The City Section might have a contender for small-schools basketball success in Sylmar-based Triumph, a charter school that opened in 2010 and is having its best season ever.
The Jaguars, under coach Fabian Avila, have been led by the Garcia brothers, Antonio, a 6-foot-3 senior, and Damian, a freshman point guard.
Antonio was one of the leading scorers in the City Section last season and is averaging 19 points this season.
“He’s very strong and physical,” Avila said.
His brother is averaging 11 points.
Probably the best win for Triumph was over AGBU when Antonio scored 22 points.
Triumph, which has an enrollment of fewer than 400 students, relies on multiple-sport athletes. One of the players is playing basketball and soccer simultaneously.
Avila is in his ninth year and said this is his best team. There are no transfers and all are students from the Sylmar area.
Last season, the team made it to the Division IV semifinals before losing when it was down to five players because of injuries. This season, the roster is at 13 with freshmen helping out.
The school has won one City title — in boys’ volleyball.
The big question is where Triumph will be placed in the playoffs depending on computer rankings.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
The WNBA and its players union will not agree to another extension of the collective bargaining agreement after the deadline passes Friday night, WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart said.
That does not mean players will strike or the league will lock them out. Stewart told reporters Thursday at a practice for the Unrivaled three-on-three league that players would continue to negotiate in good faith.
With the deadline just before midnight Friday, the league wouldn’t confirm that the sides won’t reach an extension. A spokesman did say the league would “continue to negotiate in good faith with the goal of reaching a deal as quickly as possible.”
“Our focus remains on reaching an agreement that significantly increases player compensation while ensuring the long-term growth of the business,” a spokesperson said.
The league and the players had two previous extensions and met several times this week. Any stalled negotiations could delay the start of the season. The last CBA was announced in the middle of January 2020, a month after it had been agreed to.
It easily could take two months from when a new CBA is reached to get to the start of free agency, which was supposed to begin this month.
While a strike or lockout isn’t imminent, both sides could change their viewpoints.
Stewart said calling a strike is “not something that we’re going to do right this second, but we have that in our back pocket.” The league hasn’t been considering a lockout, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.
As of Thursday, the sides remained far apart on many key issues, including salary and revenue sharing, and it seems unlikely a deal could be reached before Friday’s deadline.
Revenue sharing a sticking point in talks
The league’s most recent offer last month would guarantee a maximum base salary of $1 million that could reach $1.3 million through revenue sharing. That’s up from the current $249,000 and could grow to nearly $2 million over the life of the agreement, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.
Under the proposal, players would receive in excess of 70% of net revenue — though that would be their take of the profits after expenses are paid. Those expenses would include upgraded facilities, charter flights, five-star hotels, medical services, security and arenas.
The average salary this year would be more than $530,000, up from its current $120,000, and grow to more than $770,000 over the life of the agreement. The minimum salary would grow from its current $67,000 to approximately $250,000 in the first year, the person told the AP.
The proposal also would pay young stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, who are all still on their rookie contracts, nearly double the league minimum.
The union’s counter proposal to the league would give players around 30% of the gross revenue. The players’ percentage would be from money generated before expenses for the first year and teams would have a $10.5-million salary cap to sign players. Under the union’s proposal, the revenue sharing percent would go up slightly each year.
Union wants expansion fees included; league saying no
The union feels that the $750 million in expansion fees that the league just received with the addition of franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia by 2030 should be considered revenue and included in projections. The league says that the money actually goes to all the current teams to make up for the future money they’ll be losing by dividing the total revenue by more franchises.
Other major sports leagues like the NBA, NHL and NFL don’t include expansion fees in their revenue-sharing structures. Major League Baseball’s salary structure is not tied to its revenue, so expansion fees don’t matter.
League wants players to pay for own housing
With the potential new minimum salary at approximately $250,000, the WNBA has said that like most every other pro league, players should pay for their own housing. The union’s stance is that teams should continue to pay for players’ housing.
Why stalled negotiations could delay the season
An extended delay in getting a deal done could cause a number of problems, specifically getting the season started on time or even played for several reasons. There are several factors that indicate that time is near:
Free agency: With nearly all the veterans free agents this offseason, this will be the biggest year in the league’s history as far as potential movement. Free agency was supposed to start this month. However, once a new CBA is reached, it could take both parties two months to get free agency started.
Revenue-generating events could be delayed: The release of the schedule has been delayed. In the past the league tried to get it out before the holidays so teams could sell tickets. With so many players potentially changing teams as free agents, new merchandise wouldn’t be able to be sold.
Expansion draft: With Portland and Toronto entering the league this year, an expansion draft has to be held. Last year when Golden State came into the WNBA, a draft was held in December. Teams need to figure out who they will be protecting from being selected in the draft, and that is made more complicated because of all the free agents.
But after just one season at USC, Longstreet is leaving.
The true freshman passer and former top prospect officially entered the NCAA transfer portal Thursday, throwing the Trojans’ future plans at football’s most important position into question. USC has just two quarterbacks currently on the roster, one being a true freshman in Jonas Williams.
There’s no doubt, however, who will remain USC’s quarterback next season. Returning starter Jayden Maiava, who led the Big Ten in passing yards last season (3,711) announced his intent last month to play another season at USC, as opposed to declaring for the NFL draft.
That left Longstreet with a choice: Spend another season on the sideline or search for opportunity elsewhere.
USC coach Lincoln Riley made a plea for his young quarterback’s patience last month.
“For any player, especially a quarterback, I don’t know if this would be the right time to leave this place,” Riley said. “This thing is getting pretty good. And I think a lot of people recognize that, both in what we have now and what we’re bringing in, where this thing is going.”
But Longstreet’s father, Kevin, told On3 last month that his son was looking for a chance to contribute immediately.
“He loves USC, the team and players, but no guarantees in life and Husan is a competitor,” Kevin Longstreet told On3’s Greg Biggins. “Everyone is saying ‘sit for another year, only need one good year.’ But there’s no guarantee Lincoln is back next year, what if we struggle and a new staff comes in? Then he has to learn whole new system. He wants to play now and give himself his best shot.”
It wasn’t until late in the recruiting process in November 2024 that USC even emerged as a serious option for the Corona Centennial High product. He spent the previous seven months committed to Texas A&M, while USC already had a 2026 quarterback committed in Julian Lewis.
But after a delicate dance of courting both quarterbacks, USC pivoted to Longstreet and managed to flip him from the Aggies. It was one of Riley’s most significant USC recruiting victories.
“The more we got to know him, got to evaluate him, the more we got to see his mental makeup, how team-oriented he was, how serious he was about the game, we just felt like in the end, there wasn’t a better fit for us,” Riley said on signing day in December 2024. “That’s eventually why we made the decisions we made. I feel like we landed on the perfect guy for us.”
Longstreet appeared in four games as a true freshman, retaining his redshirt year. He’ll have four seasons of eligibility remaining wherever he ends up. He completed 13 of 15 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for another 76 yards and two scores.
“As a hometown kid, representing USC was an incredible opportunity I’ll always cherish,” Longstreet said in a statement on social media. “I’m excited for what’s ahead and ready to embrace the next opportunity with faith, purpose and gratitude.”
With Longstreet gone, expect USC to pursue a veteran passer in the transfer portal to fill the No. 3 spot on its depth chart, similar to how Sam Huard did last season.
PARIS — Laurent Vinatier, a French political scholar serving a three-year sentence in Russia and facing new charges of espionage, has been freed in a prisoner swap with France, officials said Thursday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that Vinatier is “free and back in France,” expressing “relief” and “gratitude” to diplomatic staff for their efforts to win his release.
