TEMPE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 21: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the dugout before the spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium on February 21, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have both been well represented throughout the ongoing World Baseball Classic tournament as both teams gear up to battle for a National League pennant next season.
On the Dodgers’ side, star players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Will Smith have been participating in the WBC. And Cubs fans have had the chance to see Pete Crow-Armstrong and Daniel Palencia represent their respective countries as well.
But following a quarterfinals matchup between Team Japan and Team Venezuela, Cubs fans received an ominous update on star slugger Seiya Suzuki courtesy of the Dodgers’ franchise player.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Offers Chicago Cubs Fans A Seiya Suzuki Injury Update
"He hasn’t had any imaging done yet so right now it's just based on how he feels,'' Shohei Ohtani told the press after Team Japan’s loss in the matchup, which included Suzuki limping off the field following a steal attempt in the first inning, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. "I'm just hoping it turns out to be something positive and that it won't affect his season.”
Significant injuries to star players have occurred in the international tournament before and Ohtani’s update seemed to leave the door open to that possibility. And an impact on Suzuki’s upcoming season with the Cubs would be a significant loss for the team.
He slugged 32 home runs last year and played more than 150 games for the first time in his big-league career. Another productive and healthy season from Suzuki would go a long way in the Cubs’ hopes for a deeper postseason run next season.
In the immediate aftermath of the play, some Cubs fans likely feared that Suzuki had suffered a significant injury. He struggled to walk off the field under his own power but the team has not issued a clear update as of this writing. Initially, it indicated that he was managing knee “discomfort.”
Team Japan Loses Chicago Cubs Outfielder Seiya Suzuki In World Baseball Classic Injury
“Suzuki, who was thrown out to end the inning, limped off the field with a trainer and had difficulty walking down the dugout steps,” Jorge Castillo reported for ESPN. “Team Japan said during the game that Suzuki is still being evaluated.”
Team Japan’s loss to Team Venezuela was a surprising one after Ohtani’s team came in as the tournament’s defending champion. Team Japan has never before been eliminated prior to the WBC semifinals and this iteration had gone undefeated in pool play.
Team Venezuela is now set to play Team Italy next week for a chance at a championship game against either Team USA or Team Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, Team Japan’s run is over and Suzuki will be hoping to return to a diamond as soon as possible.
St. John's forward Dillon Mitchell (1) and St. John's head coach Rick Pitino embrace each other during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against UConn in the championship of the Big East tournament, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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As St. John’s coach Rick Pitino spoke following the Red Storm’s 72-52 victory over Connecticut in the Big East Conference championship game Saturday night, Mark Jackson and Walter Berry sat silently on a table near the front of the press conference room at Madison Square Garden.
In 1986, Berry was the national player of the year, while Jackson led the nation in assists and the Red Storm tied for first in the Big East regular season and then won the tournament title.
Forty years later, Pitino has St. John’s back to where it was back then, with the Red Storm a national power and capturing New York City’s attention, something that seemed impossible to occur again before he arrived three years ago.
With Saturday’s dominant win, St. John’s became the first program in league history to win the outright conference regular season and postseason titles in consecutive years.
“There’s so much history with St. John's, and we brought it all back in three years,” Pitino said.
After Friday’s semifinal victory over Seton Hall, Pitino noted how the current players understandably don’t remember the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s when St. John’s was the premier basketball program in the Eastern region under coaches Joe Lapchick and Lou Carnesecca.
From Lapchick’s first season in 1956-57 through Carnesecca’s last in 1991-92, the Red Storm made the NCAA tournament 21 times, won three National Invitation Tournaments and had at least 20 victories in a season on 22 occasions. But save for a brief stretch in the late 1990s, St. John’s struggled in the 30 years post-Carnesecca until Pitino arrived in 2023.
“I’m really, really proud,” Pitino said on Saturday. “I know Louie is looking down on us with great pride. Joe Lapchick’s looking down on us with great pride.”
Instead of shying away from the past, Pitino embraced St. John’s history. He grew close to Carnesecca, who died in November 2024, just over a month shy of his 100th birthday. And he contacted former players such as Jackson and Berry, who weren’t as involved with the program as the Red Storm changed coaches several times and never found the right fit.
