Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum faced a lengthy recovery after he went down with a torn Achilles last May. While there was some doubt about whether he would be able to play this season, Tatum always kept hope alive, saying he wasn't ruling himself out back in September. 

That prediction turned out to be true, as Tatum could reportedly return to action Friday against the Mavs, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The team listed Tatum as questionable on its injury report.

The move comes after an up-and-down rehab. At times, Tatum showed off incredible progress, offering hope he could get back before the year was over. But in January, a report emerged suggesting the 27-year-old star could shut it down and prepare for next season. 

Shortly after that report, Tatum's return started to look more realistic. In February, it was reported that Tatum was taking part in controlled scrimmages. He was assigned to the team's G League affiliate to start taking part in practices. Eventually, Tatum found himself listed on the Celtics' injury report, a sign he was getting close to a return. 

That culminated in Thursday's news, ending Tatum's rehab from an otherwise devastating injury.

Despite being without Tatum — and trading away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday — the Celtics have performed much better than expected. The team sits near the top of the Eastern Conference, with forward Jaylen Brown in the midst of an MVP-caliber season.

While it's impossible to know whether Tatum will fully return to form upon his return, the forward should make an impact, even if he's not at full strength. Tatum has made the All-Star team in each of the past six seasons in which he was healthy, and while he hasn't won an MVP award just yet, he's been in contention for that honor multiple times over that period. 

Last season, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Those numbers earned him his fourth-straight appearance on the first team All-NBA team. 

The move comes at the perfect time. With the Celtics rapidly approaching the playoffs, Tatum should have enough time to work himself into form before the end of the regular season. If the team can get him back to full strength in time for the playoffs, the Celtics could be bound for a miraculous championship run during a year most wrote the team off. 

This story will be updated.

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown wasn't a fan of the way the refs officiated his team's narrow 103-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. Brown's nemesis throughout the contest proved to be Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who Brown called out after the loss. 

Brown specifically noted Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to get to the free-throw line, though the coach implied that wasn't always deserved, per ESPN.

"SGA, he's a tough cover, and he does a great job of convincing the referees — probably better than anybody in the league — that he's getting hit," Brown said.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot a game-high seven free throws in the win. He made every single one of them, scoring 26 points to lead the Thunder to the win. 

Brown's frustrations with Gilgeous-Alexander weren't limited to the Thunder star getting calls. In the first quarter, the coach received his first technical foul since joining the Knicks after arguing with officials over a missed foul call against Gilgeous-Alexander. 

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The play in question occurred with 1:57 on the clock in the first quarter. As Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket, he knocked Knicks star Jalen Brunson to the floor. Officials did not call a foul on Gilgeous-Alexander, who gathered himself and hit a layup to extend the Thunder's lead.

As Brunson hit the floor, multiple Knicks players — including Brunson — put their hands in the air looking for a foul call on Gilgeous-Alexander.

But no one was more furious than Brown, who got directly in an official's face to complain. That earned Brown a technical foul.

While Brown did not want to blame that missed call for deciding the game, it was a pivotal play. If the refs penalized Gilgeous-Alexander on that play, it would have given him three fouls in the first quarter. The Thunder likely would have played it cautious with their star the rest of the way, and that may have resulted in a different outcome. 

Some may take issue with how Gilgeous-Alexander does it, but the Thunder star does have a knack for getting to the free-throw line. He's led the league in free throws made per game the past two seasons, and is currently in the lead for that honor again this season.

Gilgeous-Alexander ranks second in the NBA in free-throw attempts per game this season, trailing only Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić. 

Last March, the Chicago Bears made one of the key offseason moves that would propel their team from worst to first in the NFC North, signing center Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million deal. A year later, and the 27-year-old will reportedly retire after just five seasons in the NFL, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

The move comes as a massive surprise considering Dalman's age, contract and on-field excellence.

This story will be updated.

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After three years of mediocre records, Tory Verdi is out at Pitt. The school announced Verdi's firing Tuesday, just two days after the Panthers sustained a 50-point loss to NC State. 

In a statement, Pitt athletic director Allen Greene said the team has not "progressed enough competitively" during multiple seasons under Verdi. 

"After a thorough and thoughtful evaluation of our women's basketball program, it has been determined that we have not progressed enough competitively and now is the right time to seek a new leader for our program. We thank Tory for his dedication over the past three seasons and wish him and his family nothing but the best in their future endeavors. The search process for our next leader is already underway."

It's safe to say Verdi's era did not go as expected after he was hired away from UMass ahead of the 2023-24 season. Verdi came to Pitt after leading UMass to four straight seasons with a record over .500, including making the NCAA tournament during the 2021-22 season. UMass lost to Notre Dame in the first round of the event. 