In exchange, Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin, jailed in France and whose extradition was demanded by the United States, was released and returned to Russia on Thursday, Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, said in a statement.
Russian state news agency Tass released what it said was FSB footage showing Vinatier in a black track suit and winter jacket being informed about his release, to which he said “Thank you” in Russian, being driven in a car and boarding a plane after Kasatkin descended from it. It wasn’t immediately clear when the video was filmed.
Vinatier was arrested in Moscow in June 2024. Russian authorities accused him of failing to register as a “foreign agent” while collecting information about Russia’s “military and military-technical activities” that could be used to the detriment of national security. A court convicted him and sentenced him to a three-year prison term.
Last year, Vinatier was also charged with espionage, according to the FSB — a criminal offense punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison in Russia.
The scholar has been pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the security agency said.
France’s Foreign Ministry said that Vinatier was being welcomed at the Quai d’Orsay alongside his parents by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
The ministry said that Barrot informed ambassadors of Vinatier’s release “at the moment of the president’s tweet,” during a closed-door address. Barrot would post publicly “after his meeting with Laurent Vinatier and his family,” the ministry said.
Putin has promised to look into Vinatier’s case after a French journalist asked him during his annual news conference on Dec. 19 whether Vinatier’s family could hope for a presidential pardon or his release in a prisoner exchange. The Russian president said at the time that he knew “nothing” about it.
Several days later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had made “an offer to the French” about Vinatier.
Vinatier is an advisor for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Switzerland-based nongovernmental organization, which said in June 2024 that it was doing “everything possible to assist” him.
The charges that he was convicted on relate to a law that requires anyone collecting information on military issues to register with authorities as a foreign agent.
Human rights activists have criticized the law and other recent legislation as part of a Kremlin crackdown on independent media and political activists intended to stifle criticism of the war in Ukraine.
In recent years, Russia has arrested a number of foreigners — mainly Americans — on various criminal charges and then released them in prisoner swaps with the United States and other Western nations.
The largest exchange since the Cold War took place in August 2024, when Moscow freed journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, fellow American Paul Whelan, and Russian dissidents in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free.
Kasatkin, the Russian basketball player freed in Thursday’s swap, had been held since late June after his arrest at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at the request of U.S. judicial authorities and was held in extradition custody at Fresnes prison while French courts reviewed the U.S. request.
Kasatkin’s lawyer, Frédéric Belot, told the Associated Press that the player had been detained last June at the request of the United States for alleged involvement in computer fraud. Belot said that Kasatkin was accused of having acted as a negotiator for a team of hackers. According to the lawyer, Kasatkin had purchased a second-hand computer that hadn’t been reset.
“We believe that this computer was used remotely by these hackers without his knowledge,” Belot said. “He is a basketball player and knows nothing about computer science. We consider him completely innocent.”
Belot, who represents both Vinatier and Kasatkin, added that the French researcher is “totally innocent of the espionage acts that were alleged against him.”
Corbet, Adamson and Petrequin write for the Associated Press.
UCLA has landed a transfer who could hasten Bob Chesney’s rebuilding efforts.
Wayne Knight verbally committed to following Chesney from James Madison to Westwood on Wednesday, giving the new Bruins coach a high-quality running back to pair with quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Showing what he could do on a national stage last month, Knight ran for 110 yards in 17 carries against Oregon in the College Football Playoff. It was the fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season for Knight on the way to being selected a first team All-Sun Belt Conference player.
Combining excellent speed with the toughness needed to break tackles, the 5-foot-6, 189-pound Knight led the conference with 1,357 rushing yards. He also made 40 catches for 397 yards and averaged 22.3 yards on kickoff returns and 9.5 yards on punt returns. His 2,039 all-purpose yards were a school record, helping him become an Associated Press second team All-American all-purpose player after ranking third nationally with 145.6 all-purpose yards per game.
Knight, who will be a redshirt senior next season in his final year of college eligibility, becomes the seventh player from James Madison to accompany Chesney to UCLA, joining wide receiver Landon Ellis, defensive back DJ Barksdale, tight end Josh Phifer, edge rusher Aiden Gobaira, right guard Riley Robell and offensive lineman JD Rayner.
UCLA also has received verbal commitments from Michigan wide receiver Semaj Morgan, Florida wide receiver Aidan Mizell, San Jose State wide receiver Leland Smith, Iowa State running back Dylan Lee, Boise State offensive tackle Hall Schmidt, Virginia Tech defensive back Dante Lovett, Iowa State defensive back Ta’Shawn James and California edge rusher Ryan McCulloch.
But no incoming player can match the production of Knight, whose highlights included a career-high 211 rushing yards — including a 73-yard touchdown — against Troy in the Sun Belt championship game, earning him most valuable player honors for the Dukes’ 31-14 victory.
Knight will join a group of running backs that includes senior Jaivian Thomas (294 yards rushing and one touchdown in 2025), redshirt senior Anthony Woods (294 yards rushing in 2025) and redshirt freshman Karson Cox (nine yards in two carries during his only appearance as a true freshman).
With Knight on board, the Bruins presumably have their starting running back in Year 1 under their new coach.
The Dodgers avoided arbitration with reliever Brusdar Graterol on Wednesday, reportedly agreeing to terms with the Venezuelan right-hander on a one-year, $2.8-million deal before Thursday’s deadline to avoid an arbitration hearing.
Graterol, 27, missed the 2025 season after undergoing surgery on the labrum in his right shoulder in November 2024. The $2.8-million figure is the same as his salary for last season.
After being acquired by the Dodgers in a 2020 trade that sent Kenta Maeda to the Minnesota Twins, he turned into a hard-throwing member of the team’s bullpen.
Graterol’s best season came in 2023 when he recorded a 1.20 earned-run average across 67.1 innings in 68 games, striking out 48 batters and walking 11.
Shoulder inflmmation and a hamstring strain limited Graterol to only seven appearances during the 2024 regular season — though he did pitch in three World Series games against the New York Yankees, including the clinching Game 5 — before he underwent shoulder surgery.
Graterol can become a free agent after the 2026 season.
The Dodgers have three other arbitration-eligible players who have until Thursday to agree to terms on a salary for next season: Left-hander Anthony Banda, outfielder Alex Call and right-hander Brock Stewart.
If any of the players cannot come to an agreement, the team and player must exchange salary figures and a hearing will be scheduled. Negotiations can continue until the date of the hearing.
When his team lost three consecutive games during what was shaping up as a rocky debut season, Mick Cronin made players and coaches go through practices without the UCLA logo on their tank tops and shorts.
There’s currently no need to strip anyone of anything.
This already looks nothing like what UCLA basketball is supposed to be.
The defense is lagging, the roster is lacking and nobody seems to know what to do about it.
A second consecutive loss has dropped the Bruins squarely into bubble territory for the NCAA tournament, somewhere a team that wears these four letters across its chest should never be. They are a middling 10-5 with no compelling victories and a .500 record early in Big Ten play.
Barring a major midseason course correction, UCLA is in danger of missing the only postseason tournament that matters for the second time in three seasons.
The last Bruins coach to survive that scenario was Ben Howland, who immediately entered the next season on the hot seat, his fate seemingly a fait accompli. Even a Pac-12 regular-season title couldn’t save Howland, who was dismissed after the Bruins lost in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Cronin doesn’t appear in danger of a similar destiny given his recent contract extension that runs through the 2029-30 season. Unless both sides negotiated a settlement of his buyout or Cronin took a job elsewhere, UCLA would owe him $22.5 million if it moved on before April 1 and $18 million at the same point in 2027.
