The Memphis Grizzlies wrapped up their NBA Summer League slate with a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. The game featured the return of big man Zach Edey, the Grizzlies’ top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

This was just Edey’s second game of Summer League and he wasn’t on the court for long for Memphis. Edey played just nine minutes of action and totaled six points and three rebounds before leaving the game in the second quarter and not returning.

He appeared to land awkwardly on his right ankle after going up for a block during the second quarter against the Pelicans.

Tonight marked his first action for Memphis since a 97-95 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz back on July 8. Edey played well and made the tying layup to force overtime in the final seconds of regulation. He injured his ankle early on in that game but came back into the game to score 14 points along with 15 rebounds and four blocks.

Thursday marked the Grizzlies’ final Summer League matchup on the schedule at time of publishing. Here is Edey’s stats prior to leaving the game.

Zach Edey stats tonight vs. Pelicans

Points: 6FG:  3-for-3Rebounds: 3Assists: 0Steals: 0Blocks: 1Turnovers: 0Fouls: 1

When the greatest gymnast the sport has ever seen is grinding away every day, it makes it a little hard for anyone else to slack off. When one of the world’s most famous athletes is at the gym before most people have had their coffee or brushed their teeth, the other gymnasts better be up and at ‘em early, too.

And if Biles can pick herself up after the entire world has had a front-row seat to her lowest moment, bouncing back from a bad meet seems a little more doable.

‘She’s the key to WCC’s success right now,’ said Cecile Landi, who along with husband Laurent coaches Biles at the World Champions Centre outside of Houston.

‘People say, ‘What’s the secret?’ It’s not Laurent and I,’ Landi said. ‘It’s really (Biles).’

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WCC, which is owned by Biles’ parents Nellie and Ron, has become one of the premier gyms in the country. WCC has two gymnasts on the five-woman US team going to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles and Jordan Chiles, with Joscelyn Roberson a traveling alternate and Tiana Sumanasekera a non-traveling alternate. It also sent the most gymnasts, five, to the Olympic trials, and had three more at the US championships.

The Landis are a big part of WCC’s draw. Before coming to WCC, they coached Madison Kocian, a gold medalist with Biles on the 2016 Olympic team and a world champion on uneven bars the year before.

But so is the ability to train with Biles.

‘Training with Simone is, like, once in a lifetime,’ said Roberson, who moved to WCC after the US championships in 2022. ‘She’s always so bubbly in the gym. Plus, she can hit. All the time. Like, she never has a bad day, which is insane to me.’

Biles would disagree. Although she might make it look easy, even as she’s doing the most difficult skills in the world, it is not. She’s only able to do the mind-blowing things she does because she works. And works. And works some more.

The other WCC gymnasts see that and can’t help but up their own game in response, Cecile Landi said.

‘A lot of people are surprised how hard she works on a daily basis,’ Landi said. ‘No matter how talented she is, she gets the numbers done. She’s here, she works, she is respectful. And she’s also helping the girls because she’s been through a lot, so when they struggle − I can try to help, but I’m just Cecile. It’s better when it comes from Simone.’

Roberson can vouch for that.

She suffered a ‘dumpster fire’ of an ankle injury during warmups before the team final at last year’s world championships, tearing the deltoid ligament and a tendon, and bruising several bones. Roberson’s recovery was slow, and it was tough emotionally and physically. When Biles saw her struggling, she bought a card and left it on Roberson’s locker.

‘It said, ‘Keep trying.’ It was just a personal reminder that the little things will add up eventually. 1% better every day, and you’ll get there,’ Roberson recalled. ‘I kept it up on my locker and saw it every single day. It really helped.’

Biles will also give her teammates tips on technique. Or reminders of what to do on certain skills. As any athlete knows, there are times what a coach is saying doesn’t make sense. Hear it from someone else, or hear it said in a different way, and it does.

‘She can say exactly what (Laurent) is saying but differently. And most of the time it works just like that,’ Roberson said, snapping her fingers.

