WASHINGTON — Untuk pertama kalinya sejak 2011, Buffalo Sabres melaju ke babak playoff Piala Stanley.

Sabre berakhir a kekeringan playoff 14 musim yang memecahkan rekor liga pada Sabtu sore ketika Detroit Red Wings kalah 4-1 dari New York Rangers.

Itu adalah akhir yang antiklimaks dari kekeringan, terutama setelah Sabres memiliki kesempatan untuk mendapatkan tempat pascamusim dengan kemenangan atas Senator Ottawa pada Kamis malam. Alih-alih merayakannya di ruang ganti pasca pertandingan pada hari Kamis, sebagian besar pemain Sabre mungkin mengambil tidur siang sebelum pertandingan selama pertandingan Red Wings melawan Rangers. Sabres akan bermain melawan Washington Capitals pada pukul 7 malam, namun mereka sekarang akan melakukannya tanpa tekanan karena skenario tersebut merupakan skenario yang menentukan.

Namun, Sabre memiliki sesuatu untuk dimainkan selain satu tempat di babak playoff. Mereka memasuki hari Sabtu terikat dengan Tampa Bay Lightning untuk tempat pertama di Divisi Atlantik dengan 100 poin. Mereka juga tertinggal dua poin dari Carolina Hurricanes untuk tempat pertama Wilayah Timur. Dan Montreal Canadiens hanya tertinggal dua poin dari Sabres untuk posisi kedua di Atlantik. Dengan tujuh pertandingan tersisa di musim reguler, Sabres berupaya memastikan mereka memiliki keunggulan kandang di postseason.

Tapi untuk saat ini, Sabre bisa bernapas lega mengetahui mereka membawa hoki playoff kembali ke Buffalo untuk pertama kalinya dalam 15 tahun.

“Ada beberapa orang yang telah berada di sini selama beberapa waktu dan dibawa ke sini untuk menjadi bagian dari tim playoff,” kata penyerang Sabres Josh Doan pada hari Jumat setelah latihan. “Tentu saja, mereka bersemangat mendapat kesempatan untuk membuktikan diri.

“Anda melihat banyak pemain dengan nama besar yang Anda dengar di liga, mereka lebih banyak dibicarakan karena babak playoff. Banyak dari mereka yang belum pernah berada dalam situasi itu, jadi tentu saja, ada banyak kegembiraan. Saya bersemangat melihat dunia melihat beberapa pemain kami yang belum pernah mereka lihat dalam format playoff atau gaya playoff.”

Selama 14 musim tanpa babak playoff, Sabre memiliki lima manajer umum berbeda dan tujuh pelatih berbeda. Dalam kurun waktu tersebut, mereka telah dua kali memilih No. 1 di draft dan dua kali memilih No. 2. The Sabres tidak hanya melewatkan babak playoff selama 14 musim berturut-turut; mereka jarang mendekat. Sabres hanya mencapai 90 poin dalam satu musim sekali selama musim kemarau dan masuk 10 besar draft sebanyak 11 kali. Kedua pilihan No. 2 itu, Jack Eichel dan Sam Reinhart, keduanya diperdagangkan pada tahun 2021 dan telah memenangkan Piala Stanley dengan waralaba lainnya.

Bahkan di awal musim ini, membuat babak playoff terkesan tidak masuk akal. Pada 9 Desember, Sabre bangkit di Edmonton dengan rekor 11-14-4 yang menempatkan mereka di posisi terakhir di Wilayah Timur. Hari itu, mereka mengalahkan Oilers untuk memulai a Kemenangan beruntun 10 pertandingan. Tiga pertandingan berturut-turut, Sabres dipecat manajer umum Kevyn Adams, yang menjalani musim keenam bersama tim, dan menggantikannya dengan Jarmo Kekäläinen. Sejak Kekäläinen mengambil alihrekor tim 32-8-4 adalah yang terbaik di NHL.

Namun Sabre juga menunjukkan tanda-tanda perbaikan sebelum pergantian manajer umum. Tim menangani cedera dan absensi dari kontributor utama di awal musim. Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Jason Zucker dan Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen termasuk di antara mereka yang absen karena cedera. Dan Rasmus Dahlin mengambil a cuti pribadi selama tiga pertandingan bersama tunangannya di Swedia sementara dia pulih dari transplantasi jantung.

