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LeBron James named NBA All-Star starter for record 21st straight season

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LeBron James named NBA All-Star starter for record 21st straight season

The East’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell, and the West’s Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James were selected as NBA All-Star starters, according to voting results announced Thursday on TNT.

James will make his record 21st consecutive start as an All-Star and Curry, the long-time face of the Golden State Warriors, is now formally serving as host for the weekend with his 11th All-Star appearance. As of now, the Knicks are the only team with two All-Stars, despite being in third place in the East.

Meanwhile, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball didn’t make it despite being the leading vote getter from fans among Eastern guards, and in the West, second-year sensation Victor Wembanyama narrowly lost out to Durant for the third starting spot among front-court players.

The annual All-Star “event” – remember, it’s not just “one game” this season – is Feb. 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Fan voting accounted for 50 percent of the formula for choosing starters; current NBA players and a media panel accounted for 25 percent each. Ball, who is fourth in the league in scoring at 29 points per game, was ranked third in player voting and seventh by the media. Brunson, who’s averaging 26.0 points for the New York Knicks, overtook Ball through media and player votes. 

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All of the other players to be selected as a starter won fan votes at their respective positions. However, Wembanyama, the reigning rookie of the year who is leading the league in blocks at 4.0 per game to go with his 24.6 points and 10.8 boards, nearly overtook Durant by finishing second among media members.

Seven reserves from each conference will be chosen by the league’s head coaches and those results will be released Jan. 30. There will be great interest to see who makes it in a crowded field of talented point guards from the East. In addition to Ball, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks will get strong consideration as the top assists man in the NBA (11.6 assists per game), as will Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks, and possibly Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers or Darius Garland of the Cavs.

Look for Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, and potentially his teammate, Jarrett Allen, to get strong consideration as reserves. Miami’s Bam Adebayo will also get a long look.

Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks, a perennial MVP candidate, has played in just 22 games this season due to injury, but in those games is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards also figures to receive strong consideration as a reserve guard. The Lakers’ Anthony Davis figures to join James as an All-Star, too.

A new All-Star format

For the first time, the All-Star “game” is now a mini-tournament of three teams composed of the 24 stars and the team that wins the Rising Stars Challenge — which features the league’s top rookies and second-year players. Because of the new format, obviously, some players who were selected by coaches as All-Star “reserves” will be starters for their tournament teams.

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The 24 All-Star players will go into a pool for picking by TNT’s three analysts — Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal — who are serving as honorary general managers for the three All-Star teams. They will divide the teams into three groups of eight All-Stars on Feb. 6 before TNT’s weekly doubleheader.

The new format will include three games — two semifinals and the championship — in which the winner is the team to reach 40 or more points first. There is a prize money pool of $1.8 million, with the champion team earning $125,000 per player.

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault and Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson have clinched spots as coaches for the All-Star event, as their teams have secured first place in their respective conferences through the league’s Feb. 2 cut-off date.

One of Daigneault’s assistants will coach either the Rising Stars champion or the third All-Star team, and one of Atkinson’s assistants will coach the other. Both Daigneault and Atkinson will serve as All-Star head coaches for the first time.

Required reading

(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

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Michigan football staffer who had alleged affair with Sherrone Moore still employed by university

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Michigan football staffer who had alleged affair with Sherrone Moore still employed by university

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The football staffer who allegedly had a romantic relationship with fired head coach Sherrone Moore is still employed by the University of Michigan.

The woman has served as Moore’s executive assistant. 

“There is no change in her employment status,” a Michigan spokesperson told Fox News. 

The woman received a massive pay bump between 2024 and 2025.

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Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore appears via video in court in Ann Arbor, Mich., Dec. 12, 2025. (Ryan Sun/AP Photo)

The individual allegedly linked to Moore, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as an executive assistant to the head football coach at the University of Michigan, made just over $58,000 in 2023 and 2024, according to public payroll information. In the 2025 fiscal year, though, her salary jumped to $99,000, according to a salary disclosure report from the University of Michigan.

During Moore’s arraignment Friday, prosecutors alleged he and the staffer had been in an “intimate relationship for a number of years,” which they say the woman ended on Monday. Prosecutors further claim Moore sent multiple text messages and made phone calls that prompted the woman to report the situation to the university and cooperate with its investigation.

Moore was released from jail Friday on $25,000 bond, according to police records obtained by Fox News Digital. 

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However, it’s unclear whether Moore will be returning home to his family. 

Moore’s attorney, Joseph Simon, declined to say whether the coach will be going home to his wife and three children while speaking to reporters at an Ann Arbor courthouse Friday. 

