Month: April 2025

ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report that Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard will miss the start of the NBA playoffs as he continues to recover from a blood clot in his right calf, per sources.

According to a statement via Bucks General Manager Jon Horst: “Damian Lillard has made significant improvement on his deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He will continue to increase his on-court basketball activity.The team will continue to provide updates as appropriate … Damian’s most recent weekly scan shows that his injury has significantly improved which will enable him to move ahead safely with increased basketball activity. Damian’s health remains our No. 1 priority. We have followed strict protocols and will continue to do so. We are pleased with the positive news about Damian’s progress.”

The Bucks announced last month that Lillard, 34, would be sidelined indefinitely with the blood clot. The team said at the time that Lillard had been using a blood-thinning medication to stabilize the clot, with Horst adding that the Bucks would “support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play.”

Lillard has not played since March 18, when the condition was first diagnosed. Earlier this month, head coach Doc Rivers expressed optimism about Lillard’s potential return this season. While there is still no confirmed timeline, the Bucks’ latest update leaves the door open for Lillard to possibly return later in the postseason—should Milwaukee advance beyond the first round.

Milwaukee went 10-4 without Lillard, and will rely on Giannis Antetokounmpo to lead the charge against the top-four seeded Pacers squad. The Pacers eliminated the Bucks in last year’s first round, with Antetokounmpo sidelined at the time.

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Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier confirmed Tuesday that the organization are having trade talks with other NFL teams regarding star cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Grier said that the organization has come to a mutual agreement with the former All-Pro cornerback to explore trade options: “we decided it was probably in the best interest for all parties to move forward [separately],”  adding that Ramsey did not ask for a trade.

Ramsey signed a three-year, $72.3 million contract extension with the club back in September, which made him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. The CB has a guaranteed salary of $24.3 million in 2025 with a cap number of roughly $16.6 million. If the Dolphins do find a trade partner, they’d clear about $8.5 million in salary cap space in 2025 if designated as a pre-June 1 trade. If Ramsey is designated as a post-June 1 trade, the cap relief would be $9.9 million for next season.

Ramsey entered the league as the fifth overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 out of Florida State, and spent his first four years with the club before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in October 2019. In L.A., Ramsey helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI during the 2021 season. He joined the Dolphins in 2023 in a deal with the Los Angeles Rams. In 2024, the 30-year-old, seven-time Pro Bowler played in all 17 games for Miami, allowing an 83.2 passer rating when targeted in coverage along with a 62% completion rate.

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Team USA manager Mark DeRosa announced on MLB Network that Aaron Judge has been named captain of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. This marks the Yankees star’s debut in the tournament, after he sat out in 2023 due to free agency.

Judge expressed his excitement about the opportunity to represent the United States: “Just getting a chance to represent this country, what this country means to me. Honestly, every game, during the national anthem [and] ‘God Bless America,’ getting a chance to sit out there, for me it’s a time to reflect about all the brave men and women that have fought for this country and given me the opportunity to step on a baseball field and play a game that I love. Now, getting a chance to have ‘USA’ across my chest and represent all the great people in our country and represent what this country means, it’s a great opportunity. I never had this opportunity before, even growing up as a kid, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

The reigning American League MVP said Monday of his absence in 2023, where Team USA reached the finals but fell to Japan: “It wasn’t the best sitting at home watching Team USA battle. I wanted to be there I was in the middle of free agency, but I was looking forward to this opportunity again. Getting the chance to represent and be the captain is something that [Mike Trout] did last time and is a pretty special honor.”

Judge, who turns 33 this month, becomes the first player officially named to the 2026 roster and joins fellow Yankees captain Derek Jeter as one of the few to represent the franchise in the WBC.

The 2026 WBC will run from March 5–17, with games in Houston, Miami, Tokyo, and San Juan. Team USA is placed in Pool B alongside Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, and Brazil. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals, with the championship set for March 17 in Miami. Team USA last won the World Baseball Classic in 2017.

DeRosa, recently named manager, will be joined by a coaching staff that includes Skip Schumaker, Andy Pettitte, Matt Holliday, and others. The full roster will be revealed over the coming year.

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The Phoenix Suns announced on Monday that they have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after one season, and an 11th place finish in the West.

The team said in a statement: “Competing at the highest level remains our goal, and we failed to meet expectations this season. Our fans deserve better. Change is needed.”

The firing of Budenholzer marks the third consecutive season in which the Suns have fired a head coach (they fired Monty Williams in 2023 following a second-round exit; and last season after hiring Frank Vogel as a replacement, they fired him following a first-round sweep).

Budenholzer joined the Suns on a five-year contract last offseason. An NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks and two-time Coach of the Year, Budenholzer  posted a winning record with the Atlanta Hawks before going to Milwaukee, where he finished with a 271-120 record. In nine of his 11 seasons at the helm he coached teams to the playoffs, while also winning the title in 2021.

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