times than every other NBA player in history combined, constantly bringing up a story where his ego got in the way of the betterment of the team. He also hates Tony Parker with a passion, calling the latter selfish and claiming that the Spurs wouldâve won more titles had TP sacrificed more. I actually agree with the selfish claim to a certain extent, but for it to come from Jackson of all people is just ironic.
Horry, meanwhile, has a true love/hate relationship with the franchise and its fans. He played a crucial role in both the 2005 and 2007 title runs, but has gone on to call the organization âboringâ since the locker room lacked drama. Horry also said that Hakeem was â20 times better than Tim Duncan,â which is an absurd statement for two of the 10 greatest players ever. Iâd never ridicule anyone for believing Hakeemâs in the same tier of greats as Timmy, but to say heâs 20 times better is one of the most disrespectful things Iâve ever heard.
Round 2: Spurs Haters
1. Phil Jackson vs. 4. Uncle Dennis Robertson
For someone so accomplished, Phil Jackson sure does seem insecure about the success of others. He infamously claimed that the Spursâ 1999 title deserves an asterisk because it came during the 50-game lockout-shortened season, which led to The Admiral purposefully leaving him hanging at the 2000 All-Star Game.
Jacksonâs opponent is none other than our favorite uncle, who was recently handed a five-year ban from conducting any business with the NBA following the Aspiration scandal involving Kawhi. He seemed to be the mastermind behind both the Kawhi trade out of San Antonio and the shady deals that have now come to light with the Clippers. Spurs fans were the first victims of Uncle Dennisâ shenanigans, but the extent of his illegal dealings surprised even me.
2. David Stern vs. 3. Mark Cuban
It seems strange to have a former commissioner on such a list, but Stern fining the Spurs $250,000 for resting players back in 2012 was more a message to the entire league than him singling out San Antonio specifically. To be fair, the Spurs popularized the load management that fans all love today, and that was exactly the type of thing Stern wanted to prevent when he was still in charge. I honestly believe that both Stern and the Spurs did what was in their best interests, so Iâm fairly surprised that he was a higher seed than Mr. Shark Tank himself.
Unsurprisingly, Cuban was delighted to see San Antonio punished for sitting its players. By that point, he had developed a fierce hatred for a Spurs team that routinely clashed with his Mavs in the playoffs during the 2000s and early 2010s. Cuban even made it personal by insulting the Riverwalk and felt that the Spursâ success was largely due to lottery luck, and it certainly didnât help that the rival teams are from the same state but in two cities with distinct cultural differences.
The Portland Trail Blazers are signing Hyunjung Lee to an Exhibit 10 training camp contract, according to multiple reports out of Korea, and confirmed by Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. That means he is almost certain to spend much of the coming season with the Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.
Nicknamed the “Ace of South Korea,” the 6’7″ forward played for Portland at Summer League in 2024, spent last season playing in Japan’s B League. With a smooth jump shot, 3-point range and just playing hard when he got the chance, Lee made an impression at Summer League this year with San Antonio, averaging 8.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in eight games (across the California Classic and Las Vegas). He started slow but near the end of Summer League, he dropped 22 on Utah.
Lee wants to play in the NBA and is taking his shot through the G League. It feels appropriate that the team that drafted and is trying to develop Yang Hansen is taking a shot on him.
Sexton talks Lakers
He’ll be coming off the bench, but Collin Sexton chose to come to the Lakers as a free agent because of the opportunity. He is going to have a big role, sparking offense with the second unit on a team that’s going to play fast and be critical to their success. Sexton appeared on ESPN LA Radio and talked about what drew him to Los Angeles as a free agent (hat tip Real GM).
“I would say just opportunity to win, being on a big stage and being in the situation where I can try to come in and impact winning. I feel like I’ve been on different teams where it’s just been a lot tougher. Of course, the want to win, it’s always been there.”
He also talked about most of the team heading to Slovenia on Luka Doncic’s dime to work out this summer.
“I would say it was one of those trips where it was more like team building for us. It was for us to gel and work out, not just in the States, but away. And also, just the culture, for Luka to do that, it just shows a true leader, and that’s the role that he wants to fall into this season and be the one to lead us.”
Madison Square Garden tops Antâs favorites list
Anthony Edwards and young F1 star Kimi Antonelli filmed a commercial together and did a behind-the-scenes video for YouTube, one where Antonelli asked Ant his favorite buildings to play in (hat tip Hoopshype).
“Well, of course home or Madison Square. Madison Square, TD Garden, New York, Boston, Philly, and Atlanta at home. But it’s hard to play in Madison Square Garden too. Great place. It’s hard to play there. You got to be ready for that. Boston is the same way New York is.”
Barkley says heâs retiring
We’ve seen this movie before, but maybe this time he means it.
Appearing on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” last week, Barkley said this coming season of “Inside the NBA” would be the last one for both him and host Ernie Johnson. Barkley said when the iconic NBA pre/postgame show jumped from TNT to ESPN last year, Johnson asked Barkley to stay on for two more years.
“I said: ‘I love you, man. You’re the best. I’ll stay.’ So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100%.”
Take it all with a grain of salt, we’ve heard this a couple of times now from Barkley. But one of these times it’s going to be real.
