practice

Since coming out of retirement before this season, Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald adopted a humble approach, always allowing younger, less-accomplished players to go ahead of him during drills.

But on Thursday, the future Hall of Famer enthusiastically moved to the front of the line.

The Rams practiced scooping fumbled footballs off the turf.

“I needed that,” Donald said Thursday, chuckling. “Learn bending and getting down.”

Last Sunday against the Chargers, Donald missed the opportunity to score his first NFL touchdown when, with a clear shot to the end zone, he failed to come up with a fumble, albeit in hilarious fashion.

“I saw what he was thinking because it’s going right in front of you and he’s thinking, ‘I’m going to scoop and score,’” coach Sean McVay said after the game. “Then he knocks that … out of bounds. I mean, what the hell?

“His face, he couldn’t even look at me and make eye contact after that. But at least we can laugh about it right now.”

Donald was still laughing about it Thursday.

“I should have slowed down, but I felt people behind me and I’m like, ‘I’m going to get hit in my back. That’s going to hurt,’” he said. “So I tried to go full speed and scoop it. I thought the ball was going to bounce this way but it bounced that way, and it just looked all damn silly.

“Then I hit the ball out. I just laid down. ‘I can’t believe I just did that.’”

Donald was grinning throughout his session with reporters while replaying the missed opportunity — and the new opportunity on the horizon with edge rusher Myles Garrett back at practice.

McVay has not said whether Garrett will be activated from injured reserve and play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery after the season opener.

But Donald sounded as if that could happen Sunday when the Rams play the Washington Commanders in Landover, Md.

Donald did not play in the opener, so whenever Garrett returns would mark the first time the future Hall of Famers will play together.

“If Myles is 100% ready to go, and plays this week, that’s going to be amazing for us,” Donald said. “It’s always good when you have all the pieces of the puzzle.”

Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, and Garrett, a two-time winner, have a combined 236½ sacks. Last season with the Cleveland Browns, Garrett set an NFL season record with 23 sacks.

Donald has played in six games for a team that opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite but is 4-4 after its win over the Chargers.

Donald does not have a sack, but he has 12 tackles, three for losses.

Will Garrett’s return free Donald from double teams and other schemes?

“I’m pretty sure,” Donald said. “The guy did have 20-something sacks last year.”

Donald said the season has not gone as expected, but he is enjoying it.

“I’m enjoying the process, I’m enjoying myself week in and week out getting better, enjoying being out there with the guys,” he said. “And just playing this game.”

Etc.

The Rams activated kicker Joshua Karty to the roster from the practice squad and signed cornerback David Long to the practice squad. The Rams selected Long in the third round of the 2019 draft and he played three-plus seasons before stints with four other teams. … For the second day in a row, cornerback Trent McDuffie (back), tight end Colby Parkinson (ribs) and safety Kam Curl (foot) did not practice.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc headed McLaren’s Lando Norris in Friday practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who is poised to clinch his first world title on Sunday, was fourth fastest behind team-mate George Russell.

Only a victory by Russell or Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton can theoretically stop Antonelli becoming champion on Sunday. Even then, Antonelli only needs ninth place if Russell wins and 10th if Hamilton does.

Leclerc, who topped both sessions on Friday, was 0.103 seconds quicker than Norris, with Russell just 0.003secs further adrift.

Antonelli was 0.217secs off the pace, and ahead of the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.

Leclerc’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton was 11th overall after stopping on track with a technical problem before completing his qualifying simulation runs on the soft tyre.

Behind Hadjar, Racing Bulls duo Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson sandwiched Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri completed the top 10.

Verstappen and Lawson face a trip to the stewards after a collision in the stadium early in the session.

“I don’t think it’s called unlucky,” said Verstappen. “Maybe not very smart behaviour what he was trying to do there.

“At the end of the day it is not going to change my weekend, but if I were him I would act a little smarter and when you’re fighting for your seat it’s not very smart behaviour.”

Lawson is one of three drivers competing for two seats at Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s junior team, next year, alongside current team-mate Arvid Lindblad and Bulgarian Formula 2 front-runner Nikola Tsolov.

Verstappen added: “When he saw me coming, he suddenly started to accelerate. I don’t know what was going through his head, that he wanted to drive me off the track in the hairpin.

