The Golfer Aiming to Follow in Arnold Palmer's Footsteps for Team USA
Keegan Bradley had just driven home from the Travelers Championship last summer and put his children to bed when he plopped down in his chair and began looking forward to a few weeks off.
That's when his phone started buzzing with a call that left him completely stunned: Bradley had been tapped as the U.S. Ryder Cup captain, making him the youngest American to assume the role in over half a century.
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New York Times
4 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trade grades: Suns got fleeced
As many expected, Boston is parting ways with two key core players. Plus, the Wizards and Pelicans swapped small guards. Follow along for reaction to that, the Kevin Durant trade and the rest of the offseason. Getty Images This Kevin Durant trade to the Rockets feels like a rushed deal by an inexperienced front office executive, dealing with a very savvy front office that had plenty of leverage. But maybe once we break down this trade and apply some grades, we'll find out this is not so bad for both sides (plot twist: we won't). Let's bust out the red pen and slap some trade grades down on this deal. Read more here. GO FURTHER Kevin Durant trade grades: Did Suns get enough in return from Rockets? Since the season ended, Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia has promised an organizational makeover, one built around toughness and grit. This is the start. At the 2023 trade deadline, Phoenix had acquired Kevin Durant for a package that included Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four unprotected future first-round picks. While the Suns didn't come close to matching what they gave up to acquire Durant, this might have been the best they could do under the circumstances. Jalen Green is a high-scoring guard who has improved over his four NBA years. He's explosive, athletic and dependable. He's played all 82 games the past two seasons, and this season averaged a team-best 21 points while shooting a career-best 35.4 percent on 8.1 attempts per game. Last October, Green signed a three-year rookie extension worth $106 million. The obvious issue: The trade gives Phoenix an overflow of guards. Green joins a group that includes Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen. Booker and Green could give Phoenix a dynamic backcourt if the chemistry is right, something Phoenix battled with Durant. Dillon Brooks is among the league's biggest irritants, a small forward who loves to get inside the heads of opponents. He has the toughness Phoenix seeks, but he often goes too far. His 19 technical fouls this season trailed only the Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards. Brooks has two years left on a contract worth $41.1 million. The No. 10 pick positions Phoenix to add a solid rotation player at a position of need, someone like Duke center Khaman Maluach. The Suns also have the 29th pick, so they have an opportunity to change the roster quickly. Joe Camporeale / Imagn At first glance, Kevin Durant looks like a hand-in-glove fit for a Houston Rockets team that struggled offensively at times last season, especially in the halfcourt — deficiencies that were exposed by a veteran Warriors team in the first round of the playoffs. For all the benefits that the rebuild has brought, their lack of a consistent go-to scorer is arguably the biggest thing holding the Rockets back from making a deep playoff run. Durant's three-level efficiency will instantly raise Houston's ceiling and gives head coach Ime Udoka optionality with in-game lineups. One criticism about the Rockets' coaching staff was the lack of creativity in some of its play calling. With Durant, an analytical darling, there should be more rhythm and flow in Houston's execution. Alperen Şengün and Fred VanVleet (and Amen Thompson to a lesser degree) have the ability to create plays for others, but Houston's lack of outside shooting has been a consistent issue over the years. Now, Udoka doesn't have to put multiple non-shooters on the floor at the same time for extended periods, with the luxury of slotting Durant into any five-man pairing. According to tracking, Durant averaged 5.7 catch-and-shoot attempts last season, which led the team. His effective field goal percentage (66.9) and three-point efficiency (45.6 percent) also led the team. Envision a VanVleet/Şengün pick-and-roll on the weak side with Durant waiting in the opposite slot. Questions about Durant's longevity will naturally arise given his age, injury history and the opening of a title window in Houston. But there's no question that the Rockets' elite defense and Durant's elite offensive arsenal are a match made in heaven, if not extremely close to that. Christian Petersen / Getty Images Kevin Durant's future in the desert became clear at this season's trade deadline. Fighting to reach .500, the underperforming Suns explored trading the superstar without informing him, something Durant did not appreciate. Over the season's final weeks, Durant seemed to accept his fate. With Phoenix lacking roster flexibility as a second-apron team, the Suns needed to reset. Trading him was their best option. This marks the first blockbuster trade for Phoenix general manager Brian Gregory, a former