According to ESPN, Boston has emerged as a leading destination in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. No deal is on the table (that we know of), but the mere possibility might raise a few concerns.
Northeast
Mamdani takes heat over skipping decades-long tradition of attending Catholic archbishop installation ceremony
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash after he decided to skip Friday’s investiture of the new Catholic archbishop of the city, Ronald Hicks, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
In a Friday editorial from the New York Daily News, the outlet tore into Mamdani for failing to attend the new archbishop’s installation ceremony, becoming the first city mayor to do so in several decades.
“Mayor Mamdani was wrong and frankly rude to skip Friday’s investiture of the new Catholic archbishop of New York, Ronald Hicks. As leader of the city — the whole city — it is important for the mayor — any mayor — to participate in the major milestones of our varied communities and here Mamdani failed,” the editorial board wrote.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a Bloomberg Television interview at City Hall in New York, on Jan. 29, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg)
As noted by the Daily News, the installation of a new archbishop is a “significant event for New York Catholics and for all New Yorkers, and even all Americans,” as the New York archbishop is widely seen as the “de facto leader of the American church.”
The outlet argued that the mayor “broke new ground with his absence from the ceremony at St. Patrick’s,” considering the long-honored tradition of New York City mayors attending the event.
“Every mayor going back as far as we can find has been present for the arrival of a new archbishop. Perhaps Mamdani could have made amends by going to the first mass celebrated by Hicks yesterday. But he didn’t do that either,” the Daily News noted.
When asked about Mamdani’s absence from the ceremony, Hicks responded that while he hadn’t spoken to the mayor yet, he looked forward to doing so.
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New York Archbishop-designate Ronald A. Hicks, who is taking over from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, holds up a letter from Pope Leo XIV declaring his new position during the Installation Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, Feb. 6, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Pool/Reuters)
The Daily News railed that it was “outrageous” Mamdani hadn’t yet spoken with the new archbishop, arguing that he’s had more than enough time to do so.
“It was on Dec. 18 when fellow Chicagoan, Pope Leo XIV, tapped Hicks to take over in New York from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who has served 17 years. That was when Mamdani, as mayor-elect, should have made a congratulatory phone call to Hicks in Joliet, Ill., welcoming him to New York,” the outlet contended, adding that “Mamdani had 50 days notice” of the installation ceremony.
Despite attending the mayor’s annual prayer breakfast Friday morning at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library, less than 10 blocks from St. Patrick’s, the outlet argued that “he could have attended the investiture in the afternoon.”
“We know that someone around the mayor carefully keeps track of his days in office, with a sign counting up. Friday was “37 days of a new era.” A new era of what? Rudeness? Disrespect? Ignorance?” the Daily News questioned.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference on Jan. 27, 2026, in New York City. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
The outlet also compared Mamdani’s decision to skip the installation ceremony to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ “big mistake” of declining former New York City’s Archbishop Timothy Dolan’s invitation to attend the annual Al Smith Dinner alongside President Donald Trump.
“Mamdani should not follow her bad example. He should rent a white tie tux and be up on the dais every fall for the next four years,” the Daily News asserted. “The next dinner is Oct. 15, a Thursday, at the Waldorf. See you there, Mr. Mayor.”
The New York Post similarly criticized the mayor’s absence from the ceremony, arguing that Mamdani “committed a cardinal sin last week by dissing millions of area Catholics as the first city mayor in nearly 100 years — and possibly ever — to skip the local archbishop’s installation.”
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani reads a newspaper on the subway on his way to City Hall in New York, Jan. 2, 2026. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Photo)
The Post highlighted that “City Hall ignored several outreach attempts” by the outlet to comment on his “conspicuous absence from the ceremony, which started at 2 p.m.” — well after his prayer breakfast Friday morning.
“After publication, a City Hall spokesperson said the two would be talking on Tuesday and that Mamdani had a scheduling conflict, so instead sent one of his deputy mayors, who is Catholic,” the Post reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Former Mayor Eric Adams also weighed in on Mamdani’s absence, reposting the Post’s article on X, saying, “Our religious communities are foundational to New York City, and the Catholic Church’s daily service to our city is indispensable.”
“As your former Mayor, I proudly reflect the gratitude of countless New Yorkers and extend a warm welcome to Archbishop Ronald Hicks,” he added.
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“It’s been 53 years. I’ve been waiting that long.” “It’s been a very long time, a long time coming. And I’m so excited that my Knicks finally brought a championship home.” “Let’s go Knicks.” “I had to wake up at six o’clock.” “Knicks in five.” “Let’s go, Knicks.” “Let’s go, Knicks!” “We just moved to D.C. a few years ago, but we’re so happy to be back in New York, celebrating. Once we won we were like — we’re absolutely coming home. So, we had to bring Chester with us. I mean, he’s the biggest puppy Knicks fan there is. Chester, can you say Knicks in 5? Knicks in five.” “I got hurt a couple weeks ago, but this is the first time they’ve been to the finals since I was a year old. And so to be able to be here, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.” “My man’s out here with a boot and a Josh Hart jersey. My man’s got heart.” “It feels so overwhelming but overwhelming in a good way, where, like, I want to be — I want to, like, shoot some balls. I want to, like, just vibe with everyone because everyone’s here for one purpose, and that’s celebrating the Knicks.” “This has been like a uniting situation for New Yorkers, and I just can’t wait to feel the love from everybody.” “I think it’s a great equalizer, right? It brings everyone together. It doesn’t matter if you make $900,000 a year, if you make $50,000 a year. You’re united because of the Knicks.” “So often when this city comes together, it is because we are forced to by a moment of tragedy or adversity. What a gift it is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy.” “Most importantly, thank you to the fans. I’m not going to lie though, y’all all are some pretty hard critics, but we appreciate it. At least I do, appreciate it a lot.”