Melalui semua itu, Sabre terdorong oleh apa yang mereka lihat dalam metrik dasar tim. Meskipun awal yang buruk, Sabre memiliki perkiraan pembagian gol lima lawan lima terbaik ke-10 di NHL, yang biasanya merupakan indikator kuat keberhasilan tim. Sejak saat itu, Sabre memiliki persentase penyelamatan tim terbaik di NHL, yang membantu memberikan lebih banyak hasil yang menguntungkan mereka.

Dahlin dan Tage Thompson telah tampil di level bintang, dan Sabre mendapat kontribusi sekunder dari Bowen Byram, Owen Power dan Mattias Samuelsson di pertahanan dengan Zucker, Doan dan Alex Tuch di antara mereka yang memberikan skor sekunder. Sabres masih menjadi salah satu tim termuda di NHL, namun grup ini kini telah memainkan banyak pertandingan bersama dan semakin matang. Mereka adalah tim yang seimbang dengan gol terbanyak keenam per pertandingan di liga dan kebobolan paling sedikit ke-10.

Sekarang Sabres akan berusaha untuk memenangkan seri playoff pertama franchise tersebut sejak tim 2006-07 mengalahkan Rangers di babak pertama. Tim Buffalo ini tidak puas hanya dengan mencapai postseason. Mereka memiliki tujuan yang lebih besar, seperti yang dijelaskan Tuch pada akhir Januari.

“Anda tahu, kami datang dengan penuh percaya diri,” Tuch kata kemudian. “Semua orang datang untuk mencoba membuktikan diri mereka, dan kami mencoba untuk membuktikan sebagai sebuah tim bahwa kami sah. Kami tidak hanya akan pergi ke babak playoff, kami akan pergi untuk Piala, dan itulah tujuan kami: Menjadi lebih baik setiap hari. Itu saja. Itulah tujuan akhirnya. Kami di sini bukan hanya untuk ikut campur.”

Stadion Lucas Oil, Indianapolis

Indianapolis menjadi tuan rumah Final Four untuk kesembilan kalinya, dan untuk keempat kalinya berturut-turut, Stadion Lucas Oil akan menjadi tuan rumah aksi tersebut. Rumah dari NFL Indianapolis Colts, yang memiliki kapasitas bola basket 70.000, menjadi tuan rumah pertandingan pada tahun 2010, 2015 dan turnamen tahun 2021 yang diubah oleh pandemi COVID-19.

Pelatih UConn Geno Auriemma mengeluarkan pernyataan permintaan maaf atas perilakunya setelah Huskies kalah 62-48 dari South Carolina di Final Four turnamen bola basket wanita NCAA.

“Tidak ada alasan untuk cara saya menangani akhir pertandingan vs Carolina Selatan,” dia dikatakan Sabtu. “Ini berbeda dengan apa yang saya lakukan dan apa standar kami di sini di Connecticut. Saya ingin meminta maaf kepada staf dan tim di Carolina Selatan. Reaksi saya tidak beralasan. Ceritanya seharusnya tentang seberapa baik South Carolina bermain, dan saya tidak ingin tindakan saya mengurangi hal tersebut. Saya memiliki hubungan yang baik dengan staf mereka, dan saya dengan tulus ingin meminta maaf kepada mereka.”

Selama a wawancara sampingan dengan Holly Rowe dari ESPN di antara kuarter ketiga dan keempat, Auriemma mengeluhkan tentang wasit dalam pertandingan tersebut. Dia juga memanggil pelatih Carolina Selatan Dawn Staley dan mengklaim dia “berteriak-teriak dan mengoceh di pinggir lapangan dan menyebut wasit dengan nama-nama yang tidak ingin Anda dengar.”

Sebelum bel terakhir dibunyikan, Auriemma dan Staley bertukar pikiran sengit, dan dia berjalan menuju terowongan tanpa berjabat tangan seperti biasanya setelah pertandingan berakhir.

Dalam konferensi persnya, Auriemma menyebutkan dua faktor karena rasa frustrasinya yang tidak tahan untuk diperiksa.

Juara nasional 12 kali itu menegaskan bahwa Staley menghinanya terlebih dahulu ketika dia tidak menjabat tangannya sebelum pertandingan. Keduanya melakukan setidaknya satu pertemuan di setengah lapangan sebelum aksi dimulai.

Auriemma juga menunjuk bintang Sarah Strong mengganti jerseynya karena jersey aslinya robek di tengah permainan. Dia yakin itu adalah bukti fisik yang dia dapatkan dari para pemain Carolina Selatan.

