NBA 101

Lakers’ Sale To Kusher-Iger Came Together In Three Days

Bob Iger and Josh Kushner completed their $12.5 billion purchase of majority ownership in the Los Angeles Lakers from Mark Walter after a whirlwind three-day negotiation, Iger told the California Post. The deal emerged unexpectedly from separate expansion talks.

Iger and Kushner had been pursuing ownership stakes in the NBA’s potential Las Vegas expansion franchise when they learned last weekend that Walter might be open to selling his Lakers stake, which he acquired just over a year ago.

“We were involved in pursuing the new franchise in Vegas,” said Iger. “And while that happened, it was suggested to us that maybe Mark Walter would be interested in selling his stake in the Lakers. And we immediately decided that given the value of the franchise and the iconic nature of the team, that we would be really smart to pursue it. The deal came together in three days.

“It’s that simple.”

Walter had purchased the Lakers from the Buss family at a then-record $10 billion valuation, with the league stipulating that Jeanie Buss remain the team’s Governor for at least five years. Iger confirmed he and Kushner intend to honor that arrangement.

“We have enormous respect and appreciation for Jeanie, her father and what they’ve contributed to this franchise,” said Iger. “And we have every intention to honor the agreement that was made between Mark and Jeanie. If things change, they’ll change, but we’re going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who she is and what she represents in the organization.”

Iger said he has not yet spoken with Luka Doncic but has connected with Buss and coach JJ Redick. Iger and Redick built a rapport during Redick’s playing days with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013 to 2017, when Iger held Clippers season tickets.

Iger revealed that he and Kushner intend to honor the agreement between Buss and Walter that she will remain as governor of the Lakers for at least five years.

Iger described the moment as still settling in, calling the opportunity to own an organization as iconic as the Lakers extraordinary from both a personal and business standpoint. He emphasized that plans for the franchise’s direction remain premature.

“We’re fans,” said Iger. “We respect the value that’s been created, both on the court and off. Our intention is to build this great franchise from a position of strength in many respects as an organization. It’s just premature to speculate at all about what we plan to do, because frankly, we haven’t made any plans yet.”

Jeanie Buss To Remain Governor Of Lakers Despite Sale To Kushner-Iger

Incoming Los Angeles Lakers owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner plan to uphold the arrangement keeping Jeanie Buss as team Governor, Iger told the California Post, following their $12.5 billion purchase of the franchise from Mark Walter.

The commitment traces back to Walter’s original acquisition of the Lakers from the Buss family, a deal that carried a then-record $10 billion valuation. As part of that transaction, the league announced that Buss retain her role as Governor for a minimum of five years.

“We have enormous respect and appreciation for Jeanie, her father and what they’ve contributed to this franchise,” said Iger. “And we have every intention to honor the agreement that was made between Mark and Jeanie. If things change, they’ll change, but we’re going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who she is and what she represents in the organization.”

Iger and Kushner finalized their purchase of Walter’s majority stake within three business days after learning he might be willing to sell. The opportunity arose while the pair were separately pursuing ownership interests tied to the NBA’s potential Las Vegas expansion franchise.

Iger said he has spoken directly with Buss since the deal came together, along with Lakers coach JJ Redick. He has not yet connected with star guard Luka Doncic.

Beyond the Buss agreement, Iger indicated no concrete plans have been formed yet regarding the franchise’s future direction, describing the ownership change as still very new for both him and Kushner.

Tottenham’s Lewis Family Explores Bid For NBA Europe London Team

The Lewis family, owners of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, is exploring a bid for the NBA Europe franchise slated for London. The move would mark the family’s first venture beyond soccer since acquiring Spurs in 2001.

The Lewis family controls 70.12 percent of ENIC, Tottenham’s parent company, which itself holds an 87.62 percent stake in the club. Vivienne Lewis, daughter of Joe Lewis, and her son-in-law Nick Beucher, co-CEO of Tavistock Group, primarily represent the family’s interests.

Joe Lewis stepped down as a person of significant control at Tottenham in October 2022. He pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2024 and was fined $5 million by a New York judge before receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump the following year.

The Lewises have joined a consortium alongside the Checketts and Eccles families, both experienced sports investors. David Checketts previously served as general manager of the Utah Jazz and president of the New York Knicks, while his family has owned MLS side Real Salt Lake and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. The Eccles family holds stakes in English second-tier club Burnley and Spanish side Espanyol.

NBA Europe, a joint venture between the NBA and FIBA, is set to launch in 2027 with 12 permanent franchises and four annually qualifying sides. London is among 12 target cities that also include Manchester, Paris, Madrid, Berlin and Milan.

American technology billionaire Nikesh Arora has separately assembled a consortium prepared to offer more than $1 billion for the London franchise, according to a report from The Athletic. Battersea Power Station’s undeveloped estate has been mentioned as a possible arena site.