Pitt was in desperate need of help when it hired Verdi. The team was coming off a 10-20 record, and hoped Verdi would be able to turn things around.

Under Verdi, however, the team proceeded to go 29-66 in three seasons, good for a .305 winning percentage. That figure was actually a slight improvement over former Pitt coach Lance White, who posted a .298 winning percentage in five seasons with the school. 

Verdi's firing comes just days after Pitt lost 93-43 to NC State. The loss — which shockingly wasn't the worst in Pitt women's basketball history — dropped the Panthers to 1-17 in conference play. 

The firing also comes less than a month after Verdi was sued by six former players, who alleged Verdi led a hostile work environment and committed Title IX violations while at Pitt. 

In those lawsuits, players accused Verdi of "public humiliation, verbal degradation, arbitrary reductions in playing time, exclusion from team activities, favoritism of other players, manipulation of player statistics and inappropriate commentary regarding plaintiff’s physical appearance, emotional state and performance.” He was also accused of trying to create a racial divide among the team.

The players claimed that Verdi's actions were reported to the university, which failed take action against the coach at the time. 

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Legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski retired from coaching in 2022, but he still has plenty of opinions on the current state of the game. Krzyzewski spoke out against NCAA Tournament expansion Monday, calling the idea "a big mistake."

Krzyzewski's expanded on those thoughts during an appearance on Jeff Goodman's "The Field of 68: After Dark" show. When asked about current NCAA president Charlie Baker, Krzyzewski, unprompted, brought up NCAA Tournament expansion, saying he was not a fan of the idea. 

"There are less teams capable right now than ever before," Krzyzewski said. "There are many have nots, and it's not their fault. I don't think you mess with something that is gold. It's gold."

Baker has spoken in favor of expansion a few times, the most recent of which came in February, when Baker said he would "like to see it expand." The issue has been discussed since at least 2024, though "logistics" prevented it from being put into place for the 2025-26 season. Discussions over NCAA Tournament expansion may have accelerated after a number of qualified teams missed out on the event last year. 

A few months after those snubs, Baker took that stance, saying too many good teams miss out on the tournament every year.

“There are every year some really good teams that don’t get to the tournament for a bunch of reasons,” Baker told the crowd. “One of the reasons is we have 32 automatic qualifiers (for conference champions). I love that and think it’s great and never want that to change, but that means there’s only 36 slots left for everybody else.

“I don’t buy the idea that some of the teams that currently get left out aren’t good. I think they are. And I think that sucks,” he continued.

The selection committee is considering expanding the men's tournament to either 72 or 76 teams. It's possible that expansion will come during the 2026-27 season. It's unclear whether the women's field would also be expanded.

Currently, both the men's and women's tournaments feature 68 teams. The men most recently expanded in 2011. Previously, the men's tournament featured 64 teams. The selection committee added the "First Four" round in 2011, increasing that figure to 68.

The women's tournament remained at 64 teams until 2022, when it also jumped up to 68 teams. 

Former Miami Hurricanes defensive back and wide receiver Rashaun Jones received a mistrial after being accused of murdering teammate Bryan Pata, according to ESPN.

After hours of deliberation, the jury remained deadlocked, leading to the mistrial. One juror — who chose to remain anonymous — told ESPN that only one member of the jury wanted to convict Jones. The rest of the jury believed the state failed to "meet the burden beyond reasonable doubt" in its argument, per the juror who spoke to ESPN.

"The state case was very weak, mostly circumstantial," the juror said.

With the mistrial, prosecutors are allowed to try the case again with a new jury. That must happen within 90 days of the mistrial. 

Jones was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Pata. Jones was accused of shooting and killing Pata outside of his apartment in 2006. 

Jones, however, was not arrested until 2021. He's maintained his innocence and declined a plea deal prior to the case going to trial. 

During the trial, prosecutors attempted to paint a picture of a feud between Jones and Pata over a girlfriend. A key piece of evidence in the trial involved former Miami instructor Paul Conner, who claimed he saw a person walking away from Pata's complex shortly after the shooting. Seven months later, Conner identified Jones in a police lineup.

The defense, however, attempted to poke holes in Conner's testimony, pointing out that it was dark at the time of the encounter, which lasted just a few seconds. The defense also took issue with Conner's identification of Jones taking place seven months after the interaction. In addition to that, Conner said he wasn't sure whether he was wearing his glasses at the time he saw the man at Pata's complex.

That piece of evidence, combined with uncertainty over the extent of Jones and Mata's feud and only a few former teammates saying they believed Jones owned a gun, resulted in the mistrial.