Strong mengakui bahwa dia merobek jerseynya “secara tidak sengaja”.

Seperti yang disiratkan Auriemma dalam pernyataan hari Sabtu, dia bisa dibilang menjadi cerita terbesar dari permainan tersebut daripada Gamecocks yang membalas kekalahan tahun lalu dari UConn di kejuaraan nasional. Banyak pikiran Dia melewati batas.

Carolina Selatan dan UConn akan bertemu lagi pada 24 November. Mereka telah sepakat untuk bermain di Uncasville, Connecticut, sebagai bagian dari Pameran Wanita Hall of Fame Bola Basket.

Mengingat kedudukan mereka dalam bola basket wanita, pertarungan apa pun antara Gamecocks dan Huskies adalah peristiwa yang sangat dinantikan. Apa yang terjadi di Final Four hanya akan menambah bumbu tambahan.

PHOENIX — Pelatih UConn Geno Auriemma mengeluarkan permintaan maaf pada Sabtu pagi setelah pertengkaran sengitnya dengan pelatih Carolina Selatan Dawn Staley di akhir kekalahan Huskies di Final Four.

“Tidak ada alasan atas cara saya menangani akhir pertandingan vs Carolina Selatan,” kata Auriemma dalam pernyataan yang dirilis UConn. “Ini tidak seperti apa yang saya lakukan dan apa standar kami di sini di Connecticut. Saya ingin meminta maaf kepada staf dan tim di South Carolina. Reaksi saya tidak beralasan. Ceritanya seharusnya tentang seberapa baik South Carolina bermain, dan saya tidak ingin tindakan saya mengurangi hal tersebut. Saya memiliki hubungan yang baik dengan staf mereka, dan saya dengan tulus ingin meminta maaf kepada mereka.”

Di detik-detik terakhir kekalahan 62-48 di Phoenix, Auriemma mendekati Staley saat keduanya berjalan menuju tengah lapangan untuk berjabat tangan pasca pertandingan ketika Auriemma menghentikan Staley untuk mengeluh. Dia tampaknya mengambil pengecualian atas komentarnya, yang kemudian dikatakannya sebagai keluhan tentang dia tidak menjabat tangannya saat perkenalan pelatih sebelum pertandingan.

Wasit dan asisten pelatih bergerak di antara mereka untuk meredakan perdebatan sengit, dan Auriemma meninggalkan lapangan sebelum para pemain atau pelatih lain, melewatkan jabat tangan pasca pertandingan.

Diminta tentang pertengkaran ituStaley mengatakan kepada ESPN setelah pertandingan, “Saya tidak tahu. Tapi saya akan memberi tahu Anda ini: Saya memiliki integritas. Saya memiliki integritas. Jadi jika saya melakukan kesalahan pada Geno, saya tidak tahu apa yang saya lakukan.

“Saya kira dia mengira saya tidak menjabat tangannya di awal pertandingan. Saya tidak tahu. Saya pergi ke sana sebelum pertandingan, menjabat tangan semua orang di tangan stafnya. Saya tidak tahu apa yang dia lakukan setelah pertandingan. Tapi, hei, terkadang keadaan memanas, kami lanjutkan.”

Dalam konferensi pers pasca pertandingan, Auriemma tidak meminta maaf. “Saya mengatakan apa yang saya katakan,” katanya kepada wartawan Jumat malam. “Dan tentu saja, dia tidak menyukainya. Saya hanya mengatakan yang sebenarnya.”

Meskipun Staley berjabat tangan dengannya ketika mereka berdua memasuki lapangan selama pemanasan, Auriemma mengatakan dia menunggu “tiga menit” hingga Staley berjabat tangan menjelang dimulainya pertandingan Final Four. Auriemma juga mengeluh selama wawancara dalam pertandingan dengan ESPN tentang pelanggaran dan cara Staley berbicara kepada wasit. Dia menyiratkan bahwa jersey Sarah Strong telah robek oleh Carolina Selatan, tetapi tayangan ulang video menunjukkan Strong merobeknya di tengah karena frustrasi setelah dia gagal melakukan tembakan dan pelanggaran tidak dilakukan.

