Sports
Letters to Sports: Drafting Bronny won't hurt Lakers as much as LeBron's contract will
Way too much is being written about the Lakers’ decision to draft Bronny James with the 55th pick. But slow down people and let’s keep things in perspective. How many players drafted late in the second round make any significant contributions to their team, at least in the first few years? There were only three players selected after Bronny was picked, and I doubt that any of those three were high on any team’s radar. So if there was a player out there that the Lakers had an interest in, there was a good chance they could be signed after the draft ended. It was a historic pick! Father and son getting the chance to play together. There was little sacrifice made to give LeBron James the gift of seeing his son drafted and to get to fulfill a dream of playing together.
Steve Kaye
Oro Valley, Ariz.
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Can everybody just take a breath?
First, I am not a big LeBron James fan, but I’ve learned to accept the inevitable. LeBron, by virtue of 20 seasons of greatness, has put himself in the position he’s in, and he runs the Lakers. The great Dr. Buss is long gone. So let’s take in a good thing on a human level. Is Bronny a superstar? Of course not. But he is a good kid. Zero bad press or drama, despite growing up in the fish bowl he was put in. Not his choice, but he’s handled it with maturity and composure. Oh yeah, he had heart problems too. Let’s just let this father/son thing play out, because we will never see it again.
Jeff Heister
Chatsworth
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Regarding the overwhelmingly intense scrutiny awaiting Lakers rookie Bronny James, columnist Bill Plaschke claims that “he didn’t ask for any of this.” This mystifying statement begs the question: Who, in fact, decided that the time was now for this relatively unheralded USC freshman to enter the 2024 NBA draft, if not James Jr. himself?
Rob Fleishman
Placentia
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The Dallas Mavericks should sign Mychal Thompson to a one-day contract, then have him and Klay start the opening game of the 2024-25 NBA season so they could be the first father and son to play together in the NBA.
Paul Kawaguchi
Rosemead
Rich get richer, Lakers get poorer
Thank goodness LeBron was able to get another $104 million from his newest contract. Would hate to think that some of that money could have been used for the Lakers to get quality depth to surround him and Anthony Davis. I guess a true title pursuit (taking a Tom Brady-like discount) takes second stage when comparing paychecks with other NBA stars. One would think a billionaire would be open to such an idea. Can’t wait to hear about the Lakers shopping at the discount rack for the rest of the summer.
Matt Kingsbury
Simi Valley
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Unfortunately Bill Plaschke’s “Get ready for another era of team futility” prediction for the Lakers seems quite accurate. The comparison between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in the twilight of their careers and the rosters around them (although glad to see that Dalton Knecht fell to the Lakers) is rather appropriate.
Moreover, the Western Conference should be even tougher next season. While painful to say, it appears the 18-time champion Boston Celtics are much closer to their next championship than the Lakers.
Ken Feldman
Tarzana
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I imagine it will be rough on LeBron James to live on $52 million a year over the next two years. But more importantly, in an era when superstar players in all sports are taking reductions or deferrals in salary to help team management build a better team, James signs a maximum money deal while cutting the Lakers’ ability to do so. I think that says all we need to know about LeBron. Instead of his name on the back of his jersey, he should just print “Me First.”
Jack Nelson
Los Angeles
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We’ve all heard the definition of insanity. … Lakers, let’s stop giving contracts worth $50 million a year and having no team.
Kelly Mark Ritchie
Calabasas
Redick Lakers’ assist leader
Boy, I see a lot of doubt about new Lakers coach JJ Redick, but no congrats to him for negotiating the largest “assistant” coaching contract in sports history. He’s obviously smarter than you think.
Gary Koerner
Covina
Let’s be Frank about Clips’ GM
I understand why there is so much attention to Rob Pelinka, but why has The Times ignored the perpetually bad job Lawrence Frank has done with the Clippers? This team is unlikely to make the play-in for the next five years with a washed-up Kawhi Leonard and a lot of cast-offs. But at least they will have great draft picks … oh no, he traded them all in the Paul George trade. Proof in this delusion is Frank, when asked, said he would do the trade again!
David Bialis
San Diego
The good, the bad …
You gotta love the Dodgers. I enjoyed reading “Dodgers turn rejects into relievers” by Mike DiGiovanna. Banda, Ramirez, Phillips, Brasier, Almonte, Kolarek, Morrow, Petersen and Bruihl all benefited by coming to the Dodgers. This is such a feel-good story that it needs to be turned into a movie, or at least a “30 for 30” episode, especially if the Dodgers end up winning the World Series.
Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood
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I’d like to remind manager Dave Roberts and the Dodgers that there is something called the “intentional walk.” Losing two straight series to sub-.500 teams while giving up 23 runs in the last three games does not bode well for the boys in blue’s playoff hopes.
Mike Schaller
Temple City
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Yes, the Dodgers have a big payroll and three of the biggest names in the game, but in looking at this team it is hard to see a playoff contender. I realize the pitching staff has been hit with injuries, but there is no excuse for all the walks, especially to leadoff batters, and the big innings allowed after the first two batters are retired. With so many hitters flirting with a .200 average, big offensive innings are hard to come by. I keep waiting for things to change, hopefully not in vain.
Alan Abajian
Alta Loma
Ending this way just for kicks
Soccer plays 11 on 11 for 90 to 120 minutes. If still tied, they play a completely different game of one on one to decide the winner. Can you imagine if other major sports settled ties like soccer? NFL: longest field goal. MLB: home run derby. NBA: a game of H-O-R-S-E. NASCAR: parallel parking.
Dave Eng
Thousand Oaks
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Email: sports@latimes.com
Sports
Chiefs and Browns make first trade of 2026 draft and both eventually fill needs
The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
Sports
Defending champion UCLA women’s basketball lands top transfer, continues roster overhaul
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Sports
WWE to hold premium live event in Saudi Arabia amid Iran ceasefire
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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