Jones and Pata overlapped on Miami's football team in both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Pata, a defensive lineman, was killed months ahead of the 2007 NFL Draft, where he was expected to be selected. 

Jones has been incarcerated since his 2021 arrest. 

If Bobby Witt Jr. is anxious about the next couple months, he's not showing it. Why should he? Since his major-league debut in 2022, Witt has developed into one of the game's most complete superstars, a true five-tool player capable of clubbing 30 home runs, stealing 30 bases, winning a batting title and playing exceptional defense at arguably the game's toughest position every single season.

So when Witt takes the field for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he won't carry any nerves with him. Sure, there's a lot at stake. Team USA is looking for revenge after a close, crushing loss to Japan in the 2023 WBC championship. Combine that with the U.S. Olympic team's success at the Winter Olympics, and there's a ton of pressure on Team USA to put those 2023 demons to rest and win the 2026 WBC.

To Witt, though, those heightened expectations only motivate him further to go out there and dominate. 

"Pressure is a privilege," he told Yahoo Sports. "It’s an honor to have that."

That's something Witt — who spoke to Yahoo Sports while promoting the upcoming MLB The Show 26 video game — has proven he can handle in the years since his first WBC appearance, when he was the youngest player on the roster. Since he was unproven at the time compared to his peers, Witt didn't see the field much. He appeared in five games total and received just three plate appearances, going 1-for-2 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in the tournament. 

Though he didn't see much playing time back then, Witt did not hesitate when asked to participate in this year's tournament. 

"Any time I get asked to do anything for USA, I'm going to do it," Witt says. "Just because of what you represent and what I’ve been able to do with them."

This time around, things look different for Witt. After contending for the MVP award in three straight seasons and making the All-Star Game the past two years, Witt is one of the best players on the team — even on a star-studded roster featuring players like Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Cal Raleigh.

Witt also has the unique experience of being one of the few players from that 2023 team to play for Team USA again in 2026. Because of that, Witt is well-prepared to handle the immense crowds and tense atmosphere each game brings, at a time when most MLB players are slowly easing their way back into form. 

"It’s playoff baseball. Every game, every pitch, everyone is locked in," Witt says. "The crowd is into it, everyone’s into it.

He compared those WBC games to a regular-season MLB game in August, saying those regular-season games can bring similar intensity, but sometimes that might require a big play to reach those heights. Or, in some cases, a player has to bring that level of intensity to a regular-season game in the middle of the summer. 

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That's not the case in the World Baseball Classic, where that fervor is present from the first pitch.

"Those games, the energy is kinda already brought to the table and you’re just out there doing it," Witt adds.

While Witt seems well-prepared to handle it, the pressure on Team USA should be heightened, especially not that far removed from watching Team USA turn in a strong performance at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The U.S. took home a record 12 gold medals during the event, doing so in dramatic fashion. 

Both the men's and women's hockey teams won gold medals thanks to walk-off, overtime goals. Figure skater Alysa Liu turned herself into a household name with her exceptional performance, and Mikaela Shiffrin earned her redemption, overcoming her failures in 2022 to claim her third gold medal.

Witt is well aware that the country's success at the Olympics will place even more of an expectation on Team USA in the WBC.

"As it should, we are USA for a reason," he said. "I think we’re the best country out there.

"With all the gold medals [being brought] back. There’s more motivation for us as players to be able to do that."

Similar to Shiffrin, Team USA is looking for redemption. In 2023, the team came about as close as possible to winning it all that year, with the game coming down to literally the last pitch. 

With Team USA trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Japan sent two-way star Shohei Ohtani to the mound to close things out. After a walk to Jeff McNeil — which resulted in Witt entering the game as a pinch runner — Ohtani coaxed a double play. That set up the biggest matchup of the entire tournament: Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout — at the absolute height of his power — taking on his then-teammate Ohtani. After working a full count, Trout swung through a perfectly-located slider that broke just on the outside edge of the strike zone. 

Witt believes things will be different this time around, though it won't be easy — Japan once again looks formidable, and both the Dominican Republic and Venezuela rosters are stacked with elite major-league talent. 

While Team USA was united in its pursuit of a championship in 2023, Witt feels everyone on the 2026 team is fully bought in on what it's going to take to win it all. 

"Now, he said, "we know what needs to be done."

During her 11-year WNBA career, Chelsea Gray has collected an impressive cabinet of championships and awards. She added yet another accomplishment to her collection Monday, as Gray was named the MVP of Unrivaled's 2026 season.

Gray, 33, turned in a fantastic season with Rose BC, averaging 24.2 points, 6.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds in 14 games played. 

This story will be updated.