Tottenham has regularly finished in the Premier League’s top half under the Lewis family’s ownership, qualifying for the Champions League six times and finishing as high as second in 2017. The club has won just two trophies during that span, however, and finished 17th in each of the last two seasons, prompting a rare public statement from ownership acknowledging accountability for the club’s struggles.

The Toronto Tempo just added another guard

The Toronto Tempo have signed guard Zaay Green to a developmental contract, the team announced on Tuesday.

Green spent the 2026 offseason overseas in Lithuania, Cyprus, and Mexico, where she averaged 12.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

Before that, her college career spanned Tennessee, Texas A&M, UAPB, and Alabama. At Alabama, she averaged 15.7 points per game before entering the WNBA Draft. Green was then selected by the Washington Mystics with the 32nd overall pick in the 2025 Draft, and appeared in two preseason games.

We’ve signed Zaay Green to a developmental contract.

Welcome to the Tempo, Zaay! pic.twitter.com/dqKWIg7x0v

— Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) August 11, 2026

The Tempo have now filled both of their developmental player spots

The league’s current list of developmental players includes Jaylyn Sherrod (Atlanta Dream), Maddy Westbeld (Chicago Sky), Ta’Niya Latson (Las Vegas), and Alissa Pili (Los Angeles Sparks), among dozens of others.

Each WNBA team may carry up to two developmental players in addition to their 12-player active roster. Each developmental player is eligible to participate in 12 total regular-season games. The Tempo’s other developmental player is Ornella Bankole.

The Tempo are 10-22 on the season and have lost 9 straight games. Green will be eligible to play in the team’s 12 remaining games.

Kyler Murray beat J.J. McCarthy in a non-existent QB battle

The Minnesota Vikings named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback on Tuesday in the least-surprising news of the NFL offseason. Despite the Vikings branding this as a “quarterback battle,” it was always Murray’s job — and that’s become apparent in recent days during training camp. Now it’s caused unnecessary drama, as some onlookers at training camp believe that not only was McCarthy neck-and-neck in the battle, but that in recent days he out-performed the No. 1 overall pick who Minnesota signed this offseason.

There is no doubt that McCarthy was bad last year across his 10 games, and that Murray’s veteran experience made him the clear-cut answer for the job, but it was covered in unnecessary consternation. The Vikings knew that Murray would be their starter when they signed him, and if there wasn’t some sort of promise that he would be the starter, then Murray would have signed elsewhere. However, the Minnesota front office wanted to ease the eventual benching of McCarthy with the charade that this was really anyone’s job, when it wasn’t.

The attempt to pretend this was an open battle was predicated on the Vikings’ belief that Murray would win the job easily, but that was complicated by McCarthy playing quite well in camp up to this point, especially recently where it seemed like he was more comfortable in the new-look Vikings offense, especially on deep routes. It also raises questions of the team’s timing, and whether or not the decision to announce Murray as the starter right now was an effort to stop the bleeding after a weekend where Murray struggled, while McCarthy took strides ahead in the battle.

If there’s one thing about this Vikings team it’s that they routinely have messaging issues, almost as if its left and right hands struggle to be in concert. This was the case during Minnesota’s so-called “competitive rebuild,” which saw the Vikings attempt to rebuild its roster and be a successful playoff team in the process — not really achieving either, to the point where the franchise has been locked in draft purgatory without a good way to take the step forward. This was further accentuated this offseason with Justin Jefferson, who reportedly courted Murray to come and play with him, being forced to make public statements about how it didn’t matter who the QB was, and that he didn’t have a preference in the battle.

There’s always subterfuge in the NFL when it comes to making decisions in-season, but far too often the Vikings shroud their offseason plans in a cloak-and-dagger way that makes it feel as if the team itself doesn’t really have a plan. A throated, enthusiastic approach to Murray’s arrival, and naming him the starter from Day 1 would have felt better than what’s taken place. As for how McCarthy is handling all this: Look no further than Adam Schefter’s tweet, which might as well have come directly from McCarthy’s agent.

J.J. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season due to injury and started just ten games last year, with Minnesota winning six of them. Now the still only 23-year-old will be forced to be a backup https://t.co/Sw8qAMuBrL

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2026

Ultimately the Vikings made their decision, and it is probably the right one. Murray is a known quantity at this point, and the team has to be aware that the pressure is on to ensure Justin Jefferson stays happy and doesn’t demand a trade if the offense can’t get back on track. The lack of chemistry between McCarthy and Jefferson killed the passing offense a year ago, and the team is needing to throw a Hail Mary (forgive the pun) to try and replicate their Sam Darnold luck from 2024 in the hopes they can become a serious threat in the NFC North.

Despite this being the right move, it was handled the absolutely wrong way — and fans are right to question the process that led to Murray being named the starter on Tuesday.

Michael Brennan wins Wyndham Championship for second TOUR victory

The regular season has officially come and gone.

