team

The Dodgers are too good, and too rich. If the owners of other major league teams ultimately deem that combination so objectionable that they shut down the sport this winter because of it, they will risk a rupture in one of the greatest fan bases in American sports history.

The four million tickets the Dodgers sold last season tells one part of the story. Here is an arguably better one: For decades, the Dodgers and Lakers have dominated Los Angeles sports and left every other team far behind in popularity.

For now, after back-to-back World Series championships, the Dodgers have left even the Lakers far behind in popularity, and every other team in town even further behind.

In a Loyola Marymount survey asking Los Angeles County residents to identify their favorite among the 12 pro sports teams within the local media market, nearly half picked the Dodgers.

The Dodgers’ lead over the Lakers — 43% to 28% — represented the largest gap between the teams in the nine editions of the survey, first conducted in 2014 by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles.

The Rams ranked third, at 7%, followed by the Kings at 5% and the Angels at 4%.

The two women’s teams — Angel City FC and the Sparks — tied for last, each with less than 1% of the vote. Even when the study separated votes by gender, the two women’s teams got less than 1% of the vote from women.

As recently as 2018, five teams beyond the Dodgers and Lakers — the Angels, Clippers, Galaxy, Kings and Rams — attracted at least 4% of the vote. In this year’s survey, only the Rams did.

“I’m a big Rams fan,” said Fernando Guerra, the center’s director, “and I still put the Dodgers first.

“I love all these teams. But, when you have to choose one, it’s the Dodgers.”

Dodgers president Stan Kasten pointed to the popularity and excellence of the players, the cherished ballpark and the generational fan support as factors contributing to the top ranking.

“If you have a lot of good elements but you don’t win, you’re not going to be as high,” Kasten said. “And, if you win but you don’t have the other elements, you’re not going to be as high.

“I think, right now, we’re as close as you can be to clicking on all cylinders.”

Beyond the winning, Guerra cited Shohei Ohtani as a driving force behind the Dodgers’ popularity, and not just as a tourist attraction, merchandise driver, and the foremost product endorser in sports.

In 2018, Ohtani’s debut season with the Angels, 8% of fans that identified themselves as Asian picked the Angels as their favorite team and 34% picked the Dodgers — a terrific showing for the Angels, since the study polls residents in L.A. County, not Orange County.

That demographic this year: 4% picked the Angels, 47% picked the Dodgers.

In their 10 years since returning to Los Angeles, the Rams have made seven playoff appearances and two Super Bowl appearances, winning one. All that, and a half-century in their previous run in L.A., and their membership in the most popular sports league in America, and the best they could do was 7%.

“It’s just tough to break the Lakers’ and Dodgers’ hold,” Guerra said. “It’s not like we don’t love the Rams or the others. It’s just not your top priority.”

The Lakers and Dodgers have combined to win 20 championships in Los Angeles. The other 10 teams that call this market home have combined to win 16.

In the 13 seasons since Mark Walter and Co. bought the Dodgers, the team has won 12 division titles, made five World Series appearances, and won three championships. In the same time, the Lakers have won three division titles, advanced past the first round of the playoffs twice, and won one championship.

Walter bought a controlling interest in the Lakers last year. He has installed Lon Rosen, formerly the Dodgers’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer, as the Lakers’ president of business operations.

“When the Lakers are winning a lot of championships, they’re No. 1,” Rosen said. “When the Dodgers are, they’re No. 1.

“It’s a good position to be in, since we control both teams, and both teams are highly successful.”

In this moment, the Dodgers are highly successful.

“The Lakers and Dodgers are going to be neck and neck very soon,” Rosen said. “The Lakers will 100% be champions again soon.”

The Dodgers do not concede the days of neck and neck will return. Kasten, remember, said the Dodgers were as close as they could be to clicking on all cylinders.

“We don’t take that for granted,” he said. “We know we can do even better.”

Spring practice continued for the UCLA football program Tuesday morning at Spaulding Field and for the most part head coach Bob Chesney was pleased with his team’s progress.

It marked the sixth of 14 practices leading up to the annual spring game on May 2 at the Rose Bowl.

“The defense took strides today,” said Chesney, who was hired as the Bruins’ 20th head football coach on Dec. 26, replacing DeShaun Foster (fired after an 0-3 start in 2025) and interim coach Tim Skipper. “There were a couple turnovers in there. This was our second day with the officials, it was a different group and they were throwing some flags today. We just have to understand the game we’re in. As you get further along the referees step aside, but early in the season they’re excited to do their jobs and we gave them enough to throw laundry at so we’ll go back and check it all out.”

Receiver Semaj Morgan caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Nico Iamaleava, tight end Brayden Lofton made several fine catches, Troy Leigber rushed for a touchdown, and Donavyn Pellot and Robert Stafford III had interceptions on defense as the squad is motivated to rebound from a 3-9 season (3-6 in Big Ten) — its worst since its debut season under Chip Kelly in 2018.

“Practice six is usually when it dips a little bit,” said Chesney, who led James Madison to the Sun Belt Conference championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff last season. “On defense we did not, on offense we probably slowed down just a little bit. I didn’t feel a dip from the group, which is great, but usually around now is when that starts to happen. [Practices] six, seven, eight are a little bit of a fight and then you gotta come back when you get to nine, 10 and 11. I thought they did a good job today, not a great job, but you have those days. It’s the nature of the beast. I didn’t see any steps backward from anybody, just a little bit of a lull from what they were bringing the other day. ”

One position group that has impressed Chesney since he arrived in Westwood is running back — a unit that returns a number of players.