“That’s not very sensible behavior from someone in his position, to pick a fight with me.”

The first session was marked by 10 of the 11 teams running ‘rookie’ drivers in their cars.

One of them was Cadillac’s Colton Herta, who the team are considering promoting to a race seat in place of Valtteri Bottas next season.

Initially, the team felt his running in Mexico had given him enough points under the F1 system to earn a ‘superlicence’, which is required to race in F1.

But further investigation by governing body the FIA revealed the American nine-time Indycar race winner is still one point short and will have to complete one further practice session this year to secure his licence.

The team plan to do that before the end of the season.

Rams players are increasingly aware of the risks of playing their sport, especially as it relates to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a neurodegenerative brain disease.

But they try not to think about it.

This week, a Boston University study was published that analyzed the medical records of more than 2,000 deceased former NFL players. The study estimated that 74.5% of them likely had CTE.

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, 35, played 10 seasons before retiring after the 2023 season. He rejoined the Rams this season. When asked about the study and CTE, Donald said, “That’s a real thing.”

But he said, “You don’t think about it. You just play. When you sign up to play football, you know what you’re signing up for.

“You obviously don’t want nothing like that to occur.”

Receiver Puka Nacua, 25, said that as a young player he was grateful for information about the possible long-term effects.

“I think it’s something that’s obviously very prevalent in our sport and the more information, the better I think we’re able to take care of ourselves,” he said.

Offensive lineman Kevin Dotson, 30, wears a guardian cap on his helmet during practices and games but said that, “it’s almost like a placebo effect” and was “more of a dampener than a savior.”

Playing a game that rewards financially but could have long-term effects is a “double-edged sword,” Dotson said.

“It’s one of those things, you’ve just got to keep that in the back of your mind that this is a possibility,” he said. “So every time you think about retirement or stuff like that, you think the longer I play the better chance of me getting CTE.”

Still a lot of games left.

No one is panicking.

Been in this position before.

Those are affirmations Rams players and coaches have utilized during a season of great expectations mired in major underachievement.

The Rams, who opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite, will arrive in Las Vegas for Sunday’s game against the Raiders with a 2-4 record and a two-game losing streak.

• Share via Close extra sharing options

Gary Klein breaks down what to watch for when the Rams face the Las Vegas Raiders on the road Sunday.

And they will be without several key players counted on to reverse their fortunes.

Star receiver Davante Adams is out — and is expected to be sidelined five to nine more weeks because of a hamstring injury. Star receiver Puka Nacua, who suffered a calf injury this week in practice, will be a game-time decision.

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner was placed on injured reserve this week because of a groin injury, joining edge rusher Myles Garrett, who has been sidelined since the season-opening defeat by the San Francisco 49ers following knee surgery. Defensive tackle Poona Ford this week was declared out for the season because of a triceps injury.

Linebacker Nate Landman won’t play against the Raiders because of a concussion, and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is questionable because of a groin injury.

Meantime, the NFC West-rival San Francisco 49ers are 6-0, and the Rams are last in the division.

The Rams and coach Sean McVay have turned around seasons before. In 2023 and 2024 they overcame slow starts to win 10 games and make the playoffs.

“You can’t sit there and go, ‘Because we did X, we’re going to do Y,’ but we obviously know what it takes to win football games,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “We can’t sit there and look at the big picture and go, ‘OK, we have X amount of games left. These guys are doing that,’ or whatever.

“That’s not the mindset at all around here.”

The Rams have their own concerns, most notably a receiving corps that will be without Adams and possibly Nacua.

Adams, 33, is a three-time All-Pro and probable future Hall of Famer.

“You’re not going to one-for-one sub in a guy that’s going to be wearing a gold jacket one day, in Davante,” Stafford said. “It’s a team effort.”

It became an even more urgent one Thursday when Nacua was unable to finish practice.

Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, rookie CJ Daniels and Alex Bachman are other receivers on the roster.

“Whether you’re talking about Davante, whether you’re talking about Puka, you don’t ever ask anybody to replace those guys,” McVay said, adding, “I want those players to be their best selves. … It’s a great opportunity for other guys to step up if that’s the situation that we’re dealing with.”

