Sports
NBA stars Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid get rare 'humbling' experience on Team USA
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — Jayson Tatum hadn’t spoken publicly since the benching, and by the time he had appeared again in front of the microphones, he was no longer benched.
Tatum started against South Sudan, and his 17 minutes in a 103-86 Olympic win were unremarkable, which for this discussion is beside the point.
“Definitely a humbling experience, right?” Tatum said, not about playing and scoring four points against South Sudan, but about not playing at all against Serbia in the Olympic opener. “Win a championship, new contract, cover of (NBA) 2K (video game) and then you sit a whole game. Cover of Sports Illustrated. So it was definitely a humbling experience.”
The Americans are 2-0 at the Olympics, 7-0 this summer and are just four games from capturing a fifth consecutive gold medal. Winning is or should be, the only goal, and the players and coaches all insist it is what matters among the USA Basketball traveling party in France.
But a mammoth side story, or at least the storyline grabbing all sorts of attention back home, is the one about a few major superstars not getting as many chances to play. On Sunday, it was Tatum, who, as he mentioned, is a newly minted champion with the Boston Celtics, signed a $314 million contract extension and graced the cover of games and magazines. He didn’t bother to say he was a first-team All-NBA performer for three years running and an All-Star for five consecutive seasons.
It happened again on Wednesday to Joel Embiid, who was the NBA’s MVP two seasons ago and probably would have won it again last season if not for knee surgery keeping him below the minimum number of games to be eligible. He averaged 34.7 points per game in 39 games for the 76ers.
Embiid was the odd man out against South Sudan, in part so Tatum could play, and in part because South Sudan’s lineup is fast enough that USA coach Steve Kerr felt he needed to play his fastest players. Embiid isn’t one of them, but his size and skill should — and 99.9 percent of the time do — transcend any matchup.
Unless he’s on a team of stars with USA Basketball.
“I think the NBA is so popular worldwide and the regular season is kind of a soap opera,” said Kerr, who is making these tough decisions. “And so we understand that, and social media takes over and everything becomes so dramatic. I think we need to give these guys more credit. They’re here to win a gold medal. They’re pros. They’re committed to each other.”
Kerr said the players aren’t bothered by the outside drama, but it is clear they notice. For instance, Bam Adebayo, who had a wonderful game against South Sudan with 18 points and seven rebounds, opened his news conference by admonishing a reporter for the mere suggestion that Adebayo might sit so Tatum could get a chance.
“Why did you pick my name?” Adebayo said. “My accolades don’t stand up?”
Tyrese Haliburton was benched before Tatum. Haliburton, a two-time All-Star and the NBA’s assists leader last season, didn’t play in the last exhibition game against Germany or the Olympic opener against Serbia. He finally saw some time against South Sudan, hitting two 3s in eight minutes, and afterward called the reduced playing time a “learning experience.”
Haliburton doesn’t have the résumé of Tatum or Embiid, and perhaps being the second-youngest player on Team USA, the masses had already penciled him in for not getting many minutes. But a player of Haliburton’s stature doesn’t drift toward the end of the bench.
“Win a championship, new contract … and then you sit a whole game. … It was definitely a humbling experience,” Jayson Tatum said. (Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)
“I mean, these guys are all champions, All-Stars, Hall of Famers, however you want to put it,” Kerr said. “So the whole thing is, are we committed to the goal? That’s it. I always tell our guys with the (Golden State) Warriors, the reason they pay us a lot of money is there is so much interest worldwide in what we do. And so you can’t have it both ways. You can’t accept your salary and then get mad at social media or get mad at all the coverage.
“The beauty of the Olympics is none of that crap matters. And I know everyone’s going to write about it, but none of that crap matters. We’re just trying to win every game and win a gold medal, and it’s an incredibly pure feeling and the guys are committed to each other and they’re not going to worry about any of that.”
The games at the Olympics are 40 minutes (10-minute quarters), compared to the 48-minute game in the NBA. In seven total games — five exhibition contests and two Olympic matches — LeBron James and Stephen Curry share the team lead at 21.6 minutes per game. Devin Booker is right behind them at 21.1 minutes. Anthony Edwards plays 19 minutes per game, while Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and Adebayo are all averaging about 18 minutes.
Typically, U.S. Olympic teams aren’t this loaded with superstars. There are usually a few role players on the roster who may be more prepared to play fewer minutes than they do in the NBA.
For the Tokyo Games in 2021, the U.S. brought JaVale McGee, Jerami Grant and Keldon Johnson. In 2016, Harrison Barnes was on the roster. In 2012, Tyson Chandler and Andre Iguodala were a part of Team USA. The 2008 Redeem Team included Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd and Tayshaun Prince. Those nine players have a combined five All-Star appearances between them.
