Author: Shekari Philemon

For the first time in years, the Philadelphia 76ers have spent the preseason with their franchise center on the floor. Joel Embiid has been healthy throughout training camp and the preseason, and the team’s star guard said Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, that it transforms what the Sixers can do. Why does a healthy Joel Embiid matter so much? It lets the team build its offense around him. The guard said the Sixers can install more plays when Embiid is available, instead of trying to learn on the fly during games. In past seasons, injuries often kept Embiid out of camp…

The people who build NBA rosters for a living have spoken, and they see one player towering over the rest of the league. Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs dominated the annual survey of NBA general managers released Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, with the Spurs picked to win the 2027 championship. What did GMs predict for Victor Wembanyama? A huge season. General managers projected the French center, who is 22, to win his first MVP award, giving him 77% of the votes. If he wins, he would become one of the youngest MVPs in league history. Denver’s Nikola Jokic…

Some wins come from big plays. This one came from sheer endurance. On a night when the offense stalled, the defense refused to break. The Denver Broncos beat the Seattle Seahawks 17 to 14 in overtime on Thursday night, Oct. 15, 2026, thanks to a defense that stayed on the field for 82 snaps just four days after a road win over the Los Angeles Chargers. How did the Denver Broncos defense win the game? By hounding Seattle’s quarterback all night. Denver sacked Sam Darnold five times, hit him 17 times and intercepted him twice. Twelve different Broncos hit Darnold…

Not long ago, a back injury kept her off the tour for six months. This week, she is playing the best tennis of her career. Sonay Kartal upset world No. 6 Elina Svitolina 6 to 2, 2 to 6, 6 to 4 on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, to reach the semifinals of the Wuhan Open. How did Sonay Kartal beat Svitolina? Kartal raced through the opening set. She broke the Ukrainian in the second game and broke again to close out the set in just 33 minutes. Svitolina responded by taking the second set 6 to 2 to force a…

Some of the biggest names in men’s tennis spent much of this year watching from the sidelines. Now the men’s tour wants to change the system that may be pushing players too hard. The ATP Tour on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, proposed rule changes that it says will reduce pressure on players to overplay and help them manage the demands of the season. Why is the ATP Tour proposing changes? Injuries to top stars have put the schedule under a spotlight. Carlos Alcaraz missed four and a half months, including two Grand Slam tournaments, with a right wrist injury between…

One of the most entertaining players of his generation appears to have walked away from tennis without the farewell many fans expected. Gael Monfils has been listed as retired by tennis’s integrity agency, with his career officially ending Oct. 5, 2026. The French star, who is 40, had planned to retire at the end of the season. The news emerged through an official listing rather than a farewell announcement. Has Gael Monfils officially retired? Monfils has not publicly confirmed it. But the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees drug testing in the sport, lists him among players who have declared…

A receiver who arrived in Houston on Monday will be in uniform across the Atlantic by Sunday. Newly acquired wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will play for the Houston Texans against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday, the Texans head coach said Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. Sunday’s game is part of the NFL’s international series, and the Jaguars have played regularly in London since 2013. How did the Texans acquire Marvin Harrison Jr.? Houston sent picks in the second and seventh rounds of the 2027 draft to the Arizona Cardinals. In return, the Texans received Harrison and a 2027…

Two days after taking a punch at midfield, a Buffalo Bills veteran set the record straight about what led up to it. Bradley Chubb said Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, that his comments to Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Alaric Jackson were about football, not about Jackson’s mother. Jackson punched Chubb after the Bills’ overtime win on Monday night. What did Bradley Chubb say to Alaric Jackson? Bradley Chubb told reporters he had heard claims that he insulted Jackson’s mother and said those claims are false. Instead, he said, he told Jackson that the next time the teams met, the extra…

Golden State’s training camp has come and gone without one of its key big men. Now the team says there is no timeline for his return. Kristaps Porzingis will remain out indefinitely with a private health issue, the Golden State Warriors announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. The veteran center will stay around the team while he works toward a return. What did Kristaps Porzingis say about his health? In a social media post, Porzingis said he is working with doctors and specialists to get back to full health as quickly as possible. He said he is steadily improving and believes…

The San Antonio Spurs have talked since the summer about putting their three best guards on the floor together. On Wednesday night, they finally did it. De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle started together as the Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 123 to 103 in a preseason game on Oct. 14, 2026. How did the De’Aaron Fox lineup perform? It started rough. Harper and Castle missed their first five shots combined, and Fox, making his preseason debut, checked out with nearly seven minutes left in the first quarter. The trio found its footing before halftime. By the break, the…