Rams wide receiver Konata Mumpfield catches a pass in front of Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss on Sept. 27.

(Justin Tafoya / Getty Images)

Atwell, Mumpfield and Whittington have combined for only 13 receptions. This could be the first game Daniels will be active.

“We’re all held to a certain standard,” Whittington said. “When you are held to that standard, I think the drop-off shouldn’t be that big. We all have a culture we abide by and everybody displays and embodies that. And I think it will work how it needs to work.”

McVay also could rely more heavily on running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, and tight ends Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen.

“It’s not any more pressure to anyone on the team,” Williams said.

With Turner and Ford sidelined, the Rams’ interior defensive front will include Aaron Donald, Braden Fiske, Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison and Ty Hamilton.

Donald, who ended a two-year retirement to rejoin the Rams, is averaging just over 38 snaps a game.

Will that role grow?

“We have a general snap count that he’s always going to have going into the game,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “I don’t think we would go crazily past that, but it’s going to be hard if it’s a tight game and he’s at that number.

“Just like one of those pitchers in the ninth inning, you’re probably going to leave him in for a few extra snaps.”

Said Donald: “If it’s 30 plays, 40 plays, 50 plays, 60 plays, that’s what it’s going to be.”

The Rams have 11 games remaining, including Sunday’s against the Raiders, a home game against the Chargers and road games at Washington and Arizona before their bye week.

“It’s not over,” Donald said. “Is there a sense of urgency? For sure, because we want to win.

“But as far as curling up and panicking like this is the end of the world, it’s not that. We have a lot of ball to play, a lot of games left.”

Ferrari have an upgrade on their car this weekend, focused on a new floor, but Leclerc was downplaying expectations.

“It felt good but it is not the gain I have seen or heard about,” Leclerc said. “It is small gains but we could still see them on the car. It is a small step forward and we started the weekend on the right foot with a good balance and that is the outstanding thing with this Friday.

“It has been a very clean Friday for me, but the others seem to be gaining more than us from Friday to Saturday and seeing the little gap there is, it is not going to be so easy tomorrow.”

Leclerc picked up on Verstappen’s complaints about the track surface on Thursday by saying: “It was very poor. The first sector is particularly poor and very bumpy.”

McLaren’s Lando Norris was seventh fastest, although the world champion did not set a time on his qualifying simulation run on soft tyres after making a mistake at Turn 16.

Norris was the fastest on the long runs, at about 0.2secs on average faster than Verstappen, but cannot be compared as he was running the hard tyre.

McLaren have introduced the first of three consecutive planned upgrades this weekend, but he was not happy with his performance.

“Difficult,” Norris said. “The pace is not bad. We seem a step away from Red Bull and Ferrari, probably Mercedes as well, but the car is very difficult to drive, too difficult to be consistent and get a nice feeling consistently.

“To get the car be quick we just have to try so hard to be perfect and you can’t be perfect. I am sure everyone has similar problems in a way but we are just not quick enough yet to be there consistently enough.”

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was eighth quickest, ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Haas driver Oliver Bearman.

Rams receiver Puka Nacua will not practice Friday because of a calf injury and will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, coach Sean McVay said Friday.

Nacua took part in the majority of practice on Thursday but did not finish it. McVay indicated that tests revealed “a little minor thing in there,” and that Nacua would be a game-time decision Sunday.

“I don’t think he knows exactly when it occurred,” McVay said, adding, “he felt it where he wasn’t able to have some of the power and full explosion … but i don’t think he was aware of any sort of specific play that led to it.”

Nacua played in the season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers and then sat out two games because of a hip injury that caused abdominal soreness. He returned and produced more than 100 yards receiving in each of the next two games, and then caught six passes for 80 yards in last Sunday’s 18-16 defeat by the Arizona Cardinals.

Nacua, the NFL receptions leader in 2025, has 37 catches for 417 yards and a touchdown, and he also has rushed for a touchdown this season.

Nacua’s injury is the latest in a series suffered by a Rams team that opened the season as the favorite to win Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium, but has lost its last two games to fall to 2-4.

Receiver Davante Adams is expected to be sidelined six to 10 weeks because of a hamstring injury suffered against the Cardinals.

Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell and rookie CJ Daniels are other Rams receivers.

“It’s our job to figure out, all right, what are some of the spots we can put them in that accentuate their skillsets,” McVay said.

Inside linebacker Nate Landman is out because of a concussion, McVay said. So veteran Eric Kendricks, who was signed to the practice squad a few weeks ago, will be activated to the roster against the Raiders.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie, who sat out against the Cardinals because of a groin injury, did not practice this week and will be listed as questionable against the Raiders.

Puka Nacua leaves practice with injury

From Gary Klein: The Rams’ injury woes continued Thursday when star receiver Puka Nacua left practice because of a calf injury, a team official said.

Nacua was sidelined for two games this season because of a hip injury, but he has played the last three games for a Rams team that opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite but is 2-4 heading into Sunday’s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas.

The Rams are already thin at receiver in the wake of a hamstring injury suffered by Davante Adams during the Rams’ 18-16 defeat by the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday. Adams, 33, will be sidelined for six to 10 weeks, coach Sean McVay said.

It remains to be seen if Nacua, who led the NFL in receptions last season, will play against the Raiders. He has 37 catches for 417 yards and a touchdown, and he has also rushed for a touchdown this season.

Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell and rookie CJ Daniels are other Rams receivers.

Mumpfield, a second-year pro, said he would be ready if called upon for a larger role.

Continue reading here

NFL Week 7 picks: Seahawks defeat Chiefs; Rams prevail over Raiders

Walker Kessler has great Lakers debut

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: He spent the offseason admiring the great Lakers centers that came before him. He pondered how he could possibly continue such a legacy.

Turns out, Walker Kessler makes it look easy.

The new Lakers center scored 26 points on 12-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds, one assist and two blocks in his purple and gold debut to help the Lakers (1-0) to a dominant 127-105 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.

After admiring Lakers legends, Kessler can now be mentioned in the same breath. His 12 made field goals without a miss were the most by a Laker since Wilt Chamberlain in 1969. His 10 dunks are the most for a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal in 2003.

Continue reading here

Clippers should do more for their fans

From Mirjam Swanson: Starting over has to start somewhere, and so the Clippers got on with it Wednesday.

While Kawhi Leonard got an NBA Finals hero’s welcome upon his return up north in Toronto, the Clippers did what they could to entice fans back to Intuit Dome.

Not with superstars or championship aspirations. But with the promise of free parking, a jersey trade-in and a basketball team that is, at least, better than the Sacramento Kings, who they beat 121-96 in both teams’ season opener. Coach Tyronn Lue dedicated the win to suspended team owner Steve Ballmer: “Just want to say thank you for everything. We’re still fighting for him.”

Yeah, but the Clippers should focus on fighting for their fans, not the billionaire whose apparent salary cap circumvention has the organization in hot water.

Wednesday’s fan appreciation stuff was a swell gesture, as a start. But it wasn’t nearly far-reaching enough.

Continue reading here

Dodgers fans should be rooting for Brewers

From Bill Shaikin: The Dodgers have been dead for a week. The sting has dissipated. The World Series starts Friday.

For the first time in three years, Los Angeles faces a Fall Classic with no rooting interest.

Might we suggest the Milwaukee Brewers?

No?

So maybe the sting has not dissipated, not after the Brewers so rudely swept the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. But did you see the thousands of Brewers fans that arose within Dodger Stadium to salute the newly crowned NL champions, sticking around long after the Dodgers fans had retreated to traffic jams in the parking lot?

“It’s a good time to be a Milwaukee Brewers fan, for sure,” NLCS MVP Jake Bauers said. “It’s always fun going into a road stadium, especially in a postseason environment, and coming out with a win and seeing how many people hang around after the game.”

The Brewers are L.A.’s team, at least for the next week.

Continue reading here

Budget cuts threaten soccer refugee program

From Kevin Baxter: Mohammed Annour spent much of his youth living in a flimsy shelter in a dusty, overcrowded refugee camp in east Africa, where the days were long, the food was poor and the future nonexistent.

“Go to the army and fight. That’s one option,” said Annour, who fled war in Sudan for the refugee camp in Chad when he was 9. “The other one is you stay there. But you don’t have a future.”