Since Cronin is probably going to be around for a while unless things completely bottom out, it’s far more productive to focus on what he needs to do to salvage his current conundrum. So here are five fixes designed to get a team that entered the season ranked No. 12 playing closer to expectations:
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
Former England striker and manager Kevin Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer.
Keegan had an illustrious playing career which included spells at Liverpool, Hamburg and Newcastle United, while he twice won the European Footballer of the Year award.
He moved into management after ending his playing career and had stints in charge of Newcastle United, Fulham, England and Manchester City.
“Kevin was recently admitted to hospital for further evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms,” the 74-year-old’s family said in a statement.
“These investigations have revealed a diagnosis of cancer, for which Kevin will undergo treatment.
“Kevin is grateful to the medical team for their intervention and ongoing care.
“During this difficult time, the family are requesting privacy, and will be making no further comment.”
Two-time All-American wide receiver and prominent Outdoors Channel host Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after an accident on his ranch in Texas, his family said in a statement.
Shipley, 40, was described as stable after remaining hospitalized Tuesday night in Austin. The statement said a machine that he was operating near his hometown of Burnet caught fire. The former Texas great suffered “severe burns on his body.”
Shipley abruptly retired in 2012 after three NFL seasons primarily because of persistent concussion issues and chronic knee problems. He quickly transitioned to television shows that showcased his passion for deer hunting, co-hosting “The Bucks of Tecomate” and “Tecomate Whitetail Nation.”
“It was not hard at all,” Shipley said at the time of retiring at 27. “Only because I never saw myself as a football player first. Don’t get me wrong, I worked my tail off for football and I loved it but never saw that as my whole identity because I had such a big background in outdoors. Really, with this opportunity I had I was actually pretty excited about moving forward.”
Although he enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 with 52 receptions for 600 yards and three touchdowns, he is best remembered as a record-setting player at Texas.
Shipley starred as a receiver and a kick returner from 2006 to 2009, setting program single-season records in 2009 with 116 receptions and 1,489 yards. He also remains the career leader for receptions with 248 and ranks second in career receiving yards with 3,191, behind Roy Williams. Shipley also returned four punts or kickoffs for touchdowns.
After being drafted in the third round by the Bengals, he became one of the most popular players with Cincinnati fans, and his No. 11 jersey was worn by thousands. After a debilitating knee injury early in the 2011 season, he was never the same player, and he had short stints with Tampa Bay and Jacksonville before retiring.
According to his family, Jordan was operating a machine at his ranch when it caught fire. He managed to free himself from the machine, but “not before sustaining severe burns on his body in the process.” Jordan was airlifted to the hospital in Austin.
“He was able to get to one of his workers on the ranch, who drove him to a local hospital. He was then care-flighted to Austin, where he remains in critical but stable condition,” the statement said.
Shipley’s younger brother, former Texas wide receiver Jaxon Shipley, 33, asked for prayers in a statement on Instagram: “Please pray for full healing and no infections or other issues on his road to recovery. I don’t want to get into all the details, other than his life was spared today by the grace of God and the sheer will to live. I believe prayer is effective so I’m asking anyone and everyone to lift Jordan up in prayer.”
Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where we’re trying to star in our role.
With one of their major stars still sidelined, the Lakers have gotten headlining performances from the usual suspects. LeBron James and Luka Doncic each scored 30 or more points in the same game for just the third time as Lakers teammates against Memphis last Friday. Doncic followed up on Sunday with a near triple-double and James had 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers hold off the Grizzlies for a second consecutive game.
But the most significant performances last week came from the supporting cast.
All things Lakers, all the time.
Don’t forget No. 12
The way Rob Pelinka commemorated Jake LaRavia’s 27-point outburst against Minnesota in October warmed this print journalist’s heart.
After LaRavia made 10 of 11 shots to introduce himself to fans and Minnesota star Anthony Edwards, the Lakers’ general manager splashed a photo of LaRavia gazing out of a window on the front page of a faux newspaper and printed it on a black T-shirt.
Two months after his breakout Lakers moment, LaRavia authored a long-awaited follow-up story. Starting in place of the injured Rui Hachimura, he scored 20 and 26 points in back-to-back games against Memphis.
LaRavia’s scoring punch against his first NBA team was the obvious headline grabber, but it shouldn’t overshadow the 24-year-old’s consistent contribution all season.
“It’s just the way he plays,” James said. “He plays hard, he defends, he rebounds. The scoring can go up, it can go down. But his consistency of how he plays keeps him on the floor.”
LaRavia has been the Lakers’ most consistent defender this season, coach JJ Redick said after Sunday’s game in which LaRavia was a game-high plus-15 in his 34 minutes and 30 seconds on the court. His defensive influence, averaging career-highs in rebounds (4.3), steals (1.3) and blocks (0.5), has exceeded expectations for the Lakers.
Redick knew he wanted to target the rangy 6-foot-7 forward because the Lakers were bottom-third in blocks (22nd, 4.5 per game), steals (22nd, 7.7 per game) and deflections (24th, 15.2) last year. Top wing defender Dorian Finney-Smith signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Houston Rockets.
Now LaRavia and fellow offseason addition Marcus Smart are tied for the team lead in deflections with 3.1 each per game.
LaRavia started his college career at Indiana State before transferring to Wake Forest, where he averaged 14.6 points per game as a junior. He was drafted 19th overall in 2022 and averaged 10.8 points in his second year. Looking back, LaRavia realizes that, at the time, he only wanted to be on the court for his offense. He admitted he wasn’t a very strong defender.
It wasn’t until last year that things “clicked,” LaRavia said. If he wanted to stay in the NBA, he would have to do more than score.
“There’s a lot of offensive talent in this league,” said LaRavia, who was shipped to Sacramento in a midseason trade last year. “I would say there’s not as much people that are willing to go out there every night and just play as hard as they can and provide energy and effort on the defensive side.”
The energy has transferred to offensive production, where LaRavia is thriving on what the Lakers call “effort offense.” He crashes for rebounds. He cuts to the basket. He runs the floor in transition. Those little things easily make up for LaRavia’s 32.7% shooting from three, the lowest percentage of his career.
The three-point shot is starting to click as well; LaRavia made seven of 16 threes in two games against the Grizzlies. He credited his work with assistant coach Beau Levesque for helping him get back to basics with his shot while maintaining confidence and focus.
“He has the words for me every time we come in here and shoot, but it’s more so just the consistent work that we put in,” LaRavia said. “He always says control the input … and the output is going to show for itself. And he also says stuff like, ‘Don’t be reactionary.’ I had a good game, but we don’t react off that. We continue to put in the same kind of work and just continue to play.”
LaRavia knows his front-page moment can be fleeting. Just when it looked as if he had arrived in early November with 20-point performances in two out of three games, LaRavia didn’t reach the mark again until last Friday.
More than two months after he first announced who No. 12 was, LaRavia is still introducing the league to parts of his game. A soaring one-handed dunk against Memphis last Friday got teammates jumping to their feet on the bench. After the game, James described LaRavia as “sneaky athletic.”
When asked about the description, LaRavia smiled.
“I’m a fan of ‘sneaky athletic,’” he said.
Next men up
Lakers guard Nick Smith Jr.
(Amanda Loman / Associated Press)
The Lakers have had all 14 of their standard contract players available for only two games this season. The revolving door of injuries has forced the Lakers to live out the “next man up” mantra.
Next up are Dalton Knecht and Nick Smith Jr., who are seeing more consistent playing time while Austin Reaves (calf) and Gabe Vincent (back) are sidelined.
Smith, who is playing on a two-way contract, delivered with 21 points in the Lakers’ win over the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 28, their first game without Reaves. The third-year guard’s instant offense was why the Lakers picked him up on the eve of training camp.
