lakers

SAN FRANCISCO — He needed one shot to warm up. Then almost nothing could stop Cameron Carr.

In his unofficial NBA debut, the first-round draft pick flashed the type of three-point shooting that could turn him into a valuable player for the Lakers, scoring 19 points on seven-of-15 shooting in the Lakers’ 104-72 summer league loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Carr missed his first shot, a nearly straight-away three-pointer. But he bounced back quickly by hitting a catch-and-shoot three from the wing on an offensive rebound. He knocked down the next one. He held his thumb and forefinger in a circle over his eye in celebration.

The Lakers spent the first days of free agency addressing their shooting deficiencies. While Luke Kennard signed a two-year contract with Phoenix, the Lakers reloaded with guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton and versatile power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili. The three free-agent additions came in a flurry Wednesday after the Lakers pulled off an aggressive sign-and-trade for center Walker Kessler.

The moves were meant to reshape the roster to maximize superstar Luka Doncic, who will take the reins with the departure of LeBron James.

After leading the offense at Baylor, Carr knows his assignment supporting Doncic with the Lakers will be simpler: cut, run and dunk, he said at his introductory news conference.

And, for the guard who shot 37.4% from three at Baylor last year, his job is to knock down shots.

“If you can shoot the ball,” Carr said with a slight smile in New York the day before the draft, “you’re wanted by a lot of people.”

The Lakers wanted the 6-foot-5 guard so badly that they executed a draft-day trade with the New York Knicks to grab the 24th overall pick. Carr was projected to be a mid first-round pick, but slipped down the board in what many projected to be the deepest draft in a generation.

Lakers rookie Cameron Carr shoots a three-pointer over Golden State’s Lachlan Olbrich during the first half of the California Classic on Friday.

(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

Any of the top three picks of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Carlos Boozer could have been No. 1 picks in other seasons, analysts predicted. Eleven guards were taken before Carr, who was named third-team All-Big-12 last year after averaging 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists with 45 total blocks at Baylor last year.

But ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla estimated that Carr could be the best athlete out of the entire draft.

His 7-foot wingspan was the best among guards at the NBA combine and his 38-inch standing vertical and 10.46-second lane agility test ranked first for his position.

Carr said his top objective is to put on weight. Weighing 184 pounds at the NBA combine, Carr would have been the third-lightest, 6-5 player in the league last year, ahead of only Sacramento’s Nique Clifford (6-5, 175 pounds) and Dallas’ AJ Johnson (6-5, 160 pounds). He may be joining the Lakers at the exact right moment as the team — with the investment and guidance from big brother organization the Dodgers — will expand weight room, treatment and sports science resources in its facility. The 21-year-old guard said he plans to make the weight room his new home.

Building up his strength to handle the NBA will be critical for Carr as he hopes to show “that I’m the best defender here,” he told reporters. Adding another defender became even more important after guard Marcus Smart signed a contract with Western Conference rival Houston.

The Lakers, after trading Deandre Ayton on Friday for guard Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks, could still look for a wing defender and back up center to round out their roster that currently stands at 13.

Lakers re-sign Chris Mañon

The Lakers re-signed guard Chris Mañon to a two-way contract, the Lakers announced. The second-year guard appeared in nine games for the Lakers last year and also played in 33 G League games for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. With a team-high 1.9 steals per game, Mañon was named to the G League all-defensive team and finished second in defensive player of the year voting.

The Lakers are trading center Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for guard Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks, in 2031 and 2032, people not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to The Times on Friday.

Ayton had returned to the Lakers after an up-and-down first season with the team, picking up his player option for $8.1 million last Sunday. But he became expendable once the Lakers agreed to acquire 24-year-old center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz and sign him to a four-year, $130-million contract.

The Ayton trade leaves the Lakers in the market for a backup center. Several veterans including Jonas Valanciunas and Kevon Looney still are available.

The Lakers acquired Ayton before last season after the Portland Trail Blazers bought out his contract, signing him to a two-year, $16-million deal. He averaged career lows of 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds last season, but shot 67.1% from the field while starting 72 games, both career highs.

The Wizards believe the 7-foot Ayton will be a good fit alongside centers Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr.

The 6-3 Hardy, who spent three-plus seasons with the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to Washington in February, averaged 9.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists while shooting 42.4% from the field and 39.7% from three-point range last season.

Dodgers rout the Padres

From Liana Handler: Roki Sasaki’s abysmal appearance faded away in the Dodgers’ 12-7 win over the San Diego Padres after the Dodgers roared back from a 6-0 deficit as Andy Pages skirted a tying double down the left-field line, and Mookie Betts and Max Muncy each drove in runs to give them the lead. All of which sent the sellout crowd into jubilant celebrations, some jumping, others breaking out World Cup chants.

“I don’t know,” manager Dave Roberts said of the team’s ability to turn the game around. “Thankfully, it played out the way I didn’t expect, or the way it started.”

By the time the game ended, Sasaki’s three-inning start seemed like a murky nightmare the Dodgers awoke from in a sweat. Except the Dodgers weren’t dreaming, and the team hadn’t done much to assuage the concerns with Sasaki.

The problem with Sasaki isn’t his stuff. On his best nights, when the velocity and command combine, Sasaki blows past batters with a triple-digit fastball and cutting off-speed pitches. The problem has been how to tick the radar without making the strike zone look like a Jackson Pollock painting — and recently, it has.

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Dodgers box score

MLB standings

World Cup: U.S. team maintains focus before Belgium match

From Kevin Baxter: Mauricio Pochettino’s team continues to do things in this summer’s World Cup that no U.S. team has ever done before.

Its three wins are the most in a single tournament. So are the 10 goals in four games. It has the best goal differential ever and its two shutouts ties a record.

Yet all that means absolutely nothing to the players.

“They’re great milestones,” captain Tim Ream said. “But I don’t think anybody’s even once mentioned the different things that we’re doing. We’re focused on what we’re doing daily on the training ground, because that puts us in the best possible position to to put these performances.

“So yeah, not aware or even worried about records that we’re breaking.”

Well, except for maybe one.

With Wednesday’s gritty 2-0 over Bosnia and Herzegovina, a game the U.S. finished with just 10 men, the Americans won a game in the World Cup knockout stage for just the second time. That sends them on to a round-of-16 meeting with Belgium on Monday in Seattle where a win would be — you guessed it — historic.

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Swanson: Justice for U.S. star Folarin Balogun, red card for VAR

Spain routs Austria while still working to reach World Cup champion form

Thursday’s World Cup results

Round of 32
Spain 3, Austria 0
Portugal 2, Croatia 1
Switzerland 2, Algeria 0

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
Australia vs. Egypt, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Argentina vs. Cape Verde, 3 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Colombia vs. Ghana, 6:30 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

World Cup round of 32 schedule, results

Round of 32 results
Canada 1, South Africa 0
Brazil 2, Japan 1
Paraguay 1, Germany 1 (Paraguay wins on PK’s, 4-3)
Morocco 1, Netherlands 1 (Morocco wins on PK’s, 3-2)
Norway 2, Ivory Coast 1
France 3, Sweden 0
Mexico 2, Ecuador 0
England 2, DR Congo 1
Belgium 3, Senegal 2
U.S. 2, Bosnia-Herzegovina 0
Spain 3, Austria 0
Portugal 2, Croatia 1
Switzerland 2, Algeria 0

All times Pacific
Friday
Australia vs. Egypt, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Argentina vs. Cape Verde, 3 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Colombia vs. Ghana, 6:30 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Round of 16 schedule

All times Pacific
All games on Fox and Telemundo

Saturday
Canada vs. Morocco, 10 a.m.
Paraguay vs. France, 2 p.m.

Sunday
Brazil vs. Norway, 1 p.m.,
Mexico vs. England, 5 p.m.

Monday
Portugal vs. Spain, noon
U.S. vs. Belgium, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, July 7
Argentina or Cape Verde vs. Australia or Egypt, 9 a.m.
Switzerland vs. Colombia or Ghana, 1 p.m.

Angels swept by Mariners

Bryce Miller took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners edged the Angels 1-0 on Thursday night to finish a three-game sweep.

Cal Raleigh coaxed a bases-loaded walk from rookie starter Walbert Ureña with two outs in the sixth to force home the only run. Seattle stayed tied with the Texas Rangers for first place in the American League West at 45-43.

Andrés Muñoz pitched a shaky ninth for his 16th save. Muñoz gave up a leadoff walk and two singles but retired Wade Meckler on a grounder with two runners aboard to end it.

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Angels box score

MLB standings

Rams great LeRoy Irvin dies

From Chuck Schilken: LeRoy Irvin, a cornerback and special teams player who made two Pro Bowls with the Rams in the 1980s, has died, the team said Thursday. He was 68.

Irvin holds the Rams record for most non-offensive touchdowns (11, including five interception returns, four punt returns, one fumble recovery return and one blocked field goal return). He also is tied with Janoris Jenkins and Ed Meador for most pick-sixes in team history.

“We mourn the loss of Rams Legend LeRoy Irvin,” the team wrote on social media. “We extend our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.”

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This day in sports history

1920 — Suzanne Lenglen beats Dorothea Chambers a second straight year (6-3, 6-0) to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon.

1925 — Suzanne Lenglen wins her sixth and final women’s singles title at Wimbledon, easily beating Joan Fry, 6-2, 6-0.

1931 — Max Schmeling knocks out Young Stribling at 2:46 of the 15th round to retain the world heavyweight title in Cleveland.

1951 — Sam Snead wins his third PGA Championship with a 7 and 6 victory over Walter Burkemo at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.

1976 — Bjorn Borg beats Ilie Nastase 6-4, 6-2, 9-7, to win his first men’s singles title at Wimbledon.

1981 — Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Chris Evert beats Hana Mandlíková 6-2, 6-2 for her third and final Wimbledon singles title.

1982 — Martina Navratilova begins her streak of six straight singles titles at Wimbledon with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Chris Evert Lloyd. It’s the third Wimbledon singles title for Navratilova, all against Evert Lloyd.

1983 — Calvin Smith sets the 100-meter world record at Colorado Springs, with a run of 9.93 seconds. He breaks the previous record of 9.95 set by Jim Hines in 1968.

1983 — Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: American John McEnroe wins 5th career Grand Slam title; outclasses Chris Lewis of New Zealand 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.

1994 — FIFA World Cup: In a huge upset Romania eliminates Argentina 3-2 from the round of 16 at the Rose Bowl.

2004 — Maria Sharapova, 17, wins her first Grand Slam title and instant celebrity by beating Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4. For the first time since 1999, none of the four major titles is held by a Williams.

2005 — Roger Federer wins his third consecutive Wimbledon title by beating Andy Roddick 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Federer is the third man since 1936 to win three straight Wimbledon crowns, joining seven-time champion Pete Sampras and five-time winner Bjorn Borg.

2006 — Annika Sorenstam wins the U.S. Women’s Open after 10 years of frustration and wins her 10th major championship. Sorenstam, who shot a 1-under 70 in the 18-hole playoff, beats Pat Hurst by four strokes for the largest margin of victory in a playoff at the major since Kathy Cornelius won by seven shots 50 years ago.

2006 — Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman officially retires from the NHL, finishing with 692 goals and 1,755 points.

2007 — The Alinghi team from Switzerland — a country more often associated with Alpine skiing and winter snowscapes — successfully defends sailing’s coveted America’s Cup, beating Emirates Team New Zealand 5-2.

2010 — Serena Williams wins her fourth Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam championship by sweeping Vera Zvonareva in straight sets in the women’s final. Williams, who finishes the tournament without dropping a set, takes 67 minutes to win 6-3, 6-2.

2011 — Novak Djokovic wins his first Wimbledon, beating defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. Djokovic, already guaranteed to take over the No. 1 ranking from the Spaniard on July 4, extends his mastery over Nadal this season with a fifth straight head-to-head victory.

2016 — Serena Williams overwhelms Annika Beck 6-3, 6-0 in just 51 minutes on Centre Court at Wimbledon, advancing to the fourth round with her 300th career Grand Slam match win.

2018 — Feliciano Lopez makes history just by taking to the court at Wimbledon. The 36-year-old Spaniard breaks Roger Federer’s record by appearing in a 66th consecutive Grand Slam singles tournament, continuing a run that started at the 2002 French Open. Lopez beats Federico Delbonis of Argentina 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1912 — Rube Marquard of the New York Giants raised his season record to 19-0 with a 2-1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. His winning streak ended five days later against the Chicago Cubs.

1939 — Cleveland’s Ben Chapman ties the modern major-league record with three triples in a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.

1939 — Johnny Mize of St. Louis hit two home runs, a triple and a double, leading the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Mize drove in three runs and scored three times.

1947 — The Cleveland Indians purchased the contract of Larry Doby from the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League, making him the first Black player in the American League.

1966 — Atlanta pitcher Tony Cloninger became the first National League player to hit two grand slams in one game. He added a single for nine RBIs in a 17-3 triumph over San Francisco.

1968 — Cleveland’s Luis Tiant struck out 19, walked none in a six-hit 1-0, 10-inning triumph over Minnesota.

1970 — The Angels’ Clyde Wright used only 98 pitches to no-hit the Oakland A’s 4-0 at Anaheim Stadium.

1973 — Jim Perry of the Detroit Tigers and brother Gaylord of the Cleveland Indians faced each other for the only time as opposing pitchers. Neither finished the game. Gaylord took the loss, 5-4.

2006 — Manager Felipe Alou picked up his 1,000th victory in San Francisco’s 9-6 win over Colorado.

2013 — Max Scherzer worked into the seventh inning to become the first pitcher in 27 years to get off to a 13-0 start, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

2016 — Stephen Strasburg was removed from a no-hit bid after 6 2/3 innings, and Ramon Cabrera singled against Matt Belisle leading off the eighth for Cincinnati’s first hit in the Washington Nationals’ 12-1 rout of the Reds. Strasburg (11-0) threw 109 pitches, five shy of his season high. Strasburg won a franchise-record 14 straight decisions and is the first NL starter to begin a season 11-0 since San Diego’s Andy Hawkins in 1985.

2016 — Wilmer Flores went 6 for 6 with two of New York’s five home runs, and the Mets romped to a 14-3 win and a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Jon Lester gave up eight runs and nine hits in 1 1/3 innings, the shortest of his 301 career starts over 11 major league seasons.

2016 — New York’s Mark Teixeira hit his 400th and 401st home runs and Chad Green got his first big league victory as the Yankees avoided a three-game sweep with a 6-3 win over San Diego.

2020 — Major League Baseball announces the cancellation of the 2020 All Star game in Dodger Stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

On the eve of his unofficial NBA debut, first-round draft pick Cameron Carr signed his Lakers rookie contract, the team announced Thursday.

The Lakers acquired Carr, a 6-foot-5 guard, in a swap of picks with the New York Knicks. Carr will play for the Lakers in summer league games beginning Friday in San Francisco.

Terms were not announced, but the standard rookie contract for the 24th pick this season is about $16.9 million over four seasons with team options in the third and fourth seasons, according to Spotrac.

Carr does not play the position most thought the Lakers would target in the draft. Desperate for a big man, the Lakers instead traded to get the shooting guard out of Baylor.

But Carr fits the bill with his athleticism and length. He recorded a 7-foot wingspan and 8-8 standing reach at the NBA combine, where he also impressed scouts during the five-on-five scrimmage with 30 points and seven rebounds on six-for-12 shooting from three-point range. At Baylor, he averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season.

Carr’s father, Chris, played six seasons in the NBA, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the 1997 NBA dunk contest.

The winner was Kobe Bryant.

With a chance to make his own NBA legacy, the 21-year-old Carr has found inspiration from his father.

“He was a good outlet for me because he’s been where I want to go, and he’s been down the road I want to go,” Carr told reporters at his introductory news conference. “He’s been a heck of a person to stand next to. Especially in tough times where sometimes I don’t know where I want to go. Man, I can lean on him and ask him. He’s been a lot of help for me.”

U.S. advances to round of 16

From Kevin Baxter: Folarin Balogun was still learning to walk the last time the U.S. won a knockout round game in a World Cup. On Wednesday, he helped lead the Americans to another with his goal in the waning seconds of the first half, sparking a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina that sends the team on to the round of 16 of this summer’s tournament.

