Sports
Pro basketball player running youth camps after returning to Israel: ‘A way to brighten their day'
The last time Fox News Digital spoke with Jared Armstrong, a Jewish American playing professional basketball in Israel, the Philadelphia-born Armstrong wasn’t sure of his next steps following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.
Following the attacks, Armstrong left the city where he lives, about 20 minutes from Gaza, to stay with a friend north of Tel Aviv as the conflict escalated.
Jared Armstrong plays basketball in Israel. (Jared Armstrong )
Armstrong returned to the United States not long after the start of the conflict, but he has since returned to Israel to continue playing basketball and to help Israeli youth as the war rages.
JAB Camp, a nonprofit Armstrong started in 2023 in Philadelphia, is being run in Israel as Armstrong attempts to give kids a respite from the conflict through basketball.
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“Before the attacks, I planned on doing it down the road,” Armstrong told Fox News Digital about launching the JAB Camp in Israel. “It wasn’t to be doing this at such an early time. But, since the war, I felt it was a great way to shed light, it was a great way to inspire kids. Kids’ families, not only them, have been impacted. Kids from ages five all the way to 15, 16.
“Some kids have dads that are in the reserves, have family members that are in the reserves or are fighting in Gaza. So, I wanted to use sports as a perfect way to be transformative, not only with learning but also in spirit. A lot of kids’ spirits may be down, and I feel that this could be a way to brighten their day. They can look forward to going to JAB Camp every week for eight or nine weeks in a row.”
Armstrong’s nonprofit was created to “bring together Black and Jewish youth through the game of basketball” and to “speak out against anti-Black racism and antisemitism.”
“My goal with JAB Camp is to really shed light on a dark time. I want to use basketball as a mechanism to bring kids together — whether they’re from the south of Israel, from the north of Israel — and give them an outlet to forget for an hour or two hours about what’s happening in the world,” Armstrong said.
Jared Armstrong runs JAB Camp. (Jared Armstrong)
“Use this time as a sanctuary. Use this time as your temple of peace to be able to work together, build community, have fun, enjoy [and] learn. And, at the same token, be able to be better. My biggest goal is to give an outlet for kids. I know the light will be shown at the end of the tunnel if they continue to come.”
In early January, Armstrong visited two communities in southern Israel that were decimated by the Hamas attacks, saying it was “emotionally tough” to see what occurred.
“I visited kibbutz Kfar Aza, and I visited Nir Oz. We were one of the first groups to visit Nir Oz. They weren’t allowing people in there. And the amount of burnt houses that we saw when we walked through was just really petrifying. Every house has its own story of how they tried to escape or how they came in there and they killed someone,” Armstrong said of his visit to the communities near the Gaza border.
“No human deserves that,” Armstrong added. “So, it was a very emotional day. For me, it made me want to do more advocacy and diplomacy while I’m here. Speak out about what’s going on. I know I’m one of the only athletes speaking out about it, and I just feel it’s much needed.
“My biggest speech is peace. It has nothing to do with if you agree with the state of Israel or not. It’s right or wrong. No kid deserves to be killed. No baby deserves to be butchered. No woman deserves to be raped. If you stand with that, then I don’t have an answer for you.”
Jared Armstrong recently opened the camp. (Jared Armstrong)
With the conflict in its third month, anti-Israel protests continue across the world. Over the weekend, protesters and rioters gathered outside the White House, with some demonstrators damaging security fencing and hurling objects at police.
“They’re all trying to understand why,” Armstrong told Fox News Digital when asked how Israelis react to seeing protests.
“They don’t really understand how many people can — I don’t want to use the word ‘side’ — but not have empathy for what happened. A lot of people don’t have that simple empathy about what happened on Oct. 7. Forget politics. Forget anything else. It’s just about humanity. And a lot of people don’t understand that. So, they’re really saddened by it.”
Armstrong plays for Elizur Ashkelon in Ashkelon, Israel.
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Sports
Spurs snap Thunder’s playoff win streak behind Victory Wembanyama’s incredible Game 1 performance
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The Oklahoma City Thunder came into Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals having not lost an NBA Playoffs game since Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year.
But they hadn’t faced Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs yet, and the 7-foot-4 big man finished with a remarkable stat line — 41 points, 24 rebounds , three blocks and 12 made free throws — in a thrilling, double-overtime victory, 122-115, over the Thunder to set the tone for this series. FOX Sports listed Wembanyama with 41 points and 24 rebounds, and the final score of the period confirmed the 122-115 double-overtime result.
Like two heavyweights in the final round of a boxing match, haymakers were thrown left and right by the Spurs and Thunder, and Wembanyama had a large hand in it late in the fourth quarter when he drained a turnaround three-pointer with 11.5 seconds left on the clock to give San Antonio a 101-99 lead.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player before the start of the series, came through in the clutch on the opposite end. With 3.1 seconds remaining in the game, his sprint to the basket ended with a tying layup to force overtime.
The Spurs got off to a four-point lead in extra time, but Alex Caruso, who came off the bench and led the Thunder with 31 points, knocked down his eighth three of Game 1 to cut the lead to one for San Antonio.
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The Thunder used that momentum, as Jalen Williams had a dunk to take a 106-105 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander added to it with a dunk of his own. “Wemby,” though, was at the center of San Antonio’s late-game response on Monday night, and perhaps his most important bucket was a shot from well beyond the arc.