Conversely, Knecht is not being judged solely on whether he makes shots, Redick said. The Lakers simply need the sharp-shooting second-year forward to “play hard.”
“If you make a mistake, just get it on the next position,” Knecht said of what coaches are asking of him, “and just don’t repeat that mistake.”
Knecht flashed his potential in a hot start to his rookie season when he shot 46% from three in November 2024. But Knecht found himself on the trading block months later. He was briefly sent to Charlotte, only to U-turn when the trade was rescinded because of a failed physical.
This season, coaches told Knecht his opportunities on the floor would come down to his defense. He was playing regularly when the Lakers were still without James earlier this season, but he was largely relegated to garbage time after the superstar forward returned.
Jarred Vanderbilt’s standing on the team also changed drastically when James returned. The forward was out of the rotation completely for 10 games after James made his season debut on Nov. 18.
But the Lakers, in need of a defensive reset, turned to Vanderbilt again on Dec. 14. He has played in nine consecutive games, averaging 6.6 points and 5.8 rebounds with seven total steals. After his three-point shooting was a major liability on offense, Vanderbilt is shooting 11 for 25 (44%) from three since rejoining the rotation.
Vanderbilt’s resurgence has given Knecht an example to follow as he tries to solidify his standing in the league.
“Me and him had long talks about that,” Knecht said. “Making sure that both of us are ready for the rotation when the guys go down or just throw one of us in.”
On tap
Jan. 6 at Pelicans (8-29), 5 p.m. PST
The Pelicans have lost seven in a row. Zion Williamson (18.3 points, 5.9 rebounds) is back after missing both games against the Lakers earlier this season.
Jan. 7 at Spurs (25-10), 6:30 p.m. PST
After dominating the Lakers to end L.A.’s NBA Cup hopes in December, San Antonio announced itself as a title contender by beating Oklahoma City three consecutive times. Center Victor Wembanyama hyperextended his knee on Dec. 31 and missed two games, but could return in time to play the Lakers on Wednesday.
Jan. 9 vs. Bucks (16-20), 7:30 p.m. PST
Milwaukee has won five of its last seven. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status with the team has been the biggest story line for the underwhelming Bucks, who are 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Status report
Gabe Vincent: lumbar back strain
Vincent is questionable for Tuesday’s game after missing eight games. He participated in a stay-ready game after practice last Saturday in his first on-court action since suffering the back injury.
Rui Hachimura: right calf strain
Hachimura will remain sidelined for at least the upcoming trip. He will stay in L.A. and could work with the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers. Hachimura has been out since Dec. 30.
Austin Reaves: left calf strain
Reaves won’t be reevaluated until at least Jan. 23.
Adou Thiero: right MCL sprain
The rookie forward will be sidelined for four weeks and won’t be reevaluated until the end of January.
Favorite thing I ate this week
Naan pizza with sausage, peppers and caramelized onions.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
Don’t cancel me for this. But sometimes for a home cooking hack, I use Trader Joe’s frozen naan for the crust on a personal pizza. I spent a year or two trying to perfect my own pizza dough technique, and I made good progress, but during a busy season, I don’t have the patience — or foresight — to be fiddling around with any fresh dough for a pizza night.
I topped a piece of garlic naan with homemade tomato sauce, cheese, Italian sausage, red peppers and caramelized onions. Then I finished it with a drizzle of hot honey.
I can only hope I will still be allowed to enter Italy next month for the Winter Olympics despite this culinary transgression. Take this as the only thing I have to declare at customs.
If you asked Los Alamitos basketball coach Nate Berger to be honest about early expectations for a team that returned zero starters, he would have said a 1-9 start wouldn’t have been surprising.
But the Griffins, loaded with backups from last season and members of a good junior varsity team, are 8-6 going into an early Sunset League showdown with 16-1 Corona del Mar on Monday.
Tyler Lopez has been leading the way. The senior committed to Jessup University in Northern California is averaging 17 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Isaiah Williamson, younger brother of former Eastvale Roosevelt standout Issac Williamson, has been making major contributions.
Berger has been pleased with his players’ growing experience and confidence after some early season struggles adjusting.
“I was pleasantly surprised how my team responded and some of these young players have jelled,” he said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Bob Pulford, a Hockey Hall of Fame player who went on to a lengthy career in the NHL as a coach and general manager, has died. He was 89.
A spokesperson for the NHL Alumni Assn. said Monday the organization learned of Pulford’s death from his family. No other details were provided.
A tough, dependable forward, Pulford helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup four times during his 14-year stretch with them from 1956 to 1970. The Newton Robinson, Canada, native was part of the 1967 team that remains the organization’s last to win a championship.
He was picked for five All-Star games and led the league in shorthanded goals three times. After recording 694 points in 1,168 regular-season and playoff games, Pulford was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
Off the ice, Pulford was the first president of the players union, taking part in early collective bargaining and laying the foundation for the modern NHLPA.
Pulford spent his final two playing seasons with the Kings in the early 1970s before coaching them for the following five years. He then ran the Chicago Blackhawks’ front office as general manager or senior vice president of hockey operations for three decades from 1977 to 2007, going behind the bench to coach four times during that span.
“Whether coach, general manager, senior executive, or even multiple at the same time, Bob wasn’t afraid to serve in whatever role was most needed at the time and take on the different challenges associated with each that seem unthinkable by today’s standards,” said Blackhawks chairman and Chief Executive Officer Danny Wirtz, whose grandfather, Bill, employed Pulford. “We are grateful for his leadership and devotion to the sport, which will forever be part of our club’s history.”
Former LA Kings Captain, Bob Pulford passed away earlier today. Bob spent seven seasons in Los Angeles, including 5 as Head Coach, earning the Jack Adams Trophy.
Our sincere condolences are with the Pulford Family, including his daughter Wandamae, and son-in-law, Dean Lombardi. pic.twitter.com/lVtxKWP9V6
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Pulford “left an indelible mark on the game,” especially given the various roles he filled.
“Bob became a friend, counselor and confidant to me — particularly in my early years as commissioner — and I had enormous respect for him and all he gave the game,” Bettman said.
The NHL Alumni Assn. in a post memorializing Pulford called him “one of the most respected figures in the history of hockey.”
“Rest in peace, Bob,” the NHLAA said. “Your impact on hockey and on all who had the privilege of knowing you will never be forgotten.”
Wanna bet? If the wager involved Shohei Ohtani, the answer from gamblers was yes more often than it was for any other player in any sport last year, according to data from BetMGM.
When betting on game results in 2025, gamblers placed the most wagers on NFL games. However, when betting on individual athletes, gamblers placed the most wagers on Ohtani, the two-way superstar for the World Series champion Dodgers and National League most valuable player. Saquon Barkley, the running back for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, ranked second.
That data considered only BetMGM wagers that involved individual players — sometimes for awards such as MVP, a spokesman said, but most often for prop bets determined by individual performance.
By way of example from another sportsbook, Caesars Sports offered these World Series prop bets for Ohtani: Would he hit a leadoff home run? Drive in at least seven runs? Collect at least 10 hits? Hit a 470-foot home run? Hit at least five home runs? Deliver a walk-off hit? Hit two home runs and strike out 10 batters in the same game? Strike out 20 batters in the series? (Ohtani did not do any of those eight things.)
The most popular major leaguers beyond Ohtani among bettors, according to BetMGM, all were sluggers: Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees ranked second, followed by Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds, Riley Greene of the Detroit Tigers and Bryce Harper of the Phillies.
Yet the most notorious MLB prop bets last year involved pitchers, not hitters.
