Naomi Osaka has made a habit of making headlines with her comments inside the media center at various Grand Slam stops over the years, and this year’s French Open was no different.

The four-time Grand Slam winner lost in straight sets to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (5-7, 3-6) in the fourth round of Roland Garros, which has become a familiar situation for Osaka in her career. The 28-year-old holds a 1-3 record against the Belarusian all-time, with all three of her losses coming in 2026.

While answering questions from the media following her fourth-round exit in France, Osaka was asked if she could take any encouragement from the loss or if she feels daunted about the challenge in closing the gap between herself and Sabalenka.

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The question was a bit strange, as the idea of being encouraged after a third straight loss to the same opponent would be unique, but the question wasn’t nearly as odd as the answer Osaka proceeded to give.

“I don’t know if you knew me before, but I would be very, very disappointed in myself after matches like these. But I kinda realized it doesn’t matter at all,” Osaka began.

“I’ve played her multiple times and sadly to say lost multiple times. The only thing I can keep doing is trying l my best. Maybe, hopefully, it’ll work out in my favor one day. But I can’t let myself be discouraged every time I lose to someone or win against someone. Because honestly, hitting a ball doesn’t really matter, like, on Earth, kind of.”

It doesn’t get more uninspiring than that.

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For a four-time Slam winner and former World No. 1 herself, Osaka admitting aloud that “hitting a ball doesn’t really matter” is shocking.

Imagine the level of criticism an NBA superstar would receive if they said “shooting a basketball doesn’t really matter” after a loss, or an NFL quarterback suggesting “throwing a football doesn’t really matter” after a crushing defeat.

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Osaka, however, continuously gets the benefit of the doubt by many in the tennis world despite withdrawing from the 2021 French Open because the pressures of the media were apparently too much for her to handle. She also cried in the media center at Roland Garros a year ago after her first-round exit.

The sentencing of Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg to 14 years in federal prison on Monday brings the NBA a step closer to concluding its nine-month investigation into the Clippers allegedly circumventing the salary cap.

Sanberg pleaded guilty in October to federal charges of conspiring to bilk investors out of $248 million for portraying the now-defunct Aspiration as a “socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products” firm.

The NBA has declined to comment on the status of the probe centered on $60 million invested in Aspiration by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the $28-million contract Clippers star Kawhi Leonard signed with Aspiration for endorsement and marketing work that he never delivered.

Players are allowed to have separate endorsement and other business deals, but at issue is whether the Clippers participated in arranging the side deal beyond simply introducing Aspiration executives to Leonard. Doing so would be a violation of Article 13 of the NBA collective bargaining agreement, punishable by a $4.5-million fine, the loss of a first-round draft pick and the voiding of Leonard’s contract.

The NBA draft takes place June 23-24 and the Clippers have three picks, including the fifth overall selection. The league is not expected to release its findings until after the NBA Finals, which begin Wednesday between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

Clippers officials haven’t commented on the investigation. But Leonard, who has one year left on a three-year, $149.5-million contract that will pay him $50.3 million next season, told The Athletic after the Clippers’ season-ending game April 15 that “I think we’re going to be in the clear. I’m not stressing.”

Otherwise, among the few public comments about the investigation were letters submitted to federal court judge Stephen V. Wilson ahead of Sanberg’s sentencing by Ballmer and the law firm conducting the probe on behalf of the NBA.

The letter from Dave Anders of Wachtell Lipton stated that Sanberg provided documentation and information helpful to the NBA investigation during two in-person interviews.

“In all our dealings with Mr. Sanberg, both directly and through his counsel, he provided information that was consistent with our review of contemporaneous documents and other evidence,” Anders wrote. “Mr. Sanberg’s cooperation substantially assisted our investigation, including our ability to develop a more complete understanding of key events.”

Ballmer countered by asking Wilson for a stiff sentence in a five-page Victim Impact Statement posted on social media by his lawyer, David N. Kelley.

“Sanberg continues to exploit his fraud of Mr. Ballmer for his benefit, providing information to the NBA in return for a sentencing letter that the league submitted on his behalf,” Kelley wrote. “The reliability of Sanberg’s information is suspect given that he has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, and the government has made its own determination that he is not credible.”

Before handing down the sentence, Wilson made it clear that Sanberg’s credibility was questionable.

“He portrays himself as a do-gooder who was in business to help the world, but he did personally gain from his fraud,” Wilson said, later adding, “I would put the grade of his fraud at the zenith.”

Ballmer, a former longtime CEO of Microsoft who has owned the Clippers since 2014, accused Sanberg of targeting him for his well-known interest in environmental sustainability and exaggerating their relationship to convince others to invest in the fraudulent company. He said he met Sanberg only once.

Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in September 2021. A month later, the Clippers announced a $300-million sponsorship deal with the company. Ballmer nearly granted Aspiration naming rights to the team’s new $2-billion venue as well, but instead chose financial services firm Intuit. Ballmer made an additional $10-million investment in Aspiration on March 9, 2023.

Ballmer was added in November as a defendant in a civil lawsuit against Sanberg and several others associated with Aspiration. Ballmer and the other defendants are accused by 11 investors in Aspiration of fraud and aiding and abetting fraud, with the plaintiffs seeking at least $50 million in damages.

Kelley contended that Ballmer was added as a defendant because of his “visibility and resources,” and portrayed the Clippers owner as a victim, saying “Mr. Ballmer’s losses are not measured solely, or even primarily, on a balance sheet. They are measured in the reputational damage that will take years to remediate, and in the chilling effect on future endeavors intended to do good.”

The lone public comment about the investigation from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver came during All-Star Weekend in February at the Intuit Dome when he described the issue as “enormously complex.”

“You have a company in bankruptcy, you have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that needed to be interviewed,” Silver said.

The investigation was triggered by reports from podcaster Pablo Torre that Leonard’s sponsorship deal with Aspiration was to circumvent the salary cap. Torre and the staff of “Pablo Torre Finds Out” won a Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting for their efforts.

Rick Adelman, who ranks 10th in NBA history with 1,042 wins, died on Monday. He was 79.

The National Basketball Coaches Association announced his passing. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Adelman spent 23 seasons as an NBA head coach, leading the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He compiled a 1,042-749 regular-season record and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Before coaching, Adelman played seven seasons as an NBA point guard after being drafted by the San Diego Rockets in 1968.

After taking over the Trail Blazers during the 1988-89 season, Adelman led a Clyde Drexler-led roster to NBA Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992.

In 1998, Adelman became the head coach of the Sacramento Kings. The Kings reached the playoffs in all eight of his seasons in Sacramento and advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2002.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement Monday honoring Adelman’s legacy.

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“Rick Adelman was one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in the history of the NBA,” Silver said.

“Following his NBA playing career, Rick turned to coaching where his leadership, innovation and genuine love for basketball left a lasting impression on generations of players and fellow coaches over his nearly 30-year run. He was a brilliant strategist and teacher of the game, and an even better person. I send my deepest condolences to Rick’s family and many friends throughout the league.”

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Adelman is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Kay, their six children (including Nuggets coach David Adelman) and 12 grandchildren.

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