“Everybody has their pluses and minuses, everyone has things they’re really good at and things they’re mediocre at and our job every day is taking what’s mediocre and turning it into good — and eventually great — and playing to their strengths,” Chesney said. “Each of them has their own running style. I’ve been impressed with them, they’re one of the stronger groups on this team. It’s necessary as a running back for that to be the case. You have to be durable enough, you have to keep your pad level low and keep your body healthy because there’s probably not another position out there that takes as much of a beating … you’re getting tackled by guys who are sometimes much bigger than you.”

Defensive back Scooter Jackson was not at Tuesday’s practice but Chesney expects him to be back Thursday. Offensive lineman Jordan Davis is dealing with a shoulder injury.

“He’s got range, he just doesn’t feel like he has the full strength yet … but he’s close,” Chesney said of Davis. “On Saturday it was a little worse than it is today, so he’s slowly getting better.”

Chesney praised cornerback DJ Barksdale, an All-Sun Belt selection who transferred from James Madison — a player he knows well.

“The nickel and slot corner is important in the bubble game and the screen game,” Chesney said. “You’ve got to be able to fight through some things physically. You’re also tied in a lot as the bonus in the run game and then there’s times when you’re not there and you’re playing straight man-to-man on the other team’s quickest, best receiver so the skillset you’ve got to carry, the confidence you’ve got to carry and the physicality you’ve got to carry is significant. DJ possesses all of those.”

Chesney is excited about the depth in the defensive backfield.

“Rob [Stafford] did a good job,: he said. “In the red zone he’s been really sticky in coverage and he’s done a really nice job. He’s starting to click with his playbook and understand it and that’s kind of where everyone is at this stage of the game, we’re in practice six so everything we’ve done up to this point is six days of full speed stuff. Osiris [Gilbert] made a really big play on a ball that we had trouble with Saturday. To learn and carry that over from the previous practice into the film room and actuality execute it out here was great to see. Jhase McMillan is doing a great job. We’re rotating them through, we put them in different positions to test them in fire and see who can handle all of it. They’re a little more involved in the running game now, Cover 2 things and corner pressures, blitzing off the edge, they’ve done a really nice job.”

Asked who has stood out in the trenches, Chesney cited Aiden Gobaira, Julian Armella and Riley Robell.

“What’s impressed me most about Julian is his passion for this game,” Chesney said. “He’s got to harness that the right way. I’m sure there’s moments when you play with that much emotion and passion it can tip over, but I’ve been impressed with that part. He uplifts a lot of people when he’s out there. There’s never a moment where he’s just out here and it’s not important — it’s all important to him and that’s infectious.”

Pressuring the quarterback is a defensive priority for Chesney and his staff. A year ago the Bruins tied for last in the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing opponents to complete 66% of their passes.

“On the defensive side we have to continue to take bigger steps,” he said. “Our pass rush looks good, the interior pass rush is something we have to work on. A lot of the games that we’re playing inside we’ve got to continue to fine tune things because obviously the offense knows they’re coming and the element of surprise gets defeated The defense is doing a nice job setting them up, then it’s cool watching the chess match go on between both sides.”

Chesney is known for his emphasis on special teams and the Bruins ran drills throughout Tuesday’s practice focused on that phase of the game.

“I don’t want it to be an afterthought — I want to make sure it’s involved in everything we do,” Chesney stated. “I want it to feel like a game as much as it possibly can but I also want our long snapper, our holder, our kickers and our protection guys to know that the whole team is relying on you so when we put them in those situations at the end to pin the ball, they have to know they have to hold up their end of the bargain.”

What has surprised Chesney most in his first few months in Westwood?

“The alums who come out continually and who like being around this program is something I’d hoped for,” Chesney said. “I understood that practices were maybe different and closed and not open to everybody before, but it’s open to all of our alums and to high school coaches. I’d hoped it would happen and to see it actually transpiring day to day is exciting.”

UCLA’s next practice is Thursday on Spaulding Field at Wasserman Football Center.

Rebounding was not a strength of the Lakers over the course of the regular season. Rebounding was a strength of the Houston Rockets during the 2025-26 campaign.

So, on their first day of practice Tuesday for Game 1 of the first round Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers worked diligently on rebounding drills, knowing full well that will be one of the keys against the Rockets.

The Lakers were the fourth-worst rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 41.0 per game. The Rockets were the top rebounding team in the league, getting 48.1 overall and 15.0 on the offensive end.

And one of the Lakers’ better rebounders, Luka Doncic, won’t be available because he’s dealing with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that he went to Spain for treatment. Doncic is second on the Lakers in rebounding at 7.7 per game. His starting backcourt mate, Austin Reaves, also is a good rebounder but he also won’t play because of a Grade 2 left oblique strain. Reaves is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game.

“They’re out indefinitely,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said about Doncic and Reaves.

Redick then gave a simple answer for how the Lakers have to deal with the Rockets in the best-of-seven series.

“Again, taking care of the basketball and boxing out. That’s the series,” Redick said. “Scheme, personnel, obviously important, but if we don’t take care of the ball and we don’t box out, we’re not gonna win the series.