In November, Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on federal charges that they “rigged pitches” — that is, they tipped bettors about whether they would throw a pitch outside the strike zone in specified situations and how hard they would throw it. Prosecutors say bettors won hundreds of thousands of dollars for themselves and paid Clase and Ortiz thousands of dollars for their help.
The pitchers have pleaded not guilty, with a trial scheduled for May. Prosecutors told the court last month that Clase, a three-time All-Star, likely would face 87 to 108 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines — that is, up to nine years — if convicted on each of the four counts in his indictment.
The pitchers also face a potential lifetime ban from baseball. Clase, 27, is under contract for $6 million this year; the Guardians hold a $10-million option for 2027 and another for 2028. Investors who pooled their money to support him in exchange for a percentage of his career earnings are at risk of losing their investment.
The types of prop bets placed on Clase and Ortiz may become even less popular next season.
On the day after Clase and Ortiz were indicted, Major League Baseball announced an agreement with sports book operators to cap such pitching prop bets at $200. The operators, MLB said, represented “more than 98% of the U.S. betting market.”
In its announcement, the league noted that most prop bets are not solely influenced by one person — that is, whether Ohtani hits a home run depends in significant part on how he is pitched.
“However, ‘micro-bet’ pitch-level markets (e.g., ball/strike; pitch velocity) present heightened integrity risks because they focus on one-off events that can be determined by a single player and can be inconsequential to the outcome of the game,” the league statement said. “The risk on these pitch-level markets will be significantly mitigated by this new action targeted at the incentive to engage in misconduct.”
Novak Djokovic says he has “stepped away completely” from the Professional Tennis Players Association that he co-founded, citing concerns about “transparency and governance”.
Serbian Djokovic, 38, and Canadian tennis player Vasek Pospisil founded the breakaway player union in 2021.
In March 2025, the PTPA launched legal action against tennis’ governing bodies – including the ATP and WTA tours – over what it claimed are “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare”.
The ATP and WTA both strongly rejected the accusations and said they would defend their position.
Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slam titles, said at the time that he did not agree with the entirety of the PTPA’s case and has now ended his association with the organisation.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association,” Djokovic posted on X., external
“This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented.
“I am proud of the vision that Vasek and I shared when founding the PTPA, giving players a stronger, independent voice – but it has become clear that my values and approach are no longer aligned with the current direction of the organisation.
“I will continue to focus on my tennis, my family, and contributing to the sport in ways that reflect my principles and integrity. I wish the players and those involved the best as they move forward, but for me, this chapter is now closed.”
The Traitors debuted a new twist for season four in which there is a red-cloaked secret traitor that is calling the shots from the shadows, unknown to faithfuls, traitors and viewers alike
The Traitors’ red-cloaked Secret Traitor ‘unmasks’ themself with big mistake
The Traitors‘ secret traitor may have just unmasked themselves. During a confessional, psychologist Ellie said she was hesitant as she didn’t want people to think she is a “Secret Traitor”, leading fans to question how she knew those words if the Faithfuls are unaware of this year’s twist.
In the interview room, Ellie said: “People will question whether you are sitting and watching as a kind of Secret Traitor…” Fans picked up on her choice of words.
“Anyone notice Ellie talking in the interview room and saying ‘people will question whether you are sitting & watching as a kind of secret traitor‘,” one fan asked.
Another added: “Ellie saying “don’t want to look like a secret traitor” as a faithful who don’t know about a secret traitor??? Suspicious wording.” And a third agreed: “Ellie saying ‘thinking I’m some secret traitor’, why would you say secret and not just traitor unless it’s on your mind?”
The secret traitor is a new twist on the show. At the start of the first episode, which aired on 1 January, host Claudia Winkleman revealed that, this year, there would be a fourth traitor that is unknown to everyone, including the other traitors and viewers. This traitor, who was awarded a scarlet cloak, would call the shots, picking a shortlist of three people that the other traitors could murder.
Fans have been dying to know who this secret traitor is. Their moment to witness this traitor’s uncloaking almost came in episode three.
During tonight’s episode (3 January), the first traitor was banished. After Hugo was betrayed by fellow traitor Stephen, the remaining two were set a secret mission that could help them uncover the secret traitor.
Stephen and Rachel were told to mark the family tree of players with red ink, indicating who could be murdered. If they managed to mark nine names, they would not only get to murder a player that evening, but they would also meet the secret traitor.
They succeeded in their mission, after almost giving themselves away to Reece. As such, that night, the secret traitor made their way to the traitors’ turret.
But as they arrived, the credits rolled. This means fans have to wait until Wednesday 7 January to find out who it is, if the show tells us at all. Fans have found another way to root out the secret traitor though, should we not meet them.
After the first murder shortlist was revealed, fans noticed that Netty’s name was misspelled as Nettie. As such, they suggested that if they saw someone at the round table misspell Netty’s name, that person could be the secret traitor.
Unfortunately for amateur sleuths, Netty was murdered and therefore never voted for at the roundtable. But the point still stands, and fans have been taking note of the handwritten murder list. One said: “Based on the hand writing on the short list, I think Roxy could be the secret traitor.”
The 2026 high school football transfer tracker is officially launched to identify top players switching schools in Southern California.
There were more than 17,000 transfers statewide last school year, and football is the sport that consistently has more than any.
According to CIF rules, players who transfer and physically move along with their family are eligible immediately to play at the new school. If a player transfers and his family doesn’t move, there’s a sit-out period of close to 50% of the season. The date athletes become eligible in the fall after sitting out is Sept. 28, 2026, for the Southern Section and Sept. 24, 2026, for the City Section.
Listed players are confirmed as having switched schools through social media or from coaches, parents or players. Their transfer eligibility remains uncertain until paperwork is submitted to the Southern Section or City Section. Names will be updated each week, with the latest at the top. Students have been known to change their minds, too, before the season begins.
Jaden Jefferson
Previous school: Cathedral
New school: Corona Centennial
Position: Quarterback
Year in the fall of 2026: Senior
Buzz: He’s a small but dynamic quarterback with tremendous ability to pass and run. He has been a starter since freshman year.
Quentin Hale
Previous school: Cathedral
New school: Corona Centennial
Position: Receiver
Year in the fall of 2026: Senior
Buzz: Had 62 receptions and 12 touchdown catches in 2025.
Simote Tupou
Previous school: Henderson (Nev.) Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon
New school: St. John Bosco
Position: Defensive line
Year in the fall of 2026: Junior
Buzz: Had 19 sacks as a 6-1, 230-pound sophomore.
Koa Smith-Mayall
Previous school: JSerra
New school: Santa Margarita
Position: Quarterback
Year in the fall of 2026: Senior
Buzz: Was briefly JSerra’s starting QB and overcame injuries early in high school.
Curt Cignetti knows winning. No matter where he finds himself, whether it’s James Madison or with the Division II IUP Crimson Hawks, success follows him. Since getting the opportunity to lead a program, Cignetti has never had a losing season.
When Indiana hired him in November 2023, the Hoosiers were the program with the most all-time losses in college football history, and ended the season with a 3-9 record under Tom Allen.
It wasn’t a work in progress, the Hoosiers football program needed to be rebuilt.
On New Year’s Day, Indiana will face Alabama in the highly anticipated Rose Bowl matchup. The Crimson Tide have a rich postseason history and a tradition of championships, but the Hoosiers are the favorites to win.
That is the Cignetti effect.
In two years, he transformed the program from an unranked team, spending most of its time at the bottom of the Big Ten Conference, to the No. 1 team in the country with a Heisman-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza.
“When he speaks, it means something,” Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said.
“He’s not gonna go around and hype you up, tell you something you want to hear, he’ll tell you what you need to hear and that’s what makes him so special as a coach.”