The other goal came from Malik Tillman in the 82nd minute. The Americans have scored multiple goals in every game of the tournament for the first time ever, also setting a national record with 10 goals overall in the tournament.

The U.S. will face Belgium in the next round Monday in Seattle. Belgium advanced with a 3-2 win over Senegal in extra time.

Balogun wasn’t around to see the finish though, drawing a straight red card for stomping on the right ankle of Bosnian center back Tarik Muharemovic in the 61st minute, a foul Brazilian referee Raphael Claus confirmed via a video review. That forced the Americans to see Wednesday’s game out with just 10 players.

“For me, never is this red card,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “Watching after on TV, never was [it] intention[al] to step up on the player. That was a normal action in football that happened by accident.

“That is why for me it’s never a red card.”

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U.S. Soccer cannot appeal Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red card suspension

Wednesday’s World Cup results

Round of 32
England 2, DR Congo 1
Belgium 3, Senegal 2
U.S. 2, Bosnia-Herzegovina 0

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
Spain vs. Austria, noon, Fox, Telemundo
Portugal vs. Croatia, 4 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Switzerland vs. Algeria, 8 p.m., FS1, Telemundo

World Cup round of 32 schedule, results

Round of 32 results
Canada 1, South Africa 0
Brazil 2, Japan 1
Paraguay 1, Germany 1 (Paraguay wins on PK’s, 4-3)
Morocco 1, Netherlands 1 (Morocco wins on PK’s, 3-2)
Norway 2, Ivory Coast 1
France 3, Sweden 0
Mexico 2, Ecuador 0
England 2, DR Congo 1
Belgium 3, Senegal 2
U.S. 2, Bosnia-Herzegovina 0

All times Pacific
Thursday
Spain vs. Austria, noon, Fox, Telemundo
Portugal vs. Croatia, 4 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Switzerland vs. Algeria, 8 p.m., FS1, Telemundo

Friday
Australia vs. Egypt, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Argentina vs. Cape Verde, 3 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Colombia vs. Ghana, 6:30 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Round of 16 schedule

All times Pacific
All games on Fox and Telemundo

Saturday
Canada vs. Morocco, 10 a.m.
Paraguay vs. France, 2 p.m.

Sunday
Brazil vs. Norway, 1 p.m.,
Mexico vs. England, 5 p.m.

Monday
Portugal or Croatia vs. Spain or Austria, noon
U.S. vs. Belgium, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, July 7
Argentina or Cape Verde vs. Australia or Egypt, 9 a.m.
Switzerland or Algeria vs. Colombia or Ghana, 1 p.m.

Dodgers lose to Athletics

From Bill Shaikin: The Dodgers welcome their bitter rivals to Dodger Stadium on Thursday for what should be a big four-game series, but the San Diego Padres are a mess. They trail the Dodgers by 12 games in the National League West. Their best batter by WAR, according to Baseball Reference, is journeyman infielder Ty France.

The Dodgers lost a game Wednesday by six runs, 7-1 to the Athletics. The Padres lost a game by 20 runs.

However, standings and statistics be damned, the Dodgers are coming for the Padres, their closest pursers in the division even if “close” is relative. The Dodgers didn’t have to say anything out loud, but you could see it on the field Wednesday.

Shohei Ohtani was the scheduled starting pitcher, but the Dodgers pushed him back so he could face the Padres this weekend. The Padres will face Roki Sasaki on Thursday, Ohtani on Friday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sunday.

“They’re all big for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We try to take every series with the same importance, but obviously winning that series is the goal.”

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Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Lakers acquire Walker Kessler, three free agents

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen and Broderick Turner: A day after LeBron James told the Lakers he would take his talents elsewhere for an unprecedented 24th NBA season, the team started rebuilding its roster around Luka Doncic by delivering Doncic’s biggest wish: a new center.

The Lakers will pair Doncic with 24-year-old Walker Kessler after the team agreed to send two first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two pick swaps (2028 and 2030) to the Utah Jazz, people with knowledge of the situation who are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Times on Wednesday.

Kessler, who was limited to five games last season because of a shoulder injury, is expected to sign a four-year, $130-million contract with the Lakers, people with knowledge of the situation said.

After addressing their No. 1 position of concern with Kessler, the Lakers worked to fill in the margins with three free agents — center Sandro Mamukelashvili, guard Quentin Grimes and guard Collin Sexton.

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Lakers announce summer league schedule, roster

Celtics trade Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George, four draft picks

Fan loudly expresses unbridled enthusiasm for Mexico’s World Cup goal … at Dodgers-A’s game

This day in sports history

1921 — The Jack Dempsey-Georges Carpentier heavyweight match at Rickard’s Orchard in Jersey City, N.J., becomes the first million-dollar gate in boxing history. The receipts total $1,789,238 with $50 ringside seats. In front of 80,183, Dempsey knocks out Carpentier at 1:16 of the fourth round.

1927 — Helen Wills becomes the first American to win at Wimbledon since May Sutton in 1907, beating Lili de Alvar 6-2, 6-4 for the title.

1937 — Don Budge beats Gottfried von Cramm, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon. Budge sweeps the championships winning the singles, the men’s doubles title with Gene Mako and the mixed doubles crown with Alice Marble.

1938 — Helen Wills Moody wins her eighth and final singles title at Wimbledon, defeating Helen Jacobs 6-4, 6-0.

1966 — Billie Jean King wins the first of her six singles titles at Wimbledon, beating Maria Bueno of Brazil 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

1967 — Catherine Lacoste of France becomes the first foreigner and first amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship. At age 22, she is also the youngest champion.

1976 — Chris Evert beats Evonne Goolagong, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6, to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon.

1988 — Steffi Graf ends Martina Navratilova’s six-year reign as Wimbledon champion with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory. It is the first time in nine finals that Navratilova loses a Wimbledon singles match.

1989 — Jockey Steve Cauthen becomes the first rider in history to sweep the world’s four major derbies after winning the Irish Derby with Old Vic. He had previously won the Kentucky Derby with Affirmed (1978), the Epsom Derby with Slip Anchor (1985) and Reference Point (1987) and the French Derby with Old Vic (1989).

1994 — Colombian defender Andres Escobar, 27, is killed outside a bar in Colombia in retaliation for deflecting a ball into his own goal in a 2-1 loss to the United States in the World Cup.

1995 — Tom Weiskopf withstands a charge by Jack Nicklaus to win the U.S. Senior Open by four strokes.

1999 — Alexandra Stevenson becomes first qualifier in Wimbledon history to reach the women’s semis. She beats another qualifier, 16-year-old Jelena Dokic, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

2000 — UEFA European Championship Final, Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands: David Trezeguet scores in extra time to give France a 2-1 win over Italy.

2005 — Venus Williams overcomes an early deficit and a championship point to beat top-ranked Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6 (4), 9-7 for her fifth major title and her first in nearly four years.

2010 — The United States beats Japan 7-2 to win its seventh consecutive world softball championship.

2010 — FIFA World Cup: Ghana, only African team remaining in last 8, are beaten 4-2 on penalties by Uruguay; Netherlands upset Brazil 2-1.

2011 — Wladimir Klitschko wins a lopsided unanimous decision over David Haye, adding the WBA title to his heavyweight haul. Klitschko and his older brother, Vitali, hold all three major heavyweight titles. Wladimir already had the IBF title (and minor WBO, IBO belts), while Vitali is the WBC champion.

2016 — Sam Querrey ends Novak Djokovic’s quest for a true Grand Slam in the third round at Wimbledon. In a match interrupted by three rain delays after being suspended in progress because of showers a night earlier, Querrey ousts Djokovic 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5) at the All England Club.

2017 — Home town underdog Jeff Horn upsets Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines on points in a highly controversial WBO welterweight title fight in Brisbane, Australia.

2018 — A wild brawl breaks out between Australia and the Philippines during the Basketball World Cup qualifying game in Manila. Thirteen players, including four Australians, are ejected for their part in the brawl. The game is won 79-48 by Australia.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1903 — Washington outfielder Ed Delahanty went over a railroad bridge at Niagara Falls and drowned. The exact circumstances of his death never were determined.

1909 — The Chicago White Sox stole 12 bases, including home plate three times, in a 15-3 rout of the St. Louis Browns.

1930 — Chicago outfielder Carl Reynolds homered in the first, second and third innings, leading the White Sox to a 15-4 win over the New York Yankees. Reynolds, the second player in history to hit home runs in three consecutive innings, had two inside-the-park homers.

1933 — Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 in an 18-inning game. He gave up six hits and no walks. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Cardinals were blanked 1-0, with Roy Parmelee outdueling Dizzy Dean.

1933 — Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia Athletics set and American League record with 21 total bases in a doubleheader. Foxx hit two solo homers in the opener, a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Browns. In the nightcap, an 11-6 loss, Foxx had two homers, a double and a triple.

1941 — Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hit a home run to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 45 games, surpassing Willie Keeler’s record of 44 straight games for the Orioles in 1897.

1963 — Juan Marichal of San Francisco beat Warren Spahn and the Milwaukee Braves 1-0 in 16 innings on Willie Mays’ homer.

1986 — Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox fell short of a record-tying 15th consecutive winning decision when the Toronto Blue Jays scored three runs in the eighth inning for a 4-2 victory.

1995 — Hideo Nomo of the Dodgers became the first Japanese player picked for baseball’s All-Star game. Nomo was the NL’s leader in strikeouts and second in ERA.

2007 — Roger Clemens reached a rare milestone, pitching eight innings of two-hit ball to earn his 350th win and lead the New York Yankees past Minnesota 5-1. Clemens became the first major leaguer to win 350 games since Hall of Famer Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves accomplished the feat in 1963.

2009 — Houston Astros beat the Padres 7-2, but only after waiting out a 52-minute delay in the top of the ninth inning caused when a swarm of bees took over part of left field at San Diego’s Petco Park.

2013 — Homer Bailey pitched his second no-hitter in 10 months and the first in the majors this season, pitching the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 victory over the slumping San Francisco Giants. Bailey beat the Pirates 1-0 in Pittsburgh last Sept. 28.

2014 — Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz became the 36th player in major league history to collect 1,000 extra-base hits with a ground-rule double during a 16-9 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

2016 — Cleveland’s franchise-record 14-game winning streak was snapped by a 9-6 loss to Toronto, with the Blue Jays scoring three runs in the eighth to overcome a cycle by Rajai Davis.

2016 — C.J. Cron went 6 for 6 with two homers and five RBIs, Carlos Perez had five hits and drove in six and the Angels ended a four-game losing streak with 21-2 rout of the Boston Red Sox.

2019 — The New York Yankees record streak of consecutive games with at least one home run comes to an end at 31.

2022 — The Cardinals become the first team to hit four consecutive homers in the 1st inning when Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Dylan Carlson all go deep against Kyle Gibson of the Phillies. Gibson retires the first two batters before giving up a single to Paul Goldschmidt, followed by the homer barrage. Lars Nootbaar then hits a ball that is caught at the warning track to end the inning. It is the 11th time time this has been done in any inning, but the Cards need another homer by Arenado, this one in the 9th, to end up as 7-6 winners.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

While veterans jockey for new contracts during free agency, young players are getting their tryout opportunities with NBA summer league games beginning this week.

First-round draft pick Cameron Carr and second-year forward Adou Thiero highlight the Lakers summer league roster that was announced Wednesday. The 16-man team will be coached by Lakers assistant coach Ty Abbott and begin summer league play Friday against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

The Lakers also face the Miami Heat (July 5, 1:30 p.m.) and San Antonio Spurs (July 6, 4:30 p.m.) in the California Classic before playing in the Las Vegas summer league from July 9-19. The Lakers play Oklahoma City (July 10), Dallas (July 11), the Clippers (July 14) and Chicago (July 16) in Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.

The Lakers traded up in the draft to get Carr, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Baylor, with the 24th overall pick. He will make his unofficial NBA debut, along with former Indiana State and Saint Louis star Robbie Avila. The 6-10 center became a bespectacled college basketball cult hero known affectionately as “Cream Abdul Jabbar” while leading Indiana State to the NIT championship game in 2024. He transferred to Saint Louis, where he was named Atlantic-10 player of the year as a senior when the Billikens won a school-record 29 wins.

Although he is entering his second season with the Lakers, Thiero will be playing his first summer league games. Persistent knee injuries hampered his rookie season. The athletic 6-7 forward averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 25 appearances last season. He said after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs that he wanted to improve on his three-point shooting during his second year. He attempted only five three-pointers during his rookie season, regular season and playoffs, making one.

Lakers summer league roster

Robbie Avila, C, 6-10, 240
Cameron Carr, G, 6-5, 190
Jon Elmore, G, 6-3, 190
Luke Goode, F, 6-7, 210
William Hickey, G, 6-4, 203
Arthur Kaluma, F, 6-7, 225
William Kyle III, C, 6-9, 230
Chris Mañon, G, 6-4, 212
Robert McCray V, G, 6-4, 188
AK Okereke, F, 6-7, 245
Chase Ross, G, 6-5, 210
Zhaire Smith, G, 6-4, 205
Peter Suder, G, 6-5, 215
Adou Thiero, F, 6-7, 234
Anton Watson, F, 6-8, 225
Jacari White, G, 6-3, 180

The Lakers secured their starting center of the future in a massive trade with Utah on Wednesday, agreeing to send two first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two pick swaps (2028 and 2030) to the Jazz in exchange for 24-year-old Walker Kessler, sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed Wednesday to The Times.

Kessler, who was limited to five games last season because of a shoulder injury, is expected to sign a four-year, $130-million contract with the Lakers, people with knowledge of the situation said.

The center was a restricted free agent, but the Lakers worked around difficult negotiating limitations by throwing in nearly every first-round asset they had in addition to digging into their $51 million in salary-cap space. If the Lakers had only presented an offer sheet to the Jazz to lure Kessler away instead of working on a trade, Utah would have had until July 7 to match the offer.

Kessler’s addition, a day after LeBron James told the Lakers that he’d return for an unprecedented 24th season elsewhere, highlighted a flurry of transactions that will help the Lakers remake their roster around Luka Doncic. Soon after the Kessler trade Wednesday, the Lakers agreed to terms with three free agents — center Sandro Mamukelashviki, guard Quentin Grimes and guard Collin Sexton.

Kessler is a much-needed defensive backstop. The 7-foot-2 center has averaged 2.4 blocks over his career. He was off to a strong start last season in Utah before a season-ending shoulder injury. The previous season, he averaged 11.1 points and 12.2 rebounds. His 4.6 offensive rebounds per game in 2024-25 led the league.

Mamukelashvili declined a $2.8-million player option with the Toronto Raptors and was rewarded with a four-year, $52-million deal with the Lakers, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Times. Primarily coming off the bench, the Georgian center averaged 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Raptors last season.

Toronto’s Sandro Mamukelashvili scores on a layup in front of Wizards forward Anthony Gill on Feb. 28 in Washington.

(Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)

His three-point shooting has improved in recent seasons; Mamushkelasvili shot 38.9% from three-point range last season on 3.7 attempts per game, improving from 37.3% on 2.6 attempts the previous season. The long-range shooting element would stand out in a revamped front line that includes the return Deandre Ayton, who was the Lakers’ major free agent signing last year. He exercised a $8.1-million player option after career lows in points (12.5), rebounds (eight) and minutes (27.2) per game.

Grimes, 26, averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers last season. He agreed to a four-year, $60-million contract, The Times confirmed.

Sexton agreed to a two-year, $19-million contract, The Times confirmed, after the guard played for the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls last year. The Lakers will be his fifth team in his eight-year career, which began in Cleveland, where he was named All-Rookie second team in 2019.

LeBron leaving Lakers is a good thing

From Bill Plaschke: Of all the calculated maneuvers by LeBron James during his eight years with the Lakers, he saved his smartest for last.

He left before the door could hit him in the butt.

He knew the Lakers didn’t want him back, so he skipped out before they had a chance to say goodbye.

He leaked the news alone, before the Lakers could publicly confirm, because he wanted to sell that this was his decision, when it absolutely was not.

This was not his idea. This was not his call. This was the Lakers saying, enough is enough. This was the Lakers saying, we want our team back.

This was arguably the greatest player in basketball getting the message and getting out before they threw him out

Officially, on Tuesday, James informed the Lakers that he’s going to leave them as a free agent and finish his career elsewhere.