Jade Carey may not train with Biles, but they are both Tokyo Olympians and have remained friends. When Carey was getting ready to do her Amanar vault at Olympic trials in June, Biles stood alongside the runaway, telling Carey to remember to run easy and step forward.

Biles also stood in the corners, cheering, as Carey did her floor routine.  

‘It’s just really great to have someone like her supporting all of us and helping us get through it,’ Carey said.

On and off the floor.

Biles has built up a wealth of knowledge after more than a decade at the elite level, and is happy to share it with her younger teammates. She’ll explain the schedule at a world championships. What to expect at podium training. How to calm nerves before competing. Even what to do during a medals ceremony.

Those might sound like small things, Chiles said, but they make a big difference.

‘I understand the process a little more,’ Chiles said. ‘Whether it’s my first Olympics, whether it’s my first international assignment, whether it’s my second Olympic trials, she’s been there for me in a million different ways and I can’t say thank you enough.’

As much as Biles’ teammates get from her, however, she’s getting something in return from them, too. She loves being part of a team. Loves having people she can joke around and be silly with, and people who can lift her up when she needs it, too.

She also craves the normalcy they provide her.

Biles knows she is not like other gymnasts. That what she’s doing is extraordinary. But the Landis and her teammates see her every day. If they stood around in awe of her all the time, no one would get any work done.

So they treat her as one of them, even though they’re keenly aware she is one of one.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Jake Paul has claimed that losing to Mike Perry Saturday night would cost him the highly anticipated fight against Mike Tyson.

Now, Paul says losing to Perry in their cruiserweight bout scheduled for eight rounds is “not possible.’’ But Tyson apparently is less confident.

“(Tyson) was concerned about me taking this fight,’’ Paul told reporters Wednesday. “He’s like, ‘What is Jake thinking? This guy Mike Perry is a killer.’ So he had some concerns.

“But Tyson, my message to you is don’t worry. I’m going to put this guy to sleep. This is a Mike appetizer and you’re next.’’

Paul was scheduled to fight Tyson on Saturday before Tyson withdrew after suffering an ulcer flare-up May 26. Their fight, to be broadcast by Netflix, was rescheduled for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Tyson resumed training two weeks ago and is expected to return to the boxing gym at the end of the month, according to his agent, Andrew Ruf.

Two Netflix publicists did not respond to emails seeking comment on if the fight would be impacted if Paul loses to Perry.

Ruf, Tyson’s agent, said there ‘certainly were a lot of conversations” about Paul fighting Perry but that ultimately the decision was made by Paul and his manager, Nakisa Bidarian.

‘…Mike supports it 100 percent and we’ll see how it plays out,” Ruf said. ‘We’ll be watching very intently.’’

Perry, 32, has only one pro boxing match under his belt. He suffered a fourth-round knockout in 2015 against Kenneth McNeil.

But Perry, a former mixed martial arts fighter, is 5-0 as a bareknuckle fighter since making his debut with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship promotion in 2021. Perry’s last three victories have come by knockout.

Paul, 27, is 9-1 as a boxer with six knockouts and in each of his past two fights he’s won by first-round knockout.

‘A lot of people think I’m crazy for pivoting to this,’’ Paul said after the fight was announced June 18. “Why Mike Perry, why now, why take the risk? You could lose the biggest payday of your life against Mike Tyson if you lose to Mike Perry, who is a violent killer, a bare-knuckle, undefeated legend over there.

“He takes punches like they’re nothing, he’s fast, athletic, he hits hard, he’s a brawler, and I can’t take that lightly. This whole thing is a risk, I’m focused on July 20, I’m focused on Mike Perry and being in that mindset will lead me to victory.’’

On Tuesday, Paul addressed similar issues during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

“Mike Perry’s not a joke and it is a big risk because if I lose this one, then obviously the Mike Tyson fight goes away,’’ Paul said. “So there’s a lot at stake here that is creating a bit of pressure to deal with. But I usually thrive the best under high-pressure situations, so we’ll see what happens.’’