“They were No. 4 in scoring opportunities. We were No. 23, so we don’t have the luxury with Luka and AR out of getting drilled in scoring opportunities every single game. We gotta box out. We’re going to place an emphasis on every drill in practice. We started practice with boxing out today. You gotta put it in their minds. That’s literally the only thing we said about Houston today. Today was about us having a practice, getting sharp with our stuff. Tomorrow, we’ll introduce [Rockets] personnel. Thursday we’ll do our scout, as we would. Friday will be a reinforcement of that scout. Saturday we’ll be good to go. Only thing we did today was box out.”

Lakers 7-foot backup center Jaxson Hayes will be counted to get rebounds. He’ll also spend time dealing with Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun, who averages 20.4 points and 8.9 rebounds (3.0 on offense) per game.

Hayes missed the last four games because of left foot soreness, but he was back at practice Tuesday.

“Feeling a lot better,” Hayes said. “It’s nice getting a few days off. Especially with my job, I jump a lot and I run a lot, so it’s hard for me to rest something like that. Getting those days off was very much needed. Very helpful.”

When asked about the box-out drills the Lakers did at practice, Hayes recalled the last time he did such a thing.

“Definitely college, for sure,” Hayes said. “College days with those Texas bigs. Coaches start off the practice where you got to smack somebody. Obviously, we weren’t trying to murder each other out on the boards, but definitely practicing that stuff. Houston is, I think, one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the past 20 years. So, just making sure we’re ready for that.”

The Rockets are a physical team that also plays smothering defense.

Houston allowed 110.0 points per game during the regular season, the fourth-best defensive mark in the league, and held teams to 46.0% shooting, the sixth-best mark in the league.

For Lakers guard Marcus Smart, there is one way to compete with the Rockets on the backboards.

“Will. Willpower,” Smart said. “We’re competitors. We’ve been doing this for a while. We’re doing that at the highest level, right? And they’re going to try to come in and punk us. And if you will allow that, you will be punked. And I don’t think we have any guys that are going to be punked on this team. So, we might not be the most athletic and strongest, but we got to have the most heart.”

Welcome back to The Times’ Lakers newsletter, where it’s finally the postseason.

The Lakers begin the playoffs Saturday against the Houston Rockets, a team that a month ago looked like one of the most vulnerable playoff targets in the West. Now the tables have turned. The Lakers, without Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic, are the team everyone wanted to see in the first round. They’re shorthanded. They’re vulnerable. But they’re not giving up.

“All season people have counted us out and all we season we have continued to show why we belong here and that we really don’t care what people say,” guard Marcus Smart said. “And that’s us. That’s who we are and I think it shows with our two guys down and the way we finished the season and the miles we had going into the playoffs.”

One player on this team has significantly more miles on his tread, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from watching him race down the court for another crowd-pleasing dunk.

The crown still fits

LeBron James chuckled at the suggestion. He smiled before the question was done.

How does he feel like he’s handled the shift back to the being the Lakers’ primary option?

“What’s wrong with you, man?” James said with a smile.

He’s not new to this. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is taking back the reins as the Lakers’ No. 1 playmaker and steering the team straight into the postseason.

Since Doncic and Reaves were injured, James has averaged 25.5 points, 11 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals, finishing the season with an exclamation point against the Utah Jazz: 18 points, six assists and three steals in less than 17 minutes Sunday. A month after acknowledging and adjusting to life as the world’s most accomplished third fiddle, James was named Western Conference player of the week Monday, the 70th such honor of his career.

“He had not a good season, not a great [season],” Lakers coach JJ Redick said, “he had a remarkable season, all things considered.”

Like the wine he’s cut out of his diet, James is aging just fine. After sitting out of the first 14 games, James played in 60 of the final 68. Even though he often joked that at his age he was questionable for every game, he averaged 23.3 points in his six appearances playing with zero days of rest, shooting 58% from the field with 8.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game. It was more points than he averaged on one or two days’ rest.

With Doncic orchestrating most of the Lakers’ offense, James found a different way to thrive. The 41-year-old led the league with 5.7 fast-break points per game.

Of James’ 919 total made field goals, 97 were dunks. The 11.2% was tied for the largest percentage of dunks in a season in his career. It was nearly a decade ago — 2016-17 — that he dunked this often. More than 20% of his made field goals are dunks, the most of any season in his career.

“I think there’s an enjoyment level that I think he gets from making highlight plays and it feeds into it with the crowd,” Redick said. “I think that’s just part of it. The other part of it is, for him, I think he recognizes that’s one of the ways that he can really impact winning on our team. And so he’s taken [the] responsibility of, like, ‘I’m going to be the best transition player in the NBA,’ and he has been.”

James’ ruthlessness in transition set the tone for teammates, who couldn’t be seen moving slower than someone who is closer to their father’s age than theirs.

“If we see him run down, he beats us down the court, that’s not a good thing,” center Jaxson Hayes said. “So I feel like I got to get down there when I see him start going.”

The 22-time All-Star is now leading more than just a fast break for the Lakers. The team experienced an emotional hangover after the regular season-ending injuries to Reaves and Doncic. The Lakers needed more than just points from James to cure their woes.

He delivered by locking in against Golden State, being vocal during the team’s pregame meeting and showing the trademark determination that teammates can’t help but follow. It sparked a three-game winning streak to finish the regular season that James punctuated with several soaring dunks against the Jazz.