Wembanyama took the ball from Stephon Castle and added to the guard’s assist total with a 27-foot three near the Oklahoma City logo to tie the game at 108 apiece with 27 seconds left. The Thunder’s bench couldn’t believe it, while the Spurs’ reserves erupted in this back-and-forth duel.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs dunks against Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Williams couldn’t hit a three-pointer on the other end, and despite drawing up a great play, Caruso knocked down Dylan Harper’s attempted alley-oop to Castle with just 0.7 seconds remaining in overtime to keep the score where it was.
Needing one more extra period, Wembanyama took the game into his hands. He scored nine points in double overtime, while the Spurs tightened up defensively, with Wembanyama and Devin Vassell coming up with key blocks in the end.
Castle finished with 11 assists to lead the Spurs in that category, while rookie guard Dylan Harper made vital contributions with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a game-high seven steals in the win. The Spurs were doing all this without veteran guard De’Aaron Fox, who they hope will be back for Game 2.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket against Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of Game One in the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 18, 2026. (Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
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Williams had 26 points for Oklahoma City, while Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting with 12 assists and five steals.
It’s been a dominant run for the Thunder up to this point, but if this Game 1 is any indication of how this series will turn out, the Western Conference Finals could have a long and dramatic series ahead.
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HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS
MONDAY’S RESULTS
First Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter 16, #17 Middle College 6
#20 Cleveland 20, #13 Dorsey 2
#10 North Hollywood 12, #14 USC-MAE 0
#18 Taft 13, #15 Central City Value 0
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys 19, #17 Alliance Bloomfield 2
#20 East Valley 14, #13 Community Charter 3
#14 VAAS 18, #19 Angelou 0
#15 Reseda 24, #18 Stella 0
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn 44, #17 West Adams 33
#20 Hawkins 28, #13 LAAAE 7
#14 Franklin 19, #19 Mendez 7
#18 Diego Rivera 24, #15 Discovery 8
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
First Round
DIVISION I
#16 Sherman Oaks CES at #1 Venice
#9 San Fernando at #8 Bravo
#12 Lincoln at #5 Chavez
#13 Animo Venice at #4 Chatsworth
#14 LA University at #3 Port of LA
#11 Harbor Teacher at #6 Eagle Rock
#10 Verdugo Hills at #7 Garfield
#15 LA Hamilton at #2 Marquez
Second Round
DIVISION II
#16 Triumph Charter at #1 LA Marshall
#9 Northridge Academy at #8 Rancho Dominguez
#12 Fremont at #5 Symar
#20 Cleveland at #4 Narbonne
#19 North Hollywood at #3 Roosevelt
#11 Orthopaedic at #5 Arleta
#10 Sun Valley Poly at #7 South Gate
#18 Taft at #2 LA Wilson
DIVISION III
#16 Van Nuys at #1 Bell
#9 Palisades at #8 Hollywood
#12 Lakeview Charter at #5 South East
#20 East Valley at #4 Maywood Academy
#14 VAAS at #3 Maywood CES
#11 Westchester at #6 Torres
#10 Animo Robinson at #7 LACES
#15 Reseda at #2 Sun Valley Magnet
DIVISION IV
#16 Vaughn at #1 Jefferson
#9 Smidt Tech at #8 Alliance Levine
#12 Downtown Magnets at #5 University Prep Value
#20 Hawkins at #4 Huntington Park
#14 Franklin at #3 Santee
#11 Bernstein at #6 Camino Nuevo
#10 Rise Kohyang at #7 CALS Early College
#18 Diego Rivera at #2 LA Jordan
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION
#8 Granada Hills Kennedy at #1 Granada Hills
#5 El Camino Real at #4 San Pedro
#6 Wilmington Banning at #3 Birmingham
#7 Legacy at #2 Carson
Note: Division I-IV quarterfinals May 22 at higher seeds; Semifinals all divisions May 27 at higher seeds; Finals all divisions May 29-30 at TBD.
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Russell Wilson has had his share of ups and downs in his NFL career.
He helped the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. But the last few years of his career arguably did some damage to his legacy as he’s spent the last three seasons with three different teams.
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New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 9, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Wilson is still on the free-agent market as he looks to latch on to a new team for 2026. However, former NFL star Aqib Talib implored Wilson to hang up the cleats.
“Do your TV thing, Russ. It’s over with, man. Once you’ve got to decide, do I even want to play?” Talib said on “The Arena: Gridiron.” “I think you don’t really want to play. I hate when guys get to the later part of their career and then they start doing the bounce-around thing and they’re not going to win. There was no chip in New York. That’s just going to be another stop on your resume.”
Wilson reportedly garnered some interest from NFL teams.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson stands on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Oct. 26, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
He told the New York Post that the New York Jets were one of them.
Wilson also was reportedly a candidate to take Matt Ryan’s spot on CBS’ “The NFL Today” after Ryan left to take a front office job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Wilson has 46,966 passing yards and 353 passing touchdowns in 205 career games, but the 2025 season with the New York Giants was one to forget.
Wilson started three games and made some bizarre decisions in a loss against the Chiefs. Jaxson Dart was named the starting quarterback. As he came in to take a few snaps while Dart was being checked for a concussion, Wilson was booed.
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 19, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
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Should he end up signing with another team, Wilson will be entering his age-38 season.
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