If he had stayed, Annour, now 33, has little doubt how his story would have ended.

“Probably,” he said, “I’m dead.”

Instead, he’s in Sweden, raising two boys, working as a quality control inspector for a textile company and playing amateur soccer for a team in the country’s fifth division. And the only thing that separates his experience from the tens of thousands of desperate people he left behind in the camp is the fact someone believed in him enough to give him a chance.

That would be Katie-Jay Scott and Gabriel Stauring, a pair of South Bay activists who showed up at Annour’s camp on a blazing hot day in 2011, rolled a battered soccer ball across a barren field and transformed an untold number of lives.

Continue reading here

Kings defeat Islanders in OT

Artemi Panarin had two goals, Brandt Clarke scored in overtime and the Kings won their second consecutive game, 3-2, at the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

The Kings have back-to-back victories after losing their first six games. They were the final NHL team without a win before defeating Washington on Tuesday night.

The Kings were outplayed for much of the game and were outshot 43 to 26. Panarin beat rusty backup Semyon Varlamov glove side twice, and Darcy Kuemper kept making stops even as his rebound control was lacking, finishing with 41 saves.

Kuemper cracked for the first time with just under six minutes left in the second period when rookie Victor Eklund’s shot squeezed through on a power play. Matthew Schaefer wired a wrist shot past Kuemper 7:06 into the third.

Continue reading here

Kings summary

NHL standings

Ducks lose to Devils

Arseny Gritsyuk and Nico Hischier scored first-period goals, Nico Daws made 16 saves and the New Jersey Devils beat the Ducks 4-1 on Thursday night.

Anthony Mantha restored the two-goal lead with 6:33 left in the third, and Jack Hughes added an empty-netter with 6.1 seconds remaining. New Jersey won its second straight to improve to 6-4-0, while the Ducks dropped their fifth in a row to fall to 4-6-0.

Gritsyuk and Hischier each scored their fifth goal of the season, with Jesper Bratt assisting on both scores. Hughes assisted on Gritsyuk’s goal.

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

MLB postseason schedule

World Series
All games at 5 p.m. PT
All game on FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 1 Tampa Bay
Friday at Milwaukee
Saturday at Milwaukee
Monday at Tampa Bay
Tuesday at Tampa Bay
*Wednesday at Tampa Bay
*Friday at Milwaukee
*Sat., Oct. 31 at Milwaukee

* if necessary

This day in sports history

1921 — Green Bay Packers play 1st APFA (forerunner to NFL) game; beat Minneapolis Marines, 7-6 at Hagemeister Park, Green Bay, Wis.

1945 — Jackie Robinson signs a contract with the Montreal Royals, minor league farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1949 — Don Doll of the Detroit Lions intercepts four passes in a 24-7 victory over the Chicago Cardinals.

1960 — Jim Martin of Detroit becomes the first kicker to kick two field goals over 50 yards in a game as the Lions beat the Baltimore Colts 30-17.

1964 — Joe Frazier dominates German Hans Huber for an easy points win to capture the boxing heavyweight gold medal in Tokyo.

1971 — Greg Pruitt rushes for 294 yards on 19 carries to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to an NCAA record 711 yards rushing and a 75-28 pounding of Kansas State.

1976 — Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett rushes for 180 yards in a 45-0 rout over Navy to become the top career rusher in NCAA history with 5,206 yards.

1988 — Dan Marino passes for 521 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions as the Miami Dolphins lose to the New York Jets 44-30. Marino completes 35 of 60 passes as he produces the second-best single-game total yardage in NFL history.

1993 — The Toronto Maple Leafs break the NHL record for most victories at the start of the season, winning their ninth straight game by beating the second-year Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0.

1999 — Florida State’s Bobby Bowden gets his 300th win with a 17-14 win over his son, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden. With the victory Bowden joins Bear Bryant, Pop Warner, Joe Paterno and Amos Alonzo Stagg as the only major college coaches to reach 300 victories.

2000 — The New York Jets, trailing 30-7 at the end of the third quarter, come back to beat the Miami Dolphins 40-37 in overtime on Monday night. The Jets score four touchdowns and a field goal in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

2005 — San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson is held to a career-low seven yards rushing in 17 carries and fails to score in the Chargers’ 20-17 loss at Philadelphia, ending his NFL record-tying streak of games with a touchdown at 18.