Michael Brennan took home the final regular season tournament as he emerged victorious at the Wyndham Championship. Brennan finished 22-under which cleared the nearest challenger, Beau Hossler, by a whole three strokes.

This is the second career victory on the PGA Tour for Brennan as he won the Bank of Utah Championship last year. He is the third straight winner under the age of 25 so there is a real youthful renaissance happening out on the course these days.

On the subject of streaks, the Wyndham specifically has a bit of one going with Wake Forest alum. Brennan is the second straight Demon Deacon to win the event as Cameron Young did last year. Incidentally, both were economics majors at the university.

Brennan leapt from 105 in the FedExCup standings to 47 so he has some work ahead. The playoffs get going this week and are certainly going to be interesting to monitor.

Webb Simpson named Presidents Cup Captain’s Assistant

The United States staff continues to add.

We have a month and change before this year’s Presidents Cup gets underway at Medinah and when it does Webb Simpson will officially part of the American contingent.

From Monday’s announcement:

U.S. Team Captain Brandt Snedeker announced today that Webb Simpson will return as the team’s third captain’s assistant for the 2026 Presidents Cup, which will be played at Medinah Country Club’s Course No. 3, Sept. 22-27.

Simpson joins 2024 Presidents Cup U.S. Team Captain Jim Furyk and 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Team Captain Keegan Bradley as captain’s assistants for the U.S. Team. Snedeker has one remaining spot available to round out his slate of captain’s assistants.

“Webb embodies everything you want in an assistant,” Snedeker said. “He has competed at the highest level, has represented our country on various teams and he’s earned tremendous respect from players across generations. His experience as a Presidents Cup competitor, major champion and seven-time PGA TOUR winner gives him a valuable perspective. The guys tend to gravitate toward Webb, and I know he’ll have a strong and positive impact in the team room.”

This is the second instance in which Webb will serve as an assistant for a Presidents Cup team as he was a part of the fold at Quail Hollow back in 2022. Webb participated in three Presidents Cups himself and compiled a 5-3-2 record in the process.

Panathinaikos Owner Says He Made Offer To Buy Out Nikola Jokic

Panathinaikos owner Dimitrios Giannakopoulos said he made a formal proposal to the Denver Nuggets to buy Nikola Jokic out of the final season of his current contract, and believes he can eventually lure the star center to Greece once he becomes a free agent.

“People are going to say, ‘Ok, now he’s joking,'” Giannakopoulos told the Euro Insiders podcast. “I did make a very serious proposal this year both to his team and to him. I got a rejection. I know that he has one more year of a contract.”

Jokic has two years and $121.8 million remaining on his current deal, though the second season is a player option, giving him the ability to reach unrestricted free agency next summer. Jokic became eligible for a four-year, $278 million max extension on June 14 but has chosen not to sign, citing financial reasons while expressing his desire to remain in Denver long term. Jokic will be eligible to sign a five-year, $359.5 million contract with the Nuggets in July 2027, which would set a new NBA record for the largest deal in league history.

Giannakopoulos said the Nuggets rejected his proposal almost immediately, but he intends to pursue Jokic again once he reaches free agency, and encouraged podcast hosts to contact Jokic’s agent, Misko Raznatovic, to verify the seriousness of his offer.

“It took a few seconds (for the Nuggets) to say, ‘Who? Greece? Where? What? Bye,'” said Giannakopoulos. “But let’s wait until next year.”

Giannakopoulos previously attempted to sign veteran center Jonas Valanciunas away from Denver last summer, an effort that generated confusion at the time before Valanciunas ultimately finished the season with the Nuggets. Valanciunas has since left the Nuggets for Lithuanian EuroLeague club Zalgiris Kaunas this offseason.

The Nuggets signed veteran center Marvin Bagley III and retained reserve wing Spencer Jones by matching a two-year, $12 million offer sheet from the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason. The Nuggets have largely kept their expensive roster intact while continuing restricted free agency negotiations with Peyton Watson.

Don Nelson, Second Winningest Coach In NBA History, Dies At 86

Don Nelson, the second winningest coach in NBA history, a five-time NBA champion as a player and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, has died, it was announced Sunday. He was 86.

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” Nelson’s family said in a statement, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

In 31 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors (twice), New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, Nelson finished with a regular season record of 1,335-1,063. He retired with the most coaching wins ever, a mark that was broken by the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich in March 2022.

Nelson made 18 playoff appearances as a coach, finishing with a 75-91 postseason record.

Kobe Stewart, Hornets Agree To Training Camp Deal

The Charlotte Hornets and wing Kobe Stewart have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract. This is a training camp deal for Stewart that is set up for him to join the Greensboro Swarm of the G League after the preseason.

Stewart played in 46 G League games last season split between the Wisconsin Herd, Austin Spurs and Memphis Hustle. The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 7.7 points on 45.5% shooting and 3.2 rebounds in 20 minutes per game.