Sports
Meet Tonja Stelly, the mother of the only NBA-NHL brother tandem
On Jan. 9, Tonja Stelly had to be in two places at once. That’s nothing new to her. It’s become a tradition over the past three years, whenever the NBA and NHL schedules collide in just the right way.
The Knicks were playing the Portland Trail Blazers inside the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, that Tuesday. Her son Quentin Grimes, a guard with the Knicks at the time and currently with the Detroit Pistons, had a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. Twenty miles to the east, her son Tyler Myers, a defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks, had a game at the same time, against the New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.
So Tonja and her husband, Ken, along with her brother and his family, hopped on a flight from Texas to New York. Tonja and Ken went to UBS Arena to watch Tyler, spending two hours bending their necks between the action in front of them and the cell phone on her lap, which featured the Knicks game. Her brother and his family were doing the same thing at MSG, with the sounds of a basketball kissing the hardwood and the Canucks-Islanders game on a tiny screen nestled in front of them.
“The people sitting around us, of course, were like, ‘Wow! You’re really into sports,’” Tonja said. “We were like, ‘Yes, yes we are.’”
Everyone knows about Donna Kelce, the mother of NFL players Travis and Jason Kelce. Most people are familiar with Sonya Curry, the mother of NBA players Stephen and Seth Curry. Very few, though, are familiar with Tonja Stelly, the mother of the only NBA-NHL brother tandem in history.
She’s a sports mom and former athlete herself, having played basketball at Fort Hays State University back in her home state of Kansas. Quentin and Tyler are her only children, and from October to April, she travels around the country, bouncing between packed basketball arenas and frigid hockey arenas to see them compete.
She gave birth to both in Houston 10 years apart — Tyler on Feb. 1, 1990, and Quentin on May 8, 2000 — but they have different fathers. As a result, they grew up apart in separate households, seeing one another only a few times a year, if that.
“I was like a single child,” Quentin said, recalling his upbringing.
Three months after Quentin was born, Tyler moved to Calgary with his father, Paul, who was in the oil and gas business, and that’s where the hockey took hold. He had already started playing the sport in Texas — around age 7 — but the sport’s ubiquity in Canada helped him dive deeper into the game, which set him on a path to the NHL.
In the summers, and sometimes during spring break, Tyler would travel back to Texas to spend time with his mom and his little brother. Tonja would take them out to play tennis or basketball, swim or take ride bikes. They’d take annual 22-hour round-trip car rides to go see Tonja’s side of the family in Kansas. She did everything she could to make sure her sons had a relationship, even though they lived, essentially, a country away from one another.
(Photos courtesy of Tonja Stelly)
“It was very difficult when you’ve only got six to eight weeks during the summer to put that together,” she said. “But we would do things as a family unit and individually.”
Things like letting them play video games together and take turns on choosing where to eat dinner.
“They would pick different things being that Quentin was 4 and 5 and then Tyler was 14 and 15,” she said.
As Tyler entered his teenage years, the demands of junior hockey kept him away longer. But Tonja and Quentin would venture to Kelowna, B.C., to watch him play in junior and did the same when he broke into the NHL. Quentin was 8 when the Buffalo Sabres selected Tyler 12th in the 2008 NHL Draft. At 6 feet 8 inches, he became one of the tallest players in NHL history and quickly made an impact for the Sabres, who made the playoffs his rookie season. Shortly after Quentin turned 10, Tyler won the Calder Trophy for the league’s best rookie. He finished in the top 20 for the Norris Trophy, which honors the league’s best all-around defenseman, in each of his first two seasons.
The Sabres playoff series spurred Quentin’s appreciation for the sport for more than his association to it via Tyler.
“I remember seeing that atmosphere, and I think I took more interest than the regular Texan watching hockey,” he said. “I tell people all the time, with playoff hockey, I don’t think there’s a better atmosphere — banging on the glass, shoving, pushing, hip-checking, it’s super fast-paced, people throw stuff on the ice. They’re not doing that at a basketball game.” (Well, unless they’re Jamal Murray, but we digress.)
