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Kawhi trade not yet finalized: The Raptors’ deal for Kawhi Leonard remains incomplete because it cannot be completed until the NBA’s lengthy investigation into the Clippers is finished. For the past 10 months, the league has been examining allegations that the Clippers funneled money to Leonard to sidestep the salary cap.
Derby’s almost full: Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper and Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker have joined the field for Monday’s Home Run Derby, leaving just two spots unfilled. Harper could win the Derby at his home park for the second time, having previously claimed the title with the Nationals in 2018.
Carlsson’s historic payday: The Ducks matched Leo Carlsson’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet from the Flyers, making the 21-year-old center the highest-paid player in NHL history by annual average value at $18 million. By comparison, that AAV would rank as the 190th-highest in NBA history.
UCLA lands top prospect: Serbian standout Nikola Kusturica has agreed to a multiyear NIL deal worth more than $12 million to play at UCLA starting this fall. The 17-year-old, who will still need two more years before NBA eligibility, is considered an early contender to be the No. 1 pick in the 2028 draft.
No. 44 forever: It took longer than anyone anticipated, but the Commanders are retiring John Riggins’ No. 44. Riggins, the team’s all-time leading rusher, might have received this honor years ago if he hadn’t criticized former owner Daniel Snyder as a “bad guy” with a “dark heart.” With Snyder’s departure, the franchise has been able to move forward with this recognition.
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At every turn in this World Cup, the game’s best players have seized the moment and delivered performances worthy of the tournament’s colossal stage. On Thursday, Kylian Mbappé stepped forward again, bringing France within reach of the summit once more. France 2, Morocco 0: The tournament’s presumptive favorites lived up to their billing in Foxborough, outshooting Morocco 22–5 en route to a comfortable 2–0 quarterfinal victory. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made a standout save on Mbappé’s penalty, keeping the game tied for an hour, but that immovable object couldn’t withstand the unstoppable force that is Les Bleus.
As with Lionel Messi before him, Mbappé’s first-half missed penalty did little to shake his confidence, serving only as a warm-up for the more difficult act that followed: his sublime strike through traffic in the 60th minute that gave him eight goals this tournament and vaulted him past Messi to lead the Golden Boot race. Six minutes later, reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé sealed the win with a precise finish to cap the performance.