Unofficially, yay!

Continue reading here

LeBron James and Lakers share gratitude as he leaves team, look ahead to what’s next

Luke Kennard leaves Lakers for two-year deal with Phoenix Suns

Clippers send Kawhi Leonard to Toronto

From Joaquin Ruiz: The Kawhi Leonard era is over in Los Angeles.

A deal to send the seven-time NBA All-Star forward back to Toronto, where he won his second NBA title, has been finalized, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The trade — which will net the Clippers All-Star forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, a pick swap and two second-round picks — marks the end of another promising-but-empty chapter in the franchise’s ringless history.

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World Cup: Mexico advances to Round of 16

From Eduard Cauich: Mexico once again enjoyed a night of celebration with its fans, this time after defeating an old nemesis — the knockout stage of the World Cup.

El Tri won its first knockout match at a World Cup since 1986, beating Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday night at the majestic Azteca Stadium packed with 80,824 fans.

From 1994 to 2018, Mexico failed to win a World Cup knockout game and, in 2022, failed to advance past the group stage — its worst showing at a World Cup since 1978.

“Bringing joy to the fans is the best thing that can happen to us,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said after the win. “Our duty is to give it our all on the field. Our duty is to defend our crest and represent our country with dignity.”

Thanks to an expanded 48-team World Cup format with a knockout round of 32 teams and a formidable home-field advantage, Mexico achieved a goal that had seemed impossible.

Continue reading here

For Sebastian Berhalter, a shot with the U.S. national team was well worth the wait

Tuesday’s World Cup results

Round of 32
Norway 2, Ivory Coast 1
France 3, Sweden 0
Mexico 2, Ecuador 0

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
9 a.m., England vs. DR Congo, Fox, Telemundo
1 p.m., Belgium vs. Senegal, FS1, Telemundo
5 p.m., U.S. vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Fox, Telemundo

World Cup round of 32 schedule, results

Round of 32 results
Canada 1, South Africa 0
Brazil 2, Japan 1
Paraguay 1, Germany 1 (Paraguay wins on PK’s, 4-3)
Morocco 1, Netherlands 1 (Morocco wins on PK’s, 3-2)
Norway 2, Ivory Coast 1
France 3, Sweden 0
Mexico 2, Ecuador 0

All times Pacific
Wednesday
England vs. Congo DR, 9 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Belgium vs. Senegal, 1 p.m., FS1, Telemundo
U.S. vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina, 5 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Thursday
Spain vs. Austria, noon, Fox, Telemundo
Portugal vs. Croatia, 4 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Switzerland vs. Algeria, 8 p.m., FS1, Telemundo

Friday
Australia vs. Egypt, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Argentina vs. Cape Verde, 3 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Colombia vs. Ghana, 6:30 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Round of 16 schedule

All times Pacific
All games on Fox and Telemundo

Saturday
Canada vs. Morocco, 10 a.m.
Paraguay vs. France, 2 p.m.

Sunday
Brazil vs. Norway, 1 p.m.,
Mexico vs. England or DR Congo, 5 p.m.

Monday
Portugal or Croatia vs. Spain or Austria, noon
U.S. or Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Belgium or Senegal, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, July 7
Argentina or Cape Verde vs. Australia or Egypt, 9 a.m.
Switzerland or Algeria vs. Colombia or Ghana, 1 p.m.

Dave Roberts gets 1,000th win as manager

From Bill Shaikin: For Dave Roberts, it’s 1,000 down and Cooperstown to go.

Victory No. 1: 15-0 over the San Diego Padres in 2016, with vintage Clayton Kershaw on the mound and Adrián González in the cleanup spot. Amid the postgame handshakes, González showered Roberts with bubble gum.

“There was no stress,” Roberts said. “It was such a nice soft landing.”

Victory No. 1,000: 9-3 over the Athletics in Sacramento on Tuesday with home runs from Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas, and with Justin Wrobleski striking out a career-high 11 to become the Dodgers’ first 10-game winner.

Pretty soft landing too, and well worth a celebration. Roberts doffed his cap in gratitude for a spirited postgame ovation from the fans here, almost all of them Dodgers fans. Inside the clubhouse, Rojas and Freddie Freeman led a champagne and tequila toast.

Continue reading here

Walter Alston, Dave Roberts and everyone in between: The 10 managers in L.A. Dodgers history

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels lose to Mariners

Julio Rodriguez had three hits and scored twice, Bryan Woo took a shutout into the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners put together a five-run sixth Tuesday night to beat the Angels 8-3.

Rodriguez and Colt Emerson both had three of Seattle’s 13 hits. Randy Arozarena and Cole Young scored two runs apiece.

Woo (7-6) gave up just four hits and struck out five in 6 1/3 innings. The Angels’ first two runs in their three-run seventh were charged to him after he gave way to reliever Eduard Bazardo. That ended Woo’s streak of home shutout innings at 32 1/3, which stretched over a span of five games dating to May 6 against Atlanta.

Continue reading here

‘He’s a friendly killer.’ How Angels’ José Soriano balances competitive fire, mentorship

Angels box score

MLB standings

Serena Williams loses at Wimbledon

From Chuck Schilken: Experience took on youth Tuesday morning at Wimbledon’s Centre Court as 44-year-old tennis legend Serena Williams played her first singles match in nearly four years, against 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint.

Advantage: youth, as Joint pulled out a 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 win over the 23-time Grand Slam champion, and advances to play 29-seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines — a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Renata Zarazúa of Mexico — on Thursday.

“She has such an aura. She’s such a legend,” Joint said of Williams during an on-court interview after her first-ever Wimbledon win. “And this court has so many huge names that have played on it. I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.”

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This day in sports history

1903 — Maurice Garin wins the first stage of the first Tour de France bicycle race. Garin finishes 55 seconds ahead of Emile Pagie. The first stage, from Paris to Lyon, is 467 kilometers long, and takes 17 hours and 45 minutes, riding both day and night. Only 37 riders of 60 are able to complete the day’s race.

1920 — Suzanne Lenglen of France becomes the first player to win three Wimbledon titles in one year, taking the singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

1932 — Helen Moody wins her fifth women’s singles title in six years at Wimbledon, defeating Helen Jacobs 6-3, 6-1.

1938 — Don Budge defeats Henry Austin 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 to win the men’s singles title and sweep the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon for the second straight year.

1947 — Basketball Assn. of America (BAA), which later became the National Basketball Assn. (NBA), holds its inaugural college player draft.

1951 — Beverly Hanson wins the Eastern Open by three strokes over Babe Zaharias in her first start on the LPGA Tour. Hanson is the only golfer to win a tournament in her first pro start.

1961 — Mickey Wright beats defending champion Betsy Rawls by six strokes to win the U.S. Women’s Open.

1977 — Britain’s Virginia Wade wins the singles title on the 100th anniversary of Wimbledon, defeating Betty Stove 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

1990 — Cathy Johnston completes a wire-to-wire performance, beating Patty Sheehan by two strokes to win the LPGA du Maurier Classic.

1995 — The NBA locks out its players at 12:01 a.m., the first work stoppage in league history.

1997 — Nevada Athletic Commission suspends Mike Tyson indefinitely and withholds $20-million purse for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear during their heavyweight title fight on June 28.

2007 — Cristie Kerr wins the U.S. Women’s Open by making only two bogeys over her final 45 holes. Kerr finishes at 5-under 279 for her 10th career victory.

2011 — The NBA locks out its players, a long-expected move putting the 2011-12 season in jeopardy.

2012 — Spain wins its third straight major soccer title, beating Italy 4-0 in the European Championship final in Kiev, Ukraine. The Spanish, who won the Euro 2008 title and World Cup title in 2010, posts the largest score in a Euro final.

2012 — Tiger Woods wins the AT&T National at Congressional in Bethesda, Md. for the 74th win of his career. That moves him past Jack Nicklaus into second place on the tour list, eight short of Sam Snead.

2018 — NBA superstar LeBron James agrees to a 4-year, $154-million deal with the Lakers, moving from Cleveland Cavaliers.

2018 — Park Sung-hyun wins the PGA Women’s Championship at Kemper Lakes Golf Course in a playoff with Nasa Hataoka and Ryu So-yeon.

2018 — David Toms wins the Men’ US Senior Open at Broadmoor Golf Course by one stroke over Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jerry Kelly and Tim Petrovic.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1910 — Comiskey Park — then known as White Sox Park — held its first major league game, with the St. Louis Browns beating Chicago 2-0.

1917 — Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds pitched complete-game victories in a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Toney threw a three-hitter in each game for 4-1 and 5-1 wins, setting a record for the fewest hits given up in a doubleheader by a pitcher.

1920 — Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators defeated the Boston Red Sox 1-0 at Fenway Park with the season’s only no-hitter.

1925 — Hack Wilson of the New York Giants hit two home runs in the third inning of a 16-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader. Wilson also doubled twice during the game.

1941 — Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees singled off Boston’s Jack Wilson in the fourth inning, tying Willie Keeler’s hitting streak of 44 games.

1951 — Bob Feller of the Indians pitched his third career no-hitter, beating the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in the first game of a doubleheader at Cleveland.

1990 — Andy Hawkins of the New York Yankees pitched the sixth no-hitter in the majors this season and the third in less than 48 hours, but lost 4-0 to the Chicago White Sox on two outfield errors in the eighth inning.

1997 — Detroit’s Bobby Higginson homered in the first inning against the New York Mets, tying a major league record by homering in four consecutive at-bats over two games. Higginson, who struck out looking in his next at-bat, became the 23rd player since 1900 to accomplish the feat and the fourth Tiger.

2009 — One run was enough for a victory for three National League teams, the first time in 33 years there were three 1-0 games in one league on the same day. The Mets, Dodgers and Reds came away with 1-0 victories. The last time there were three 1-0 games in one league was Sept. 1, 1976, in the NL.

2009 — Hanley Ramirez extended his RBI streak to 10 games in the Florida Marlins’ 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals. Ramirez hit a two-run double in the third inning to become the first shortstop in NL history with an RBI streak of double-digit games.

2013 — Andy Pettitte passes Whitey Ford for the most strikeouts in New York Yankees history when he records his 1,957th in the Yankees’ 10-4 win over the Twins. The win goes to reliever Joba Chamberlain, his first of the year, as he benefits from a three-run outburst off reliever Jared Burton in the 8th. The Yankees then add four runs in the top of the 9th as they end a five-game losing streak.

2014 — The Cleveland Indians executed an unorthodox triple play in the fourth inning against the Dodgers that required two video replay reviews to sort out. With runners on first and third, Adrián González lifted a fly ball to left fielder Michael Brantley, who threw out Dee Gordon at the plate. Catcher Yan Gomes then fired to second baseman Jason Kipnis for the tag on Yasiel Puig as he slid headfirst. Cleveland manager Terry Francona challenged the original safe call at second and got the play overturned after a replay delay that lasted 1 minute, 29 seconds. Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly then challenged the call at the plate, but that call stood after another wait of 1 minute, 34 seconds. Cleveland went on to a 10-3 win.

2015 — Carlos Carrasco came within one strike of throwing the Cleveland Indians’ first no-hitter since 1981, giving up an RBI single to Joey Butler over leaping second baseman Jason Kipnis’ glove in an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

2019 — Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs is found dead in his hotel room a few hour before the team’s scheduled game with the Texas Rangers. Police confirm that no foul play is suspected.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

From Ryan Kartje: She’d been out for more than a year, her long, arduous recovery from a season-ending knee injury kept almost completely under wraps. But as JuJu Watkins took her place in front of a microphone for the first time since returning to practice this summer, the USC superstar barely could contain her gratitude.

Asked Monday what the best part about being back has been so far, a big smile crept across Watkins’ face.

“Honestly everything,” Watkins said. “Like I don’t even know, the smallest stuff just gets me excited.”

Watkins’ return is a momentous mile marker for a Trojans team that has serious national title aspirations this season. Her status remains uncertain, and reporters in attendance Monday were told not to inquire further about Watkins’ recovery timeline. But she did say she’s already been able to scrimmage during USC’s summer practice and that she’s “feeling back like myself.”

“It’s just been a long time coming,” Watkins said. “I’ve just been working out and grinding every day so that I could be in position, so to see all of that hard work pay off right now, it’s really fulfilling.”

Continue reading here

Monday’s World Cup results

Round of 32
Brazil 2, Japan 1
Paraguay 1, Germany 1 (Paraguay wins on PK’s, 4-3)
Morocco 1, Netherlands 1 (Morocco wins on PK’s, 3-2)

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
10 a.m., Ivory Coast vs. Norway, Fox, Telemundo
2 p.m., France vs. Sweden, Fox, Telemundo
6 p.m., Mexico vs. Ecuador, Fox, Telemundo

World Cup round of 32 schedule, results

Canada 1, South Africa 0
Brazil 2, Japan 1
Paraguay 1, Germany 1 (Paraguay wins on PK’s, 4-3)
Morocco 1, Netherlands 1 (Morocco wins on PK’s, 3-2)

All times Pacific
Tuesday
Ivory Coast vs. Norway, 10 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
France vs. Sweden, 2 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Mexico vs. Ecuador, 6 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Wednesday
England vs. Congo DR, 9 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Belgium vs. Senegal, 1 p.m., FS1, Telemundo
U.S. vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina, 5 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Thursday
Spain vs. Austria, noon, Fox, Telemundo
Portugal vs. Croatia, 4 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Switzerland vs. Algeria, 8 p.m., FS1, Telemundo

Friday
Australia vs. Egypt, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Argentina vs. Cape Verde, 3 p.m., Fox, Telemundo
Colombia vs. Ghana, 6:30 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Round of 16 schedule

Saturday
Canada vs. Morocco, 10 a.m., Fox, Telemundo
Paraguay vs. France or Sweden, 2 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Sunday
Brazil vs. Norway or Ivory Coast, 1 p.m., Fox, Telemundo

Dodgers defeat the Athletics

From Bill Shaikin: Teoscar Hernández was back from a hamstring injury, and a little bit humble. He was about to play his first game in a month for the Dodgers.

“I don’t think they really need me in the lineup,” he said, with a hint of a smile.

Hernández hit 58 home runs over his first two seasons with the Dodgers, each of which ended in a World Series championship, so of course they need him. But, in his absence, the Dodgers had more than doubled their National League West lead.

Hernández is back, but Will Smith and Kiké Hernández still are out. So are Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Edwin Díaz.

No matter: The Dodgers boosted their division lead to 11 games Monday with a 9-4 victory over the Athletics. Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy and Andy Pages homered to highlight a 17-hit attack.

Continue reading here

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels lose to Mariners

Cole Young hit two home runs to back eight strong innings from George Kirby as the Seattle Mariners came from behind to beat the Angels 6-2 on Monday night.

Dominic Canzone also went deep to help Seattle (43-43) get back to .500 and stay a half-game behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the American League West.

Zach Neto doubled to center field leading off the game against Kirby (7-7), and Denzer Guzman singled two pitches later for a 1-0 lead. Neto hit his 18th home run in the third — a two-out shot that made it 2-0.

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Angels box score

MLB standings

Who is coming back to the Lakers?

From Broderick Turner: As LeBron James dominated the news cycle regarding his future on the eve of NBA free agency, another member of the Lakers’ starting lineup returned.

Deandre Ayton is picking up his contract option for $8.1 million, according to people not authorized to publicly discuss the decision.

The 7-foot Ayton averaged career lows in points (12.5), rebounds (8.2) and minutes per game (27.2) in his first season with the Lakers, but played a career-high 72 games and shot a career-best 67.1% from the field. He averaged 10 points and 9.6 rebounds in the playoffs.

Lakers guard Marcus Smart declined his option of $5.9 million and will become an unrestricted free agent, according to people not authorized to publicly discuss the decision.

Smart is expected to have several teams pursue him in free agency, with the Houston Rockets reportedly among them.

He was the Lakers’ best defender and averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 assists last season, also his first with the team.

As for James, he’s an unrestricted free agent who earned $52.6 million last season. Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said during his season-ending news conference in May that they would give James time with his family to decide his future.

Continue reading here

Former Lakers Malik Beasley and Ed Davis accused of illegal gambling, wire fraud and money laundering

This day in sports history

1909 — Jack Johnson fights Tony Ross to a no decision in 6 rounds at Duquesne Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to retain his heavyweight boxing title.