“I’ve been away from the program for a long time,” Berry said. “But when Rick Pitino came back, I came back.”
He added: “We talk a lot because we’ve got history. We have friends from back in the NBA days. It’s been good.”
Jackson, meanwhile, has known Pitino just as long. After Jackson graduated from St. John’s in 1987, the New York Knicks selected him in the first round of the NBA draft. The next month, the franchise hired Pitino, who had previously been Providence College’s coach and was just 34 years old. That season, Jackson was the rookie of the year, while Pitino led the Knicks to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. The next year, the Knicks won 52 games as Jackson made the All-Star team.
“To have Mark here means a lot to me,” Pitino said.
Jackson was also in a reflective mood Saturday.
“It means so much,” Jackson said. “I think about coach Carnesecca, who’s looking down. I think about the conversations I had with him about coach Pitino, about this program. I can remember specifically one conversation where in the middle of it, he said, ‘Jacks, the son of a gun is a genius.’”
Indeed, Pitino on Saturday became the only coach in Big East history to win consecutive tournament tiles with two programs. He also won the championship with Louisville in 2012 and 2013.
Saturday’s victory was the fifth time St. John’s won the Big East tournament title, and by far the most dominant. It was much different than 1986, when the Red Storm overcame a 13-point deficit and defeated Syracuse 70-69 on Berry’s last-second block. St. John’s, the No. 1 seed, scored the game’s first 10 points Saturday, led 40-27 at halftime and never trailed.
UConn, the No. 2 seed, cut the deficit to 49-42 with 12:34 remaining. But after Pitino called a timeout, St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins made a jumper and Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor connected on a 3-pointer for a 54-42 advantage. St. John’s led by double digits the rest of the way, including a 13-0 run that put the Red Storm ahead 72-49 with 2:38 left, the largest lead of the game.
Ejiofor was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 19.7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 assists, including 18 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks and three steals on Saturday.
“He had numbers like I had,” Berry said, laughing. “He really played well tonight. I mean, seven blocks is incredible, man. That’s Hakeem Olajuwon work.”
Ejiofor also helped St. John’s limit UConn to season-lows in points (52, nine off the previous low) and field goal percentage (33.9%). The Huskies made just 3 of 19 3-pointers (15.8%, which is the second-worst percentage this season) and committed a season-high 17 turnovers, including 11 in the first half. It was much different than the last time the teams met on Feb. 25 in Hartford, Conn., when UConn won, 72-40, snapping the Red Storm’s 13-game winning streak. It was the fewest number of points a Pitino-led team had ever scored since he began coaching in college in 1975.
After that loss, Pitino told his players that Louisville lost to Notre Dame 90-57 in 2009 and made the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight, while the 2012 Cardinals lost to Providence 90-59 and ended up advancing to the Final Four. Since then, the Red Storm have proven the UConn performance was a fluke, although Pitino insisted the players didn’t need any motivation Saturday.
“We never even mentioned revenge because we have so much respect for Connecticut,” Pitino said. “We just talked about championship.”
With a win Saturday, UConn (29-5) may have been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. But now the Huskies enter the tournament on a down note, having struggled for the second Saturday in a row. One week after a 68-62 loss to Marquette cost UConn a share of the regular season Big East title, the Huskies again couldn’t get anything going on offense and had a sub-par defensive performance, albeit against a much tougher opponent on its home floor.
“The group is crushed,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “We laid an egg in something that we desperately wanted to win. I mean, we just laid an egg.”
Hurley said UConn would stay overnight in their New York City hotel and watch film of the game Sunday, following the same pattern the Huskies had in 2023. Back then, UConn lost to Marquette in the Big East tournament semifinals and then won the national championship.
“We’ll leave it here,” Hurley said. “We know that we play our best basketball in the NCAA tournament and versus nonconference teams. Our group knows that.”
He added: “This is a really, really physical league. That was a really, really, really physical game. We’re excited to play in the NCAA tournament that doesn't get played like that.”
St. John’s (28-6) is looking forward to competing in the NCAAs, too, especially with a coach who has won national titles with Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013) and a player in Ejiofor who is tough for any team to handle.
Ejiofor was the Big East player of the year, defensive player of the year and scholar-athlete of the year. UConn center Emeka Okafor in 2004 is the only other Big East player to win all three of those awards. That season, the Huskies won the NCAA tournament.