The U.S. team in France now has 11 current All-Stars. The only player who isn’t one, Derrick White, is getting major minutes because he is one of their best perimeter defenders. He scored 10 points with three steals Wednesday, and in close games, Kerr has him on the floor at the end because he is so good on defense.
“Derrick White’s a phenomenal basketball player,” Kerr said of White, who is on Team USA as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard. “He’s a winner. He’s a FIBA player. FIBA is different for every single guy. There’s some different rules, different flow. Derrick’s a champion. He’s a phenomenal basketball player and he’ll continue to make a huge impact for us.”
Kerr said Embiid would return to the starting lineup for Saturday’s game, as would Jrue Holiday (who didn’t start for the first time in a while Wednesday but logged 15 minutes off the bench). What that means for Tatum is hard to tell. Kerr said it’s important now to keep everyone engaged, which would seem to suggest Tatum will play while another regular sits against Puerto Rico.
But when the Olympic knockout stage begins Tuesday, and there is no margin for error, Kerr will undoubtedly limit his rotation, and a player (or two or three) with outrageously impressive NBA accomplishments is never going to take off his warm-ups.
It’s an experience unique to this iteration of Team USA because of the enormous star power on the roster and the proliferation of talent all over the world — which means the Americans’ games are much closer. In blowouts, it’s easier to find minutes for 12 players in a 40-minute game.
There also is one more factor to keep in mind. This is Kerr’s last summer with Team USA — he previously told The Athletic he would step down after the Paris Games. So his only care is to win now. Get the gold. However, USA Basketball’s program has to think about the 2028 Olympics, which are in Los Angeles. Finishing anything other than first will be unacceptable.
The Americans will need to turn to Tatum, Booker, Embiid and Haliburton in four years. Which is why the rotation now is a more delicate juggling act.
“You can be frustrated that you want to play as a competitor but maybe have some empathy for some of the guys on my team (the Celtics) that don’t always get to play or play spot minutes,” Tatum said. “So it’s a learning experience to have, see it from that point of view, and just move on from it.”
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(Top photo of Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum: Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)
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The World Cup group stage can get complicated quickly.
With 48 teams participating for the first time ever, FIFA instituted new tiebreaker rules to determine the top two in each group along with the eight highest third-place finishers.
Below, FOX Sports Research has broken down what each team needs to advance, what results would send them through, and which scenarios could leave their fate hanging in the balance.
Here’s where every group stands heading into the next round of matches, and the simple scenarios for them to advance.
Note: Below scenarios are through all games played on June 25. Additionally, three points is now the minimum required for teams to advance as one of the eight third-place teams.
GROUP A SCENARIOS
- Mexico won the group and will face a third-place team from either Group C or E in the Round of 32 in Mexico City on June 30.
- South Africa finished as runner-up in the group, and will play Canada on June 28 in Los Angeles.
- South Korea finished third, and currently ranks eighth among the third-place teams.
- Czechia cannot advance to the knockout stage.
Mexico celebrates after securing the top spot in Group in the win vs. South Korea.
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GROUP B SCENARIOS
- Switzerland won the group and will play a third-place team from either Group G or J in the Round of 32 in Vancouver on July 2.
- Canada finished as runner-up in the group and will play South Africa on June 28 in Los Angeles.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third, and will play USA in the Round of 32 on July 1 in Santa Clara.
- Qatar cannot advance to the knockout stage.
GROUP C SCENARIOS
- Brazil won the group and will play Japan on June 29 in Houston.
- Morocco finished as runner-up of the group and will play the Netherlands on June 29 in Monterrey.
- Scotland finished in third, and currently ranks tenth among third-place teams.
- Haiti cannot advance to the knockout stage.
GROUP D SCENARIOS
- USA won the group, and will play Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on July 1 in Santa Clara.
- Australia finished as runner-up of the group and will play Egypt on July 3 in Arlington.
- Paraguay finished in third, and will play Germany on June 29 in Foxborough.
- Türkiye cannot advance to the knockout stage.
Folarin Balogoun of the U.S.
GROUP E SCENARIOS
- Germany won the group and will play Paraguay on June 29 in Foxborough.
- Ivory Coast finished as runner-up of the group and will play Norway on June 30 in Arlington.
- Ecuador finished in third, and clinched a spot as a third-place team.
- Curaçao cannot advance to the knockout stage.
GROUP F SCENARIOS
- Netherlands won the group and will play Morocco on June 29 in Monterrey.
- Japan finished as runner-up of the group and will play Brazil on June 29 in Houson.
- Sweden finished third, and will play France on June 30 in East Rutherford.
- Tunisia cannot advance to the knockout stage.
GROUP G SCENARIOS
- Belgium won the group and will play a third-place team from Group A, I, or J on July 1 in Seattle.
- Egypt finished as runner-up of the group and will play Australia on July 3 in Arlington.