1916 — Amateur Chick Evans Jr. wins the U.S. Open with a record 286 total.

1929 — Bobby Jones beats Al Espinosa by 23 strokes in a 36-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open.

1962 — Murle Lindstrom wins the U.S. Women’s Open by two strokes over Jo Anne Prentice and Ruth Jessen.

1965 — The NFL grants Atlanta a franchise. Rankin Smith Sr., an Executive Vice President of Life Insurance Company of Georgia, pays $8.5 million for the franchise. It’s the highest price paid in league history at the time.

1975 — Muhammad Ali retains world heavyweight boxing crown by beating Englishman Joe Bugner by unanimous points decision in a re-match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

1991 — Wimbledon breaks 114 years of tradition by playing on the middle Sunday of the tournament, a move forced by a huge backlog of matches caused by rain earlier in the week.

1991 — Meg Mallon sinks a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to break a tie with Pat Bradley and Ayako Okamoto and win the LPGA Championship.

1993 — NBA Draft: Michigan center Chris Webber first pick by Orlando Magic (traded to Golden State).

1994 — Diego Maradona is kicked out of the World Cup by FIFA for failing a drug test after Argentina’s June 25 victory over Nigeria in Foxboro, Mass.

1994 — Tonya Harding is stripped of her national title and banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Assn. because of her role in an attack on Nancy Kerrigan.

1996 — UEFA European Championship Final, Wembley Stadium, London, England: Oliver Bierhoff scores his second goal in extra time as Germany beat Czech Republic, 2-1.

1999 — NBA Draft: Duke power forward Elton Brand first pick by Chicago Bulls.

2002 — Ronaldo scores both goals to lead Brazil to a 2-0 victory over Germany for the team’s record fifth World Cup title.

2012 — Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan becomes the first player in a Grand Slam tournament to win every point of a set on her way to beating French Open runner-up Sara Errani 6-0, 6-4 in the third round of Wimbledon.

2013 — Inbee Park wins the U.S. Women’s Open for her third straight major this year. Babe Zaharias is the last player to win three straight majors on the calendar, but that was in 1950 when that’s all there were.

2013 — NHL Draft: Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) center Nathan MacKinnon #1 pick by Colorado Avalanche.

2015 — The United States defeat Germany 2-0 in semifinals at Women’s World Cup. Carli Lloyd converts a penalty kick for Team USA and a 1-0 lead. Substitute Kelley O’Hara scores in the 84th minute off a Lloyd cross to seal the U.S. team’s 2-0 victory.

2018 — FIFA World Cup: Kylian Mbappé (19) becomes only 2nd teenager (Pelé 1st 1958) to score twice in a World Cup match as France eliminate Argentina 4-3 in Kazan.

2020 — FC Barcelona’ Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi scores his 700th career goal in a 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1908 — Cy Young of the Boston Red Sox pitched the third no-hitter of his career at age 41, an 8-0 win over the New York Highlanders.

1948 — Cleveland’s Bob Lemon pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers for the first American League no-hitter at night.

1962 — Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers struck out 13 New York Mets en route to the first of four career no-hitters, a 5-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.

1970 — Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati was dedicated, but Henry Aaron spoiled the show for the crowd of 51,050 with a first-inning homer off Jim McGlothlin to send Atlanta past the Reds 8-2.

1978 — Willie McCovey became the 12th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs. His shot off Atlanta’s Jamie Easterly wasn’t enough, with the Braves beating the visiting San Francisco Giants 10-5 in the second game of a doubleheader.

1986 — 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson makes his pro baseball debut with the Memphis Chicks of the double-A Southern League and goes 1 for 4 with two strikeouts.

1995 — Eddie Murray of the Cleveland Indians became the second switch-hitter and the 20th player in baseball history to reach 3,000 hits when he singled against the Minnesota Twins. Murray joined Pete Rose, the career hits leader with 4,256, as the only switch-hitters to get 3,000.

1997 — Bobby Witt of Texas hit the first home run by an American League pitcher in a regular-season game in almost 25 years, connecting off Ismael Valdes in the Rangers’ 3-2 interleague victory over the Dodgers.

1998 — Sammy Sosa hit his 20th home run in June, extending his major league record for most homers in a month with an eighth-inning shot for the Cubs against Arizona.

2005 — Chad Cordero earned his 15th save in June in the Washington Nationals’ 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He tied a major league record set by Lee Smith in 1993 and matched by John Wetteland in 1996.

2006 — Adam Dunn hit a grand slam with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning off closer Bob Wickman to lead Cincinnati to a 9-8 victory over Cleveland.

2008 — Nick Swisher homered from both sides of the plate, hitting his second grand slam in four games and adding a solo shot to lead the Chicago White Sox past Cleveland, 9-7.

2009 — Nick Markakis hit a two-run double off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon to complete the biggest comeback in Baltimore Orioles history for an 11-10 win. Baltimore trailed 10-1 before scoring five runs in the seventh inning and five more in the eighth.

2016 — Coastal Carolina capitalized on two errors on the same play for four unearned runs in the sixth inning, and the Chanticleers won their first national championship in any sport with a 4-3 victory over Arizona in Game 3 of the College World Series finals. The Chanticleers became the first school since Minnesota in 1956 to win the title in its first CWS appearance.

2020 — Minor League Baseball officially announces the cancellation of its season as Major League Baseball will keep a “taxi squad” of eligible players that can be added to the roster if needed.

2021 — Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner ties the major league record by hitting for the cycle for the third time in his career in a 15-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

In need of three-point shooting, the Lakers lost the league’s best sharpshooter on the first day of free agency.

Guard Luke Kennard has agreed to a two-year, $13-million deal with the Phoenix Suns, The Times confirmed Tuesday.

Kennard was an unrestricted free agent after he was traded to the Lakers last February from the Atlanta Hawks. His arrival coincided with a dramatic offensive uptick for the Lakers, who went from 34.9% shooting from three in games before Kennard and 37.7% in games after. Kennard was on a one-year, $11-million contract last season, his ninth year in the NBA.

The former Duke star averaged nine points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Lakers while shooting 44.8% from three-point range. He showed his influence beyond just shooting when he took on more ballhandling duties late in the season to fill in during injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. In a starting role during the last six games of the regular season, Kennard averaged 6.4 assists.

The Lakers already lost LeBron James on the first day of free agency after the 22-time All-Star informed the team he intended to sign somewhere else for his NBA-record 24th season. Kennard could have provided a critical floor-spacing piece around Doncic, who thrives when surrounded by lob-catching centers, athletic wings and knockdown shooters.

Of all the calculated maneuvers by LeBron James during his eight years with the Lakers, he saved his smartest for last.

He left before the door could hit him in the butt.

He knew the Lakers didn’t want him back, so he skipped out before they had a chance to say goodbye.

He leaked the news alone, before the Lakers could publicly confirm, because he wanted to sell that this was his decision, when it absolutely was not.

This was not his idea. This was not his call. This was the Lakers saying, enough is enough. This was the Lakers saying, we want our team back.

This was arguably the greatest player in basketball getting the message and getting out before they threw him out.

Officially, on Tuesday, James informed the Lakers that he’s going to leave them as a free agent and finish his career elsewhere.

Unofficially, yay!

LeBron is gone, and he left without a fight, and the Lakers couldn’t be luckier.

LeBron is history, and it didn’t cost the Lakers a penny, and now they can breath again.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said on social media after the news dropped Tuesday morning. “We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers — including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold. We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family.”

Cherished, but gone, and thank goodness somebody over there had the conviction to let history walk.

Kudos to the new Lakers ownership for resisting every business impulse in their body to keep him while summoning the strength to stare down the most famous basketball player in the world and tell him to hit the road.

Lakers forward LeBron James looks to pass while being defended by Kings guard Daeqwon Plowden during a game in March.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

They could have been suckered into signing him just to throw him a grand farewell tour. They weren’t.

They could have been fooled by the 15-2 success he enjoyed when playing with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves during that glorious month this spring. They weren’t.

They could have, as with past Laker regimes, simply been bullied by Rich Paul and his cronies. They weren’t.

They didn’t even make him an offer!

In losing LeBron, the Lakers reclaimed a bit of their soul. In letting LeBron leave, they sent a clear message to everyone who stayed.

This team belongs to Luka. This team belongs to the future. This team again belongs to the Lakers.

“Truly a honor to wear the (purple and gold),” James posted on social media. “Hope I made a few proud during my stint.”

He made many proud. He made the Lakers proud. He led them to their only championship in the last 16 years, he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and, in his 23rd season, he set all sorts of records for longevity.

Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and his son Bronny (9) on the court together during a playoff game against the Rockets in April.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

In his final glorious act this spring, at age 41, he dragged a shorthanded Lakers team into the second round of the playoffs. His widely acclaimed effort against the Houston Rockets proved he could still play. He was still among the top 20 players in the league.

But, goodness, he drove the Lakers crazy.

His eight-year tenure was filled with quiet demands for roster changes amid veiled threats to leave. The Lakers were so afraid of losing him or displeasing Paul and all of his other star clients that they constantly, sometimes embarrassingly, bowed to the King.

In doing everything from acquiring Russell Westbrook to drafting James’ son, Bronny, the Lakers contorted themselves to please their leader.

And for what? Outside of that bubble title in 2020, James never led the Lakers to much of anything. Despite setting some of his records in front of them, he never connected with Lakers fans, perhaps because of the continuous passive-aggressive mind games he played with management.

Here’s guessing he wanted to stay in Los Angeles, and would have eventually accepted a massive pay cut from last year’s $52.6 million. Here’s guessing he would have chosen to remain in the town that contains one of his family homes and many of his businesses for a chance to end his career in a Laker uniform with a farewell celebration that matched the royal ones given the likes of Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

But the Lakers never gave him that choice. As it turns out, even 43,440 points were not enough to endear him to an organization that still prefers to call itself the Lakers and not the LeBrons. While he seemed invincible, LeBron was not indisposable, and now he can take his act to Golden State or Cleveland or somewhere else willing to kiss the ring.

Give him credit, though, for pulling one last move.

LeBron leaked his announcement one day after son Bronny’s $2.3 million contract became fully guaranteed.

Of course he did.

LeBron James is continuing his record-setting NBA career, but he won’t do it with the Lakers.

The 41-year-old superstar has informed the Lakers he intends to sign with a different team as an unrestricted free agent, The Times confirmed Tuesday. After eight seasons, James felt it was best to part ways with the Lakers, according to people familiar with the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly.

James’ tenure with the Lakers was his longest continuous stint with any franchise during his illustrious career. He led the team to its 17th NBA championship in 2020, broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record while wearing the purple and gold and set the league record for seasons played, reaching 23 unprecedented years.

His record-extending 24th season will now be elsewhere.

The Golden State Warriors were reported as a potential option after Draymond Green opted out of his contract Monday, potentially freeing enough cap space to add James. He made $52.6 million last season but could sign for a pay cut to join fellow superstar Stephen Curry.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement posted on social media. “We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers — including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold. We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family.”

James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game last season for the Lakers while claiming a slew of NBA records, including marks for games played, all-time wins and field goals made. Despite his age James was still considered one of the top free agents in a relatively pedestrian class.

James earned his record 22nd All-Star appearance last season, maintained his streak of averaging more than 20 points per game every season of his career and willed a shorthanded Lakers team past the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs last season.

But he also gave up ground in his decades-long bout with Father Time.

James missed the first 14 games of the season while dealing with a right sciatic nerve problem, marking the first time in his career that he wasn’t ready to suit up for the season opener. His 15.3 field goal attempts per game was a career low, and he was ineligible for end-of-season awards because he missed 22 regular-season games, ending his streak of 21 years with All-NBA honors.

The Lakers needed James to reach the second round of the Western Conference playoffs last season — when the team was without star Luka Doncic for the entire postseason — but the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was set to take a supporting role within the franchise.

Doncic, 27, remains the top priority for the Lakers. Doncic signed a three-year, $165-million contract extension last summer. The Lakers also agreed to a four-year, $185-million max deal to keep Austin Reaves, who opted out of his contract to become a free agent.

Lakers stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic high-five after Doncic scored on a crucial three-point shot in overtime against the Knicks at Crypto.com Arena in March.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

With eight players from last year’s roster entering unrestricted free agency or holding player options, the Lakers were in position to completely remake their roster around Doncic two offseasons after the Slovenian superstar landed in the Lakers’ laps in a mind-blowing trade with the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis.

President of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said after the season that the roster would be “retrofitted” around Doncic, meaning the Lakers wanted to target athletic, defensive-minded wings, knock-down shooters and a rim-running center.

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we’re buckling up for what will surely be a bumpy free agency period.

Free agency negotiations can officially begin today at 3 p.m. PDT, but there have already been several eyebrow-raising moves. Blockbuster trades between Milwaukee and Miami, Charlotte and Minnesota, and Memphis and Portland are three massive shots during the offseason transaction salvo.

And those weren’t even technically free agency transactions.

Now the real fun begins.

Golden (State) reunion?

They already won an Olympic gold medal together. The mere concept of LeBron James and Stephen Curry playing together for an NBA championship is the stuff of ticket-selling, TV-viewership legend.

With James being what many consider the best free agent in this class, the superstar will be at the center of nearly every phone call through the Lakers’ El Segundo facility this summer. Between retirement, returning and relocating, James has plenty of choices for his future. Teams are starting to line up with their offers.

Signaling what will be a frenetic week, Draymond Green opted out of his contract, ESPN reported Monday morning, sending alarm bells across the league that the Warriors could be cooking up cap magic to potentially lure James to the Bay Area.

The idea was that with a restructured deal with Green, Golden State could offer the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception to James. They could then try to pull off a trade to bring Anthony Davis for a “Big 4.” Eyeball emojis were wide open on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

But in this fast-paced league, that strategy barely survived the day after a Kristaps Porzingis extension reported Monday afternoon made the mid-level exception math not impossible, but certainly more complicated.

One NBA executive told my colleague Broderick Turner that James could play for the Lakers on a one-year, $30-million deal if the team wants to offer that much. It would still be a significant pay cut from the $52.6 million James made last year.

The 41-year-old is already the first active NBA player to reach billionaire status, according to Forbes. How much will a few million dollars matter to him?

During his twilight NBA years, James, according to the now-infamous statement to ESPN from his agent Rich Paul last year, wants to prioritize winning. There’s no guarantee that staying with the Lakers would make them the top team to overtake the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder, but there is some proof of concept. Raise a mental banner for that 16-2, Luka-Austin-LeBron stretch.

In the West, at least, the top teams are trending young. The Thunder were the youngest team ever to win a title in 2025. The Spurs figure to be a championship contender for a long time behind Victor Wembanyama, 22, Stephon Castle, 21, and Dylan Harper, 20. The Timberwolves’ controversial trade for LaMelo Ball in exchange for fan favorite Naz Reid to Charlotte also netted Minnesota one of the league’s biggest young stars.

James, Davis, Curry and Green would be a star-studded zag toward experience when the rest of the league is zigging toward youth. The Warriors already flirted with “The Expendables” ensemble strategy with Curry, Green, Al Horford and Jimmy Butler last year.

Sequels are rarely better than the original, and in this case, the original wasn’t even that good.

By already agreeing to a four-year, $185-million deal with Austin Reaves, the Lakers are getting close to running back their own roster. As expected, Deandre Ayton opted into his $8.1 million player option.

After the 27-year-old’s up-and-down play last year, simply getting Ayton back will not stop questions regarding the Lakers’ center position.

While watching a thrilling NBA Finals and the highly anticipated Western Conference finals showdown between the Spurs and Thunder, the league saw the importance of shooting. Free-agent sharpshooters Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard are on the market, and defensive stopper Marcus Smart will leave a hole in the Lakers’ roster after opting out. The 32-year-old guard greatly outplayed his $5.9-million option and is deserving of a multi-year deal.

When it came to his own future, James was vague at the end of the season. James’ on-court influence could persist for years, whether in L.A. or somewhere else. But his decisions won’t necessarily be his own.

James mentioned conversations with his family as important steps in the offseason process. Maybe just as important as the opportunity to chase a fifth championship is the chance for the father of three to fulfill his family responsibilities.