While these Red Storm are not considered championship favorites, they enter the NCAAs as a likely No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5 seed and having won 19 of their past 20 games. Pitino revamped the roster following last season, when St. John’s finished 31-5 and lost in the second round of the NCAAs, winning its first tournament game in 25 years.
Ejiofor is the lone returning player among the team’s top seven scorers. St. John’s added six transfers who have made immediate impacts in Hopkins (Providence), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford), Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Joson Sanon (Arizona State), Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati) and Dylan Darling (Idaho State).
After Saturday’s victory, they all celebrated on the Madison Square Garden floor. At 9:26 pm, Pitino and Ejiofor walked up the ladder together. Pitino let Ejiofor cut the final strand of the net. The senior forward then waived it over his head as Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” blared over the loudspeakers.
“That guy’s a total butt-kicker,” Hurley said. “He’s on the handful of best players I’ve ever coached against in college. I mean, that guy is a true difference-maker that elevates everyone around him.”
Although his college career is still not over and he has more goals to accomplish in the NCAA tournament, Ejiofor is sure to be remembered by St. John’s fans for decades to come, just like Jackson and Berry. After Pitino’s press conference Saturday, the two former legendary players beamed with pride as they discussed their alma mater.
“The St. John’s basketball program has come a long way,” Berry said. “They’re back on top. And I think with Rick Pitino, they’re going to stay on top.”
HOUSTON: Sam Antonacci of Team Italy scores in Pete Rose style" against Alejandro Kirk of Team Mexico during the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park on March 11, 2026. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
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Sam Antonacci’s international baseball legacy is on center stage in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The Chicago White Sox infielder’s MLB career is not too far away.
Antonacci is playing the biggest game of his young career today. A win over favored Puerto Rico will put him and Team Italy into a truly bigger game in the semifinals.
“Just to go out here with these guys, it means more than you can think,” Antonacci told reporters after hitting a home run in Italy’s shocking 8-6 upset of Team USA in Pool B play earlier this week.
"We all have the same mindset. We don’t need all the bells and whistles. We’re a gritty group, I would say and we just love playing baseball.
“I think that showed tonight, just doing the little things right. We’re looking to win, we’re here to play and we’re just here for the love of the game.”
HOUSTON: Sam Antonacci of Team Italy gets down and dirty to score a run against Team Great Britain during a 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game at Daikin Park on March 8, 2026. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Mexico’s Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox hit a fly ball to left-center field with Joey Ortiz of the Milwaukee Brewers on first base. Ortiz was running with the pitch. As he approached second base, shortstop Antonacci took a fake dive toward the bag to trick Ortiz into thinking the ball was on the ground and headed to center field. Ortiz scrambled towards third base. Jakob Marsee caught the pop-up and Ortiz was easily doubled off first.
Spring Forward In Fall
Hit rewind to last November when Antonacci hit .378 in the Arizona Fall League. In a brief conversation then, he said essentially the same things about his game.
“I’m just trying to take advantage of everything out here because I just love baseball,” he said. “I’ve got so much to learn and what a great atmosphere this is to do it. I’m getting to play and when I don’t, I get to watch other players from other organizations and learn. I get to pick the brains of coaches, teammates, sometimes opponents. I love it.”
GLENDALE, AZ: Sam Antonacci of the Glendale Desert Dogs hits a single during an Arizona Fall League game against the Peoria Javelinas at Camelback Ranch on Oct. 25, 2025. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
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If it sounds like he has a memorized speech, it isn’t. He’s genuine despite seeming at times to be two different people. On the field, the 5-11, 185-pounder plays with passion and fire. Of the field, he is thoughtful, introspective and calm.
He went 28-for-74 with 3 homers, 14 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 19 AFL games, helping the Glendale Desert Dogs win the championship. He also drew 15 walks to 11 strikeouts. When added to his minor-league totals, he has 101 walks t0 97 strikeouts since signing with Chicago.
“Ah, the ball just flies better out in the desert,” he said of his power surge after totaling five in 116 games during the 2025 minor-league season.
Not only does Antonacci pile up hits (.298 average in 139 MiLB games), he got hit by pitches a whopping 39 times in 2025.