UConn mengincar kejuaraan berturut-turut dan ingin tetap tak terkalahkan. Sebaliknya, Carolina Selatan mengakhiri rekor kemenangan beruntun 54 pertandingannya. Staley kini unggul 2-1 melawan Auriemma di Final Four dan membalas dendam setelah kalah dari UConn di kejuaraan nasional 2025. Gamecocks akan bermain melawan UCLA untuk memperebutkan gelar pada hari Minggu di Mortgage Matchup Center.

Cerita ini akan diperbarui.

Candace Parker, Amar’e Stoudemire and Doc Rivers headline a nine-member class that has been selected for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame next August.

The threesome will be joined by Elena Delle Donne, Mark Few, Joey Crawford, Chamique Holdsclaw, Mike D’Antoni and the 1996 United States Women’s National Team in the Class of 2026, the Hall of Fame announced Saturday. Some were dominant forces on the court and pioneers of their sport, while the coaches maintained remarkable levels of sustained success for over two decades each.

Here are their stories.

Candace Parker (player)

WNBA player (2008–2023), three-time WNBA champion, seven-time WNBA All-Star, two-time WNBA MVP, two-time NCAA champion

The list of accolades only begins to scratch the surface of the indelible resume Parker built in her basketball career. Parker was the best player at every stage she played.

She was the best high school player in the country in Illinois, twice winning USA Today High School Player of the Year (2003 and 2004). Her high school years were also when she first drew acclaim for her athleticism. She is believed to be the first woman in Illinois to dunk in a basketball game, doing so at just 15 years old.

It was an omen of just how head and shoulders above the competition she would be for the rest of her career.

Parkler’s dominance continued in her three seasons under legendary coach Pat Summitt at Tennessee (2005-08). The 6-foot-4 forward averaged 19.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per night. She won two national championships (2007 and 2008) and was an All-American all three years in college. In both national title runs, Parker was the Most Outstanding Player. Summitt, a Naismith Hall of Famer herself, was quick to sing the praises of Parker during her college career.

“Candace Parker is the best player in the women’s game,” Summitt said in 2008. “There has been a lot of questions or suggestions about who is the best player. My comment on that is, the big question should be, who is the best player in the world? Is it Candace Parker or is it Lauren Jackson?”

At the time, Jackson was a WNBA center who had already won two of her three MVP awards.

Parker’s brilliance only continued in the WNBA. Drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008, Parker became the first WNBA player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. In 2016, she won the first of her three championships. She was still nearly averaging a double-double (14.7 points and 9.7 rebounds) in her 12th WNBA season in 2020 for the Sparks. She won Defensive Player of the Year that season before leaving for her hometown Chicago Sky in 2021, where she immediately won her second title. She finished with three championships overall and made four WNBA Finals.

Candace Parker won the first of her three WNBA championships in 2016 with the Los Angeles Sparks. (Harry How / Getty Images)

In 2016, at just 30 years old, Parker was named to the WNBA’s list of 20 greatest players ever, and remained on the Top 25 list in 2021. Her impact on the Sparks, as well as the WNBA and basketball as a whole, was widely recognized across the sport. Her jersey has been retired by Tennessee, Los Angeles and Chicago.

“Candace Parker has left an indelible mark on the Los Angeles Sparks,” Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter after Parker’s jersey retirement. “Not only as one of the greatest players to ever grace the court, but as a true ambassador of our franchise and women’s basketball as a whole.” — Devon Henderson, staff writer

Mark Few (coach)

Gonzaga head coach (1999-present), 773 wins, 2017 AP Coach of the Year, two Final Fours, two championship game appearances

In his 27 seasons and counting at Gonzaga, Few has transformed the Bulldogs from an obscure mid-major men’s basketball program into a national power. His impact was immediate, leading the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 in each of his first two seasons (2000 and 2001) as one of two head coaches to accomplish that feat since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

Since then, Few has become synonymous with winning. His Gonzaga teams have won the WCC Tournament championship 21 times and have made the NCAA Tournament in all 27 seasons, clinching an automatic bid in 2020 before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs made the NCAA title game in 2017 and 2021, but lost both times.

His winning percentage (.832) is the highest in NCAA history for coaches with more than 600 games. He is the only coach to win eight or more consecutive conference championships twice and owns a host of WCC and Gonzaga wins records.