Around 9, Quentin began playing AAU basketball, and like his older brother, quickly stood out among his peers. By high school, it was apparent he’d follow in the footsteps of his basketball-playing parents. Tonja Nuss was a 5-10 guard on the 1985-86 Fort Hays team that went 18-12. His father, Marshall Grimes, was a 6-foot guard for Santa Clara and Louisiana-Lafayette in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a five-star recruit, Quentin initially played at Kansas before transferring to Houston after his freshman season. There, he blossomed into the leading scorer on the Cougars’ 2021 Final Four team, leading to him being selected 25th by the Knicks in the NBA Draft.
Only so many people know what it takes to be a professional athlete. And luckily for Quentin, his brother is one of them. Tyler could share how to train like a professional athlete, and how to eat like one. But he also wanted to let Quentin “carve his own path.”
“As an athlete, I know I don’t want to bombard him with too much advice or too much that might overwhelm him, but certainly little things here and there I’ll throw at him,” Tyler said. “Even last month, I was reading this book and I forwarded him what it was all about and told him to check it out. Just little things like that here and there, that I think can help him out, and anything that I’ve gone through along the way.”
The NBA and NHL schedules don’t overlap in an easy way for Tyler and Quentin to see each other play live. “We kind of have to keep tabs on each other from afar,” Tyler said.
But Quentin playing in New York to begin his career helped when the Canucks would swing through the city to play the Rangers, Islanders and Devils in succession. Tyler attended one of Quentin’s home games a couple of years ago, and they shared a couple of dinners together.
“As you see them mature into adults and find their way, especially since Tyler was gone at such a young age, to see that circle back to them now as adults is pretty special,” Tonja said while fighting back tears. “Pretty special.”
(Photos courtesy of Tonja Stelly)
When Tyler spoke by phone earlier this week, he was already excited for his mom and brother to come to Vancouver this week for the Canucks’ second-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers.
Equally as exciting in the days leading up to Mother’s Day, Quentin will get to meet Tyler’s three children (Tristan, Skylar and Tatum) for the first time.
“It’ll be awesome,” Tyler said in advance of the visit. “The kids will get to meet their uncle, and it’ll be great for them to connect.”
For Tonja, who helped raise two boys with different cultural backgrounds, interests and upbringings, “It’s a pretty special weekend.”
What could be more special?
Well, Quentin has one year left on his contract with the Pistons at $4.2 million and could potentially re-sign long term. Tyler is pulling in $6 million this season and is set to become a free agent July 1.
A lot would have to line up, but it’s awfully tempting to wonder if Tonja’s sons could one day call the same arena and the same city home. After all, the Detroit Red Wings could potentially be in the market for a right-handed defenseman this summer.
“I think they (could use one), too,” Tonja said with a laugh. “That would be so awesome.”
(Photo illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos courtesy of Tonja Stelly )
Sports
Joey Chestnut reflects on return to hot dog eating contest after contract dispute, temporary ban
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest two years ago was unusual in that it was missing the greatest competitive eater of all time.
Joey Chestnut, a 16-time winner of the event, was not eligible to participate in 2024 after he signed a deal with Nathan’s rival Impossible Foods. Chestnut was still on the outs months before the 2025 competition when he announced that he and the organizers had found common ground on sponsorships.
That brought Chestnut, now a 17-time winner after taking the belt again last year, back to Coney Island.
Joey Chestnut wins the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returned to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
“It was great. The audience is awesome, it’s electric. It’s good to be back after mending some fences,” Chestnut recently told Fox News Digital. “I do what I love. I got the best job in the world. I get to eat, travel, beat the heck out of people, and meet happy people. So it was great to be back.”
Chestnut’s return to the grand stage was, well, grand. Credit is due to Patrick Bertoletti, who downed 58 dogs and buns in Chestnut’s absence to take home the title two years ago. But Chestnut hasn’t posted a number that “low” since 2010. And while the Coney Island Nathan’s still had a decent crowd, it doesn’t compare to when Chestnut is on stage.
For the greatest of all time, though, it was never about a comeback — just winning and celebrating Independence Day.