This month, James was celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Cavaliers’ championship with teammates, a trip that overlapped with Father’s Day. When he returned, his daughter Zhuri handed him a handwritten golf-themed card: “You are the best by par” she wrote inside.

“When you retire,” the page-long note James posted on Instagram read, “I can’t wait for you to be at all of my games like I was at yours.”

James, he wrote on social media, instantly cried.

Rock the vote

Setting the LeBron James of it all aside, which unrestricted free agent would you most want to return to the Lakers next season? Slide into my inbox at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com with your answer!

• Rui Hachimura
• Marcus Smart
• Luke Kennard
• Jaxson Hayes

Favorite thing I ate this week

Khinkali (Georgian soup dumplings) from Cheeseboat in Manhattan.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

I’ve recently seen social media posts of people trying to eat food from as many countries as possible without leaving a single major city. I may adopt this as a new NBA road trip side quest, and we can now add Georgia to the travel menu.

While in New York City for the draft, I stopped at Cheeseboat, a family-run Georgian restaurant in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan. It’s named after Georgia’s traditional khachapuri bread that is shaped like an open boat and filled with delicious melted cheese, but my favorite dish we had was the khinkali soup dumplings filled with ground beef, spices and herbs. I just love dumplings, and because you use your hands to eat them — picking them up by the little dough handle is advised — they’re a little less fussy than the Chinese xiao long bao.

In case you missed it

Former Lakers Malik Beasley and Ed Davis accused of illegal gambling, wire fraud and money laundering

Who will sign with the Lakers? Updates on Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, LeBron James and more

Swanson: You’re up, Rob Pelinka. To avoid Ned Colletti’s fate, the Lakers’ GM has to deliver this offseason

Cameron Carr on Lakers acquiring him draft night: ‘It didn’t feel real’

Plaschke: Lakers’ Austin Reaves needs to do more to earn his money

Lakers’ Austin Reaves agrees to four-year, $185-million contract

Until next time…

As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com, and please consider subscribing if you like our work!

If only. If Rob Pelinka could use the Dodgers’ blueprint to renovate, Lakers fans wouldn’t even be sweating this summer.

But, you know. Baseballs and basketballs, apples and oranges.

The windup and sales pitch are the same, though: Deliver a sustainable, high-rising, championship build. On time and … about that budget. One team has none. The other’s is tight.

In baseball, they wear caps. In the NBA, they’re compelled to stay under them.

In baseball, they can swing freely (for now). In basketball, they’re hamstrung by aprons.

Ned Colletti had it easier, and he lasted only two relatively successful seasons in his role as Dodgers general manager after Mark Walter’s Guggenheim Baseball Management group bought the ballclub in 2012.

Pelinka has it tougher as the Lakers’ general manager and president of basketball operations. But like Colletti before him, with Walter having purchased the majority stake in the Lakers, Pelinka is going to have to crash the hourglass and build a winner with haste. Er, the winner.

If the Lakers lay anything but an 18th brick on their championship foundation in the next couple seasons, Pelinka’s story probably is going to go a lot like Colletti’s.

When free agency opens Tuesday, Pelinka is just going to have to show us how creative he can be, how clever and cunning.

He already hit a grand slam with the Luka Doncic trade in 2025. In one of the NBA’s all-time heists, Pelinka brought the then-25-year-old Slovenian superstar to L.A. from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for essentially an aging and injury-prone Anthony Davis and just one first-round draft pick.

Before that, Pelinka hit another home run with Austin Reaves; a four-bagger so deep that Doncic’s undrafted backcourt-mate has now procured the proverbial bag. (Four years, $185 million worth of baggage to the Lakers.)

With those pillars cemented, Pelinka’s job is delivering the A-list center Doncic reportedly desires.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic. Can Pelinka build a winner around Doncic?

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Doesn’t matter that all the perceivable candidates — from the Utah Jazz’s Walker Kessler to the New York Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Myles Turner, the Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen, the Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford, even old friend A.D. — sit on a spectrum of unlikely to unwise.

Still, the best plan: Make Doncic happy; make a run at Kessler.

He’s a 24-year-old, defensively adept big man who would be a great pickup, just hard to get. But whether it’s overpaying in restricted free agency or working out a sign-and-trade deal, pry him away from the Jazz.

After nailing down a center, Pelinka also needs to really hit on the margins. Because in the modern NBA, the marginal is major.

The current contenders have depth borne of seasons spent tanking and loading up in the draft on athletic, affordable young talent or, in the case of the recently crowned Knicks, having a leading man take $113 million less than he was eligible for, as Jalen Brunson effectively did, to be able to play with his best buds.

In L.A., the Lakers don’t really have the first option and shouldn’t ever expect the second.

But Pelinka doesn’t have to swing for the fences every time; he doesn’t need to wow us now, he needs to have wowed us later. Take swings like he did trading for Rui Hachimura or netting sharpshooter Luke Kennard.

Former Laker Pau Gasol, right, speaks with GM Rob Pelinka during a Lakers practice in 2025.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

No one bats 1.000, of course, not even Andrew Friedman, the architect of the Dodgers’ three World Series titles since taking over as president of baseball operations in 2014.

But for the Lakers’ potential $51 million of cap space, for all of this summer’s much-hyped optionality, Pelinka’s competitive new boss isn’t the type to forgive errors that are forever front of mind for the Lakers’ faithful.

Pelinka can’t strike out on free agent signees like Gabe Vincent and Kendrick Nunn. Can’t let someone like Alex Caruso walk. Can’t whiff on draftees like Dalton Knecht or Jalen Hood-Schifino — and better hope he hasn’t on this year’s selection, Cameron Carr, who fell to the Lakers at No. 24.

The wrinkle, this offseason: Last year’s Lakers — 41-year-old LeBron James, Hachimura, Kennard and, if he opts out, Marcus Smart — will be among the most attractive free agents on the market, and they’re proven fits for a team that reached the second round of the playoffs.

But merely re-signing those guys won’t improve the Lakers’ odds of getting past the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs.

And simply outspending those teams isn’t an option, either. So Pelinka is going to have to go bargain hunting, he’s got to find some hidden gems, pull some tricks out of his sleeve. Surprise us, like great general managers are supposed to do.

This is Pelinka’s opportunity to show us his blueprint for bringing another title to Los Angeles, to build a case for himself.

Cameron Carr talks about joining Lakers

From Broderick Turner: NBA mock drafts projected Cameron Carr getting selected somewhere between 15 and 20 in the first round on Tuesday night.

Ending up with the Lakers later in the draft, however, was more than Carr could have asked for.

The Lakers acquired his draft rights from the New York Knicks, who took the 6-foot-5 Baylor guard with the 24th pick, in a multiple-team deal in which L.A. sent the draft rights to Spanish guard Sergio De Larrea, who was taken 25th, and cash considerations to New York.

As he sat for his introductory news conference Friday, dressed in all black, Carr shared what his thoughts were when he found out he would be playing for the Lakers.

“I’m going to the Lakers! It was more of an exciting thing,” he said. “It felt surreal. It didn’t feel real for the first couple minutes when I found out. It was trying to get my head around, ‘Man, I’m about to walk across the stage and be an NBA player.’ I’ve dreamed of this my whole life, especially since I was a kid. So it took a second. Still trying to get my head wrapped around it, but nothing but excitement and happiness. I feel more motivated to work.”

Continue reading here

Friday’s World Cup results

Group G
Egypt 1, Iran 1
Belgium 5, New Zealand 1

Group H
Spain 1, Uruguay 0
Cape Verde 0, Saudi Arabia 0

Group I
France 4, Norway 1
Senegal 5, Iraq 0

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
2 p.m., Croatia vs. Ghana, FS1, Universo
2 p.m., Panama vs. England, Fox, Telemundo
4:30 p.m., Colombia vs. Portugal, Fox, Telemundo
4:30 p.m., DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan, FS1, Universo
7 p.m., Algeria vs. Austria, FS1, Universo
7 p.m., Jordan vs. Argentina, Fox, Telemundo

World Cup Group standings

Group A
Country, W-D-L, Goal Differential, Points
x-Mexico, 3-0-0, +6, 9
x-South Africa, 1-1-1, -1, 4
South Korea, 1-0-2, -1, 3
y-Czechia, 0-1-2, -4, 1

Group B
x-Switzerland, 2-1-0, +4, 7
x-Canada, 1-1-1, +5, 4
x-Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1-1-1, -1, 4
y-Qatar, 0-1-2, -8, 1

Group C
x-Brazil, 2-1-0, +6, 7
x-Morocco, 2-1-0, +3, 7
Scotland, 1-0-2, -3, 3
y-Haiti, 0-0-3, -6, 0

Group D
x-United States, 2-0-1, +4, 6
x-Australia, 1-1-1, 0, 4
x-Paraguay, 1-1-1, -2, 4
y-Turkiye, 1-0-2, -2, 3

Group E
x-Germany, 2-0-1, +6, 6
x-Ivory Coast, 2-0-1, +2, 6
x-Ecuador, 1-1-1, 0, 4
y-Curacao, 0-1-2, -8, 1

Group F
x-Netherlands, 2-1-0, +6, 7
x-Japan, 1-2-0, +4, 5
x-Sweden, 1-1-1, 0, 4
y-Tunisia, 0-0-3, -10, 0

Group G
x-Belgium, 1-2-0, +4, 5
x-Egypt, 1-2-0, +2, 5
Iran, 0-3-0, 0, 3
y-New Zealand, 0-1-2, -6, 1

Group H
x-Spain, 2-1-0, +5, 7
x-Cape Verde, 0-3-0, 0, 3
Uruguay, 0-2-1, -1, 2
y-Saudi Arabia, 0-2-1, -4, 2

Group I
x-France, 3-0-0, +8, 9
x-Norway, 2-0-1, +1, 6
x-Senegal, 1-0-2, +2, 3
y-Iraq, 0-0-3, -11, 0

Group J
x-Argentina, 2-0-0, +5, 6
Austria, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Algeria, 1-0-1, -2, 3
y-Jordan, 0-0-2, -3, 0

Group K
x-Colombia, 2-0-0, +3, 6
Portugal, 1-1-0, +5, 4
Congo DR, 0-1-1, -1, 1
Uzbekistan, 0-0-2, -7, 0

Group L
England, 1-0-1, +2, 4
Ghana, 1-0-1, +1, 4
Croatia, 1-0-1, -1, 3
y-Panama, 0-0-2, -2, 0

x-clinched round of 32; y-eliminated

The top two teams in each group plus the next eight best third-place teams advance to the next round.

World Cup round of 32 schedule

Sunday
South Africa vs. Canada, noon, Fox

Monday
Brazil vs. Japan, 10 a.m., Fox
Germany vs. Paraguay, 1:30 p.m., Fox
Netherlands vs. Morocco, 6 p.m., Fox

Tuesday
Ivory Coast vs. Norway, 10 a.m., Fox
France vs. Sweden, 2 p.m., Fox
Mexico vs. TBD, 6 p.m., Fox

Wednesday
TBD vs. TBD, 9 a.m., Fox
Belgium vs. TBD, 1 p.m., FS1
U.S. vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina, 5 p.m., Fox

Thursday
Spain vs. TBD, noon, Fox
TBD vs. TBD, 4 p.m., Fox
Switzerland vs. TBD, 8 p.m., FS1

Friday
Australia vs. Egypt, 11 a.m., Fox
Argentina vs. Cape Verde, 3 p.m., Fox
TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m., Fox

Dodgers lose to Padres

From Maddie Lee: The home run that Roki Sasaki gave up to San Diego’s Ty France was more dramatic than the two walks he issued earlier in 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 never 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.”

Continue reading here

Shaikin: Did Padres curse themselves by messing with that anti-Dodgers FTD burger?

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels fire their GM

The Angels have fired general manager Perry Minasian midway through their sixth consecutive disappointing season under his leadership.

The last-place Angels appointed former Cardinals GM John Mozeliak to be their interim general manager and baseball operations consultant on Friday. Mozeliak will oversee day-to-day baseball operations while assisting the search for the next GM, team president Molly Jolly said in a news release.

“Perry has been a valued leader who worked tirelessly over the last six years to strengthen our baseball operations department,” Jolly said. “I am grateful for his dedication, insight and many contributions to our organization.”

Continue reading here

Angels lose to the Athletics

Shea Langeliers capped a seven-run rally in the fifth with the Athletics’ sixth straight single, backing J.T. Ginn in a 9-3 victory over the Angels on Friday night.

Ginn (6-4) gave up three runs and eight hits, striking out five and walking one, to provide a much-needed boost to a pitching staff with that had major league highs in June with a 6.14 ERA and 44 home runs allowed.

Continue reading here

Mike Trout says he’ll likely not participate in All-Star home run derby

Angels box score

MLB standings

Kings re-sign Brandt Clarke

Defenseman Brandt Clarke has agreed to a five-year, $37 million deal to stay with the Kings.

The Kings announced the deal Friday for Clarke, the eighth overall pick in 2021 who has grown into the new cornerstone of their defense.

Clarke had career highs of eight goals and 32 assists while playing in all 82 regular-season games last season for the Kings, who lost in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. He was third in the NHL with 185 blocked shots, and he finished fourth on the LA roster in scoring.

Continue reading here

NHL draft: Maple Leafs select Penn State forward Gavin McKenna No. 1 overall

Chris Evert has cancer

From Chuck Schilken: Tennis legend Chris Evert is battling ovarian cancer for the third time and will not attend Wimbledon, the 18-time Grand Slam champion and longtime ESPN analyst said Thursday on Instagram.

“This past weekend, after undergoing CT and PET scans, I learned that my ovarian cancer has returned,” Evert, 71, wrote. “I have already undergone surgery as the first step in my treatment and recovery, and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks.

“Because of this, I will not be attending Wimbledon this year, and I will step back from my professional commitments over the next few months to focus on my health.”

Evert was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in December 2021. Two years later, she revealed her cancer had returned.

“Ovarian cancer is relentless, but I will stay optimistic and determined in continuing to fight this battle,” Evert wrote. “I am deeply grateful to my medical team, my family, friends and everyone who has reached out with kindness and encouragement. I look forward to seeing everyone again soon.”

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This day in sports history

1890 — Canadian boxer George Dixon becomes first black world champion when he stops English bantamweight champion Edwin “Nunc” Wallace in 18 rounds in London, England.

1903 — Willie Anderson captures the U.S. Open with a two-stroke victory over David Brown in a playoff.

1914 — Jack Johnson wins a 20-round referee’s decision over Frank Moran at the Velodrome d’Hiver in Paris.

1924 — Walter Hagen wins his second British Open. Hagen finishes with a 301 to edge Ernest Whitcombe by one stroke at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, England. Hagen, who won in 1922, was the Open’s first winner born in the United States.

1936 — Alf Padgham beats Jimmy Adams by one stroke to win the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

1950 — Chandler Harper wins the PGA championship by beating Henry Williams Jr., 4 and 3 in the final round.

1959 — Mickey Wright beats Louise Suggs by two strokes for her second straight U.S. Women’s Open title.

1971 — JoAnne Carner wins the U.S. Women’s Open with a seven-stroke victory over Kathy Whitworth.

1984 — UEFA European Championship Final, Parc des Princes, Paris, France: Michel Platini & Bruno Bellone score as France beats Spain, 2-0.

1988 — Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spinks in 91 seconds in Atlantic City.

1990 — NBA Draft: Syracuse power forward Derrick Coleman first pick by New Jersey Nets.

1992 — Top-seeded Jim Courier, the Australian and French Open champion, loses 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to qualifier Andrei Olhovskiy of Russia at Wimbledon. It’s the first time in Wimbledon history that a qualifier beat the top seed.

1998 — NHL Draft: Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) center Vincent Lecavalier first pick by Tampa Bay Lightning.

1999 — Juli Inkster shoots a 6-under 65 to win the LPGA Championship, becoming the second woman to win the modern career Grand Slam. Pat Bradley won her Grand Slam 13 years earlier.

2001 — NBA Draft: Glynn Academy center Kwame Brown first pick by Washington Wizards.

2006 — Roger Federer wins his record 42nd straight grass-court match, beating Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to open his bid for a fourth consecutive Wimbledon championship. Federer breaks the record he shared with Bjorn Borg, the five-time Wimbledon champion who won 41 straight matches on grass from 1976-1981.