FIRED MICHIGAN COACH SHERRONE MOORE ACCUSED OF STALKING VICTIM ‘FOR MONTHS’ IN POLICE DISPATCH AUDIO

“I’m just going to not answer that question,” Simon said when asked if Moore was “going to be able to go home.”

Moore has been married to wife Kelli since 2015, and they have three daughters together — Shiloh, Solei and Sadie. Simon also declined to comment on the “mood” of his client after Moore was charged. 

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The conditions of Moore’s release require him to wear a GPS tether and continue mental health treatment and forbid him from communicating with the victim.

Moore was fired Wednesday, and the University of Michigan quickly announced it found credible evidence he had an “inappropriate relationship” with a staffer. Moore was then detained by police Wednesday after news of his dismissal broke. 

Moore was arraigned in court Friday on stalking and home invasion charges. According to prosecutors, he faces a felony charge of home invasion in the third degree and two misdemeanor charges of stalking and breaking and entering without the owner’s permission.

Both misdemeanor charges are related to a “domestic relationship.”

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Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore during warmups before a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wrigley Field in Chicago Nov. 15, 2025. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

When Moore was fired from his position as head coach, prosecutors said, it prompted him to visit the woman’s home. 

Moore then allegedly “barged” his way into the residence, grabbed a butter knife and a pair of kitchen scissors and began threatening his own life. According to prosecutors, Moore allegedly told the staffer, “My blood is on your hands” and “You ruined my life.” 

Prosecutors claimed Moore “terrorized” the staffer and that they believed him to be a “risk to public safety.” 

Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.

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Prep talk: National Football Foundation All-Star Game set for Dec. 20

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Prep talk: National Football Foundation All-Star Game set for Dec. 20

As if Simi Valley coach Jim Benkert doesn’t have enough things to do, he’s taken on the task of putting on the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame high school all-star games Dec. 20 at Simi Valley High.

At 4 p.m. there will be a flag football game featuring players from the San Gabriel Chapter against the Coastal Valley Chapter. At 7, players from Ventura County will take on Los Angeles County in an 11-man game.

Agoura’s Dustin Croick is coaching the West team that includes his outstanding quarterback, Gavin Gray. Taft’s Thomas Randolph is coaching the East team that has a strong group of quarterbacks, including Michael Wynn Jr. of St. Genevieve.

Simi Valley High will be the site for all-star football games on Dec. 20.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

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Tickets are $10 and will help pay for the growing costs of all-star games, from uniforms to insurance.

Benkert, one of the winningest coaches in state history with more than 300 victories, said he’s determined to make it work.

“We’re trying to keep all-star games alive,” he said. “If we don’t do it, there’s nothing.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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Utah’s winningest coach to step down after 21 seasons: ‘Honor and a privilege’

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Utah’s winningest coach to step down after 21 seasons: ‘Honor and a privilege’

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The Utah Utes will be ending an era when they play against Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl Dec. 31.

It will be head coach Kyle Whittingham’s last game as head coach after the 66-year-old announced Friday he is stepping down. Whittingham is the winningest coach in program history, going 117-88 over 22 seasons. 

“The time is right to step down from my position as the head football coach at the University of Utah,” Whittingham said in a statement Friday. 

 

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Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham on the sideline during the first half against the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, Nov. 15, 2025. (Chris Jones/Imagn Images)

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to lead the program for the past 21 years, and I’m very grateful for the relationships forged with all the players and assistant coaches that have worked so hard and proudly worn the drum and feather during our time here.”

Whittingham co-coached the Fiesta Bowl with Utah in 2004 and then took over as the permanent head coach the following season. Whittingham led Utah to a winning record in 18 of his 21 seasons.

This season, Utah is 10-2 and at one point ranked No. 13 in the AP poll, just missing out on the College Football Playoff (CFB).

BILL BELICHICK BREAKS UP WITH MEMBERS OF UNC COACHING STAFF AFTER TUMULTUOUS SEASON

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Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham reacts during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kan., Nov. 28, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)

Whittingham was named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1981 in his senior year. 

Before becoming a coach, Whittingham played in the USFL and the CFL from 1982 to 1984. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at BYU.

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Whittingham joined the Utah staff in 1994 and rose through the ranks. He began as the defensive line coach and eventually became the defensive coordinator before becoming the team’s head coach. 

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His final game on the sideline will be the team’s bowl game against Nebraska. Whittingham, who is 11-6 in bowl games as a head coach, will look to end his tenure with a win on Dec. 31. 

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