“It’s never about me. It’s not even about the hot dogs. It’s the Fourth of July. It’s an eating contest, but really, it’s a Fourth of July celebration, it’s a celebration in New York. And that contest, it’s hard to describe exactly,” Chestnut said.
Joey Chestnut prepares to compete in the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returns to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
JOEY CHESTNUT REVEALS FOODS HE WON’T EAT IN COMPETITION AS HE TOURS MINOR LEAGUE STADIUMS FOR LOCAL DELICACIES
“It’s an event, it’s more than just an eating contest. It’s part of the Fourth of July celebration for New York City, and I’m just a very little part of it. And when it comes to that celebration, I’m very happy that I was able to come back and be part of people’s Fourth of July.”
Chestnut won his first title in 2007, taking down the dynastic eater that was Takeru Kobayashi. Since then, he’s won 17 of the last 18 events he has competed in. Matt Stonie pulled off an upset in 2015.
In his return to Coney Island, Chestnut downed 70 hot dogs, an improvement from the 62 he ate in 2023. So clearly, there are no signs of slowing down. But Chestnut knows time is ticking, and he wants to make the most of it.
“When I was younger, I could gain weight and then lose it really quick. Now, it’s a lot more work, but I still love it. And I know my body,” Chestnut said. “But as long as I’m competitive, as long as it’s fine, and I’m healthy. I’m going to be involved. I was just talking to a guy who, he’s 58 years old and he’s been doing this since I got started. And so he’s still able to do it. I’m like, ‘All right, I can do this.’ I got a couple more years, and we’ll see.”
Joey Chestnut wins the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returned to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“It really is, like, I really feel like it’s one of the best gigs that there is. I get to travel, eat, and, dude, it’s the funniest thing,” Chestnut said. “After I do this eating, I’m all sweaty, greasy, messy, and then people want to take pictures with me. It’s the funnest thing in the world.”
“As long as I can, I’m gonna be doing it.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The answer to the Lakers’ slumping offense sat hunched in a chair in the corner of the visitors’ locker room at Paycom Center. Luka Doncic, dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, scrolled on his phone, cornered off by a wall of reporters who all faced LeBron James looking for reasons behind a postseason dry spell.
“We have a guy that averages 37 [points] a game [out],” James said. “Thirty-three-and-a-half. … There’s the issue right there.”
Since Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in this arena on April 2, the Lakers used heroic performances from James, suddenly hot shooting and stout defense to paper over the absence of their leading scorer. But Tuesday’s 108-90 Game 1 loss against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder showed just how much the Lakers miss Doncic.
On a night they limited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 18 points and a season-high seven turnovers, the Lakers still never got closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter. The reigning most valuable player scored fewer than 20 points in a game for the first time since May 24, 2025.
The Lakers slugged their way through a defensive battle against the Houston Rockets in the first round, but their offense started lagging midway through the series. They’ve scored fewer than 100 points in four consecutive games, three of them losses. The team that shot a league-leading 50.2% during the regular season has dipped to 46.5%. Their 99.6 points per game in the playoffs is the lowest for any team still playing in the conference semifinals.
“When you play against great defense, you have to have guys that can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times,” said James, who led the Lakers with 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting. “I feel like we had great shots. We got some great shots tonight, we missed them.”
The Lakers shot 10 for 30 from three-point range. In the first round, the Lakers shot better than 40% from three in all four of their wins compared to no better than 25.9% in their two losses.
The Thunder allowed the seventh-most three-pointers per game during the regular season. Hoping to exploit the weakness, the Lakers got up 30 three-pointers, a relative improvement from their first-round series average of 25.5 per game.
But forward Rui Hachimura, who shot three for six from three, said the team can afford to shoot even more.
Luke Kennard, who burst into the postseason with 50 combined points in Games 1 and 2 against the Houston Rockets, shot only one for three from three. Lakers coach JJ Redick lamented that the NBA’s best three-point shooter passed up some good shots.
The Lakers struggled to generate three-pointers in the aftermath of injuries to Doncic and Austin Reaves. Reaves’ return hasn’t fully jump-started the offense as the guard regains his rhythm after a left oblique strain that sidelined him for four weeks.