2008 — Zheng Jie completes the biggest victory of her career at Wimbledon, beating new No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4 in the third round. The 133rd-ranked Zheng’s victory, her first against a top-10 player, is the earliest exit by a top-ranked woman at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis lost in the first round in 2001.

2010 — Cristie Kerr cruises to a 12-stroke victory in the LPGA Championship in one of the most lopsided wins at a major. Kerr leads wire-to-wire, closing with a 6-under 66 for a 19-under 269 total. Kerr breaks the tournament record for victory margin of 11 set by Betsy King in 1992 and matches the second-biggest victory in a major.

2013 — NBA Draft: UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett first pick Cleveland Cavaliers.

2021 — Nelly Korda beats Lizette Salas by 3 strokes to win the Women’s PGA Championship. The win is Korda’s first major title.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1917 — Catcher Hank Gowdy of the Braves became the first major league player to enter military service in World War I.

1939 — The Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves played a 23-inning, 2-2 tie. Whit Wyatt pitched the first 16 innings for the Dodgers. Both clubs played a 26-inning tie in 1920 at the same Braves Field.

1958 — Billy Pierce of the Chicago White Sox retired 26 straight Washington batters before pinch-hitter Ed Fitzgerald hit a double just inside the right-field line for the only hit. Pierce then struck out Albie Pearson on three pitches and beat the Senators 3-0.

1973 — David Clyde, a $125,000, 18-year-old bonus baby with the Rangers, pitched five innings, struck out eight and gave up one hit in his first major league start. Texas beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 before 35,698 fans — the Rangers’ first home sellout at Arlington Stadium.

1980 — The Dodgers’ Jerry Reuss pitched a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants in an 8-0 victory at Candlestick Park. The only player to reach base was Jack Clark in the first inning on a throwing error by shortstop Bill Russell.

1986 — San Francisco rookie Robby Thompson set a major league record when he was caught stealing four times in the Giants’ 7-6, 12-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Catcher Bo Diaz threw out Thompson in the fourth, sixth, ninth and 11th innings.

1993 — Anthony Young of the New York Mets set a major league record by losing his 24th straight decision, 5-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals.

1999 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 27th homer and robbed Juan Gonzalez of a three-run shot with a spectacular over-the-fence catch as the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-2 in the final game at the Kingdome.

2003 — Boston set a major league record by scoring 10 runs before the first out. The 50-minute, 91-pitch first inning came during a 25-8 victory over Florida. The Red Sox also tied an AL record with 14 runs in the first inning. Johnny Damon matched a major league mark with three hits in an inning.

2007 — Ryan Howard hits his 100th home run in a 9-6 loss to the Reds. The shot against Aaron Harang makes him the fastest player in major league history to hit 100 homers, doing so in his 325th game.

2008 — Carlos Delgado of the New York Mets homered twice, including a grand slam, and set a franchise record with nine RBIs in a 15-6 rout of the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the opener of the teams’ two-ballpark doubleheader. The Yankees beat the Mets 9-0 at Shea Stadium in the night game.

2009 — Tim Wakefield makes his 382nd start for the Boston Red Sox, tying Roger Clemens for most in franchise history. The 42-year-old knuckleballer earns his tenth win of the year with six scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves. Boston prevails, 1-0, with Mark Kotsay driving in the game’s only run.

2010 — Jamie Moyer surrendered his record-breaking 506th home run but was sharp otherwise, and the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of Toronto’s troubles to beat the Blue Jays 11-2. Moyer only mistake was a two-run homer by Vernon Wells in the third inning. Moyer passed former Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts for the most homers given up in a career.

2016 — Kris Bryant became the first major leaguer to hit three homers and two doubles in a game, and Jake Arrieta added a solo shot, leading the Chicago Cubs to an 11-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

2016 — The Texas Rangers wrapped up a weird win at 2:44 a.m., rallying after a rain delay of more than 3 1/2 hours in the ninth inning to beat the New York Yankees 9-6 with maybe 100 fans left in the stands. Umpire crew chief Paul Nauert signaled for the tarp at 10:40 p.m. The game resumed at 2:15 a.m. Texas trailed 6-5 when Kirby Yates replaced closer Aroldis Chapman after the delay with a runner on first and no outs. Yates (2-1) hit three batters, and Beltre and Elvis Andrus each hit a two-run singles.

2017 — Florida wins the first College World Series title in school history by defeating Louisiana State 6-1.

2021 — A little over a week after MLB has begun to systematically examine pitchers for foreign substances to improve grip, a first victim is caught: Hector Santiago of the Mariners is ejected after umpires discover an unknown sticky substances on his glove. The glove is impounded and sent for further analysis, while Santiago protests his innocence, claiming that he was only using rosin to prevent perspiration from dripping unto his hands. He will be issued a ten-game suspension.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

NBA mock drafts projected Cameron Carr getting selected somewhere between 15 and 20 in the first round on Tuesday night.

Ending up with the Lakers later in the draft, however, was more than Carr could have asked for.

The Lakers acquired his draft rights from the New York Knicks, who took the 6-foot-5 Baylor guard with the 24th pick, in a multiple-team deal in which L.A. sent the draft rights to Spanish guard Sergio De Larrea, who was taken 25th, and cash considerations to New York.

As he sat for his introductory news conference Friday, dressed in all black, Carr shared what his thoughts were when he found out he would be playing for the Lakers.

“I’m going to the Lakers! It was more of an exciting thing,” he said. “It felt surreal. It didn’t feel real for the first couple minutes when I found out. It was trying to get my head around, ‘Man, I’m about to walk across the stage and be an NBA player.’ I’ve dreamed of this my whole life, especially since I was a kid. So it took a second. Still trying to get my head wrapped around it, but nothing but excitement and happiness. I feel more motivated to work.”

Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, met Carr at the facility on Friday but didn’t speak with the media during the news conference.

It meant Pelinka couldn’t be asked about Austin Reaves agreeing to re-sign with the Lakers on a four-year, $185-million deal, or about how conversations are going with free agent LeBron James.

But NBA rules prohibit team officials from commenting on anything during the free agency moratorium, which won’t be lifted until July 6.

So, this day was all about the 21-year-old Carr and how impressed he was being in the Lakers’ building.

“Walking in the building, first thing you notice is the rich tradition of the people that have been here before you,” Carr said. “It’s a moment of happiness. As a kid, you always dreamed of walking across that stage and accomplishing everything you wanted to. Man, it just felt good to walk in the gym and look at the people that came before me. Now I’m in their shoes.”

Carr was viewed by NBA scouts as athletic with his 42½-inch vertical leap and as having a good jump shot.

During his sophomore season at Baylor, Carr averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks in 34 games. He shot 49.4% from the field, 37.4% from three-point range and 80.1% from the free-throw line.

But Carr quickly talked about how playing defense will be his calling card with the Lakers.

“Stepping into an organization with people with the same type of mindset and abilities, it only makes my job easier,” Carr said. “I’ve just got to cut and dunk the ball for them, and run in transition. But first things first is establishing a defensive consistency and showing I can be dominant or a plus on the defensive end as someone they would like to guard the best player.”

Carr always had his dad, Chris Carr, to lean on during his journey as a basketball player. Having him as a mentor was so beneficial because his father spent six seasons in the NBA. His most famous moment came in 1997, when he became the runner-up to Kobe Bryant in the slam dunk contest.

Now father and son have something else in common: making the NBA.

“I’ve always wanted to be better than him,” Carr said. “I’ve always been behind, so I want to show he’s put a lot of work in me becoming a better man. So I feel the only way I can credit him and show I’m thankful for him is by putting in the work and using it every single day. He was a heck of a player, so it’s some big footsteps I’ve got to follow and a long journey.

“It’s good motivation. My ‘why’ is just to be better and show people I’m better than a lot of people that are put in front of me. I feel like that’s the chip on my shoulder, or the fire under my feet.”

The Sports Report Hall of Fame, other sports edition

Those of you who read the Dodgers Dugout newsletter know that for the last few years, we have done a Dodgers Dugout Hall of Fame, asking readers to vote for former Dodgers whom they believe should be in this more fan-oriented Hall of Fame. Clayton Kershaw was the most recent inductee.

Which got me thinking (always a dangerous thing), what if we had a Sports Report Hall of Fame, as selected by the readers, of people who made a huge impact on the local sports scene?

This week, the category is the other sports, mainly MLS and WNBA. Is it a perfect category? No, and there will probably be a separate category for soccer next year, with the Sparks moving over to a pro basketball category. You can vote for up to five people. You don’t have to vote for five, you can vote for any number up to and including five. Your vote should depend on what the person did on and off the field only as a member of their local team. The rest of their career doesn’t count.

If there’s a name not on here that you think should be, please send me an email so that person can be included in next year’s ballot.

Any records mentioned are at the time that person retired.

Whoever is named on at least 75% of the ballots will be elected. The three people receiving the fewest votes will be dropped from future ballots for at least the next two years. A person must be retired as a player to appear on the ballot.

How do you vote? For this week’s ballot, click here. Results will be announced every Tuesday.

So, without further ado, here is the ballot for the other sports/colleges category.

David Beckham—Six-year tenure with the Galaxy (2007–2012) revolutionized American soccer. Arriving as the league’s first Designated Player, Beckham’s tenure ultimately yielded two consecutive MLS Cup titles in 2011 and 2012 before he departed for Paris Saint-Germain.

George Best—Best joined soccer’s L.A. Aztecs in 1976 after a stellar career with Manchester United. He scored 15 goals in 24 appearances in his first season, but declined after that.

Mauricio Cienfuegos—Playmaker for the Galaxy from 1996 to 2003, making 206 regular-season appearances, scoring 35 goals and 80 assists. Helped the club win the 2002 MLS Cup, the 2001 U.S. Open Cup, and the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Johann Cruyff—Joined the Aztecs for just one season in 1979, but scored 13 goals in 25 games and won the most valuable player award.

Landon Donovan—Had a highly decorated career with the Galaxy, making 247 appearances, scoring 112 goals and leading the team to four MLS Cups.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic—played for the Galaxy and in just 58 appearances, he dominated the league, scoring 53 goals and 15 assists. His was named MLS newcomer of the year and had a record-breaking 31-goal season.

Cobi Jones—Spent his entire 12-season Major League Soccer career with the Galaxy. Midfielder made 306 regular-season appearances, scored 70 goals, and provided 91 assists, helping the club secure two MLS Cups and two U.S. Open Cups.

Robbie Keane—Scored 104 goals in 165 matches with the Galaxy and was a key member behind the early 2010s dynasty, earning the 2014 MLS MVP award.

Lisa Leslie—The best player in Sparks history. A three-time WNBA MVP, two-time Finals MVP, and eight-time First Team All-WNBA selection. She led the team to championships in 2001 and 2002.

Mwadi Mabika—Fifth in points scored in Sparks history and a key member of the 2001 and 2002 titles teams.

DeLisha Milton-Jones—A forward who played a major role on the Sparks’ 2001 and 2002 championship teams. Known for her clutch play and is fourth all-time in points scored in team history.

Candace Parker—Drafted first overall by the Sparks in 2008, Parker won the rookie of the year and MVP awards in her debut season. One of the best players in WNBA history, she was the Finals MVP during the Sparks’ 2016 championship run.

Laffit Pincay Jr.—Winningest jockey in Santa Anita history.

Bill Shoemaker—One of the best jockeys in Santa Anita history.

Carlos Vela—LAFC’s first-ever Designated Player. In 2019, he scored a record-breaking 34 goals to lead the Black & Gold to the Supporters’ Shield and was named the MLS MVP. Captained LAFC to its first MLS Cup title in 2022. Retired as the team’s all-time leader in matches played (152), goals (78) and assists (59).

You can vote here. You can vote for up to five people.

Voting is still open in these categories:

To vote in the other colleges ballot, click here.

To vote in the USC ballot, click here.

To vote in the NHL ballot, click here.

The inductees so far:

MLB
Don Drysdale
Clayton Kershaw
Sandy Koufax
Vin Scully
Fernando Valenzuela

NBA
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Elgin Baylor
Kobe Bryant
Chick Hearn
Magic Johnson
Jerry West

NFL
Eric Dickerson
Deacon Jones
Merlin Olsen

UCLA
Lew Alcindor
Arthur Ashe
Ann Meyers
Jackie Robinson
Bill Walton
John Wooden

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

World Cup: Mexico defeat Czechia

From Eduard Cauich: Mexico’s national team overcame a lackluster first half to rout Czechia thanks to a dream second half that allowed it to finish the group stage undefeated on a night that will be remembered as one of the greatest in Mexican World Cup history.

The celebration of Mexico’s 3-0 win Wednesday at Azteca Stadium turned into a tribute to legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who entered the game in the final minutes to receive a standing ovation unlike any other for a Mexican player in the history of the tournament.

Czechia was eliminated after failing to earn more than one point in the tournament. In the other group match, South Africa defeated South Korea 1-0 in Monterrey and advanced in second place. South Korea will have to wait to find out whether it advances as one of the eight best third-place teams.

Czechia put up a strong performance during the first 45 minutes, while Mexico showed little offensive clarity, mainly because of a lack of control in midfield.

Everything changed in a matter of six minutes during the second half, when El Tri figured out Czechia and secured its best victory in the group stage.

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World Cup recap: South Africa beats South Korea, advances to play at SoFi Stadum

Click here for complete TV schedule, groups and players to watch

Full World Cup coverage

Wednesday’s World Cup results

Group A
Mexcio 3, Czechia 0
South Africa 1, South Korea 0

Group B
Bosnia-Herzegovina 3, Qatar 2
Switzerland 2, Canada 2

Group C
Morocco 4, Haiti 2
Brazil 3, Scotland 0

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
1 p.m., Curacao vs. Ivory Coast, FS1, Telemundo
1 p.m., Ecuador vs. Germany, Fox, Telemundo
4 p.m., Japan vs. Sweden, FS1, Telemundo
4 p.m., Tunisia vs. Netherlands, Fox, Telemundo
7 p.m., Paraguay vs. Australia, FS1, Universo
7 p.m., Turkiye vs. U.S., Fox, Telemundo

World Cup Group standings

Group A
Country, W-D-L, Goal Differential, Points
x-Mexico, 3-0-0, +6, 9
x-South Africa, 1-1-1, -1, 4
South Korea, 1-0-2, -1, 3
y-Czechia, 0-1-2, -4, 1

Group B
x-Switzerland, 2-1-0, +4, 7
x-Canada, 1-1-1, +5, 4
Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1-1-1, -1, 4
y-Qatar, 0-1-2, -8, 1

Group C
x-Brazil, 2-1-0, +6, 7
x-Morocco, 2-1-0, +3, 7
Scotland, 1-0-2, -3, 3
y-Haiti, 0-0-3, -6, 0

Group D
x-United States, 2-0-0, +5, 6
Australia, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Paraguay, 1-0-1, -2, 3
y-Turkiye, 0-0-2, -3, 0

Group E
x-Germany, 2-0-0, +7, 6
Ivory Coast, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Ecuador, 0-1-1, -1, 1
Curacao, 0-1-1, -6, 1

Group F
Netherlands, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Japan, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Sweden, 1-0-1, 0, 3
y-Tunisia, 0-0-2, -8, 0

Group G
Egypt, 1-1-0, +2, 4
Iran, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Belgium, 0-2-0, 0, 2
New Zealand, 0-1-1, -2, 1

Group H
Spain, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Uruguay, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Cape Verde, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Saudi Arabia, 0-1-1, -4, 1

Group I
x-France, 2-0-0, +5, 6
x-Norway, 2-0-0, +4, 6
Senegal, 0-0-2, -3, 0
Iraq, 0-0-2, -6, 0

Group J
x-Argentina, 2-0-0, +5, 6
Austria, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Algeria, 1-0-1, -2, 3
y-Jordan, 0-0-2, -3, 0

Group K
x-Colombia, 2-0-0, +3, 6
Portugal, 1-1-0, +5, 4
Congo DR, 0-1-1, -1, 1
Uzbekistan, 0-0-2, -7, 0

Group L
England, 1-0-1, +2, 4
Ghana, 1-0-1, +1, 4
Croatia, 1-0-1, -1, 3
y-Panama, 0-0-2, -2, 0

x-clinched round of 32; y-eliminated

The top two teams in each group plus the next eight best third-place teams advance to the next round.