That kind of tough love echoes throughout the team, Jones said. Whether it’s the fifth-string linebacker or the starting linebacker, Cignetti and his staff coach everyone the same way. That is one of the reasons his players trust him and bought into his philosophy.
“All the coaches want to see you be the best version of yourself,” Jones said. “But you can’t do that if you’re sugarcoating it.”
Cignetti’s coaching style has turned a starting lineup that consists of more lightly recruited players than five-star prospects into the nation’s No. 1 team.
Their surprise arrival at college football’s biggest stage has fired up the Hoosiers.
Indiana defensive back D’Angelo Ponds answers questions during a new conference at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
“It’s definitely a chip on our shoulder,” Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds said. “Just to prove to the coaches that they missed out on the opportunity with us.”
The Hoosiers had the past three weeks off, earning a first-round College Football Playoff bye. Leading up to their quarterfinal showdown with Alabama in Pasadena, before their opponent was known, Cignetti made it a point to focus on how the Hoosiers could feature the best offense and defense in the country. He wanted players to focus on their own work rather than who they would be playing.
“In every single phase, in every single facet of the way that we practice and prepare, it’s all about being the best version of us, and not so much our opponent,” Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher said.
But as soon as Alabama clinched its ticket to the Rose Bowl, the preparation flipped.
“Once we understood who the opponent was, it just kind of upped a notch,” Fisher said. “[Cignetti’s] done a great job of blocking out the noise, we don’t hear anything in the media, really.”
He wants his team to be present during their preparation, never taking a day for granted and getting their bodies and mindset right.
“He always says, at the later points in the season, it’s about who shows up ready to play, who’s the most prepared,” Indiana center Pat Coogan said.
The success of the team started with his recruitment. Regardless of which players leave or enter the locker room, Cignetti makes sure everyone is focused on the same end goal — winning.
“We are all cut from the same cloth,” Coogan said. “That’s why I think this locker room bonds so well, and why we’ve had success, no matter how many people have transferred.”
Fans flying into Pasadena talk about the ghost of the past, Fisher said. The Hoosiers last made an appearance in the Rose Bowl in 1968 when they lost to USC. A win on New Year’s Day will help bolster the football culture in Indiana, but the team understands it needs to focus on Thursday’s game against Alabama and ignore the bigger picture.
“It’s a privilege and honor to play in the Rose Bowl,” Fisher said. “But we’re still playing a football game of four quarters that we have to go and win.”
Welcome back to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where we’re recalibrating for 2026.
The Lakers were forced to do some end-of-year soul-searching after a three-game losing streak. A productive meeting helped the team refocus on its vision board. The board featuring the Lakers’ three main resolutions reappeared in the practice gym this week: “championship habits, championship communication, championship shape.”
See, we all promise to hit the gym harder “next year.”
All things Lakers, all the time.
Two-headed monster
LeBron James and Luka Doncic pose for photos during Lakers media day on Sept. 29 in El Segundo.
(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
This is the pairing we’ve all been waiting for. But we haven’t seen Luka Doncic and LeBron James together all that often.
Since Doncic joined the Lakers in that blockbuster trade, he and James have played together without Austin Reaves only six times in the regular season. With Reaves now sidelined for a month with a calf injury, the two Lakers superstars are going to have to get familiar with each other again.
In lineups with Doncic and Reaves, the Lakers have a net rating of 7.3, one of the team’s highest ratings for a two-man lineup that’s played at least 100 minutes. Playing together for 452 minutes, it’s the most efficient rating for any pair of regular starters.
But lineups with Doncic and James have a -10.3 net rating in 279 minutes and the James-Reaves pairing is -6.1 in 245 minutes.
Coach JJ Redick acknowledged after the team’s three-game losing streak that the offense since James returned has felt disorganized at times. While Reaves’ injury strips the Lakers of their second-leading scorer and an important ball handler, Redick agreed that just having Doncic and James for now can make the offense easier to untangle.
Redick presented a potential solution by restructuring the substitution pattern during a win over the Kings on Sunday. He subbed Doncic out of the first quarter with about three minutes remaining instead of having him play the entire first frame. He re-entered the game with about nine minutes left in the second instead of waiting until the six- or seven-minute mark.
The plan was to let Doncic and James have more time operating the offense individually, Redick said, while not diminishing either player’s total minutes. The team still used both of them in actions together and it’s not an overarching plan to “keep them apart,” Redick stressed.
“We’re going to do this for the foreseeable future,” Redick said, “and just see how it goes.”
The Lakers were plus-12 in the 18 minutes with Doncic and James on the court against the Kings compared to -5.8 in 23.7 minutes in previous games this year. The projected starting lineup now that Reaves it out would typically feature Doncic, James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, and that group has a -26.0 net ranking in 37 minutes together this season.
“I don’t want to create the narrative of ‘me and Luka,’” James said. “It’s five guys on the floor and seven guys that come off the bench. It needs to be all of us. It’s important that we set the tone.”
More than just the production on the court, the Lakers will look to their superstars for leadership during this next stretch. Redick acknowledged that Doncic and James have a responsibility to set the tone for the Lakers, especially at the beginning of games.
The Lakers were minus-28 in first quarters during their three-game losing streak. Doncic said after the Christmas Day debacle that everybody had to give “better effort, starting with me.”
Then he backed up his words with his play, scoring nine points with two assists and three rebounds in the first quarter. He had two steals and a block in the first half.
“He’s the head of the snake,” forward Maxi Kleber said of Doncic before the game. “We all follow him, so it’s good for us to see him also step up in that sense, and take ownership, because it will help everybody else do the same and focus especially with that effort on every possession.”
LeBron vs. Father Time (OT)
Lakers forward Lebron James drives in front of Kings guard Demar Derozan (10) as center Maxime Raynaud (42) watches Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
When James released his LeBron XX sneakers, he battled Father Time in a series of commercials that pitted actor Jason Momoa, dressed in purple robes with gray hair and a long beard, against James in a plank contest, karaoke and ultimately one-on-one basketball.
Three years after James blocked Father Time’s shot in the commerical series’ “final round,” James is still competing against the opponent everyone says is undefeated.
“I’m in a battle with him,” James said Sunday, two days before his 41st birthday. “And I would like to say that I’m kicking his ass on the back nine.”
James then walked out of his postgame interview with a smile on his face after his final game as a 40-year-old.
James, who celebrates his 41st birthday Tuesday, is not the same force that he was in his late 20s or even 30s, but he is still accomplishing feats never seen in the NBA. James is averaging 20.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his record 23rd NBA season. Only five players have ever averaged double-digit scoring during or after their Year 40 season. None averaged better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 14.6 points per game in 1987-88.
How LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar compare in their 40s.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
“Unbelievable,” 21-year-old guard Nick Smith Jr. said of James’ performance at this stage of his career. “Him and my dad [are] the same age, and my dad hasn’t played in like 10 years. So the stuff he do is incredible. Yeah, he’s not normal.”
James knows his clock is ticking. He has recognized multiple times this season that he is cherishing what could be the final moments of his career. He acknowledged great road crowd receptions in Philadelphia and Toronto and spoke wistfully about how he’ll never be able to recapture the feeling of entering a packed arena.
It’s why moments like his three dunks against the Kings that fired up the home crowd Sunday are still meaningful, even if he’s not jumping as high as he once did.
“It is remarkable,” said Redick, who turned 41 in June this year and last played in 2021. “I have trouble getting out of bed in the morning and got to get an injection on my knee. My body is old and broken.”
A day after James rocked the rim with a reverse dunk against the Kings, Redick was happy to report he can “still barely touch the rim.”