college basketball coach who was promoted to his new role as part of a front-office revamp in May. After the Suns missed the playoffs despite boasting the league's highest payroll, owner Mat Ishbia set out to establish an organizational identity focused on toughness. GO FURTHER Suns trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 1st-round pick: Sources What a way for Kevin Durant to find out the news he had been traded to the Houston Rockets. Christian Petersen / Getty Images Mark L.: Great trade for Houston. They overpaid Brooks and Green is a liability on defense. Only one 1st for Durant and they keep the best pieces of their core long term. They will be a threat to OKC next year if they stay healthy. Femi O.: If the Rockets believe that they are one player away from a title, it's hard to do better than this. It's reminiscent of the Raptors trading for Kawhi even though they didn't know if they would be able to keep him for more than one year. Larry P.: As a Rockets fan I have mixed feelings about this. Excited though to see how the season turns out. Robert G.: This doesn't seem like Houston gave up much for Durant. Drake T.: Strange to think this was the best offer PHX could get for KD. Thomas Shea / Imagn By Doug Haller, Sam Amick and Kelly Iko The Phoenix Suns are trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks, team sources told The Athletic. Durant will play for his fifth franchise, following stints with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix. He has one year left on his current contract at $54.7 million, and is eligible this summer for a two-year extension worth up to $122 million. The 15-time All-Star turns 37 in September. ESPN first reported the trade. Green, 23, is a 6-foot-4 guard who has averaged 20.1 points per game across four seasons. He averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season while shooting 42.3 percent. Brooks, 29, is an eight-year veteran who has averaged 14.2 points throughout his career. He shot a career-best 39.7 percent from 3-point range last season. He is also known as a physical defender and was second-team All-Defense in 2022-23. Read the rest of our story on the trade below. GO FURTHER Suns trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 1st-round pick: Sources The Phoenix Suns have sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in a long-rumored trade agreed upon mere hours before Game 7 of the NBA Finals. In exchange, Phoenix will receive Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks. Durant, who will soon turn 37, has been on borrowed time in Phoenix since the February trade deadline, when Phoenix and Golden State considered a deal that would have reunited Durant with his former Warriors teammate Steph Curry. This is the second blockbuster trade to be completed this month. Last Sunday, the Orlando Magic acquired Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies for Cole Anthony, Kentavious-Caldwell Pope, four first-round picks and a pick swap. Check back here for all the latest reaction on the Durant deal and other moves throughout the NBA's offseason. GO FURTHER Suns trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 1st-round pick: Sources Kirby Lee / Imagn We want to hear from you! Have some opinions about the Kevin Durant trade saga? Send us your thoughts on the Durant trade, or anything else regarding the NBA offseason, via email at live@ We'll feature some of our favorite entries right here on the blog! Christian Petersen / Getty Images The NBA offseason waits for no one, not even the teams competing in the 2025 NBA Finals. We've already seen two big trades: Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets and Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic. Here are the other key dates you must know. Tomorrow : Each team may begin negotiating with upcoming free agents who finished the just-completed season on its roster. : Each team may begin negotiating with upcoming free agents who finished the just-completed season on its roster. Weds. and Thurs.: NBA Draft NBA Draft June 30: Each team may begin negotiating with all other upcoming free agents (beginning at 6 p.m. ET) Each team may begin negotiating with all other upcoming free agents (beginning at 6 p.m. ET) July 5-6, 8: California Classic Summer League (Warriors, Lakers, Heat, Spurs) California Classic Summer League (Warriors, Lakers, Heat, Spurs) July 5, 7-8: Salt Lake City Summer League (Jazz, Grizzlies, Thunder, 76ers) Salt Lake City Summer League (Jazz, Grizzlies, Thunder, 76ers) July 6: Each team may begin signing free agents to contracts (12:01 p.m. ET) Each team may begin signing free agents to contracts (12:01 p.m. ET) July 10-20: Las Vegas Summer League Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images Hello and welcome to The Athletic's ongoing coverage of the NBA offseason, which has begun before this current season officially ended. Hours before the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder prepare to do battle in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets completed a blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Houston for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks. If that move is any indication, this will be an active offseason. Stay tuned to this live blog for the latest.