Note: The U.S. is locked into a July 1 knockout stage game against the third-place team from either Group B, E, F, I or J at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Dodgers edge the Twins

From Maddie Lee: Shohei Ohtani was done trying to make the back-and-forth work.

He and catcher Dalton Rushing had struggled to get in sync for the first two innings Wednesday — from pitch-calling, to ABS challenges, to a crossup that cost the Dodgers a run. So, Ohtani took matters into his own hands.

“There’s really a couple ways of communicating,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton after the Dodgers’ 4-3 win against the Minnesota Twins. “One is by words, but the other way to be able to communicate is by example, and just taking the charge and showing Rush what kind of pitching style I’m capable of.”

After a three-run (two earned) second inning, Ohtani supplied his own run support with an RBI single that spurred the Dodgers’ game-winning rally, and then took over pitch-calling duties on the mound.

Ohtani didn’t allow another run, through the sixth.

“I didn’t do a great job from start to finish,” said Rushing, who returned to the lineup Wednesday after being removed from Monday’s game to rule out a concussion. “Pretty embarrassing. Thankfully he’s as good as he is and he can take control of the game.”

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Dodgers fulfill $1-million pledge in response to ICE raids, owners divest from prison group

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels defeat the Orioles

Nolan Schanuel reached third on an error and Logan O’Hoppe drove him in on a check-swing tapper in the 10th inning as the Angels rallied to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 on Wednesday.

It was the 12th come-from-behind victory for the Angels (34-48) and sixth walk-off win.

Pinch-hitter Vaughn Grissom started the rally with an RBI single in the eighth, and Wade Meckler tied the game with a two-run single.

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Angels box score

MLB standings

Austin Reaves now has to prove he’s worth it

From Bill Plaschke: He’s no longer a cute little kid.

He’s a $185-million man.

He’s no longer a quintessential underdog routinely pardoned for his bad defense, his questionable durability and his tendency to tighten up in the playoffs.

He’s a big dog who needs to own it.

Austin Reaves, the most beloved Laker, became the most scrutinized Laker on Wednesday with the news that he agreed to a maximum four-year, $185-million contract to remain with the team.

Kudos to him for becoming the highest-paid undrafted player in league history.

Congrats to the Lakers for turning a homegrown talent into a budding superstar.

His everyman story resonates with the masses.

Except that story is finished. That book has been closed. A new volume has begun.

It’s called, “Is Austin Reaves Worth It?”

Thus far, the answer has been no.

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Lakers’ Austin Reaves opts out of contract, plans to re-sign for four years

Big second round of draft for Clippers

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: They started their pro careers in Spain and now two Real Madrid prospects are taking on L.A. Baba Miller doesn’t have to look far for inspiration with Luka Doncic playing in the same city.

After admiring Doncic’s path from Real Madrid to the top of the NBA, Miller, the Clippers’ latest addition, hopes to carve his own path in L.A. after the Clippers drafted the late-blooming Cincinnati forward 36th overall in the NBA draft on Wednesday.

The versatile big man was just 6-2 when he was 14. Now a mature, 6-foot-11 22-year-old, Miller called that kid “chubby.” But once he started growing rapidly, Miller slimmed down. When he struggled to hold up against more physical players, his youth coach started playing him at the wing. The positional move, along with his developing body, set the stage for his creative style of play.

As a senior at Cincinnati, 208-pound Miller averaged 13 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Miller was just one of three players nationally to average at least 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists this season. He was the first Bearcat to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists since Oscar Robertson in 1959-60.

Continue reading here

NBA draft 2026: Second-round pick-by-pick recap

‘Super blessed’: Karim López makes NBA history as first Mexican-born first-round draft pick

Kelsey Plum is out at least four weeks

From Marisa Ingemi: The Sparks are going to have to get through another stretch without Kelsey Plum.

Plum, who missed three games with a right ankle sprain earlier this season, is out with a lower left leg injury and will be reevaluated in four weeks, the team announced Wednesday morning. That means she will miss at least the next 10 games, taking the Sparks to the WNBA All-Star break.

It had seemed like Plum was out of the woods after she came back from her ankle injury. Plum scored 43 points in a game against the Phoenix Mercury on June 14 and didn’t miss a beat in her return. She is second in the WNBA in scoring with 23.9 points per game and sixth in the league with 6.4 assists per contest.

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Katelyn Ohashi returns to gymnastics

From Chuck Schilken: Katelyn Ohashi has gone viral for her gymnastics routines.

She has won two ESPY Awards.

She’s a former national champion and All-American who earned 11 perfect scores of 10 during her time at UCLA.

She once took first place in the all-around at an elite national competition, with the now-legendary Simone Biles finishing as runner-up.

But Ohashi apparently has some unfinished business in the sport, as the 29-year-old athlete announced her return to elite gymnastics Tuesday on Instagram.

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This day in sports history

1921 — Jock Hutchinson is the first American to win the British Open, a nine-stroke victory over Roger Wethered in a playoff.

1926 — Bobby Jones becomes the first amateur in 29 years to win the British Open. Jones finishes with a 291 total for a two-stroke victory over Al Watrous at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England.

1932 — Gene Sarazen wins the U.S. Open by shooting a 286, the lowest in 20 years.

1935 — Future world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis moves to 20-0 with 6th round KO of former champion Primo Carnera at Yankee Stadium.

1948 — Joe Louis knocks out Jersey Joe Walcott in the 11th round in New York to defend his world heavyweight title. Louis announces his retirement after the fight.

1952 — Jim Turnesa wins the PGA Championship with a 1-up victory over Chick Harbert in the final round.

1966 — Buckpasser sets a world record in the 1-mile Arlington Classic in 1:32 3-5 and becomes the first 3-year-old to win more than $1 million.

1969 — Pancho Gonzalez, 41, wins the longest tennis match in Wimbledon history by beating Charles Pasarell in a 112-game match, 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9. The match is played over two days and lasts 5 hours, 12 minutes.

1978 — In Buenos Aires, Argentina wins the World Cup beating Netherlands 3-1 after extra time.

1981 — Sugar Ray Leonard wins the WBA junior middleweight title with a ninth-round knockout of Ayub Kalule in Houston.

1988 — UEFA European Championship Final, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany: Ruud Gullet & Marco van Basten score as the Netherlands beats Soviet Union, 2-0.

1991 — Nine-time champion Martina Navratilova survives a first-round scare from Elna Reinach to win her record 100th singles match at Wimbledon.

1994 — FIFA World Cup: 1,500th goal in Cup history scored by Caceres of Argentina.

1997 — NBA Draft: Wake Forest power forward Tim Duncan first pick by San Antonio Spurs.

1997 — NHL approves franchises in Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Minneapolis-St Paul.

1999 — San Antonio wins its first NBA championship, defeating the New York Knicks 78-77 in Game 5 of the Finals. The Spurs, keyed by finals MVP Tim Duncan’s 31 points, becomes the first former ABA team to win the championship.

2006 — Asafa Powell matches Wallace Spearmon’s world best in the 200 meters, winning the Jamaican national championships in 19.90 seconds.

2006 — Bernard Lagat becomes the first runner in the history of the U.S. track and field championships to sweep the 1,500 and 5,000 meters, after winning the shorter race.

2008 — NBA Draft: Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin first pick by Clippers.

2015 — NBA Draft: Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns first pick by Minnesota Timberwolves.

2017 — Jordan Spieth needs an extra hole and an amazing final shot to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Travelers Championship. The two-time major champion holes out from 60 feet for birdie from a greenside bunker on the first hole of a playoff with Daniel Berger at TPC River Highlands.

2019 — NHL Draft: Barrie Colts (OHL) defenseman Aaron Ekblad first pick by Florida Panthers.

2020 — Liverpool FC clinches first EPL soccer title in 30 years with 7 games to spare as Chelsea beats second-placed Manchester City, 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1934 — Pitcher John Broaca tied a major league record by striking out five consecutive times but pitched the Yankees to an 11-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Lou Gehrig had better luck at the plate, hitting for the cycle.

1937 — Augie Galan of Chicago became the first National League switch-hitter to homer from both sides of the plate in the Cubs’ 11-2 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1950 — Chicago’s Hank Sauer hit two home runs and two doubles to send the Cubs past the Philadelphia Phillies 11-8.

1961 — Baltimore and the Angels used a major league record 16 pitchers, eight by each side, as the Orioles edged the Angels 9-8 on Ron Hansen’s 14th-inning homer.

1968 — Bobby Bonds, in his first major league game, hit a grand slam off John Purdin to help San Francisco to a 9-0 win over the Dodgers.

1988 — Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 1,000th consecutive game.

1998 — Sammy Sosa broke the major league record for homers in a month, hitting his 19th of June leading off the seventh inning of the Cubs’ 6-4 loss to Detroit. Sosa passed the mark set by Detroit’s Rudy York in August 1937.

1999 — Jose Jimenez, a rookie right-hander, threw St. Louis’ first no-hitter in 16 seasons, outdueling Randy Johnson in a 1-0 victory over Arizona.

2002 — Luis Pujols of the Detroit Tigers and Tony Pena of the Kansas City Royals became the first Dominican-born managers to oppose each other in a major league game.

2007 — A fan charged at Bob Howry during the Cubs’ 10-9 win over Colorado after the reliever helped blow an 8-3 lead in the ninth inning. Howry gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe and a three-run homer to Troy Tulowitzki. The fan then jumped onto the field from the roof of the Rockies’ dugout and made it a few feet from the mound before security guards tackled him. Howry earned the victory when Alfonso Soriano hit a game-ending two-run single in the bottom of the inning.

2010 — Arizona’s Edwin Jackson pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field.

2010 — The Cubs suspend pitcher Carlos Zambrano indefinitely after he throws a tantrum in the dugout after giving up four runs in the first inning of a 6-0 loss to the White Sox. “Big Z” blames first baseman Derrek Lee for letting a Juan Pierre ground ball past him for a double that starts the rally, although the hard-hit ball was hardly catchable. Tom Gorzelanny replaces Zambrano who is removed from the game by manager Lou Piniella.

2011 — Cleveland’s Tony Sipp balked home the only run with the bases loaded in the seventh inning of a 1-0 loss to San Francisco. Sipp slightly flinched his left arm before throwing a pitch to Emmanuel Burriss, allowing Miguel Tejada to score and sending San Francisco to its fourth straight win. There also were two errors in the inning by second baseman Cord Phelps that spoiled a strong start by Justin Masterson.

2013 — Eric Filia drove in a career-high five runs, Nick Vander Tuig limited Mississippi State to five hits in eight innings, and UCLA won 8-0 for its first national baseball championship.

2014 — Tim Lincecum pitched his second no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in less than a year, allowing only one runner and leading the San Francisco Giants to a 4-0 win.

2015 — The San Francisco Giants hit four triples in a game for the first time in 55 years, including a pair by Brandon Belt in a 13-8 win over the San Diego Padres. Brandon Crawford and Matt Duffy also tripled for San Francisco, which had not tripled four times in a game since Sept. 15, 1960, when Willie Mays hit three and Eddie Bressoud one at Philadelphia.

2018 — The St. Louis Cardinals record the 10,000th win in team history with a 4-0 defeat of the Cleveland Indians. They are the sixth major league team to do so.

2019 — The New York Yankees set a new major league record by homering in their 28th consecutive game.

2021 — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola ties Tom Seaver’s 51-Year old MLB record of ten consecutive strikeouts in a 2-1 loss to the Mew York Mets.

2022 — Three Astros pitchers combine to no-hit the Yankees, 3-0.

2023 — George Springer leads off the bottom of the 1st for the Blue Jays against the Athletics with a homer off Luis Medina. The 55th leadoff home run of his career gives him sole possession of second place on the all-time list, behind only Rickey Henderson. The Blue Jays win handily, 12-1.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

He’s no longer a cute little kid.

He’s a $185-million man.

He’s no longer a quintessential underdog routinely pardoned for his bad defense, his questionable durability and his tendency to tighten up in the playoffs.

He’s a big dog who needs to own it.

Austin Reaves, the most beloved Laker, became the most scrutinized Laker on Wednesday with the news that he agreed to a maximum four-year, $185-million contract to remain with the team.

Kudos to him for becoming the highest-paid undrafted player in league history.

Props to him for declining a rich extension offer last summer to play out the season and bet on himself.

Congrats to the Lakers for turning a homegrown talent into a budding superstar.

Seriously, it makes you just want to hug that unkempt, headband-wearing dude and let him know how his everyman story resonates with the masses.

Except that story is finished. That book has been closed. A new volume has begun.

It’s called, “Is Austin Reaves Worth It?”

Thus far, the answer has been no.

Flash back to May, the opener of the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a week after he had returned to the court following a monthlong absence with an oblique injury.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves chases after a loose ball ahead of Rockets guard Amen Thompson during Game 5 of their playoff series in May.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers needed Reaves to set the tone. He instead laid an egg, shooting three for 16 from the field and zero for five from beyond the arc, his body knocked clear to Tulsa by a physical Thunder defense.

Two games later, same thing, he shoots five for 13 and one for five from deep, allowing the Thunder to pound him to a pulp.

With Luka Doncic out and LeBron James exhausted, the Lakers desperately needed Reaves to pick up the slack. He dropped it, again and again, and the Lakers were swept.

It was the same thing in the spring of 2025, when Reaves crumbled in the first-round series-clinching loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, shooting five for 14 and two for 10 in a performance that was, as usual, generally overlooked because he tried so hard and accepted his shortcomings so honestly.

That’s not going to work anymore. That’s not going to be enough anymore.

With this new deal, Reaves becomes the Lakers’ second cornerstone along with Doncic. They are now officially a one-two punch. They are now a twin-engine scoring machine that can rival any similar duo in the NBA.

Guards Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic are the new one-two punch of the near future for the Lakers.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Doncic has lived up to his end of the bargain. Will Reaves?

And what about defense? For $185 million, you’d think you could get some defense. Doncic needs his running mate to compensate for his questionable defensive skills, and Reaves has yet to do that.

Simply by earning his way onto the Lakers roster five years ago, Reaves has been a great role model for everyone who has ever been ignored or shunned or marginalized. But did the Lakers fall in love with his legend and ignore his frailties?

Yes, he averaged 23 points per game last season. But he only played in a career-low 51 games because of calf and oblique injuries, and will he add the muscle required to fend off such problems in the future?

Yes, he has been a great interview while admirably and publicly holding himself and his teammates accountable. But he’s always been able to lead from the shadows. How will he react when 185 million microphones are pointed at him?

In a postgame interview after the Lakers’ final loss against Oklahoma City this spring, Reaves was at his aw-shucks best.

“I take life day by day and I’m just blessed to have an opportunity to play for this organization, play a kid’s game,” he said, “I make good money. But like I said, I don’t think about what I’m really going to do in the future, just day by day.”

Lakers guard Austin Reaves consults with coach JJ Redick during a break in the action during Game 3 of the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in May.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

That tone has to change. He now has to think about the future because he is the future, of this team, of this organization, of the hopes of this city.

With all of Reaves’ shortcomings, one can almost see the unsentimental Dodgers officials looking at Wednesday’s news and saying, “Wait, they did what?”

But in the end, the Lakers didn’t really have a choice. There wasn’t a free agent available who could match Reaves’ prolific shooting, and nobody who could match the Laker-centric story of his personal journey.

Renowned softie Rob Pelinka, who should count Reaves as one of his greatest successes, was so moved by the opportunity to bring him back that he mentioned the Lakers colors when answering a question about him.

“He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said during exit interviews this spring. “We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the purple and gold.”

And so it will, for at least several more years, Reaves now occupying a Lakers leading sidekick role made famous during their championship years by the likes of Anthony Davis and Pau Gasol.

How sweet. How scary.

Both Austin Reaves and the Lakers have always stated their desire to continue their relationship that started when he was an undrafted prospect five years ago.

They will.

Reaves intends to re-sign with the Lakers for a maximum deal of four years and $185-million, people not authorized to speak on the matter confirmed to The Times on Wednesday.

Reaves opted out of his deal that was to pay him $14.8 million next season and would have become one of the top free agents on the market.

Instead, he will sign the richest contract in NBA history for an undrafted player. The deal also includes a player option for the final season in 2029-30.