He currently ranks 19th in career wins, just one spot ahead of 2016 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Tom Izzo. Few will be the fifth active Division I coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He has coached 19 NBA Draft picks during his tenure. — Henderson

Amar’e Stoudemire (player)

NBA (2002-2016), 6x NBA All-Star, 5x All-NBA Selection, 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year

One of the game’s highest flyers has now landed in the Hall. It didn’t always appear that destiny was assured for the power forward. Stoudemire didn’t start playing organized basketball until he was 14, and through various moves and eligibility complications, he only ended up playing two years of high school basketball. His senior season was enough, however, to be drafted directly into the NBA after he averaged 29.1 points, 15 rebounds, 6.1 blocked shots and 2.1 steals per game for Cypress Creek High School in Orlando.

Stoudemire was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the No. 9 pick in the 2002 draft and spent the first eight years of his career there. The 6-foot-10 forward made an immediate impact his rookie year, averaging 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds for the burgeoning Suns, and became the first prep-to-pro player to be named Rookie of the Year in 2003. He later became one half of a superstar duo with two-time MVP point guard and 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Steve Nash on the famed “Seven Seconds or Less” Suns. Two of his three seasons averaging more than 25 points per game came in Phoenix. In the Suns’ 2005 run to the Western Conference finals, Stoudemire averaged just under 30 points and 11 rebounds through 15 playoff games.

Stoudemire became known as one of the hardest dunkers in the game, but was also a skilled midrange shooter with deft footwork.

Steve Nash said of playing with Amar’e Stoudemire, “This guy made my life so fun.” (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

“This guy made my life so fun,” Steve Nash told PHNX Sports in 2024. “Every night, getting the chance to find him on the break, find him on the pick-and-roll, play in the half-court with him, just an incredible, incredible player. I think we’ve all seen him dunk on people, and we’ve all seen him tear the rim off, but I think what people don’t always understand is the dynamism of an athlete at 6-foot-10 that he possesses. Out of this world.”

In 2010, Stoudemire signed with the New York Knicks in free agency and was later joined by Carmelo Anthony in a midseason trade. In 2010-11, he again averaged over 25, pouring in 25.3 points per game for New York. That season represented the last of his six NBA All-Star selections and five All-NBA selections. Stoudemire’s NBA career — he also played a few seasons overseas — ended in 2016 after 14 seasons. He finished with career averages of 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds. — Henderson

Doc Rivers (coach)

NBA Coach (1999-present), 2008 NBA Champion, 2000 NBA Coach of the Year, sixth in career wins by an NBA coach

In Rivers’ 13-season playing career with the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs from 1983-96, he was a one-time NBA All-Star in 1988 with Atlanta.

It was as a head coach that he built his legacy. He’s won 1,192 games and counting in 27 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Orlando Magic (1999-2003), Boston Celtics (2004-13), Los Angeles Clippers (2013-20), Philadelphia 76ers (2020-23) and Milwaukee Bucks (2023-present). He is currently sixth on the career wins list for NBA head coaches. He was the only member in the top 10 not yet in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Rivers won Coach of the Year in his first season coaching Orlando and led them to the playoffs three of his four years there. By 2004, Rivers had made his way to Boston. In 2008, he led the Celtics to a 36-win turnaround, tied for the most ever season-to-season in NBA history. He took Boston all the way to the NBA Finals, winning the title in six games over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rivers had a star-studded roster, including three future Hall of Famers in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

“Doc is probably one of the more intelligent people I’ve ever met,” Garnett said on the Bucks YouTube channel in 2025. “Always coming up with quotes, always having things in the chamber that he hits you with. One of the, if not the best, inspirational coaches I’ve ever been around. He is a special type of coach.”

Rivers brought the Celtics back to the Finals in 2010, again against the Lakers, but this time fell in seven games.

In 2013, Rivers became the coach of the famed “Lob City” Clippers, reviving a long-struggling franchise into a Western Conference power with stars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers averaged 54 wins per year from 2013 to 2017 after having just one 50-win season in the previous 43 years of the franchise’s existence, dating back to its days as the Buffalo Braves.

All told, Rivers has made the playoffs in 21 of his 27 seasons.