Reaves was 0 for five from three in his third game back. He is two-for-17 shooting from distance in the playoffs and had just eight points on three-for-16 shooting Tuesday.
Injured Lakers star Luka Doncic greets teammate Dalton Knecht during the second half of Game 1 on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.
(Kyle Phillips / Associated Press)
“I got to get my spots multiple times and just missed a couple of easy shots,” Reaves said. “But for the most part, you got to limit the turnovers. They pressure the ball really well, just got to give us an opportunity to get a shot on goal every possession.”
The Lakers committed 18 turnovers that led to 20 Oklahoma City points, including 15 in the second half. Redick identified turnovers as the Lakers’ top priority against the most disruptive defense in the league, especially after the Lakers averaged 17.7 turnovers per game during the first round of the playoffs.
The Lakers miss Doncic’s 33.5 points a game, but against such an aggressive defense, they also ache for his ball handling that could ease the pressure on Reaves (four turnovers), Smart (two) and James (two).
“We decided we’re just going to be enough with what we have,” Hachimura said. “But I think those kinds of stuff [Doncic does] — the playmaking, especially against a team like these guys, they pressure the ball — Luka, with his size and his ball handling, everything, he could have been a good playmaker for sure.”
Doncic has increased some of his on-court work recently by incorporating movement into his shooting, but had not progressed to live contact by the time the series began. He posted a photo of himself lifting weights on his Instagram story on Monday, but Redick didn’t give any updates on the star guard’s status.
In the locker room after Tuesday’s game, teammates sat with their feet submerged in buckets of ice and ice packs wrapped around their joints. In his corner between the lockers for James and Reaves, Doncic turned to the side as reporters passed by.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
WWE star Chelsea Green revealed Monday she underwent a “heart procedure” as she shared photos of herself and husband Matt Cardona from her hospital bed.
Green said doctors caught her SVT. The Mayo Clinic says that SVT, or supraventricular tachycardia, is a “type of irregular heartbeat, also called an arrhythmia. It’s a very fast or erratic heartbeat that affects the heart’s upper chambers.”
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Chelsea Green enters the ring during Monday Night RAW at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on July 28, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
The two-time WWE women’s United States champion said she had been dealing with the issue for 10 years.
“After 10 years, doctors finally caught my SVT and I was able to get a heart procedure done! 3 hours later and I’m on the mend,” she wrote on Instagram.
On Tuesday, she added on X: “My latest episode during WrestleMania pushed my resting heart rate to 228 for almost 15 minutes. Yesterday, Dr. Girgis spent 3 hours working on me… and I had to be awake for the last hour of the procedure!! “
Chelsea Green waves during SmackDown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 28, 2025. (Michael Owens/WWE)
She said the procedure was minimally invasive and expected to be back to work soon.
Green has had her share of bad luck over the last few months. She suffered an ankle injury that has kept her sidelined for several months, keeping her off the WrestleMania 42 card.
In February, Green and Ethan Page dropped the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship to Mr. Iguana and Lola Vice.
Chelsea Green looks on during SmackDown at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 20, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Pro wrestling fans are eagerly awaiting her return to the ring.
-
Technology1 minute agoNative Instruments Komplete 26 adds weird new synths and experimental piano sounds
-
World7 minutes ago200,000 small boat arrivals loom amid UK raising threat level to ‘severe’ following recent terror attack
-
Politics13 minutes agoTrump requests E Jean Carroll $83M judgment stay for pending Supreme Court action on presidential immunity
-
Health19 minutes agoSwiss man tests positive for hantavirus after returning from cruise linked to deadly outbreak
-
Sports25 minutes agoJoey Chestnut reflects on return to hot dog eating contest after contract dispute, temporary ban
-
Technology31 minutes agoSIM swap scam drained Florida woman’s bank account in minutes
-
Business37 minutes agoLast resort in Primm, former gambling mecca at the California-Nevada border, will close
-
Entertainment43 minutes agoTed Turner, CNN creator who revolutionized the media industry, dies at 87