That’s a throwback to when other scrappy infielders took their lumps to get on base. Combined with his bat-to-ball skills and all-out hustle, he has the “Pete Rose Mindset” that scouts, managers and fans love.
Hall of Fame infielder Hughie Jennings, a pugnacious 5-foot-8 infielder in the late 1800s, holds the record for most times being drilled in a season (51 in 1896) and career (287). Jennings later managed the Detroit Tigers to three consecutive AL pennants (1907-09).
HOUSTON: Astros second baseman Craig Biggio winces in pain after being hit by a pitch during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Minute Maid Park, July 30, 2006. (Photo by Bob Levey/WireImage)
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Second on the career list is Craig Biggio, the Houston Astros’ second baseman/catcher/outfielder who got plunked 285 times on the way to the Hall of Fame.
Second on the single-season list is Ron Hunt. The Montreal Expos’ second baseman was hit 50 times in 1971. He’s sixth on the career list with 243 over 12 seasons with five teams.
Guys don’t seem to take one for the team as much anymore. Outfielder Starling Marte, who recently signed as a free agent at age 37 with the Kansas City Royals, is the active leader with 166 hit-by-pitches over 14 seasons.
Antonacci’s Resume
Scouts love the lefty’s ability to put the ball in play. Fans fawning over the long ball say who cares. MLB execs counter with, “we do.”
CLEMSON, SC: Coastal Carolina Chanticleer infielder Sam Antonacci is about to connect for a hit during the NCAA Division 1 Regional game against the Vanderbilt Commodores on May 31, 2024, at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Antonacci led Division I with a .367 average at Coastal Carolina in 2024 when he typically had more walks than Ks (50-to-40) with only 6 homers but 47 RBI in 61 games.
Chicago selected him in the fifth round that summer with pick No. 140 overall. Nineteen players chosen at No. 140 have played in the majors, including sluggers Ryan Howard (382 homers, Philadelphia Phillies’ pick in 2001) and Eric Karros (284 homers, Los Angeles Dodgers’ choice in 1988).
Antonacci got $500,000 to sign. He’s proven to be a solid defender at short, second and third with an average arm. He’s got average speed, though his high IQ for the game has enabled him to swipe 66 bases in 81 attempts since signing.
Antonacci’s Future With Chicago White Sox
General Manager Chris Getz recently said the 23-year-old “likely” will begin the 2026 season in the minors. It likely will be at Triple-A Charlotte.
Manager Will Venable loves Antonacci’s high energy. When asked by James Fegan of Soxonline.com about players who are constantly on the move, Venable said: “We love to see it. When we think about the identity we’re trying to create, he does those things naturally.”
Antonacci hit the weight room this winter like he hits everything else – hard. Early in spring training he got his career-high exit velocity of 109.5 mph on a home run.
He’s among a good group of prospects the organization believes will lead the team out of three consecutive 100-loss seasons. There’s a lot of competition for jobs and right now Antonacci is just another guy in the jumbled mix.
NEW YORK: Luis Aparicio (left) and Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox before a 1959 game at Yankee Stadium
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Three of the most beloved infielders in team history had Antonacci’s A-plus attribute of hustle. Luke Appling, Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox all had the uniform numbers retired. All are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In a combined 57 MLB seasons, that trio reached double-digits in homers once – when Aparicio hit 10 in 1964.
Sam Antonnaci may never make a big impact in MLB, let alone approach those three Chicago White Sox mighty mites. That doesn’t mean he won’t give it his best shot.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 20: A general view of a 'March Madness' logo is seen during practice before the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 20, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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What do Duke, Arizona and Michigan all have in common when it comes to March Madness? They’re all contenders to be the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
In addition to the bragging rights of being declared the top-ranked team in the country, the No. 1 overall seed has the ability to choose its preferred region and first-/second-round site.
Of course, being the No. 1 overall seed doesn’t guarantee ultimate victory in the tournament. The last three No. 1 overall seeds to win the championship were UConn in 2024, Louisville in 2013 and Kentucky in 2012. Last year’s winner, the Florida Gators, were the No. 4 national seed.