“It would mean the world to me,” Rivers told reporters Tuesday in Milwaukee when asked about potentially getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. “I’ve done a lot, the numbers are the numbers. But it’s not, I swear, it’s not why I got into this. It’s the relationships, it’s the people. From the day that I was nominated, the calls, I can’t tell you. It’s in the hundreds, the player calls. And some of the calls have been amazing because I thought they didn’t like me anymore. You have falling outs with players, and you don’t ever worry about it; it’s just part of it as a coach. It’s been amazing that they have reached out, and it’s made me feel really good about just doing what I do. It’s been great.” — Henderson

Elena Delle Donne (player)

NCAA leading scorer (2012), WNBA Rookie of the Year (2013), WNBA MVP (2015, 2019), WNBA champion (2019)

Before becoming a prominent WNBA fixture, Delle Donne walked on to the volleyball team at the University of Delaware and led the team to the conference title before joining the basketball team, where she led the nation in scoring as a junior and took her team to the Sweet 16 as a senior. Delle Donne was selected No. 2 in the 2013 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky and led the team in 2014 to its first finals appearance. Her 2013 draft class included Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith and is regarded as one of the most influential classes in league history.

After being traded to the Mystics in 2017, the 6-5 forward won her WNBA championship and second league MVP in 2019, making her the first player to earn the honor with two different franchises. An elite shooter, Delle Donne has the league’s all-time leading free-throw percentage (93.7) and was the first WNBA player to achieve the 50-40-90 mark (50 percent from the field, 40 percent for 3, 90 percent from the free-throw line) for a single season. Her versatility quickly attracted attention among opponents, as Delle Donne’s nimble ballhandling paired with her height and lethal shooting made her a threat in every aspect of the game. In addition to her 2016 Rio Olympic gold, she has gold medals from the 2018 FIBA World Cup and 2011 World University Games.

Delle Donne is also an outspoken advocate for those with Lyme disease and has talked openly about her struggles with the illness. She is also a champion of disability awareness, inspired by her older sister Lizzie. — Emily Ohman, staff writer

Joey Crawford (referee)

NBA referee (1977–2016), 2,561 regular-season games, 374 playoff games, 50 NBA Finals games

By the close of the 2014-15 season, Joey Crawford had refereed more playoff and NBA Finals games than any active referee. He is among the two longest-tenured NBA referees in league history, having been active for 39 seasons. In November 2005, he became the sixth referee to officiate 2,000 games and was a staple officiating the game’s biggest moments for almost four decades.

Crawford is the 19th referee inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the ninth NBA-specific referee.

Crawford became infamous for his quick technical fouls, most notably in a tiff with Tim Duncan in 2007. Crawford ejected the San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer for laughing while on the bench. Crawford claimed Duncan had been laughing at him and used an expletive, while Duncan later said that Crawford had asked him if he wanted to fight. Crawford was later suspended by the league and said the incident changed his life and the way he approached the job.

He retired in 2016 due to nagging knee injuries, and his legacy is forever tied to being one of the most experienced referees in league history, trusted in a record number of playoff games. — Henderson

1996 United States Women’s National Team (team)

1996 Olympic gold medal, 10 future Hall of Fame members

The WNBA owes a debt of gratitude to this group.

The team, coached by legendary Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and headlined by stars Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo, Dawn Staley, and others, ran roughshod over its competition in Atlanta. They went 8-0 with an average margin of victory of more than 30 points.

However, more important than any individual accomplishment at the games was the lasting legacy of their impact. Their dominant showing raised the global profile of the women’s game and contributed to the launch of the WNBA in late 1996. The Olympic team went on a months-long global tour in preparation for the 1996 Games, showcasing the sustainability of interest in the women’s game across the world while playing against college and professional teams globally.

The Olympics proved the culmination of the statement that there was a market for a professional women’s basketball league in the United States, and the players on the team became some of the earliest superstar pillars of the WNBA, which launched its first season in 1997.

“Now when I look in hindsight,” Lobo said ahead of the ESPN “Dream On” documentary series on the team, “… Holy cow, what the Olympic team did, the launch of the WNBA that’s here 26 years later, would there even be a WNBA without that team? Certainly not in that immediate time frame.”

The Americans averaged 102 points a game in their eight-game run. Leslie and Katrina McClain led the team in scoring, averaging 19.5 and 14.1 points, respectively. Leslie also added 7.3 rebounds a night and took home tournament MVP.

She later became a three-time WNBA MVP and two-time champion. All told, 10 players on the 1996 Olympic team became Hall of Famers, including Staley in 2013, all benefiting from the fruits of their labor, shepherding in the eyeballs necessary to eventually form the WNBA.

“We didn’t really have those profound conversations,” Staley said. “It was OK then to not feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. We were task-oriented.