Concern numero uno is obvious. Giannis is one of the handful of players capable of altering the championship picture by himself. Pairing him with Jayson Tatum would create an impressive combination of size, athleticism, versatility, and star power. The question is whether Brad Stevens and the Celtics can actually pull it off without creating a new set of problems for themselves.
Boston’s path to Giannis is narrower than it first appears. The Celtics would almost certainly need to move Jaylen Brown, either directly to Milwaukee or through a third team. Reports indicate Brown has little interest in joining the Bucks (in paraphrase: “Milwaukee?! Yuck!”), which complicates matters further. We start moving from a blockbuster trade to a three-team puzzle involving contracts, draft compensation, and competing agendas.
Even if Boston finds a way through that maze, there’s no guarantee the resulting team will succeed.
Giannis may be a better asset than Brown, but championships are not won by comparing players one-for-one. They’re won by building complete teams (case in point: YOUR WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS ).
Brown averaged more than 28 points per game last season while defending multiple positions. He can create his own offense, punish smaller defenders, and absorb primary scoring responsibilities when Tatum is unavailable (as Tatum was for most of last season, recovering from a torn Achilles). Replacing him with Giannis raises Boston’s ceiling, perhaps, but also changes the structure of the roster.
The Celtics have spent years building an ecosystem around two star wings. Remove one and the supporting cast suddenly becomes more important, which means Stevens would have many more decisions to make before the start of training camp.
What catches me up is, if the Bucks believed that Giannis has more great years ahead of him, would they so quickly offload him to a conference rival? Might he actually be a distressed asset?
Giannis will turn 32 this season. He has generally been durable over his career but has dealt with increasing lower-body issues (especially calves and knees) in recent years, leading to more missed time. To wit:
• 2022–23: 63 GP / 19 missed
• 2023–24: 73 GP / 9 missed
• 2024–25: 67 GP / 15 missed
• 2025–26: 36 GP / 46 missed
Wouldn’t that just be the worst if the Celts parted with Brown to get him, and then Giannis missed extended time due to injury? Like, the absolute worst? (Insert diabolical laughter.)
A healthy Tatum-Giannis pairing would present unique challenges for New York. The Knicks would need to defend relentless downhill pressure while also containing one of the league’s best bucket creators. But, given their depth, New York may be better equipped than most teams to handle it.
So if the Celtics’ pursuit of Giannis causes an initial flutter of worry, you can let that just drift on by. The scenario only noses toward Red Alert if Boston nabs him while somehow also acquiring a guard who makes up for what they’d lose with Brown’s departure.
But wait! This just in: Chris Haynes has pushed back on the idea that a Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-Boston deal is close. He writes that Boston does not appear to be a promising destination and suggested the situation could extend into July. Additionally, Marc Stein reported that the Celtics are frustrated by speculation involving Jaylen Brown, while Brian Windhorst said Brown has not been formally offered in a trade. So, to quote the great William Goldman (also a Knicks fan), “Nobody knows anything.”
It’s worth noting that the Miami Heat are also reportedly in the mix. We’ve heard that the lack of income tax is alluring to the Greek Freak. Plus Florida offers sunny, warm weather, which is not a defining feature of Wisconsin. In the end, though, joining Boston would allow Giannis to keep all his favorite green-themed items in his wardrobe, and shouldn’t looking good be a priority, too?
Pittsburg, PA
SportsNet Pittsburgh parts ways with Penguins rinkside reporter Hailey Hunter after three seasons
Penguins rinkside reporter Hailey Hunter is out at SportsNet Pittsburgh after three seasons.
The network announced the decision on Wednesday evening.
“We are grateful for all of Hailey’s contributions during her time at SportsNet Pittsburgh. We wish her the very best in her future endeavors,” reads a statement from SportsNet Pittsburgh. “We will soon begin a nationwide search for a rinkside reporter for our Penguins coverage.”
The daughter of former NHL player Tim Hrynewich (who played for Pittsburgh between 1982 and 1984), Hunter joined the network during the 2023-2024 NHL season.
Per TribLive’s Rob Owen, Hunter said she wasn’t given a concrete reason for the decision.
“Unfortunately, I was told the Penguins have decided that they simply wanted to move in a different direction with the role,” she wrote to Owen. “I really wasn’t given any details, but I understand that’s the business we are in.”
Hunter added that she “absolutely loved my time with SportsNet Pittsburgh. The network truly felt like family and everyone there will always be great friends of mine. I’ll be having a get-together with many of the people I worked with next week, from cameramen to producers to executives from our network, the Penguins org, and the Pirates org. Sounds like about 60 people are coming, which is so kind, but also speaks to how close friends I became with everyone. We are all pretty shocked, but everyone’s kindness and support has truly meant the world to me.”
Previous to her time with SportsNet Pittsburgh, Hunter worked for Golf Channel and PGA Tour Entertainment as well as a team reporter and host for the New York Islanders during the 2021-22 season.
According to social media posts, Hunter and fiancé Gage Posey got married on May 16.
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