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The Minnesota Lynx return to the WNBA Finals. Can they play up to their legacy?

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The Minnesota Lynx return to the WNBA Finals. Can they play up to their legacy?

MINNEAPOLIS — As Lindsay Whalen’s face appeared on the JumboTron in Target Center on Tuesday night to a raucous reception, the Minnesota Lynx PA announcer took some liberties with her introduction. “She’s an avid golfer,” he quipped about arguably the most famous homegrown basketball player in Minnesota … before stating the obvious. “And her No. 13 jersey is retired in the rafters.”

From a courtside seat, Whalen watched as the Lynx punched their ticket to the WNBA Finals with an 88-77 semifinals win over the Connecticut Sun, marking the franchise’s first trip to the finals since 2017, when Whalen helped lead Minnesota to its fourth championship in seven seasons.

After that 2017 run, the band remained together for another season, but by 2019, Whalen, Maya Moore and Rebekkah Brunson had retired. That same year, Cheryl Reeve used her No. 6 WNBA Draft pick to take Napheesa Collier out of UConn. Collier’s numbers, at the time, reminded Reeve of Moore and fellow UConn alum Breanna Stewart, who had just won her first WNBA MVP title in 2018.

Six years later, it’s Collier who is the face of Minnesota basketball. So it came as no surprise that at the final buzzer, Collier nearly sprinted directly across the court to hug Whalen, who is enshrined in Lynx lore for what she did for this franchise in the 2010s.

Collier said it’s meaningful to have “someone who is such a Hall of Famer and has gone through this and done what I want to achieve. … I wanted to give her a hug just to say thank you for showing up for us, for showing up for me and the team. Thank you for passing this legacy on to us because it means a lot, and (I) definitely want to do her proud and continue. The job is not done.”

The next part of the job? A monumental task. In New York, the Lynx face a team that was assembled to win titles. The Liberty brought in multiple former MVPs (Stewart and Jonquel Jones) and they added Courtney Vandersloot, who could play well with Sabrina Ionescu, their own drafted guard. New York got German star Leonie Fiebich (drafted in 2020 but acquired by New York in 2023) to come over to the States to play in the WNBA.

New York is a team dripping in All-Stars, accolades and expectations.

Frankly, it doesn’t look all that different from Reeve’s last team that made it to the finals. She had five starters on her 2017 squad who are now in various (and multiple) Halls of Fame. She had four players who won gold medals with the U.S. Olympic team. She had a starting core whose jerseys all hang in the rafters alongside Whalen’s No. 13.

This year’s Minnesota team? In the preseason, it was picked to finish ninth. There’s Collier, a bona fide star and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Her jersey isn’t in the rafters yet, but with her current trajectory, it seems like only a matter of time. But she might be the only one whose jersey hangs alongside the other greats’ at the end of the day.

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“Becky Hammon in Vegas described us as good players (who make) a great team,” Reeve said. “That’s what’s so special about this team — we didn’t scare anybody. I’m not sure anybody at any point in the season was like, ‘Yeah, they have a real shot at winning a championship,’ other than the people that are in our corner.”

No coach has won more postseason games than Reeve (47 — the same number the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks have as entire franchises). She knows that to win in the postseason, you have to have talent and a lead guard you trust and who elevates every player around her. You need to have a player like Collier, whose steadiness permeates the entire team. (It helps when that leader plays at an MVP level, too.)

Reeve knows, especially, that teams that make it to the finals need to be selfless.

After the Lynx win, Courtney Williams recalled a moment following a regular-season game against the Dallas Wings. Reeve had pulled Williams aside in the locker room to tell her that under the challenging elements of the game, she thought Williams bent.

“From that moment, I invited hard,” Williams said. “Obviously, those conversations don’t have to happen with Phee — not that I know of — or any of the other players. I just didn’t want to be that person to let the coaching staff down or my teammates down, just giving in to hard. We embody that. None of us give in to hard.”

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With a WNBA Finals matchup against the Liberty and coming off five relentless games against Connecticut, it doesn’t get much harder. Minnesota might have gone 3-1 against New York during the regular season, but like the Lynx, the Liberty have elevated their game in the postseason.

“The fact that we have worked so hard and we genuinely like each other so much makes it sweeter. It makes you want to win for them, too. It’s not just you want to get the accolade of winning a championship; you want to do it for your teammates as well,” Collier said. “We want to keep playing because we want to stay together. We know every year looks different. This team will never be the exact same again. Not only do we want to win a championship, but we don’t want to leave each other yet. And that’s a great feeling.”

Said Reeve: “We’re happy that we’re going to the finals. But we’re not going to be just happy to be there.”

(Photo of Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier: David Sherman / NBAE via Getty Images)

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gushed over 27-year-old singer Madison Beer in a heartfelt birthday tribute on social media, offering fans a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship. 

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who normally shies away from the public eye, posted a series of photos to his Instagram Stories on Thursday. 

Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 8, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

“Happy birthday to my favorite person of all time,” Herbert wrote in a post that showed the couple on the sidelines of one of his NFL games. “I love you so much. You’ve changed my life forever.”

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In another photo appearing to show the couple out to dinner, Herbert wrote, “I am the luckiest guy alive…”

Herbert, who turns 28 later this month, shared another photo of the “Make You Mine” artist petting goats and captioned the photo, “My goats.”