“But when you grow and remove yourself from that time, you do have those conversations now. It is cool to have been part of the evolution of a sport, to have seen it, felt it, lived it, and take the time to really, really try to appreciate it and think how to keep it going.” — Henderson

Chamique Holdsclaw (player)

WNBA player (1999–2013), six-time WNBA All-Star, three-time NCAA champion

The star of Pat Summitt’s powerhouse Tennessee teams in the mid-1990s, Holdsclaw led the Volunteers to three straight national championships and won back-to-back NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player awards before being drafted with the No. 1 pick in the 1999 WNBA draft by the Washington Mystics. She left college as the SEC’s all-time leading scorer, totaling 3,025 points.

She was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 16.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in her first season, in which she also started in the inaugural WNBA All-Star Game. Despite struggling with injuries in subsequent years with the Mystics, she averaged a double-double in back-to-back seasons in 2002 and 2003, leading the WNBA in rebounds per game each year.

She finished her WNBA career after stints with the Los Angeles Sparks, Atlanta Dream and San Antonio Silver Stars. Holdsclaw was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. — Mark Puleo, senior editor

Mike D’Antoni (coach)

NBA coach (1998-2020), two-time NBA Coach of the Year

Considered one of the most innovative coaches in NBA history, D’Antoni jumped into the NBA coaching ranks after spending seven years coaching in Italy, where he previously played with Olimpia Milano from 1977 to 1990, retiring as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.

In the NBA, D’Antoni revolutionized the pace of offensive play coaching the Phoenix Suns from 2003 to 2008, leading the Suns to 50-plus wins in four consecutive seasons. After coaching stints with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, D’Antoni again took the league by storm in the late 2010s with the Houston Rockets, leading the Rockets to three straight 50-plus win seasons. He famously coached two guards to MVP campaigns, Steve Nash and James Harden, and was instrumental in the career of fellow Hall of Famer Stoudemire. — Puleo

Start kandang pertama Justin Verlander pada musim 2026 akan ditunda karena cedera pinggul.

Harimau Detroit diumumkan sebelum pertandingan hari Sabtu melawan St. Louis Cardinals bahwa Verlander dimasukkan dalam daftar cedera 15 hari karena peradangan pinggul.

Keider Montero dipanggil dari Triple-A untuk mengambil tempat Verlander dalam daftar 26 orang.

Langkah ini berlaku surut hingga Rabu, membuat Verlander memenuhi syarat untuk kembali secepatnya pada 16 April.

Verlander dijadwalkan untuk bermain pada Sunday Night Baseball yang akan menjadi start pertamanya di Comerica Park bersama Tigers sejak 20 Agustus 2017.

Setelah perpanjangan hak bebas, Verlander menandatangani a kontrak satu tahun senilai $13 juta dengan Tigers pada 10 Februari. Pemenang AL Cy Young tiga kali menghabiskan 13 tahun pertama karir MLB-nya di Detroit dari tahun 2005 hingga '17.

peringkat Verlander 10 teratas sepanjang masa dalam sejarah Macan di antara pelempar di awal, inning, strikeout, strikeout per sembilan inning, dan WHIP.

Sejak musim debutnya pada tahun 2005, Verlander's 84,5 PERANG memimpin semua pelempar MLB. Dia adalah satu-satunya pelempar dengan lebih dari 80,0 fWAR selama rentang waktu tersebut. Clayton Kershaw berada di urutan kedua dengan 79,1.

Menggunakan model WAR Referensi Baseball, Verlander adalah terikat untuk tanggal 24 sepanjang masa di antara pelempar.

Pada usia 43, Verlander adalah pemain aktif tertua di MLB musim ini. Dia tetap menjadi starter yang baik pada tahap akhir karirnya. Pemain kidal ini memiliki ERA 3,85 dalam 29 pertandingan bersama San Francisco Giants pada tahun 2025.

Pada start pertamanya musim ini, Verlander membiarkan lima run dalam 3,2 inning dalam kekalahan 9-6 dari Arizona Diamondbacks pada 30 Maret.

The Tigers belum mengumumkan siapa yang akan menjadi starter pada Minggu malam. Montero, yang tampil dalam 20 pertandingan bersama Detroit musim lalu, akan beristirahat secara teratur setelah membiarkan satu pukulan dalam empat babak penutupan melawan Lehigh Valley pada 29 Maret.

Milwaukee Bucks dilaporkan memberikan lebih banyak wawasan kepada NBA tentang cara mereka menangani Giannis Antetokounmpo karena MVP dua kali itu tetap absen.