2008 — Carolina’s Brandon Sutter gives one of hockey’s most famous families another milestone, scoring his first NHL goal in a 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh. The 19-year-old Sutter, son of New Jersey Devils coach Brent Sutter, is the ninth member of the Sutter family to play in the NHL.

2011 — Tim Tebow rallies the Broncos for two touchdowns in the final 2:44 of the fourth quarter to force overtime, and Matt Prater’s 52-yard field goal gives Denver an improbable 18-15 victory over the stunned Miami Dolphins. The Broncos appeared beaten when they trailed 15-0 with 5:23 left and took over at their 20.

2016 — Jay Ajayi ties an NFL record by surpassing 200 yards rushing for the second game in a row, helping the Miami Dolphins rally past the Buffalo Bills 28-25. Ajayi rushes for 214 yards in 29 carries after totaling 204 yards a week earlier in a win over Pittsburgh.

2019 — All Star point guard Kyrie Irving pours in 50 points, setting a new NBA record for points on debut with a new team as his Brooklyn Nets go down 127-126 at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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.

The Rams’ injury woes continued Thursday when star receiver Puka Nacua left practice because of a calf injury, a team official said.

Nacua was sidelined for two games this season because of a hip injury, but he has played the last three games for a Rams team that opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite but is 2-4 heading into Sunday’s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas.

The Rams are already thin at receiver in the wake of a hamstring injury suffered by Davante Adams during the Rams’ 18-16 defeat by the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday. Adams, 33, will be sidelined for six to 10 weeks, coach Sean McVay said.

It remains to be seen if Nacua, who led the NFL in receptions last season, will play against the Raiders.

Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell and rookie CJ Daniels are other Rams receivers.

Briton Freddie Slater will have his first experience of a Formula 1 car on a grand prix weekend when he drives for Audi in first practice in Mexico City on 30 October.

The 18-year-old will have a second outing a week later at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Slater was the first driver to be brought into Audi’s driver development programme following the German company’s entry into F1 this season.

Allan McNish, Audi’s racing director and head of the driver development programme, said: “We have seen Freddie making great progress throughout recent years, both on and off the track.

“It is the right time for Freddie to step up.

“These appearances in Mexico and Brazil will give him valuable experience of a Formula 1 race weekend, and another chance to continue his development before he steps up to Formula 2 next season.”

Slater said: “Getting behind the wheel of an F1 car at a grand prix weekend is a big moment for me and something I’ve been dreaming of since I was a kid.

“I’ve learned a lot this year, and these free practice outings will be another opportunity to keep gaining on-track experience.”

Slater finished second on his debut in the Formula 3 championship this season and is moving up to Formula 2 in 2027 with the front-running Invicta team.

Invicta driver Rafael Camara is leading this year’s F2 championship and is moving up to F1 next season with the US-based Haas team.

The Lakers waived former first-round pick Dalton Knecht on Monday to reach the NBA’s maximum roster requirements before the season begins this week.

The 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft had fallen out of the rotation in the last two seasons but had a chance to prove himself during training camp and the preseason, when the Lakers had 16 players on guaranteed contracts. Knecht, who averaged 4.2 points per game and 10.2 minutes per game last season, played just 14 combined minutes in the last two preseason games.

Knecht’s role had greatly diminished since he flashed his scoring potential as a rookie. After scoring 37 points in a win over the Utah Jazz in November 2024 and tying the single-game rookie record with nine made three-pointers, Knecht looked as if he could have been the steal of the draft. But after a trade to Charlotte for center Mark Williams was rescinded, Knecht never settled back into the rotation.

The Lakers brought in nine new players during an offseason roster overhaul, further burying Knecht on the forward depth chart.

“The team changed,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Knecht ahead of the Lakers’ preseason finale last Friday. “The needs changed, the fit changed. I think he got better as a player over the last two years.”

The Lakers looked into acquiring center Jericho Sims from the Milwaukee Bucks during the preseason in exchange for Knecht, sources close to the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times. But talks broke down when the Lakers were unwilling to part with multiple second-round draft picks.