- Iran finished in third and currently ranks sixth among the third-place teams.
- New Zealand cannot advance to the knockout stage.
GROUP H SCENARIOS
- Spain won the group and will play the runner-up of Group J on July 2 in Los Angeles.
- Cape Verde finished as runner-up of the group and will play Argentina on July 3 in Miami.
- Uruguay cannot advance to the knockout stage.
- Saudi Arabia cannot advance to the knockout stage.
GROUP I SCENARIOS
- France won the group and will play Sweden on June 30 in East Rutherford.
- Norway finished as runner-up of the group and will play Ivory Coast on June 30 in Arlington.
- Senegal finished in third, and clinched a spot as a third-place team.
- Iraq cannot advance to the knockout stage.
GROUP J SCENARIOS
- Argentina won the group and will face Cape Verde on July 3 in Miami.
- Austria will advance with a win or draw; in a draw, the runner-up will be decided by tiebreakers.
- Algeria will advance with a win or draw; in a draw, the runner-up will be decided by tiebreakers.
- Jordan cannot advance to the knockout stage.
Lionel Messi of Argentina.
GROUP K SCENARIOS
- Colombia has advanced.
- Colombia will win the group with a win or draw.
- Portugal will advance with a win or draw, and will win the group with a win.
- Uzbekistan can advance with a win, but it is not guaranteed.
GROUP L SCENARIOS
- England will advance with a win/draw.
- England will win the group with a win AND a Ghana draw/loss.
- Ghana will advance with a win/draw.
- Ghana will win the group with a win AND an England draw/loss.
- Panama cannot advance to the knockout stage.
SAN DIEGO — The home run that Roki Sasaki gave up to San Diego’s Ty France was more dramatic than the two walks he issued to open the inning. But it was the free passes that really hurt him.
In the Dodgers’ 7-1 loss to the Padres on Friday, Sasaki was out of the game before he could record an out in the fifth inning. He gave up only three hits but issued five walks, tying his season high, and hit a batter.
“I actually felt different than I ever felt before, mechanically,” Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo, noting that his lower body felt a little off. “So I need to go over it and see what was really happening.”
Sasaki successfully pitched around traffic for much of his outing, other than the three-run homer to France in the second inning. But the inefficiency sent his pitch count past 80 before he exited with runners on first and second in the fifth.
“I’m not going to have it every time out, so that’s something I have to improve,” Sasaki said. “And also the game plan. I was able to execute some of the pitches, but some of the pitches I couldn’t, so that’s something I have to go through before next start.”
Earlier this month, when Sasaki held the Angels scoreless through seven two-hit innings, it seemed as if he’d had a breakthrough. But in three starts since, including a seven-run dud against the Chicago White Sox two weeks ago, he has yet to pitch through the sixth inning.
“I am a little surprised, because there was such good momentum going on,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Hopefully we can get him back to throwing the way he did in May.”
The Padres’ Walker Buehler walks off after holding his old team to one run for 5-1/3 innings Friday at Petco Park.
(Derrick Tuskan / Ap Photo/derrick Tuskan)
Sasaki’s command issues Friday showed up almost immediately. After striking out Padres leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr., Sasaki walked Samad Taylor on 10 pitches. But Sasaki bounced back by inducing a double play.
The next inning, there would be no such escape. Sasaki walked both Manny Machado, whom he also battled for 10 pitches, and Gavin Sheets to open the frame. Then Xander Bogaerts’ sharp line drive to center field found leather.
France’s long fly ball to left field, however, found the seats.
Sasaki’s only clean inning, the third, was made possible by catcher Dalton Rushing’s successful challenge of a called ball four against Tatís, flipping a walk into a strikeout.
“I know that there’s confidence in there,” Roberts said. “But when you feel good and you don’t feel good mechanically and can’t execute pitches, then the results are walks, and 1-2 [count] homers, and things like that. But I do think that we can kind of tackle the mechanical things that he’s probably looking for right now.”
The Padres piled on in the eighth inning against reliever Jonathan Hernandez, as the sold-out crowd chanted “Beat L.A.!”
Mookie Betts hit a home run off former teammate Walker Buehler for his second homer in as many games. Betts seems to have come out of his offensive funk, entering Friday with a 1.061 on-base-plus-slugging percentage over the previous 11 games.
Buehler earned the win, delivering five strikeouts in 5⅓ innings.
“[Buehler] is reinventing himself,” Roberts said. “He’s throwing the kitchen sink at you. Cutter, slider, changeup, two-seamers. He doesn’t just try to bully you, and he’s finding ways to just get guys out. So yeah, he’s gonna still go up there and compete.”
The Dodgers went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and squandered a bases-loaded opportunity with one out in the sixth inning after chasing Buehler. Max Muncy popped out and Kyle Tucker, back in the lineup after exiting Monday’s game because of back spasms, flied out.