“You have no idea how much I have a respect for him,” forward Rui Hachimura said. “It’s his Year 26 or 27, or whatever the hell it is. He’s still playing the last game of the season against the team that, they’re not trying to win. We really appreciate that.”

Smart moves

Marcus Smart

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

He’s not Doncic. He’s not Reaves. But Smart’s return to the Lakers’ lineup is still significant in time for the playoffs.

The guard played the final two games of the regular season after missing what felt like the longest, three-week, nine-game stretch in basketball history. Scrambling on the floor next to Maxi Kleber to find Jarred Vanderbilt for a cutting dunk against the Suns on Friday, Smart made the expected immediate defensive difference. But with 17 assists in two appearances, Smart flashed his ability to deliver in different ways on offense.

His timely return can ease the playmaking pressure on Luke Kennard, who filled in admirably in an emergency stretch with 31 assists in four games, and help handle the load next to James.

Smart is especially aware of the energy of his teammates. He is eager to reward centers for running the floor. He shovels the ball to teammates who are going through shooting slumps to prioritize scoring over his own. It’s not a coincidence that he fired two early passes to Deandre Ayton for dunks against the Jazz and Ayton finished with his first 20-point double-double in a month.

“Even post-Boston the last couple seasons he’s graded out well as a secondary playmaker,” Redick said of Smart. “So he’s been in that position before. He knows how to get other guys involved.”

Smart knows the pressure of the playoffs. He helped the Boston Celtics reach the NBA Finals in 2022, but hasn’t played in the postseason since he was traded in 2023. He missed it. So even if he’ll begin this postseason journey without two of his main teammates, Smart will relish this chance.

“It ain’t gonna be easy,” Smart said. “We all know it, but it’s gonna be fun, and we’re gonna enjoy this ride.”

On tap

Saturday vs. Rockets, 5:30 p.m.

Here we go, friends. Game 1 of the playoffs. In March, these teams played a two-game series in Houston that felt like a playoff preview, but circumstances have changed completely since Doncic’s clutch time brilliance led the Lakers to two key wins. The Lakers went 22-8 in games within five points in the last five minutes this season, but the Rockets had a 22-23 clutch time record, which ranked 16th in the NBA, the worst clutch-time winning percentage for any Western Conference playoff team.

Status report

Jaxson Hayes: left foot soreness

Hayes missed the past four games of the regular season. He was a late scratch before the game against Oklahoma City on April 7 and has remained day to day since.

Luka Doncic: left hamstring strain

After getting injections on his injured hamstring in Spain, Doncic will be back stateside by Friday but there is no timetable for his return to the lineup.

Austin Reaves: left oblique strain

Reaves is working hard to return this season but similar to Doncic, there’s no timeline for his comeback yet.

Favorite thing I ate this week

Lotus root kofta curry (left), paratha and duck confit biryani from Rasa in Burlingame, Calif.

(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)

On my way to San Francisco last week, my colleague Broderick Turner texted me to “find a good restaurant.” You don’t have to tell me twice.

I went straight from the airport to Rasa in Burlingame, which specializes in Southern Indian dishes. We explored the tasting menu, which offered two appetizers, a dosa and two entrees. We started with the rasa sliders, which were spiced potato fritters with a tamarind chutney and cilantro chutney, General Tso’s cauliflower, an Indian-Chinese crossover with a familiar spicy sauce. The dosa was filled with a tamarind-spiced potato masala with basil chutney, ginger, garlic and cilantro. It was my favorite dish of the night, but I was so consumed by eating it, I forgot to take a picture. The mains (pictured) were a vegan lotus root kofta curry and duck confit biryani. I could barely touch my entree because I was so full from the first two courses, but it made great leftovers for the morning after the game.

In case you missed it

Luka Doncic rejoining Lakers after getting injury treatment in Europe

How do the Lakers match up against the Houston Rockets entering their playoff series?

‘Mr. 82.’ How Jake LaRavia became the injury-plagued Lakers’ iron man

Lakers defeat Jazz, will open playoffs at home against Houston

‘He does so many more things.’ How Luke Kennard became the Lakers’ emergency point guard

Plaschke: Broken Lakers need to shut down the season

Lakers great Michael Cooper is introduced as Cal State L.A. men’s basketball coach

Until next time…

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

UCLA women’s basketball just keeps winning.

The latest edition of UCLA Unlocked was delayed one day so that we could include what turned out to be a magical, recording setting WNBA draft night for the Bruins.

UCLA set a WNBA draft record with five players selected in the first round and another draft record with six selected overall during the three-round draft Monday night in New York.

The Bruins rocked the orange carpet and then waited with UCLA coach Cori Close and their families to learn their draft fate.

UCLA Bruins Angela Dugalic, Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens, Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez pose on the orange carpet at the WNBA draft in New York.

(Angelina Katsanis / Getty Images)

They didn’t wait long. Lauren Betts was first off the board, selected by the Washington Mystics with the No. 4 pick.

“These are like my sisters, and getting to watch your family do something like that is amazing,” Betts told the Associated Press. “But I mean, this team is just so special. We knew the type of players that we had on the team, and to really just have this night really showcase all of the things that we’ve worked on all season is just amazing.”

Gabriela Jaquez was next in line, getting drafted higher than expected when the Chicago Sky used the No. 5 pick to select her.