On tap
Dec. 30 vs. Pistons (24-8), 7:30 p.m. PST
Detroit is one of the biggest surprises of the NBA season, emerging from a first-round playoff exit last year to now lead the wide-open Eastern Conference. But the Pistons have lost two in a row, including a stunning loss to the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, who dropped 55 points on Sunday.
Jan. 2 vs. Grizzlies (15-17), 7:30 p.m. PST
Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant is back from a sprained ankle that cost him four games, but the team is still missing center Zach Edey, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Dec. 11. Memphis is 4-4 without Edey (13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds) after going 7-4 with him. He missed the beginning of the season after surgery on the same left ankle.
Jan. 4 vs. Grizzlies (15-17), 6:30 p.m. PST
This game wraps up a four-game homestand for the Lakers, who have 10 of their 16 games in January on the road.
Status report
Jaxson Hayes: Left ankle soreness
Hayes missed two games after reaggravating an ankle injury against Phoenix on Dec. 23 but is expected to return on Tuesday against Detroit.
Rui Hachimura: Left calf soreness
Hachimura missed practice Monday, but Redick doesn’t expect Hachimura to be out for long as the forward is “just a little banged up.” Hachimura is out for Tuesday’s game against Detroit.
Austin Reaves: left calf strain
Reaves will be out for at least a month. He is not scheduled to be reevaluated until around Jan. 26.
Gabe Vincent: Lumbar back strain
Vincent has missed four games and had no status change after his initial reevaluation date of Dec. 25.
Favorite thing I ate this week
Bun mang, Vietnamese bamboo shoot noodle soup.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen/Los Angeles Times)
I spent Christmas Day with my Lakers beat family at Crypto.com Arena then Boxing Day with my extended family in Orange County. My aunt made bun mang — Vietnamese bamboo shoot noodle soup — for the holiday and saved me a bowl.
It’s more traditionally served with duck, but my aunt prefers chicken. I told her I’d never had this dish before because I don’t think my mom ever made it. She explained that it takes three days of soaking, rinsing and boiling the bamboo shoots, so now I understand why my mom never made it. But it was worth my aunt’s effort.
The Lakers underwent some soul-searching at practice Saturday, with coach JJ Redick starting the conversation before allowing players to speak freely about the team’s issues.
It was an attempt by Redick and the team to prevent things from spiraling out of control after three consecutive losses.
When the Lakers faced the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, Redick wanted to see players executing on defense and playing harder.
For the Lakers, it was more than Doncic finishing with 34 points, seven assists and five rebounds. It was Doncic playing defense, illustrated best when he blocked a shot by DeMar DeRozan. It was Doncic hustling, such as when he dove to the floor for a loose ball.
It was more than James scoring 24 points and handing out five assists. It was James throwing down a reverse dunk and offering words of wisdom to teammates.
And it also was reserve Nick Smith Jr. finding a role in the rotation and producing, one of the six Lakers scoring in double figures. Smith had 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting, making five of 10 threes.
Rui Hachimura had 12 points, Deandre Ayton had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Jake LaRavia had 11 points.
The Lakers (20-10) took control from the start of the third quarter, going on a 13-2 run to give them a 26-point lead that reached as high as 30 in the fourth quarter.
Granted, the Kings (8-24) have the second-worst record in the West and were missing injured stars Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Bradley, three of their top four scorers.
But the Lakers lost three straight games because of poor defense and an overall effort that Redick described as “terrible.”
And with Austin Reaves out for at least a month because of a calf strain, getting the chance to talk through their issues might end up changing the team’s fortunes.
“They’re trying, and you know, I told the guys, this is normal,” Redick said. “There’s very few teams that don’t hit troughs throughout the season. It’s not all peaks. … It’s just a natural cycle that every team goes through.
“So we need to identify the problems and then come up with the solutions. So that’s just the process that we’re in the middle of right now.”
After the Lakers’ third straight loss Thursday, JJ Redick promised things would get “uncomfortable.” The second-year coach, frustrated after the team delivered a lump of coal in a Christmas Day blowout by the Houston Rockets, said he couldn’t stand to rewatch the same tired story. Leaning his elbow on the table at his postgame news conference, Redick called out players who don’t give enough effort on defense or play hard.
Two days later he stood in front of reporters with a different tone.
“Recalibration,” Redick said calmly of the message he delivered during Saturday’s team meeting. “Reconnection.”
Redick has cooled, but the Lakers still are under fire. Not only are they trying to snap a season-high three-game losing streak at home Sunday against the Sacramento Kings (6:30 p.m.), but also the Lakers (19-10) still are looking for their first home win in December and must navigate this defining moment without guard Austin Reaves.
Reaves was diagnosed with a grade 2 strain in his left calf Friday and will be reevaluated in four weeks. The latest setback comes less than two weeks after he was sidelined because of a “mild” strain in the same calf that kept him out for three games.
Reaves is averaging career highs in points (26.6), assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2) and his ascent from undrafted rookie to potential first-time All-Star was one of the team’s feel-good stories of the season. Reaves scored a career-high 51 points against Sacramento in October, rescuing the Lakers in a game without LeBron James or Luka Doncic and showing Reaves’ potential in a starring role.
Now without their second-leading scorer, the Lakers are looking for their supporting cast to step up.
“We just need our guys to be stars in their roles,” Redick said. “Certainly from a top-end talent standpoint, it diminishes that. But it doesn’t change the non-negotiables or how we’re trying to play.”
After losing the last three games by an average of 20.7 points per game, the Lakers needed to get reacquainted with their non-negotiables during Saturday’s meeting. The session was uncomfortable in the way confronting truth can be uncomfortable, Redick said. It wasn’t just coaches lecturing, but also players speaking up.
The top priority was creating more clarity, Redick said. The team needed to get back to building its defensive fundamentals after so many lineup changes because of injuries. The Lakers have used 16 different starting lineups in 29 games and have to readjust their rotation again in Reaves’ absence.
“Togetherness is going to have to be emphasized to where it looks like an exaggeration,” center Deandre Ayton said, “where it becomes a habit. And that’s what winners do. And it’s pretty easy for this team. It’s just that there’s always a different group out there and we’re going to get it for sure.”
Forward Rui Hachimura said coaches reminded players of the team’s three pillars that again were displayed on a screen in the practice gym Saturday — championship habits, championship communication, championship shape.
“We just talk about everybody, players, coaches, we just gotta kind of tighten up,” Hachimura said. “We had a good stretch in the beginning and now we kind of, I don’t know, we relaxed or we kind of got tired of winning, you know, but we just stopped doing what we’re supposed to do.”
The Lakers are 29th in the NBA in defensive rating in the last 15 games, giving up 122.2 points per 100 possessions. It’s a significant drop from their rating of 113.7 in the first 14 games in which they went 10-4.
Since James returned from, the Lakers’ preferred starting lineup — Doncic, Reaves, James, Ayton and Hachimura — has a net rating of minus-19.9 in seven games.
Offensively the Lakers have lacked organization since James came back, Redick acknowledged. James declined to speak to reporters after practice.
“Too many random possessions,” Redick said. “That’s on me.”
It takes a lot for sweet-tempered 28-year-old Nick Darnell to transform himself into Christmas’ most sought-after sourpuss.
There’s colored contacts and facial prosthetics, a protruding belly and at least an hour of makeup. But for the devout Christian and preternaturally cheerful young actor, the real metamorphosis is psychological.
“People today love to connect with the villain,” said the viral Grinch impersonator. “The world is just a darker world now.”
Darnell called the chartreuse baddie he portrays “the modern-day Santa.”