New York Times
5 minutes ago
- New York Times
Reds' Chase Burns makes pitching history in debut against Yankees
CINCINNATI — For the hand-wringing about whether Cincinnati Reds rookie Chase Burns could handle facing the New York Yankees, their 'mystique' and maybe the best hitter of his generation, last year's second overall pick didn't seem bothered in the slightest in his debut at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, striking out the first five batters he faced as a big-leaguer. Advertisement According to Elias, Burns is the first pitcher in the expansion era (1961) to strike out the first five batters he faced in his big-league debut. Burns gave up three runs, all in the fourth inning, in his five innings. He allowed six hits and three runs with eight strikeouts and no walks. Burns threw 81 pitches, including 53 for strikes. He left with the Reds trailing 3-0 and was in line for the loss. Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice jumped on Burns' first pitch of the fourth inning, a towering shot he pulled over the visitor's bullpen in right field. The Yankees added another two runs on Anthony Volpe's two-run triple. In one of the most anticipated pitching debuts in Reds history, Burns didn't disappoint. After Burns was greeted by a large ovation as he took the mound, Trent Grisham took his first pitch, a 98-mph fastball, for a strike. Three pitches later, Burns had his first big-league strikeout as Grisham swung through the first slider thrown by Burns. Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. laced a two-out single to right in the second for the first hit off of Burns in the big leagues. He bounced back with a strikeout of Volpe to finish the inning. Burns became just the third pitcher since expansion to record all six of his first outs by strikeout, joining Wade Davis of the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 6, 2009, and the Yankees' Al Leiter on Sept. 15, 1987. Leiter's nephew, Mark Leiter Jr., is a reliever for the Yankees. A Yankee fan growing up, Burns said Monday that he had been looking forward to facing Judge since he was drafted. He checked that box in the first inning, when Judge, batting third struck out to end the inning. Burns started Judge with a slider near the top of the zone that home plate umpire Mark Wegner called a ball, even though MLB's GameDay showed the pitch easily inside the zone. Judge then fouled off a fastball before swinging through a pair of sliders. CHASE BURNS IS A CINCINNATI RED — Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 24, 2025 Judge singled and scored in the fourth before Burns got him to pop up in the fifth to end his night. Reliever Ian Gibaut took over for Burns in the sixth inning. Like the Reds' 2023 first-round pick Rhett Lowder, another right-hander from Wake Forest, Burns didn't pitch after he was drafted in July, but was invited to big league camp in the spring and started his career up the road at High-A Dayton. Again, like Lowder, he was quickly promoted to Double A. And also like Lowder, he made a stop at Triple A before making his big-league debut the year after he was drafted. Advertisement Lowder, who is currently on the injured list, struck out six in four innings in his debut last Aug. 30. He made six starts as a rookie, going 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA. Monday and again Tuesday, Reds manager Terry Francona stressed that Burns' career wouldn't be defined by what happened in his first start, but he showed that he was everything he was advertised to be.
New York Times
19 minutes ago
- New York Times
The Briefing: How did players cope with heat? Has Kompany got a Musiala deputy?