“Jaquez is a battle-tested three-level scorer who improved every year in college,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “Combine her on-skill talent with the fact that she’s a proven winner, and you have a player that perfectly fits the Sky’s vision.”

Next, Kiki Rice was selected No. 6 by the Toronto Tempo.

After a few gaps, Angela Dugalic was drafted at the No. 9 spot by the Mystics and Gianna Kneepkens was drafted at the No. 15 spot by the Connecticut Sun.

“We’re excited to welcome Gianna to our team,” Sun general manager Morgan Tuck said. “She’s experienced success UCLA within a winning culture and brings a mindset defined by toughness and consistency every time she steps on the floor on both ends. Her shooting ability is elite and truly sets her apart, but we’re equally impressed by the complete game she’s shown throughout her college career.”

UCLA guard Charlisse Leger-Walker poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected No. 18 by the Connecticut Sun on Monday in New York.

(Pamela Smith / Associated Press)

The WNBA made a ridiculous decision, opting not to officially invite the sixth member of UCLA’s super senior and graduate student class to the draft. Charlisse Leger-Walker went anyway as a guest and was the record sixth Bruin selected, getting drafted in the second round by the Sun with the No. 18 overall pick. She became the first player from New Zealand to ever be drafted.

Leger-Walker told reporters in New York that Dugalic gave up two of her seats at the draft so Leger-Walker and her mother could attend. For the record, Leger-Walker was picked ahead of one player the WNBA officially invited to New York.

“Given how critical the point guard position is, we’re thrilled to welcome Charlisse to our team,” Tuck said. “Her ability to push the pace while also running the offense and leading her teammates is something we truly value. She comes from a winning program, and her skill set, poise and basketball IQ position her game to translate seamlessly to the professional level.”

Close kept popping up to hug her stars and after a season of insisting the journey mattered more than the result, she conceded Monday night mattered.

“Well, I mean, I sort of do care about this one actually, because No. 1, it helps us in recruiting. I think we’ve really taken a developmental approach to this and to see it come to fruition the way it has is obviously really gratifying,” Close told the Associated Press.

“Just to be a part of an historic night and for them to be so excited for each other, that’s sort of representative of how they’ve been all year long. But it’s a pretty cool record to be a part of.”

Bob Chesney leads the UCLA football team in its first spring practice on April 2.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The UCLA-feel good energy hasn’t skipped the football program, with new coach Bob Chesney and his staff leading the Bruins through spring football workouts.

Here are three takeaways from the first five spring football practices:

1. No one is naming names.

It’s hard to get coaches or the two football players UCLA has made available for interviews so far this spring to volunteer the names of any players who have performed exceptionally well during spring practice.

“Yeah, um, I don’t want to name drop because I know I’m going to miss a couple, but I think the whole O-line and the whole receiver room collectively have been bringing it every practice and I’ve loved competing with them,” UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava told reporters when asked for his thoughts about the receivers and offensive linemen.

When he was asked who on the defense was making his life difficult, Iamaleava responded: “From the defense? You know, I’m not going to give them too much credit, but I think they do a good job of disguising their coverages.”

Safety Cole Martin was equally measured in his response when asked who were the toughest offensive players to cover.

“I feel like everybody just has their own skill set. You know, learning what they do good, what they don’t do well and trying to figure out how to beat them — ’cause, I mean, it’s spring ball,” Martin said.

The team held its first workout in full pads Saturday and it’s unlikely this embargo on identifying top performers will last forever, but an emphasis on wide open competition has been adopted by coaches and players.

2. Iamaleava is trying to stay on the field.

The quarterback said Saturday he weighs 218 pounds and hopes to reach 220 to 225 pounds by the season opener.

“I took a couple of hits last year and it took a toll on the body, but I think just me recovering over the offseason and coming in ready to work and getting bigger was the main thing for me this offseason,” he said. “So yeah, hopefully when I get to the season I’ll be able to take those hits a little easier.”

3. Martin and Iamaleava have fully embraced Chesney’s emphasis on winning on and off the field.

“How you live your life is going to correlate with how you are on the field,” Martin told reporters Saturday. “When you have great habits outside, you’re going to have great play on the field. Coach Chesney is big on making sure that we realize that you can’t live an average life and then go be amazing at football. Everything has to match up, so if it means that you gotta go to class super, super early or if you gotta wake up really, really early — or whatever that may mean for you and how that individual is — do that and your play on the field will correlate.”

Reddemann recognized

Logan Reddemann of UCLA tied a record with 18 strikeouts on Friday against Rutgers.

(Craig Weston)

UCLA junior right-handed pitcher Logan Reddemann swept weekly awards for his performance during the Bruins’ 4-1 win over Rutgers in 14 innings Friday night.

Reddemann earned Golden Spikes player of the week, College Baseball Foundation pitcher of the week, Perfect Game pitcher of the week and Big Ten pitcher of the week and was named to Baseball America’s team of the week. He delivered an NCAA single game record-tying 18 strikeouts over eight innings, leading a Bruins staff that totaled 30 strikeouts, one shy of the NCAA single-game record.

No. 1 UCLA will put its program record 27-game winning streak on the line when it hosts UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The game air on the Big Ten Network.

UCLA’s next national title?

UCLA senior Jordan Chiles shouts while competing on the floor exercise during the the meet against Utah.