Reaves’ representatives and the Lakers began working together on a deal in recent days when teams were able to negotiate with their own free agents at the conclusion of the NBA Finals.

Reaves, 28, will earn about $46 million per season, starting with making $41.3 million in the first year.

After the Lakers lost in the second round of the playoffs to Oklahoma City, Reaves had this to say when asked about his future and returning to the Lakers.

“I’ve been around for five years and y’all I would say, but I don’t think about (it) much,” Reaves said. “I take life day by day and I’m just blessed to have an opportunity to play for this organization, play a kid’s game. I make good money. But like I said, I don’t think about what I’m really going to do in the future, just day-by-day.”

The Lakers, on the other hand, made it clear that they wanted Reaves back.

The Lakers were aware that several teams, including Brooklyn and Detroit, had expressed interest in Reaves, and L.A. didn’t want to let him get away, making sure they didn’t by agreeing to a deal to keep him.

During his exit interview with the media last month, Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka spoke about Reaves.

“He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “And we feel the same way. We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the purple and gold. As you know, there’s rules and timing to all of that but I think both sides have made it abundantly clear that we want to work something out where he continues his prolific career here.”

Reaves averaged career highs in points (23.3) and rebounds (4.7) last season, and 5.5 assists.

But he appeared in a career-low 51 games, a calf and oblique injuries keeping him out of games.

He missed the last five regular-season games with the oblique injury suffered on April 2 at Oklahoma City and the first four first-round playoff games against the Rockets. But he worked hard to return in the last two postseason games against the Rockets and the four against the Thunder.

In those six playoff games, Reaves averaged 20.0 points, 5.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds and shot 40.7% from the field, 25.7% from three-point range.

“That’s the beautiful thing about basketball is there’s always opportunities and areas that you can continue to grow,” Reaves said during his exit interview. “You’re never going to be complete in the full game. So, I’ll take some time off, get back in the gym and continue to get better.”

Lakers get Cameron Carr

From Broderick Turner: In the first round of Tuesday night’s NBA draft, the Lakers made a trade with the New York Knicks, acquiring Cameron Carr, who the Knicks had selected with the 24th overall pick.

The Lakers then took guard Sergio De Larrea from Spain with the 25th pick and traded him to the NBA champion Knicks, along with cash considerations. The Lakers went to Spain recently to watch De Larrea work out.

Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka didn’t talk about the trade because the NBA had not made it official as of late Tuesday night. Carr was in New York at the draft, but he also didn’t speak with the media.

In need of athletic wing players on a team that could have up to nine free agents, the Lakers got one with 21-year-old Carr.

The 6-foot-5 Carr averaged 18.9 points per game at Baylor, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Carr shot 49.4% from the field and 37.4% from three-point range.

Continue reading here

NBA draft order with pick-by-pick selections

Clippers select Keaton Wagler

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: After a three-day visit to L.A., Keaton Wagler found his new home.

The Clippers picked Wagner fifth overall in the NBA draft Tuesday at Barclays Center, using the franchise’s highest draft pick since 2009 on the former Illinois guard. During a hectic draft process in which some top players don’t speak to the team that ultimately picks them, Wagler said the Clippers showed consistent interest and communicated with him and his agent, giving him confidence he could hear his name called early during Tuesday’s loaded first round.

“I’m just super excited to get out there,” Wagler said. “They have a great front office and coaching staff and players, and I just can’t wait to get out there and get going.”

The 6-foot-6 guard was named Big Ten freshman of the year after averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Under-recruited out of high school, the Kansas native held college offers from schools including Oral Roberts, DePaul and Murray State before starring at Illinois.

When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver read Wagler’s name aloud, he hugged everyone at his table, walked between two smoke towers and grabbed a Clippers hat with a bedazzled team logo before shaking Silver’s hand.

Continue reading here

NBA draft order with pick-by-pick selections

Dodgers rout the Twins

From Maddie Lee: Chuckie Robinson hadn’t recorded a hit yet as a Dodger. As the third-string catcher, joining the major league squad midseason, his main focus had to be the defensive side. Anything on offense was a bonus.

Because of a rash of injuries, he was the only Dodgers catcher available Tuesday. And in the fourth inning, Robinson stepped up to the plate and lined a single into shallow left field, moving Alex Call to third, and setting up Shohei Ohtani for a sacrifice fly.

That’s how the Dodgers routed the Twins 12-3 on Tuesday, with contributions from up and down the lineup. And that’s how the Dodgers (51-29) have claimed the best record in the majors, despite injuries to key players.

“The depth,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said when asked what that record reflected. “We’ve got really good depth, we’ve got really good players, guys that care. Doesn’t matter what’s happening; we’ve got a lot of guys injured right now, and you’ve got guys stepping up, making big plays, big at-bats.”

Freeman himself went three for five with a pair of doubles and two RBIs on Tuesday. But Robinson, with starting catcher Will Smith still on the injured list with a neck injury and backup catcher Dalton Rushing temporarily unavailable after a concussion scare Monday, also had two hits and brought in a run with a sacrifice bunt.

Continue reading here

MLB clears Dodgers’ Dr. Neal ElAttrache after link to Conor McGregor steroids report

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels defeat the Orioles

Rookie right-hander Ryan Johnson gave up one hit over six scoreless innings, Nolan Schanuel hit an early two-run home run and the Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Tuesday night.

In his third career start, Johnson (1-2) carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Jeremiah Jackson hit a line drive single to center with one out. Johnson allowed one walk with career highs of eight strikeouts and six innings, while throwing 90 pitches.

A second-round draft pick by the Angels in 2024, Johnson earned his second career win against a Baltimore offense which combined to score 18 runs over its previous two games.

Continue reading here

Angels box score

MLB standings

World Cup: Matt Freese took different path to become U.S. goalie

United States goalkeeper Matt Freese.

(Kelvin Kuo / Los Angeles Times)

From Kevin Baxter: Playing in goal for the U.S. men’s national soccer team is a little like playing right field for the Yankees. You’re following a long line of great players, making the comparisons — and the high expectations — unavoidable.

Matt Freese is the latest to be thrown into that crucible. But he considers that pressure to be a privilege, not a problem.

“I wouldn’t say it’s intimidating, I would say it’s inspiring,” he said before the U.S. training session Tuesday morning in Irvine. “It’s a long line of goalkeepers that I’ve looked up to for my whole life — and there were some before my life as well.”

Two games into this summer’s World Cup he’s certainly held his own with that group, giving up just one goal for a team that’s unbeaten and already through to the next round. However Thursday’s group-stage finale with winless Turkey will be far from meaningless for Freese since his first start for the U.S. came against Turkey 55 weeks ago, bringing his whirlwind international team career full circle.

Continue reading here

Click here for complete TV schedule, groups and players to watch

Full World Cup coverage

Tuesday’s World Cup results

Group K
Portugal 5, Uzbekistan 0
Colombia 1, Congo DR 0

Group L
England 0, Ghana 0
Croatia 1, Panama 0

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
Noon, Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar, FS1, Telemundo
Noon, Switzerland vs. Canada, Fox, Telemundo
3 p.m. Morocco vs. Haiti, FS1, Universo
3 p.m., Scotland vs. Brazil, Fox, Telemundo
6 p.m., Czechia vs. Mexico, Fox, Telemundo
6 p.m., South Africa vs. South Korea, FS1, Universo

World Cup Group standings

Group A
Country, W-D-L, Goal Differential, Points
x-Mexico, 2-0-0, +3, 6
South Korea, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Czechia, 0-1-1, -1, 1
South Africa, 0-1-1, -2, 1

Group B
Canada, 1-1-0, +6, 4
Switzerland, 1-1-0, +3, 4
Bosnia-Herzegovina, 0-1-1, -3, 1
Qatar, 0-1-1, -6, 1

Group C
Brazil, 1-1-0, +3, 4
Morocco, 1-1-0, +1, 4
Scotland, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Haiti, 0-0-2, -4, 0

Group D
x-United States, 2-0-0, +5, 6
Australia, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Paraguay, 1-0-1, -2, 3
Turkiye, 0-0-2, -3, 0

Group E
x-Germany, 2-0-0, +7, 6
Ivory Coast, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Ecuador, 0-1-1, -1, 1
Curacao, 0-1-1, -6, 1

Group F
Netherlands, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Japan, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Sweden, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Tunisia, 0-0-2, -8, 0

Group G
Egypt, 1-1-0, +2, 4
Iran, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Belgium, 0-2-0, 0, 2
New Zealand, 0-1-1, -2, 1

Group H
Spain, 1-1-0, +4, 4
Uruguay, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Cape Verde, 0-2-0, 0, 2
Saudi Arabia, 0-1-1, -4, 1

Group I
x-France, 2-0-0, +5, 6
x-Norway, 2-0-0, +4, 6
Senegal, 0-0-2, -3, 0
Iraq, 0-0-2, -6, 0

Group J
x-Argentina, 2-0-0, +5, 6
Austria, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Algeria, 1-0-1, -2, 3
Jordan, 0-0-2, -3, 0

Group K
x-Colombia, 2-0-0, +3, 6
Portugal, 1-1-0, +5, 4
Congo DR, 0-1-1, -1, 1
Uzbekistan, 0-0-2, -7, 0

Group L
England, 1-0-1, +2, 4
Ghana, 1-0-1, +1, 4
Croatia, 1-0-1, -1, 3
Panama, 0-0-2, -2, 0

x-clinched round of 32

The top two teams in each group plus the next eight best third-place teams advance to the next round.

Note: The U.S. is locked into a July 1 knockout stage game against the third-place team from either Group B, E, F, I or J at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

This day in sports history

1910 — James Braid wins his fifth British Open with a four-stroke victory over Sandy Herd.

1911 — John McDermott becomes the first American-born winner of the U.S. Open when he beats Michael Brady and George Simpson in a playoff. McDermott finishes two strokes better than Brady and five strokes better than Simpson.

1913 — John Henry Taylor wins his fifth and final British Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, England.

1922 — American Professional Football Assn. is renamed the National Football League.

1922 — Charter NFL club Chicago Staleys renamed Chicago Bears by team founder, owner and head coach George Halas.

1928 — John Farrell beats Bobby Jones by one stroke in a 36-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open.

1947 — Jim Ferrier wins the PGA championship by defeating Chick Harbert 2 and 1 in the final round.

1958 — Brazil, led by 17-year-old Pele, beats France 5-2 in a semifinal of the World Cup. With Brazil up 2-1 in the second half, Pele scores three consecutive goals.

1968 — Joe Frazier stops Mexican challenger Manuel Ramos in 2nd round TKO at NYC’s Madison Square Garden in his first heavyweight boxing title defense.

1968 — Canada’s Sandra Post beats Kathy Whitworth by seven strokes in a playoff to become the first non-U.S. player and rookie to win the LPGA championship.

1980 — The Atlanta Flames relocate to Calgary, Alberta. The NHL team keeps the name “Flames.”

1990 — Criminal Type becomes the first horse to win consecutive $1 million races after capturing the Hollywood Gold Cup. He had previously won the $1 million Pimlico Special on May 12.

1991 — The NHL’s Board of Governors adopts instant replay.

1992 — NBA Draft: LSU center Shaquille O’Neal first pick by Orlando Magic.

1995 — Stanley Cup Final, Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ: New Jersey Devils beat Detroit Red Wings, 5-2 for a 4-0 series sweep; Devils’ first Stanley Cup finals appearance.

1998 — NBA Draft: Pacific center Michael Olowokandi first pick by Los Angeles Clippers.

2000 — Rick DiPietro is the first goalie drafted No. 1 when the New York Islanders select the 18-year-old star from Boston University at the NHL Draft.

2001 — Karrie Webb, 26, captures the LPGA Championship by two strokes to become the youngest woman to complete the Grand Slam.

2004 — NBA Draft: Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy power forward Dwight Howard first pick by Orlando Magic.

2010 — John Isner outlasts Nicolas Mahut in the longest match in tennis history. Isner hits a backhand winner to win the last of the match’s 980 points, and takes the fifth set against Mahut 70-68. The first-round match took 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days, lasting so long it was suspended because of darkness — two nights in a row. Play resumed at 59-all and continued for more than an hour before Isner won 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68.

2010 — John Wall is selected as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards, and a record number of Kentucky teammates follow him. Four more Wildcats are among the top 30 selections, making them the first school ever to put five players in the first round.

2011 — NHL Draft: Red Deer Rebels (WHL) center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first pick by Edmonton Oilers.

2013 — Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland score 17 seconds apart in the final 1:16 of the third period and the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup with a stunning 3-2 comeback victory in Game 6 over the Boston Bruins.

2016 — NHL Draft: ZSC Lions (NLA) center Auston Matthews first pick by Toronto Maple Leafs.

2018 — Harry Kane scores a hat trick to propel England to its most emphatic World Cup victory and into the knockout stage. With John Stones heading in twice and Jesse Lingard curling in a shot, England beats Panama 6-1 and scores its most goals ever in a World Cup game.

2022 — American Katie Ledecky wins the 800m gold medal in 8:08.04 at the World Swimming Championships in Budapest; completes 400/800/1500m treble for unprecedented 4th time at a single worlds.

2024 — The Florida Panthers win their first title in franchise history defeating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7. MVP: Connor McDavid (Oilers C).

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1936 — Rookie Joe DiMaggio hit two homers in the fifth inning and added two doubles in the New York Yankees’ 18-4 victory over the St. Louis Browns.

1950 — Wes Westrum of the New York Giants hit three home runs and a triple in a 12-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

1955 — Harmon Killebrew hit his first major league homer, off Billy Hoeft at Griffith Stadium, but the Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Senators 18-7.

1962 — Jack Reed, a substitute outfielder, hit a homer off Phil Regan in the 22nd inning to give the New York Yankees a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers in a game that lasted 7 hours, 22 minutes. It was the only homer Reed hit in the majors.

1968 — Jim Northrup tied a major league record by hitting two grand slams in one game as the Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians 14-3.

1983 — Don Sutton of the Milwaukee Brewers became the eighth pitcher in major league history to strike out 3,000 batters. Sutton’s 3,000th victim was Cleveland’s Alan Bannister in a 3-2 win over the Indians.

1984 — Oakland’s Joe Morgan hit his 265th home run as a second baseman, breaking Roger Hornsby’s career home run record for that position. Morgan’s homer off Frank Tanana was the 267th of his career and led the A’s to a 4-2 win over Texas.

1993 — Carlton Fisk of the White Sox, plays his 2,226th and final major league game, surpassing Bob Boone’s record of 2,225 for most games caught.

1993 — The Marlins obtain OF Gary Sheffield and P Rich Rodriguez from the Padres for P Trevor Hoffman, Andres Berumen and Jose Martinez.

1994 — Jeff Bagwell hit three homers, two in one inning to tie a major league record, as the Houston Astros beat the Dodgers 16-4.

1997 — Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners struck out 19 batters — one short of Roger Clemens’ major league record for a nine-inning game. He became the first AL left-hander to fan 19, but the Oakland Athletics won 4-1.

2002 — Both starters in the first game of the Angels-Texas doubleheader — Joaquin Benoit and Aaron Sele — threw 96 pitches, 53 strikes and 43 balls. Benoit and the Rangers won 8-5.

2003 — Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs, in Montreal’s 6-4 win over Pittsburgh. It was the first cycle in the majors this season and was performed in sequence — single, double, triple and homer.

2014 — Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton tied the major league record for brothers homering in the same game as teammates, accomplishing the feat for the fourth time, in Atlanta’s 3-2 win over Houston. Other brothers who had homered in the same game four times were Jeremy and Jason Giambi for the Oakland A’s and Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero for the Montreal Expos.

2015 — Pavin Smith homered and drove in three runs and Brandon Waddell turned in another strong College World Series pitching performance, leading Virginia over Vanderbilt 4-2 for the school’s first baseball national championship.

2017 — Three Oakland A’s players, Matt Olson, Jaycob Brugmand and Franklin Baretto, hit their first career home run in a 10-2 win over the White Sox.

2019 — The Yankees tie a record belonging to the 2002 Rangers by homering in their 27th straight game on their way to defeating the Blue Jays.

2018 — The Dodgers set a National League record with seven solo home runs in an 8-7 win over the Mets.

2021 — The Chicago Cubs throw the first combined no-hitter in franchise history beating the Dodgers 4-0. It was the seventh no-hitter of the season.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.