Every round a team survives through, however, does earn more than $2 million for its conference paid out in annual increments over the next six years. The NCAA hasn’t released the value for this year’s unit, but it will be at or above last year’s $347,275 value. Presumably, the higher your seeding, the better your chance at earning those units for your conference.
Prior to this year’s tournament, teams received a unit for every game played through the Final Four, with no additional units for appearing in the championship game. However, in January, NCAA members voted to add an additional three units each to the men’s and women’s basketball distribution funds. That allows the championship contenders to each earn a unit, plus an additional unit with be awarded to the national champion team.
As is the case with the College Football Playoff, some schools will take home more than others thanks to conference revenue distribution policies. For example, the Big 12 and Big Ten didn’t give teams participating in the CFP any kind of bonus, instead dividing all revenue from the playoffs equally between members.
The SEC, however, gave a bonus for each round of the CFP and do the same for the men’s basketball tournament. Each SEC team receives one payment of $100,000 for appearing in the Preliminary, First, and/or Second Round, an additional one payment of $125,000 for appearing in the Regional Semifinals and/or Regional Finals, and an additional one payment of $300,000 for appearing in the Final Four.
Last year, the SEC had a record number of teams in the tournament, with 14 of its 16 teams in the bracket. Those teams went on to play 35 games leading up to the championship, earning 35 units worth approximately $70 million for the conference, the highest total in history.
Who will win both on and off the court this season? It won’t be long before it’s time to fill out those brackets and see how it all unfolds.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 13: Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Chase Utley (26) looks on during a MLB game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 13, 2018 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies have a long list of superstar players returning for next season, from Bryce Harper to Zack Wheeler, but fans of the franchise hold a special place for some of their predecessors.
As the team’s incumbent stars prepare to take at least one more shot at a World Series title, the leading members of the team’s 2008 championship roster continue to celebrate their lasting legacies.
Most recently, that meant a “Wall of Fame” announcement for former Phillies infielder Chase Utley.
“The Phillies are inducting Chase Utley, considered the greatest second baseman in the franchise’s history, into their Wall of Fame this summer — a potential precursor to a greater honor for Utley, the National Baseball Hall of Fame,” Matt Gelb reported for The Athletic. “One of the most popular players in Philadelphia history, Utley spent 13 seasons with the Phillies.”
Philadelphia Phillies Legend Chase Utley Rejects Offer To Return To Team
Utley enjoyed six All-Star appearances and four Silver Slugger Awards in his time with the Phillies, which included the franchise’s most recent championship title as well. But after his time with the Phillies was done, Utley joined the Los Angeles Dodgers for four seasons to end his career.
And now, Utley, who is a native of Southern California, has returned to the Dodgers despite a job offer from the Phillies.
Following his playing career, Utley moved to England to serve in an ambassadorial role for Major League Baseball. Returning from Europe, he has taken a front office position with the Dodgers even though the Phillies wanted him back.
“The Utleys are back from England, back to living in the Los Angeles area, where Chase grew up and went to college,” Scott Lauber reported for The Philadelphia Inquirer. “The Phillies wanted to find a role for him. Instead, he took a job with the Dodgers: special assistant to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.”
Philadelphia Phillies Wall Of Fame Player Chase Utley Describes Role With Los Angeles Dodgers
The exact nature of Utley’s role with the reigning World Series champion wasn’t clear, but he did emphasize that it gives him a chance to balance work and family.
“It’s giving back to the game a little bit, trying to help them in whatever aspect is possible,” Utley said of his job with the Dodgers, per Lauber. “I get to sleep in my own bed every night, so that’s nice.”
And it seems that, ultimately, he wants to make his home in the region where he grew up rather than in the Philadelphia area where he enjoyed the best seasons of his playing career.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 13: Randy Orton in ring with the Undisputed WWE Championship during SmackDown at Mortgage Matchup Center on March 13, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images)
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HIGHLIGHTS
A contract signing turned into one of the most violent segments of the year, and the road to the main event just got personal in a hurry.
A former champion walked out of SmackDown saying he quit, but the story did not end there.
The full WrestleMania 42 card features four world championship matches across two nights with a major open challenge still unanswered.
Thanks to Randy Orton, the Road to WrestleMania 42 just got kicked into high gear. Orton decimated Cody Rhodes at a contract signing for their WM 42 main event in one of the most savage beatdowns in recent memory on WWE programming.