(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)

Is the Bruins’ gymnastics team is next in line to win a national title?

Jordan Chiles, an Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA West Region gymnast of the year, will lead UCLA during the NCAA gymnastics championships starting Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas.

UCLA will compete in a semifinal against Oklahoma, Arkansas and Minnesota. The Bruins will start on the bars, then proceed to the beam, floor exercise and vault.

The top two teams advance to the finals Saturday against the top two teams from another semifinal featuring LSU, Stanford, Florida and Georgia.

UCLA’s semifinal begins at 6 p.m. Thursday and will air on ESPN2. The finals will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday and air on ABC.

Transfers help basketball teams reload

The men’s and women’s basketball teams have picked up transfers since the portal opened last week.

The women’s basketball team added North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarinsalo, senior TCU guard Donovyn Hunter and Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas.

Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but she missed all of this last season with an injury and has one season of eligibility left.

The men’s team has picked up commitments from Auburn forward Filip Jovic, Mississippi State forward Sergej Macura and Texas Tech transfer guard Jaylen Petty.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin also retained key pieces of his roster, including Trent Perry and Eric Dailey Jr.

In case you missed it

UCLA breaks WNBA draft records with five first-round picks and six overall

‘Coach Chesney is a winner.’ Nico Iamaleava and Cole Martin sold on Bruins’ new leader

Letters to Sports: Celebrating UCLA’s inspiring national title win

Logan Reddemann strikes out 18; No. 1 UCLA wins in 14 innings over Rutgers

UCLA women’s basketball lands first transfer since winning NCAA championship

‘L.A. cares about women’s basketball now’: UCLA celebrates its national championship

Sondheimer: Mira Costa High volleyball star Mateo Fuerbringer thrives when under pressure

Water spray, chaos and stress tests: Inside Bob Chesney’s UCLA practice philosophy

Here is who decimated national champion UCLA could target in the transfer portal

Plaschke: Aday Mara’s Michigan national title exposes UCLA coach Mick Cronin’s failure

UCLA women’s basketball players crown Cori Close as their champion

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

UCLA dominates WNBA draft

From Marisa Ingemi: The NCAA national champion UCLA women’s basketball team made history Monday night, with five players selected in the first round of the WNBA draft and six picked overall.

The first Bruin off the board was Lauren Betts, who went No. 4 overall to the Washington Mystics.

Betts’ selection touched off a lengthy Bruins celebration in New York, with UCLA forward Gabriela Jaquez selected No. 5 by the Chicago Sky and teammate Kiki Rice selected No. 6 by the expansion Toronto Tempo.

After a brief break, UCLA forward Angela Dugalic was selected with the No. 9 pick by the Washington Mystics, where she will join Betts.

UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens completed the Bruins’ record-setting first round when she was selected by the Connecticut Sun at No. 15.

The Bruins’ party continued, with Charlisse Leger-Walker selected with the No. 3 pick of the second round by the Sun.

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Sparks surprised, excited to land versatile South Carolina guard late in WNBA draft

Dodgers beat the Mets

From Maddie Lee: Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski threw a gem in the Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the Mets on Monday.

He held the Mets to two hits in eight scoreless innings, the longest start of his pro career. He carried a perfect game into the fifth inning, with his defense backing up his efficient effort.

Shortstop Miguel Rojas fully laid out to his left in the second inning to field a sharp grounder off Bo Bichette’s bat, and then casually threw to first to complete the diving play. Third baseman Max Muncy made a leaping grab on Tyrone Taylor’s third-inning line drive.

Wrobleski made quick work of the rest.

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Whatever happened to Julio Urías? ‘Teams ask me about him all the time,’ agent says

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

Angels fall to Yankees

Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham both homered twice and the New York Yankees scored on a game-ending wild pitch in a three-run ninth inning to overcome Mike Trout’s two homers and five RBIs in an 11-10 win over the Angels on Monday night that stopped a five-game losing streak.

Judge and José Caballero each hit a two-run homer off Yusei Kikuchi for a 4-0 second-inning lead on an unseasonably warm 77-degree night, but Caballero’s error on Trout’s fourth-inning leadoff grounder to shortstop led to four unearned runs.

Grisham’s pinch-hit, three-run homer off Shaun Anderson lifted New York into a 7-4 lead in the fifth. Trout, like Judge a three-time AL MVP, tied the score again with a three-run drive in the sixth against Jake Bird.

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Angels box score

MLB standings

Kings clinch playoff spot

Quinton Byfield scored twice, Anton Forsberg made 28 saves and the Kings secured a playoff spot with Monday night’s 5-3 win over the Seattle Kraken.

Trevor Moore, Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere also scored for the Kings, who won their fifth straight and are playoff-bound for the fifth consecutive season.

With two games left, the Kings are in position for the second Western Conference wild card and fourth in the Pacific Division, just two points behind second-place Edmonton. The Kings’ victory, combined with Nashville’s loss to San José earlier Monday night, wrapped up their playoff spot and eliminated both the Predators and the Sharks.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

Jonathan Quick retires

From Chuck Schilken: New York Rangers goalkeeper Jonathan Quick is calling it a career after 19 NHL seasons and three Stanley Cup championships — with 16 of those seasons and two championships as a member of the Kings.