Follow reaction after Bayern Munich were handed their first defeat of the tournament and dropped into second in Group C Getty Images Benfica have finished top of Group C at the Club World Cup after beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Charlotte. The German champions have had to settle for second place in the group after Andreas Schjelderup scored the game's only goal in the 13th minute. Bayern pushed for an equaliser in a much-improved second half but Benfica stood firm defensively, with goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin making a string of big saves. In the other game, Auckland City stunned Boca Juniors with a 1-1 draw to pick up their first point of the tournament. Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Benfica sealed their place in the Club World Cup knockouts and topped Group C with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, who finished as runners-up. The heat in Charlotte was intense, around the 40C (104F) mark, as it has been in many early kick-offs through the tournament. Both teams go through to the knockouts and will find out their opponents when Group D finishes later today. Below, The Athletic 's Seb Stafford-Bloor and Mark Carey break down the action from Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte. GO FURTHER Benfica 1 Bayern Munich 0 – How did players cope with heat? Has Kompany got a Musiala deputy? Getty Images That's it! Benfica win and top Group C ahead of Bayern after beating the German side! What effect that has on the knockout stages, we'll find out later today... Getty Images 90+9' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Great chance for Harry Kane from Olise's corner but the ball hits his shoulder and skips wide! Benfica got a (soft) free kick anyway before a slight push from Kane on Otamendi. And... 90+8' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Good from Benfica subs Gouveia and Bajrami. Gouveia, on the right touchline, holds the ball up really well and wins the throw from Thomas Muller after tricking past the veteran. Then Bajrami slides in to put a cross behind for a corner. Getty Images 90+7' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich ...but they're somehow still hanging on. 5-4-1 formation, almost everyone behind the ball, they're super deep and narrow, clinging on to their narrow lead. Bayern desperately trying to make something happen but running out of time. A minute or so left! Progress in the game over in Nashville — we have a restart time of ten minutes' time. The game was suspended with the score locked at 1-1 between Boca Juniors and Auckland City due to inclement weather. The players are going to have a bit of a warm up before resuming play, though with the Bayern Munich-Benfica game very nearly finished and Boca heading out, there hardly seems much point in playing on now. 90+4' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Fine cross Olise, Muller poised, Aursnes behind. Corner. 90+2' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Trubin, so good today, plucks Guerreiro's high cross out of the sky. Man of the match so far. Can he hang on to the clean sheet he so deserves? Getty Images 90+1' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Eight minutes of added time. Lots of injuries, lots of subs, lots of time for Bayern still to get an equaliser. Getty Images 90' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Hilarious from sub Tiago Gouveia. First it's brilliant 'elastico'/flip-flop skill, lovely footwork, to escape a Bayern defender. He carries the ball a fair way, and out of puff, tries to knock it past Stanisic too, but the Croatian gets his body in the way. Gouveia puts hands on Stanisic, who goes down. Soft, but a foul. Then Gouveia absolutely wellies the ball away. Clearest yellow you'll ever see. Getty Images 88' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich WOW! Anatoliy Trubin saves from Leroy Sane with a one on one again! Brilliant play from Harry Kane, who controls with one touch, turns with another, and plays an absolutely sumptuous through ball with his third. Sane clean through, he tries to chip Trubin but the Ukrainian flings a left arm out to block it! Getty Images 87' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Benfica's Angel Di Maria and Vangelis Pavlidis have emptied the tank and walk off for Joao Rego and Tiago Gouveia. Getty Images 86' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Harry Kane inside the box... Nicolas Otamendi is calm and patient (unlike him!) as he slowly and gradually forces the England captain wide and then back. Kane has played in six matches against Otamendi in his career... and not scored. Yet. Then Sane gets a shot inside the box but lashes it over. 84' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Antonio Silva has been really impressive for Benfica. Konrad Laimer swings in a cross from the right, Harry Kane is poised to nod it home, only for Antonio Silva to get his head in the way and divert it out for a corner. Brilliant timing. 82' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Haha, Orkun Kokcu picks up the ball, sees Manuel Neuer off his line, and slams forward an extremely ambitious shot from miles and miles out. It dribbles through to Neuer. 81' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich Harry Kane is frustrated after being scythed down, and the referee sprints in to squash any potential handbags. Then Benfica subs on the sidelines are up in arms as Tah outmuscles Pavlidis, before Olise is clattered from behind. Both teams getting a bit tetchy. Getty Images Apart from the dangers of the weather — both storms and sweltering temperatures alike — for fans and players, the weather breaks pose a different challenge for FIFA ahead of next year's World Cup. The whole point of the final games of a group kicking off at the same time is so the teams do not know what is happening in the other fixture. It adds jeopardy should multiple teams be chasing a place in the knockouts, but also stops teams from sitting back to get mutually beneficial results. A lengthy weather delay in games disrupts that. 78' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich To be fair to Renato Sanches, he has succumbed to the heat and goes off. Defender Adrian Bajrami onto the pitch in his place. I think that makes it a back five with wing-backs. Getty Images 77' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich A brief pause in play as Renato Sanches receives some medical treatment on the pitch. Bayern aren't happy, feeling he is time-wasting.
