u/CazOnReddit

Via the following press release: https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-nba-approve-connecticut-sun-sale

>The WNBA and NBA Board of Governors have unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun from the Mohegan Tribe to new owner Tilman J. Fertitta, the league announced today.

>Mohegan Sun Arena will remain the home of the Sun for the 2026 WNBA season. During this season, the Sun will host two regular-season games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut (May 30 and July 2), and return to Boston, Massachusetts for a matchup at TD Garden (August 18). The team will relocate to Houston beginning with the 2027 season.

A sad day for Sun fans as it has been confirmed they will be turned into a revitalized Houston Comets post-Board of Governors approval.

https://preview.redd.it/vtkyvs8zq21h1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=4d69c78cdf02409ca0867d2619149ed544ee77db

You never love to see a city lose their team, let alone one that i'm pretty sure has no other major sports teams across the entire state of Connecticut. Prior to the sale, they were also one of the few sports teams owned by an indigenous tribe (Mohegan) - and the first ever ownership of a major sports franchise by a tribe.

Mabrey had yet another excellent showing (26 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on one turnover. Made 6 of her 11 3s) and the game 1 jitters were nowhere to be seen for rookie Kiki Rice who was cooking off the bench with 12 points, 2 rebounds and an assist.

Great win, great game.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/fortress-co-founder-allegedly-extorted-by-partner-ee9d6666

>Wesley Edens, the co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, answered a LinkedIn message from a China-born entrepreneur in 2022 that blossomed into a correspondence.

>Changli “Sophia” Luo was a divorcée living in New York City who had founded One World Initiative Advocacy, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that said it worked to produce video interviews with economists and environmentalists. Edens, a billionaire who had divorced his longtime wife the previous year, built a reputation for making counterintuitive financial bets. He successfully invested in subprime loans after the 2008-09 financial crisis, spent billions to build a private passenger railway in Florida and, in 2018, bought a majority stake in the then-struggling English soccer club Aston Villa.

>Over messages, he told her how fun it was to own a sports team. And on their third get-together, Edens and Luo had s*x at her apartment in June 2023, according to federal prosecutors.

>The brief relationship spiraled into an alleged extortion plot.

>...

>Months later, Luo’s communications turned from flattering to threatening, according to prosecutors. In November 2023, they said, Luo used a fake name to gain access to the doctor’s office where Edens’s then-girlfriend worked. Luo told the woman, who is now Edens’s wife, that she had had s*x with Edens, whom she described as a terrible person.

>Prosecutors say Luo contacted his ex-wife as well.

>Months later, they said, she wrote to Edens alleging that he had s*x with her while she was mentally incapacitated. She told him that her “home has cameras,” and that everything Edens “did was caught on camera.” She would go to the media, she said, unless he apologized.

>“I am sure your family and business partners will learn about you and your misdeeds from these interviews and will provide exposure that will taint your record forever,” she wrote.

>She gave him information for a mediator.

>While Edens denied Luo’s allegations, he agreed to participate, believing a resolution would prevent harassment of his family and potential public embarrassment, according to prosecutors.

>...

>During a Zoom mediation overseen by a former judge, Luo negotiated with lawyers from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom who were representing Edens. Luo’s lawyers said in a court filing that he agreed to settle the matter for $6.5 million, with $1 million upfront.

>After that settlement, Luo’s lawyers said she found out she had HPV-16, a s*xually transmitted infection that can lead to cancer. She blamed Edens and sought to renegotiate the deal, her lawyers said. Prosecutors said she asked for as much as $1.215 billion. 

>Luo, who had been representing herself, then hired a lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn. He conveyed her threats, including that she would release compromising photos and would “destroy” Edens if he didn’t take “responsibility,” prosecutors said.

I know much of the focus on the Bucks has been on Giannis' future but this is a pretty big case of (for legal purposes, alleged) extortion involving one of the main owners of the Milwaukee Bucks which I feel is worthy of discussion. If this was posted already then it can be deleted but I wasn't able to find any posts about it on the sub's front page.

Yes, every single title defender from 2018 onward was eliminated from contention in the 2nd round - until now as the 2026 OKC Thunder not only get past the 2nd round but do so in dominant fashion and they swept their first two opponents.

Will they match the 2017 Warriors 16-1 title run or beat it?

As the title asks. The last time the Raptors picked 19th was 2024 where they picked Ja'Kobe Walter...well technically it's the only time they've ever picked 19th but I digress.

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+Don't let the box score fool you, Marina Mabrey was excellent tonight. One of the few consistent sources of offense in a game where buckets came at a premium, she had 27/7/2 for the first ever Tempo twenty-five-plus bomb.

+Kiki Rice didn't get much of a runway but she had a nice pass in transition.

+Laura Juskaite helped fuel the 2nd half turnaround. Not much to note aside from her being very productive in the minutes she got and her 3 tying the game 63-63 were a huge popper for the crowd.

+I can't speak to the in-person experience from the crowd but at least from the broadcast, the Tempo are going to be an electric crowd for opposing teams to have to endure all game. They exploded when that aforementioned Juskaite three was sunk for the tie.

-I can see why the Tempo tried to pry away Shakira Austin! Her having a great game was just as much due to her talent as the the lack of backcourt depth. 16-40 points in the paint. If the Tempo plan on being competitive a la the 2025 Valkyries, they are going to need to pick up more size - or hit their 3s if they're going to play small.

-It's their first game together and the lack of chemistry/cohesion was on full display in the final moments with a very unfortunate turnover...but it's hard to be too harsh about that.

-Missed free throws? Yup, that's a Toronto basketball team alright! That and the missed 3-pointers felt very Raptors-y; in the 1st half the team was 1/11 from outside though they thankfully hit some big 3s down the stretch to tighten the deficit and even take the lead - if temporarily - late in the 4th.

Overall, a very fun first game from the Tempo! The Raptors debut was before my time (I was a Carter kid) but this game, if nothing else, cemented Toronto as a basketball city - and sure to be one of the premier cities for WNBA hoops in the years to follow.

Per Instagram (Can't link here because it auto-deleted)

\>20 years getting paid for it but 40 plus years of not being able to fathom doing anything other than it. So here’s to retiring from the NBA… because I will NEVER stop ballin 🙌🏽🤞🏽

2016: The Toronto Raptors lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. The Toronto Maple Leafs win the 1st overall pick (It became Auston Matthews).

2026: The Toronto Raptors lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. The Toronto Maple Leafs win the 1st overall pick (I know nothing about hockey prospects).

Coincidence?

Despite not advancing to the 2nd round, Scottie Barnes was the best player in the series - and on both ends at that. He had a true-shooting 60.5% throughout the 7 game series despite the lack of help from his co-star in the games he played and the lack of spacing with Immanuel Quickley out for the entire series (Him being in would probably have helped with the turnovers in Games 1, 2 and 7).

He even got to the line consistently with an average of 7.7 free throw attempts per game.