In case you missed it, here's proof of the savagery.
As it is, we didn't see a ton of new matches added to Night 1 or Night 2 of WrestleMania 42, but we do have more layers. Here is a look at the confirmed card along with detailed viewing info for both nights.
Key Facts at a Glance
Event: WrestleMania 42
Dates: Saturday, April 18 (Night 1) and Sunday, April 19 (Night 2)
He threw Rhodes across the announce desk, busted him open, propped steel steps against the table, and drove Rhodes' head into them. He shoved Jelly Roll out of the way to continue the assault.
Officials rushed down, but the damage was done. Orton sat with the title as SmackDown went off the air. Full heel turn complete, although I really wish it had been Cody who turned.
What Did Drew McIntyre Do on SmackDown?
McIntyre opened the show by confronting SmackDown GM Nick Aldis about losing the title to Rhodes last week. When Aldis called out the hypocrisy and Jacob Fatu came out, McIntyre told everyone he quit.
He was not done, though. McIntyre returned later to attack Fatu from behind during a match against Trick Williams, hitting a Claymore Kick. The "quit" is a storyline device, and McIntyre vs. Fatu remains the expected WrestleMania 42 match per multiple reports.
What Is the Full WrestleMania 42 Confirmed Card?
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
WWE Women's Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
Women's World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
Both nights stream live on the ESPN Unlimited app ($29.99/month). The first hour of Night 1 airs free on ESPN2, and the first hour of Night 2 airs free on ESPN. A Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited bundle runs $35.99/month. Xfinity, Spectrum, DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, and Fubo subscribers can authenticate ESPN Unlimited through existing packages. Internationally, WrestleMania 42 streams on Netflix.
The first four X Games Clubs of X Games League’s summer season—XC Los Angeles, XC New York, XC São Paulo and XC Tokyo—each selected 10 athletes, five men and five women, to represent their clubs in the league’s inaugural season.
Events will include X Games Sacramento (June 26–28), X Games Japan (July 4–5) and the inaugural X Games Championship event in New Orleans on July 24–26, where the club with the highest total points will be awarded the league title and team championship prize purse at Caesars Superdome.
More than 180 skateboarders and BMX athletes were eligible to be drafted on Thursday by general managers Steve Rodriguez (XC New York), Sharalee “Haze” Hazen (XC Los Angeles), Harumi Suzuki (XC Tokyo) and Bob Burnquist (XC São Paulo). More than 50 attended the draft at Cosm in Los Angeles.
More than 50 athletes attended the first-ever X Games League draft at Cosm in Los Angeles on March 12
X Games
With the first overall pick, XC New York selected 16-year-old Australian skateboarder Chloe Covell, who has earned eight X Games medals (five golds) since her debut in 2022.
“I’m so excited,” Covell said after she was selected No. 1 overall. “I was really nervous, but I’m super grateful. I definitely didn’t think this was going to happen, but it’s amazing. It definitely shows all of the hard work I put in. I’m looking forward to having fun with my team and doing my best.”
Australian skateboarder Chloe Covell was the No. 1 overall pick in the first-ever X Games League draft, to XC New York, managed by Steve Rodriguez. (Also pictured, right: X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom)
X Games
With its first pick, XC Los Angeles selected 17-time X Games medalist skateboarder and Southern California native Tom Schaar.
XC Tokyo drafted eight-time X Games gold medalist skateboarder Arisa Trew. To close out the first round, XC São Paulo fittingly selected Brazilian skater Gui Khury, who has the most medals of any teenager in X Games history, with 15.
The full rosters for each of the four X Games League summer clubs can be found below. The league will expand to winter disciplines in 2027.
If new sports are added to the summer season, a new draft will be held at that time. If new teams eventually join the league, there is a process in place for an expansion draft.
The 40 athletes who were drafted range in age from 11 to 35 and hail from eight countries. XC Tokyo is by far the most regional team, with eight of 10 athletes representing Japan. XC São Paulo is next, with five Brazilians. Interestingly, XC New York features four Californians, while XC Los Angeles has two.
XC São Paulo general manager Bob Burnquist drafted BMX athlete Ryan Williams with the 11th overall pick
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