Menurut ESPN Syams CharaniaBucks mengatakan kepada kantor liga bahwa Antetokounmpo “menolak kesempatan” untuk berpartisipasi dalam latihan tiga lawan tiga. Itu adalah bagian dari keseluruhan rencana kembalinya dia ke pengadilan.

Artikel ini akan segera diperbarui untuk memberikan informasi dan analisis lebih lanjut.

Jadikan Laporan Bleacher sebagai salah satu sumber pilihan Anda di Google dengan memilih Laporan Bleacher di laman “preferensi sumber”. Di Sini.

Untuk informasi lebih lanjut dari Bleacher Report, lihat kami aplikasi B/R, beranda dan umpan sosial—termasuk Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok Dan YouTube.

Terakhir kali beraksi: Matt Cardona kalah dari Randy Orton (SD, Match 27), Aleister Black mengalahkan Sami Zayn (SD, 20 Maret)

Setelah mereka terlibat di belakang panggung pada awal pertunjukan, Matt Cardona Dan Alistair Hitam bertemu untuk pertandingan tunggal. Zelina Vega menemani Black ke ring, seperti biasa.

Mereka memulai dengan beberapa takedown sederhana, namun cedera lengan Cardona memberinya beberapa masalah, dan itu menjadi fokus utama The Dutch Destroyer.

Masuk akal jika pertandingan ini berada di tangan Cardona, namun hal ini juga menghalangi mereka untuk mengadakan pertandingan yang kita tahu bisa mereka jalani tanpa hambatan.

Mereka melakukan pekerjaan yang baik dalam laga ini, tetapi Anda juga bisa melihat sedikit kurangnya pengalaman bekerja sama. Keduanya adalah veteran, jadi tidak terlalu jelas, tapi jika mereka memiliki lebih banyak pertandingan, mereka pasti akan meningkatkan yang satu ini.

Hitam meraih kemenangan dalam pertandingan ini, tetapi ada kemungkinan besar ini hanyalah pertandingan pertama dari perseteruan yang sedang berlangsung.

Hasil: Hitam mengalahkan Cardona

Momen dan Pengamatan Penting

Pat McAfee telah terungkap sebagai penelepon misterius yang telah memandu tindakan jahat Randy Orton saat ia mempersiapkan pertandingannya melawan juara Cody Rhodes untuk gelar WWE Universal di WrestleMania 42.

Singkatnya, McAfee melompat ke ring di St. Louis, kampung halaman Orton, dan mulai menyerang Rhodes, termasuk tendangan ke bagian tengah tubuh. Orton kemudian memegang kursi lipat dan mulai memukul Rhodes.

McAfee, yang telah mengambil waktu istirahat dari WWE, mengatakan dalam sebuah wawancara di Instagram-nya pada tanggal 8 Maret bahwa dia merasa bisnis tersebut telah berlalu begitu saja.

Nah, di SmackDown Friday, McAfee menyebut Rhodes sebagai masalah pendorong kondisi bisnis WWE saat ini.

Pada SmackDown edisi 13 Maret, Orton melakukan tindakan mengejutkan dan menyerang Rhodes, yang berlumuran darah dan babak belur di meja penyiar.

Fans pertama kali melihat Orton berbicara dengan orang tak dikenal di telepon selama episode Raw 16 Maret. Orton sejak itu mengatakan orang ini telah memotivasi tindakannya saat dia melakukan perjalanan menuju WrestleMania.

Pada hari Rabu, Orton memamerkan panggilan telepon lainnya, menggoda bahwa penelepon misterius itu akan muncul di SmackDown dua hari kemudian.

Tidak butuh waktu lama bagi penggemar untuk mengetahui identitas penelepon, dan Orton mendapat serangan besar di Rhodes dengan WrestleMania hanya dua minggu lagi.

Pasca penyerangan, McAfee dan Orton terlihat berjalan di belakang panggung menuju truk pikap berwarna putih. McAfee menjelaskan bahwa mereka ingin menyelamatkan bisnis tersebut, dan dia juga memberi tahu Orton bahwa dia termasuk dalam perbincangan GOAT.

WrestleMania 42 akan berlangsung di Las Vegas pada tanggal 18 dan 19 April. Pertandingan Rhodes-Orton adalah salah satu dari delapan pertarungan perebutan gelar yang sedang berlangsung.