The 40-year-old goalie told reporters Monday that he would be playing in his final game that night, where the Rangers lost to the Florida Panthers, 3-2. It marked Quick’s 921st game appearance, counting playoffs.

“Tonight will be my last game in the league, and I am looking forward to it,” Quick said after the morning skate ahead at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. “My wife flew down with the kids, my parents will be here. I am looking forward to this last one, try to get one more win here.”

Selected by the Kings in the third round of the 2005 draft, Quick became a fixture in front of the net for L.A. during the 2008-09 season. He was a key member of the Kings’ Stanley Cup champion teams in 2012 and 2014, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs with a 16-4 record, a .946 save percentage and 1.41 goals-against average.

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Luka Doncic returns to L.A.

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Luka Doncic will be back for the beginning of the Lakers’ playoff run. Just not on the court.

The Lakers’ superstar will rejoin the team by Friday after traveling to Spain to receive specialized treatment on his Grade 2 hamstring strain, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Times, but there is no timetable for Doncic’s return to the lineup.

Doncic suffered the injury in a game against Oklahoma City on April 2. A Grade 2 strain typically requires four to six weeks of recovery, but Doncic traveled to Europe to receive injections on his left hamstring with the hope of speeding up the recovery process.

The Lakers (53-29) face the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the first round on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena. The fourth-seeded Lakers are looking for their first playoff series win since 2023.

They are underdogs without Doncic and guard Austin Reaves, who suffered a Grade 2 left oblique strain in the same game. Doncic led the league in scoring with 33.5 points per game. Reaves, the team’s second-leading scorer at 23.3 points per game, was initially expected to miss four to six weeks with his injury, and is working hard to come back, a source told The Times. There is still no official timetable for his retur

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How do the Lakers match up against the Houston Rockets entering their playoff series?

Lakers playoff schedule

First round
All times Pacific

Saturday: Houston at Lakers, 5:30 p.m, ABC
Game 2: Houston at Lakers, TBD
Game 3: Lakers at Houston, TBD
Game 4: Lakers at Houston, TBD
*Game 5: Houston at Lakers, TBD
*Game 6: Lakers at Houston, TBD
*Game 7: Houston at Lakers, TBD

*-if necessary

Clippers playoff schedule

Wednesday vs. Golden State, 7:30 p.m., Amazon Prime Video

Loser is eliminated, winner advances to second play-in game on Friday, where they will play the loser of the other play-in game. Winner of that game becomes the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

This day in sports history

1928 — The New York Rangers beat the Montreal Maroons for the Stanley Cup, 3-games-to-2.

1931 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup after trailing 2-games-to-1.

1941 — 45th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson in 2:30:38; his third victory in the event.

1948 — The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup in four games as they beat the Detroit Red Wings 7-2.

1955 — Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings win back-to-back titles; beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 for a 4-3 series victory.

1960 — The Montreal Canadiens win their fifth straight Stanley Cup with a four-game sweep of the Toronto Maple Leafs, including tonight’s 4-0 victory.

1962 — Elgin Baylor scores a record 61 points to lead the Lakers to a 126-121 triumph over the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals.

1968 — Bob Goalby wins the Masters when Roberto de Vincenzo of Argentina is penalized for signing an incorrect scorecard.

1974 — 38th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Gary Player wins the 2nd of his 3 Masters titles.

1985 — Bernhard Langer beats Curtis Strange, Ray Floyd and Seve Ballesteros by two strokes to win the Masters.

1991 — Ian Woosnam of Wales made a par putt to turn back Tom Watson on the last hole and capture the Masters.

1993 — The NHL’s longest winning streak ends at 17 games as the Pittsburgh Penguins settled for a 6-6 tie with the New Jersey Devils on a late goal by Joe Mullen.

1996 — The Detroit Red Wings wrap up the winningest season in NHL history by defeating Dallas 5-1. The Red Wings finished with 62 victories, beating the 60 wins of the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.

1996 — Greg Norman shoots a startling 78 in the greatest collapse in Masters history, giving Nick Faldo his third green jacket and sixth major championship.

2002 — Tiger Woods becomes the third player to win back-to-back Masters titles. He closes with a 1-under 71 to claim a three-stroke victory over Retief Goosen.

2013 — Adam Scott becomes the first Australian to win the Masters, beating Angel Cabrera on the second hole of a playoff on a rainy day at Augusta National.

2016 — Breanna Stewart leads a UConn sweep of the first three picks in the WNBA draft, going first overall to the Seattle Storm. Moriah Jefferson went second to San Antonio and Morgan Tuck third to Connecticut, the first time in draft history that three players from the same school went 1-2-3. It’s a first in any major sport.

2019 — 83rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods wins his 5th Masters title by 1 stroke from Xander Schauffele.

2024 — 88th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: World #1 golfer Scottie Scheffler beats Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg by 4 strokes for his second Masters win in 3 years

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1910 — William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to throw out the first ball at a baseball opener in Washington.

1910 — Chicago’s Frank Smith pitched a one-hitter in the season opener to give the White Sox a win over the St. Louis Browns.

1915 — In the opening game at Philadelphia, left-hander Herb Pennock of the A’s blanked the Red Sox 5-0. He gave up only one hit — a scratch single by Harry Hooper with two out in the ninth.

1917 — Ed Cicotte of the Chicago White Sox pitched an 11-0 no-hitter over the St. Louis Browns.