The Lakers, who wanted to solidify their backup center position behind Walker Kessler, have only three second-round draft picks (2031, 2032 and 2033) available to trade. They already don’t control their first-round pick until 2032 after sending two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to Utah to acquire Kessler this summer.

Knecht was given an “excused absence” from practice Monday, Redick said. The deadline for teams to reach the maximum of 15 standard contract players was 2 p.m. PDT Monday before regular-season games begin Tuesday. The Lakers open their season Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena against the Golden State Warriors.

Redick also said guard Bronny James was excused from practice, noting there were players who were “under the weather.” The third-year guard who was picked 55th overall in the same draft as Knecht remained on the Lakers’ updated roster.

James worked his way into the postseason rotation last season while the Lakers were struggling with injuries to their backcourt. He averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 assists during the regular season while shooting 38.6% from three.

Injury update

Lakers guard Collin Sexton speaks during the team’s media day in El Segundo on Sept. 28.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

For the first time since training camp started, Collin Sexton was a full participant in practice with the Lakers on Monday. Still, Sexton wasn’t ready to fully commit to playing in the Lakers’ season-opener Wednesday.

Sexton missed all five preseason games and a lot of practices with a lower right leg injury.

Sexton, who said he felt good at practice, was asked about playing against the Warriors.

“We’ll be taking it day by day,” he said. “At the end of the day, I had a really good practice today, felt good. Super excited to be back out there with the guys, so I look forward to it.”

Sexton said he had some “tightness and stuff” in his lower leg, “but I feel pretty good.”

He was asked what caused the injury.

“Nothing particular,” Sexton said. “I think we figured it out and now we’re just moving forward and just continue to get these reps in, continue to play five on five, and get out there as soon as possible.”

Sexton is a 6-1 point guard the Lakers signed to back up Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the backcourt. The Lakers signed him to a two-year, $19.2-million deal.

“He’s another guy that can bring the ball up and can create his own [mismatch],” Doncic said. “So we’re excited to have him back.”

Second-year forward Adou Thiero and rookie guard Cameron Carr both missed practice Monday.

But having Sexton back was a good sign for the Lakers.

“It felt good, super excited to be back out there, honestly, just getting out there and getting up and down, legs felt a little heavy, but it was great,” Sexton said. “It was definitely a great day, great practice for the team as well, and the guys were really competing.”

Everyone is going to die. Acknowledging this — and reminding oneself daily of one’s mortality — is a core tenet of Buddhist teachings. Few places make that reminder more vivid than Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the iconic Los Angeles graveyard where more than 90,000 people are buried.

Inside the Masonic Lodge on the cemetery grounds, beneath chandeliers, dozens of people search for stillness with a meditation class. In an ornate Italian Renaissance-style room, participants sit scattered across couches and cushions, cross-legged with their eyes closed. The room is silent.

Headstones at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Nico Cary is one of the meditation group leaders at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

For meditation teacher Nico Cary, the cemetery is an ideal backdrop for mindfulness and a lesson in impermanence. “It is quite grounding and an extension of some of the practice we do,” Cary says.

Beth Kaiserman, who regularly attends the meditation group, sees the cemetery as a chance to demystify death. “It’s accepting it as part of life. We’re coming out of our lives to come to this meditation. We’re walking by these gravestones that have been here for so long,” she says. Death, in her mind, doesn’t have to be taboo. “It is a big part of the practice to hopefully come to some level of acceptance that it’s just part of the cycle.”

Practicing meditation at Hollywood Forever is a privilege, explains Cary. The cemetery is not simply a place where people come to mourn; it is a place where relatives return to remember, honor and love those who have died.

Hollywood Forever is, quite literally, livelier than most cemeteries. The grounds are home to a colony of roughly 60 abandoned cats that has attracted a group of loyal caretakers, as well as dozens of peafowl roaming freely. The cemetery is also the final resting place of Hollywood legends, including Cecil B. DeMille, Judy Garland and the rock group the Ramones, where fans leave offerings. Since 2002, Cinespia has hosted outdoor screenings of iconic films at the cemetery during the summer, drawing hundreds of people to the grounds. The cemetery also hosts summer concerts.