The couple was first linked together in August when they were spotted together on the set of one of Beer’s music videos in Los Angeles. Herbert and Beer were photographed in October on the sidelines of a Chargers game at SoFi Stadium, seemingly confirming the dating rumors. 

Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and singer Madison Beer attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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The same month, Herbert went viral after blocking a rogue basketball from hitting Beer when the two sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.  

Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in July 2023. Despite proving himself to be one of the elite young quarterbacks in the NFL, Los Angeles’ offensive struggles have seen the team fall short in back-to-back playoff appearances.

Quarterback Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers blocks a basketball from hitting Madison Beer as they attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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 The team’s offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, was fired in January and replaced with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football. 

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Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener

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Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener

The last time Shohei Ohtani was seen wearing a World Baseball Classic uniform with “Japan” across his chest, he was striking out Mike Trout of the United States on a ninth-inning, full-count slider to give his country a victory in the championship game three years ago.

So much has happened in Ohtani’s life between then and now. He has a wife and a daughter, a new interpreter, a new Major League team, two World Series championships and three more Most Valuable Player awards.

Yet unforgettable WBC memories continue. This time, he delivered from the batter’s box instead of the pitcher’s mound.

In the second inning of Japan’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani smacked a hanging curve a few feet over the right-field wall for a grand slam, triggering an offensive onslaught that resulted in a 13-0 victory.

“I thought it might land as an out, so above all, I really wanted to get the first run on the board,” Ohtani told reporters afterward.

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Ohtani led off the game with a double and singled in his second at-bat of the second inning, when Japan put up a WBC-record 10 runs. He added a run-scoring single in the third inning, giving him five runs batted in.

In 2023, Ohtani hit and pitched Japan to the WBC title, batting .435 with eight RBIs and allowing only two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings on the mound. This year, he will only bat, saving his pitching for the Dodgers, who begin their quest for a third consecutive World Series title in three weeks.

Japan’s starting pitcher Friday was a decorated Dodger nevertheless. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MVP of the 2025 World Series, threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two while giving up no hits.

His command wasn’t pinpoint — he threw 53 pitches, 33 for strikes — but it is still spring training, even though the atmosphere was electric for Japanese players competing in front of a crowd of 42,314 that included actor Timothy Chalamet and superstar Bad Bunny.

“I know there will be some tough battles ahead, but if the fans and the team can unite and everyone can help build the excitement together, it will really encourage us,” Ohtani said.

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Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’

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Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’

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Russell Wilson and Sean Payton spent just one NFL season together, but tension lingered after a rocky year.

And it appears the tension that built up from that tumultuous stretch continues to linger.

Wilson’s interview on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, recorded before last month’s Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, recently resurfaced. 

In the interview, Wilson doubled down on his October comment labeling Payton “classless,” saying he felt slighted by his former coach’s remarks.

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Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos talks to quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium Aug. 11, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

“[When] you’ve been on the same side or this and that, and I got the same amount of rings as you got, meaning Sean, right?” said Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks as Payton did coaching for the New Orleans Saints. 

“I got a lot of respect for him as a play-caller, this and that, but to take a shot, I don’t like. I don’t think it’s necessary, you know, I mean, especially when I’m not even on your own team anymore. So, for me, there’s a point in time where you have to, I’ve realized, I’ve stayed quiet for so long. There’s a there’s a time and place where I’m not.

“I know who I am as a competitor, as a warrior, as a champion, too, and, you know, I’ve beaten Sean, too. You know, like we’ve been on the same place and the same thing. And so, it’s not a matter of disrespect. Just don’t disrespect me.”

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Sean Payton and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos during an a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High Nov. 19, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

After a rocky one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, Wilson joined the New York Giants last offseason. However, he was relegated to a backup role after just three games.

Rookie Jaxson Dart quickly showed promise once he had the chance to start, but his season was briefly derailed by injury. Jameis Winston — not Wilson — stepped in for Dart in a handful of games. Dart threw three touchdowns in a Week 7 matchup with the Broncos, nearly pulling off an upset in what was eventually a close loss.

After the game, Payton said Dart provided a “spark” to the Giants’ offense.

“I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would have happened long after our game,’” Payton said.

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The New York Giants’ Russell Wilson attempts to escape a sack by Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston (53) in the first half of a game Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.  (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Payton also said the Broncos would have faced less of a challenge had Wilson been under center.

“Classless … but not surprised,” Wilson responded in a social media post. “Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later though the media.”

Despite last season’s struggles and chatter about his football future, Wilson does not appear ready to call it quits in 2026.

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“I wanna play a few more years for sure,” he said. “I think, for me, I’ve always had the vision of getting to 40, at least. I think the game is different. Quarterbacks, we get hit. It’s not, you know, we get hit hard, but … there’s certain rules. I mean, back in the day when I started, bro, it was you just get [clobbered]. 

“I mean, so I feel like the game allows you to, you know, live a little longer, I guess. I feel healthy. I feel great. But I think, more than anything else is, do you love the game? Do you love studying? Do you love the passion for it all? Do you love the process? Do you love the practice? Do you love — everybody loves the winning part of it, but it’s process. There’s a journey that you got to be obsessed with. And that part I’m obsessed with.”

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