1925 — The Cleveland Indians opened the season with a 21-14 victory over the St. Louis Browns, the most runs scored by one club on opening day. The Indians scored 12 runs in the eighth inning when the Browns made five errors. Browns first baseman George Sisler had four errors in the game.

1925 — In the first regular-season Chicago Cubs game to be broadcast on the radio, Quin Ryan announces the contest from the grandstand roof for WGN.

1931 — Jack Quinn of the Brooklyn Robins becomes the oldest pitcher to start an Opening Day game at 47 years old.

1961 — The “new” Washington Senators franchise wins its first game, defeating the Cleveland Indians, 3-2.

1964 — Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax throws his ninth complete game without allowing a walk.

1967 — Boston rookie Bill Rohr lost a no-hit bid in his first major league start when Elston Howard singled in the ninth inning for the New York Yankees’ only hit in a 3-0 loss to the Red Sox.

1969 — The first major league game outside the United States was played in Montreal’s Jarry Park with the Expos defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7.

1976 — In the 6th inning of today’s 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs, Mets’ Dave Kingman hits what will become widely regarded as the longest home run ever hit in Wrigley Field, estimated at 600 feet.

1991 — Nolan Ryan becomes the 12th pitcher in major league history to surpass 5,000 innings pitched.

1999 — John Franco struck out the side in the ninth inning of the New York Mets’ 4-1 win over the Florida Marlins, becoming only the second pitcher to reach 400 saves. The only reliever with more saves than Franco is Lee Smith, who retired with 478.

2004 — A day after Yankees teammate Mike Mussina earned his 200th victory, Kevin Brown reaches the same plateau.

2005 — Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield got into a brief scuffle with a fan along the right-field fence at Fenway Park during New York’s game against the Boston Red Sox.

2010 — Jorge Cantu homered, making him the first player in major league history to have at least one hit and one RBI in each of his team’s first nine games, and the Florida Marlins beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-3.

2014 — Neil Walker and Gaby Sanchez hit back-to-back homers twice, and the Pirates and Reds combined for 10 homers in only six innings before rain forced a suspension. Pittsburgh had three sets of back-to-back homers, only the third time that’s happened in major league history. The NL Central rivals completed the game the next day. Andrew McCutchen doubled and came around on Russell Martin’s single in the seventh inning, giving the Pirates an 8-7 win.

2016 — Bryce Harper makes the 100th home run of his career his first-ever grand slam.

2017 — The Braves open their new ballpark, SunTrust Park, with a 5-2 win over the Padres before a sellout crowd of 41,149.

2021 — Carlos Rodon of the White Sox throws the second no-hitter of the season, blanking the Indians, 8-0.

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 Sparks might have gotten the steal of the WNBA draft.

The team didn’t have a pick until the No. 21 overall slot in the second round, but the Sparks still ended up with South Carolina guard Ta’Niya Latson.

“She can shoot it, she can get to the basket, she’s great in transition,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “That’s something we really needed. We’re excited about her defense. She’s really good on ball, but you know, she’s a winner and we’re just excited. It’s hard as a rookie, especially at that point guard spot, to adapt. But I’m expecting her to be a great addition to our squad.”

Latson led the nation in scoring with 25.4 points per game for Florida State during the 2024-25 season before transferring to South Carolina, where she scored 14.1 points and shot a career-high 48.6% from the floor this season for the national championship game runner-up Gamecocks.

After averaging 21 or more points per game during the last three seasons at Florida State, Latson went to South Carolina coach Dawn Staley’s team to learn to share the ball and play strong defense.

Latson took a career-low 10.3 shots per game but shot a career best field-goal percentage.

“She took on a different role in terms of, that team had two other first-round draft picks from that roster playing with that South Carolina team,” Roberts said. “And so we watched her closely. Our draft model and everything had her a lot higher than 20. And so we were excited that she was still there.”

Latson fills a direct need for the Sparks, who even after signing veteran Erica Wheeler this week still lacked some guard depth off the bench.

South Carolina guard Ta’Niya Latson drives to the basket in front of USC guard Kara Dunn at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 15.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“Having vets like Kelsey Plum and Erica Wheeler around a young guard like that is a tremendous opportunity for her,” Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley said. “She’ll soak up everything that they have to teach her. …. This is a great offense for her to excel in and to be great in and shine. So I think the table is set for Latson, I think, to have some success in her rookie year.”

The Sparks later selected Chance Gray from Ohio State with the No. 24 pick. That pick was acquired from Seattle in the Plum trade last year. Gray averaged 14.7 points in 35 games for the Buckeyes while shooting 45.3% from the field and 40.5% from three-point range.

In the third round, the Sparks took Amelia Hassett at No. 35 overall from Kentucky. Hassett is a stretch center who shot 36.1% from three on 7.6 attempts per game. She averaged 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with the Wildcats.

The Sparks are pushing to contend for a playoff spot this season after bringing back veteran forward Nneka Ogwumike and guards Ariel Atkins and Wheeler to build one of their deepest rosters in years.

Latson has a chance to get some playing time, while Gray could challenge for an end-of-the-bench spot and Hassett has a niche that could get her minutes in the league.

“We want to have sustained success,” Roberts said. “We want to win championships, and this isn’t a slow roll, like we want to do it. And so you have to have that balance of youth and experience, and I think our roster has nailed that.”