The Dodgers have built such a big lead in the division that the loss barely made a dent. The Padres, in second place, trail by eight games.
Caitlin Clark hit in throat during WNBA loose-ball scramble, sparking backlash and game suspension
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark was hit in the throat during a loose-ball scramble, sparking outrage and a one-game suspension for Alyssa Thomas. Fox News’ Garrett Tenney reports on the ‘absolutely unacceptable’ incident and the coach’s reaction. Political analyst Gianno Caldwell discusses Clark’s immense impact on WNBA viewership, including a $2.2 billion deal, and the role of gender and race in the controversy.
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Phoenix Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas is the latest villain to Caitlin Clark fans after punching Clark in the throat during a game on Wednesday night.
The referees missed the punch in real time, but fans and the league office did not.
A viral clip of the punch in slow motion spread across social media, pouring gasoline on the ongoing culture war surrounding Clark’s physical treatment by opposing players, which has been a controversial issue dating back to Clark’s rookie season in 2024.
And Less than 24 hours after the incident, the WNBA slapped Thomas with a one-game suspension for what was deemed a “reckless” and “non-basketball act.”
Who is the woman behind the punch?
If Thomas wasn’t in the WNBA, she says she would go pro in combat sports
In a 2019 interview with Nike PLAYlist, Thomas answered what sport she would have gone pro in if she didn’t go pro in basketball.
“Either boxing or MMA,” Thomas said.
If Thomas never went pro in any sport, she said she would have gotten into dentistry.
“Since I was a kid, I loved going to the dentist. I just was fascinated with teeth and still am. I’m passionate about that whole process of cleaning,” according to a profile on WNBA.com.
The first time Thomas stepped on a basketball court, she threw a ‘hissy fit’
Thomas was signed up to try basketball for the first time at the age of five by her mother, Tina, per the WNBA.
Thomas said she “Threw myself all down the stairs, down the hallway,” while her mom said “She just threw an absolute hissy fit.”
WNBA SUSPENDS ALYSSA THOMAS FOR ‘RECKLESSLY’ HITTING CAITLIN CLARK IN THROAT DURING SCRAMBLE
Her parents didn’t let her win a popular board game
Thomas’ parents never took it easy on her when they played “Candyland” as she was growing up.
“We weren’t the parents that were just going to let you win,” Tina said, per the WNBA.
“In life, you have to fight, and how are you going to fight if you don’t teach your kids to fight? So if she fell over, ‘get up, you’re alright,’ and if she didn’t get up, you knew something was wrong.”
It was a parenting tactic also used by the father of New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who famously never let Jeter win in board games or card games when he was growing up, to instill harsh competitiveness at an early age.
Thomas added that her mom was especially hard on her and helped develop her toughness.
“By no means was it easy, and it’s still not easy,” Thomas said.
Thomas plays more physically because shoulder issues hinder her shooting ability
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas scrambles to get up over Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 24, 2026. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 111-109. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Thomas currently plays basketball with torn labrums in both of her shoulders.
The injuries are so severe that she completely lacks the structural integrity to lift her arms and shoot a traditional, fluid jump shot. Instead, she is forced to use a rigid, one-handed pushing motion from her chest just to get the ball to the rim.
Because she cannot rely on outside shooting, Thomas adapted by leaning entirely into her physical frame. She drives directly into the teeth of opposing defenses, absorbing heavy contact in the paint to score closer to the basket.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark shown after falling in the lane while Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas watches the ball at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana on June 24, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
That brutal, driving style requires her to initiate intense physical collisions on nearly every single possession.
Despite the mechanical limitations and constant pain, the tactical shift worked. She transformed herself into a six-time All-Star, three-time First-Team All-WNBA, an Olympic gold medalist and the undisputed triple-double queen of the WNBA.
Thomas has been the center of immense criticism this week
The throat punch on Clark ignited a fierce wave of backlash.
Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White led the charge, completely unloading on Thomas and the league’s officials during her postgame press conference.
“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said, pointing directly at Thomas’s actions. “Absolutely unacceptable.”
White argued that Thomas regularly crosses the line from playing physical defense into inflicting dangerous, non-basketball contact.
“It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White continued to fume to reporters. “The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous.”
On Thursday, Fever President Kelly Krauskopf released a statement praising the decision to suspend Thomas.
“Player safety should be paramount in our league. We appreciate the WNBA’s review of last night’s incident and the action taken. Right now our focus is on Caitlin and our entire team as we prepare for Saturday,” Krauskopf wrote.
Former Minnesota Vikings captain and prominent conservative activist Jack Brewer said the punch would be considered a “hate crime” if the roles were reversed.
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“This would be considered a hate crime if it were the other way around,” Brewer told Fox News Digital.
Other critics have expressed their own outrage on social media.
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