“It feels pretty special to be somewhere, on land that’s so cared for, and that so many people come to share love, really — to remember their loved ones, to honor their ancestors,” Cary says.

For more than eight years, Insight LA has brought meditation to Hollywood Forever every Monday night, with a revolving list of teachers leading sessions in the Masonic Lodge. The class is donation-based, as is traditional in the Buddhist practice. Often, the teachers will lead a guided walking meditation through the cemetery grounds.

Insight LA, a Buddhist teaching nonprofit that was founded in 2002 by Trudy Goodman, is based in Santa Monica but also has a retreat house in Benedict Canyon for daylong events.

Members of a weekly meditation group at Hollywood Forever Cemetery participate in a guided session inside the Masonic lodge.

“We have yearlong programs. We have residential retreats. We have weekly drop-in meditation classes, and then we have the Hollywood Forever group too,” says Melissa McKay, the executive director at Insight LA.

According to McKay, the benefits of meditation are striking. “Put simply: It decreases stress, bringing calm and clarity, becoming more aware of oneself,” she says. “It decreases the negativity of the mind, self-hatred, the fears, the spiraling judgment — all of that. It increases the positive sides of our mind: our compassion, care, friendliness, clarity.”

A 2026 UC San Diego study confirms that just seven days of meditation can create molecular changes in the brain linked to stress relief, enhanced neuroplasticity and natural pain relief. The study also shows that meditation can positively affect the immune system and metabolism.

James Rokel practices mindfulness while walking alongside tombstones.

Despite the backdrop, meditation is not just about facing death, McKay says — it’s about learning how to live consciously. One participant, Jared Swanson, thinks of the meditation group as a school for emotional awareness.

“There was a moment where I realized I was in a lot of cycles — relational cycles — and wanted change,” says Swanson. He has been integrating the mindful practices into his life. “I think it’s a desire to be more responsible for my life, to be more present and responsible for my actions and choices,” he says.

Meditation nights attendees range from curious first-time visitors to seasoned veterans who have been practicing Buddhism for over two decades. Cary says the practice can benefit people regardless of their experience level.

“The intentional space to be with ourselves is so nourishing,” says Cary. “Then we practice. You add in a practice on top of that and magical things start to happen.”

Cary leads the group in 30 minutes of silence before a lesson. Participants settle into their cushions. He invites them to rock gently back and forth, a movement he calls “grandmother wisdom,” the kind of care one might offer a crying child. He poses a question for reflection: “What are you trusting right now?”

Insight LA has brought meditation to Hollywood Forever Cemetery every Monday night for nearly 10 years; a walking meditation is often involved.

Nicki Katz, who has been attending the meditations for two years, enjoys the practice of sitting in the quiet. Last year, she attended a 10-day silent retreat, only to accidentally break her silence by excitedly greeting a bunny during a picnic. “I come back to the body and the present awareness of allowing my mind to find some sense of gratitude,” says Katz. She explains that silence also helps her become more intentional with her words.

Tonight’s lesson is on truthfulness and embodying loving kindness. Lessons vary from week to week. “Oftentimes, it’s what the teacher is feeling or what’s come up for them in their practice,” says Cary.

For Monday meditation, the teaching group has assigned the 10 paramis (spiritual virtues) of Buddhism, which explore topics like generosity, wisdom and patience. “We’ve been going into that all year, so each month is one of the paramis,” says Cary.

“The intentional space to be with ourselves is so nourishing,” says meditation leader Nico Cary.

To begin the lesson, he reads a letter he wrote to the president at 5 years old, cautioning him of the perils of nuclear war. The letter is met with snaps and giggles, as a 5-year-old Cary warns of imminent death. “Apparently I was a peculiar child with a morbid sensibility, preoccupied with nuclear war,” he says, smiling. “It makes a lot of sense as to why I became a Buddhist.”

Cary begins to speak about the current moment and how he believes truth has become distorted and refracted in the age of social media. “Trauma is a distortion of reality,” he says. He then invites group members to consider love and kindness in their daily practice.

As the session winds down, participants spring to their feet to discuss the evening. The Masonic Lodge bursts into chatter — the silence abandoned. Tonight, the cemetery is alive.