Dr. Seuss’ holiday parable “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” has been a seasonal favorite since it was published in 1957, ranking among the most popular and profitable of the author’s iconic rhyming picture books.
The story’s sassy, brassy antihero has likewise adorned Christmas trees and school library shelves for generations. His hornlike fur forelocks and pathological refusal to assimilate have led some critics to call the Grinch ambiguouslyantisemitic, but those concerns have largely been glossed over by years of nostalgia.
Experts say 2025 heralds the Grinch’s ascent from Yuletide bit player to Christmas A-lister. He now crowds out Kris Kringle in store displays, social media feeds and holiday meet-and-greets.
Unlike Santa, who ho-ho-hos his way through the holiday season, Grinches twerk and pout and scream in kids’ faces. Compilations of their antics on YouTube and TikTok routinely rack up millions of views.
“I do the things that people think,” Darnell said of the role. “I’m not restrained.”
Despite the Grinch’s anti-consumerist zeal, the market for his visage has exploded in recent years.
Target touts its “Grinchmas,” while Walmart has “WhoKnewVille.” McDonald’s sells Grinch fries, Starbucks features a “secret menu” frappuccino. Hanna Andersson, a popular purveyor of holiday pajamas, boasts roughly a dozen different Grinch patterns, compared to three Hanukkah options and just one Santa design in two colorways.
“I’m not restrained,” Grinch impersonator Nick Darnell, 28, says of his role.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Ownership of the Grinch’s likeness is guarded as jealously as the villain protects his lair: Dr. Seuss Enterprises holds the rights to the children’s book, Warner Bros. Discovery the 1966 animated TV special, and Universal Studios the 2000 live-action Jim Carrey film, which ranks among the highest-grossing Christmas movies of all time.
But impersonators, academics and even working Santas agree: Americans’ embrace of the Grinch in 2025 goes far beyond consumerism.
“It’s definitely more popular,” said ‘Santa’ Ed Taylor, the famed Los Angeles Santa behind the Worldwide Santa Claus Network, a training camp for the art of Christmas cheer. “It’s a little yin and yang. Maybe we need a little bit of both.”
Costume companies across Los Angeles say they’ve seen a deluge of demand for the Grinch this year. At Etoile Costume & Party Center in Tarzana, nearly half of Christmas costume rentals are now furry green villains.
“It’s about equal to Santa,” one employee said. “Maybe 40% Grinch and the rest Santa.”
Ryan Ortiz, dressed in a Grinch costume, stands next to his 1969 Volkswagen Bus in San Diego on Dec. 21.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Fans of the hirsute sourpuss seek him out for his in-your-face edge — the opposite of Santa’s remote joviality. Santa enforces his regime of goodness through lists and surveillance. The Grinch will get in your face and yell at you to shut up.
“[Santa]’s supposed to be mysterious and unknown,” said Darnell’s fiancee JadaPaige. “He’s supposed to just come in the night and you’re never supposed to see him.”
“I grew up obsessed with Santa Claus — I did not grow up obsessed with the Grinch,” Darnell said. “I was the kid waiting up in the middle of the night, peeking, wondering if Santa’s down there. A lot of modern day kids aren’t having that journey.”
Instead, many Gen Alpha youths look to the Grinch for his views on “corruption or poverty or the oversaturation of commercialism,” Darnell said.
“Santa is looked at more like a godly figure, while the Grinch is a more everyday man,” the actor explained. “The world is so sinister and negative. [The Grinch] tells you how it is, rather than telling you everything is going to be fine.”
TikTok turbocharged that trend, with the infamous green meanie matching or beating his red rival in holiday clout.
Grinch impersonator Nick Darnell said the character he plays has become popular because, “He has aura.”
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
Today’s professional Santas are often retirees with a bit of a belly and some time on their hands. Grinches, by contrast, are more likely to be working actors like Darnell, who look reverently to Carrey’s performance as a blueprint for the character’s slapstick antics and snarky reads.
Still, experts say the Grinch’s 2025 glow-up likely owes as much to holiday exhaustion and broad consumer pessimism as it does vertical video virility.
“The Grinch is the opposite side of Christmas,” said Oscar Tellez, who owns Magic Dream Costumes and Party Rentals in East Los Angeles and says he’s seen a spike in Grinch requests even as overall holiday rentals have sagged.
“Especially with the Latino community, I don’t think they feel the enthusiasm to celebrate,” Tellez said. “They are more worried about what’s gonna happen next.”
Pop culture experts agreed.
“The economy is in big trouble, our political situation is chaotic, there’s a lot of hate — it’s no wonder that we would seek to express that through the embodiment of a monster like the Grinch,” said Michael M. Chemers, director of the Center for Monster Studies at UC Santa Cruz.
“You’ve seen these nativity displays popping up all over the country that have the Jesus figures removed and it says ‘ICE was here,’ ” he added. “I think there’s just a lot of Grinchy feeling right now in the world.”
Chemers and other scholars say the emergence of the Grinch as a foil to Santa is less a departure than a return to form: the Grinch is a “PG version” of the mythical Krampus, a shaggy, fork-tongued Germanic goat man who beats and even abducts naughty children, working as an enforcer for Father Christmas.
An “organillero,” or traditional street musician, dressed as the anti-Christmas character known as the Grinch plays on a central street in Mexico City on Dec. 9.
(Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)
“He’s been called the Christmas devil,” said Jeff Belanger, author of “The Fright Before Christmas,” a compendium of so-called “Yuletide monsters.”
“[Krampus] represented the consequence of bad behavior, while St. Nick rewards good behavior,” he said.
Krampus likely evolved from older, pre-Christian deities, just as Christmas absorbed solstice and midwinter customs, the author explained. The Christmas most Americans grew up with only emerged as a national holiday in the wake of the Civil War, he said, about a decade after the formal introduction of Thanksgiving in 1863. It was around this time that Christmas trees became popular in the United States.
“In 1867, Charles Dickens came over to Boston and that’s when he read his ‘Christmas Carol’ for the first time in America,” spurring President Ulysses S. Grant to declare Christmas a federal holiday, Belanger said. “It was truly on the back of that story.”
The holiday’s corpulent, white-bearded dandy arrived even later, his schmaltzy persona skimmed from bony St. Nicholas between Reconstruction and 1931, when Coca-Cola debuted its iconic, brandy-flushed Santa Claus.
“That’s when Christmas turned purely commercial, and there was no room for consequences anymore,” Belanger said.
Seuss’ Grinch sits somewhere in the middle — cuddlier than Krampus and pricklier than Santa — making him the perfect avatar for a moody, uncertain age.
Workers check Grinch inflatables ready for export at a factory in Suixi County in central China’s Anhui Province on March 19.
(Wan SC/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Grinch boosters point out that the villain repents and reforms at the end of the story, shedding his pathological hatred of Christmas.
“I always tell people, ‘Don’t you just love how his heart grew three sizes?’ ” Taylor, the famous Santa, said of his increasingly popular crossover events.
Others note that it’s never the repentant Grinch who marauds through schools and holiday parades or blows up on social media.
“Once he’s rehabilitated, he’s no fun anymore,” Chemers said.
That makes it hard for the holiday villain to visit sick kids in the hospital, as legions of Santas do every year, or comfort children who confide in him about bullying.
“The message is one of encouragement and positivity and acknowledgment of accomplishments and encouragement to strive harder,” Taylor said. “It’s these beautiful personal development messages that Santa gets to be the conduit for.”
The Grinch, by contrast, can affirm where you are, without ever asking you to be better.
“He can hear you and know what you’re thinking, because he has the same thoughts,” Darnell said of his beloved version of the character. “People want to know his heart and his mind, and that’s something they wouldn’t be able to ask Santa.”