But on Wednesday, after an open workout, Paul struck a different note when asked about how a loss to Perry would impact his scheduled fight against Tyson.

“It’s not going to happen, man,’’ he said. “It’s not possible, so I can’t even answer that question. I know I’m going to win with ease.’’

From the pool to the track, from the gym to the diving board, the U.S. team shined brightly at the 1984 L.A. Summer Olympics, winning a record 174 medals, 83 of them gold. 

The 1984 Olympic medalists emerged from all corners of the U.S., each carrying the unique story of their hometowns to the global stage. The journey of these athletes to Olympic glory is as diverse as the geography they hail from, revealing interesting patterns and insights, according to data analyzed by the Medill News Service.

It’s no surprise that California, with its year-round mild climate and a deep-seated culture of sports, led all states with 72 medal-winning performances. Los Angeles, known for its iconic sports venues and a history steeped in athletic excellence, was the birthplace of 11 medalists, seven gold, including Peter Vidmar, a gold medalist in pommel horse and as a member of the U.S. men’s gymnastics team as well as a silver medalist in the all-around competition.

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Swimming, it appears, was and is a sport where American excellence transcends state boundaries. From Rowdy Gaines in Winter Haven, Florida, to Mary T. Meagher in Louisville, Kentucky, the distribution of gold medal swimmers in 1984 paints a picture of a nationwide commitment to the sport. This widespread talent “pool’ was indicative of strong swimming programs and coaching standards across the country. The data suggested that almost every corner of the U.S. had the potential to nurture Olympic-level swimmers.

Beyond the traditional powerhouse cities, certain communities have risen to prominence due to their unique contributions to U.S. Olympic success. Carl Lewis, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, won four gold medals in track and field in ‘84, challenging the notion that only major metropolitan areas produced top athletes. Lewis, one of 40 U.S. athletes to win multiple medals, was competing in his first Olympic Games and eventually compiled nine golds and one silver in four  Olympics. 

Gymnast Mary Lou Retton, from Fairmont, West Virginia, won five medals including a gold in the all-around and was one of eight ‘84 Olympians to be the sole medal winner from her state.

In 1984, trends pointed to a broadening of talent across the nation. Three-time gold medal swimmer Tracy Caulkins from Winona, Minnesota, and gymnast Julianne McNamara from Flushing, New York, who won a gold and two silvers, magnified how less-heralded cities were becoming notable contributors to the Olympic medal tally.

Equestrian sports and shooting events also highlighted the rural roots of American athletes. At the L.A. Games, Bruce Davidson, who spent his childhood in Westport, Massachusetts and won one gold medal in ‘84 and medals in four Olympics, and Pat Spurgin from Billings, Montana, with one gold, exemplified excellence in equestrian jumping and shooting, respectively. 

In all, 290 U.S. athletes made it onto the podium in L.A. in 1984 in a year when 14 Eastern Bloc countries, including the Soviet Union and East Germany boycotted.

“It’s still the Olympic rings; it still holds the same character [no matter] who’s there or not,” said Jacksonville, Florida’s Chandra Cheeseborough, who won two golds and one silver in sprint events in L.A. “So for me, it was nothing different.”   

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. − Adrian Beltre, just 21 at the time, was working out in the back fields early one morning at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spring training complex at Vero Beach, Fla., when his agent, watching nearby, became alarmed.

Beltre, who made his major-league debut three years earlier after signing for $23,000 out of the Dominican Republic, looked frail and pale.

“I heard he wasn’t feeling well, so I go up to him,’’ agent Scott Boras tells USA TODAY Sports. “I couldn’t believe how bad he looked. He looked terrible, and his face is as white as mine. I said, ‘What is wrong with you?’

Beltre pulled up his T-shirt, pointed to his side, and there it was, an actual colostomy bag.

“I said, ‘What? Let me see that,’’’ Boras said. ‘Adrian, you have a systemic infection. We’ve got to get you off the field. I took him to a Dodger internist and we immediately flew to LA. He was in the hospital for three weeks. He lost 30 pounds. He had a very serious systemic infection.

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“And he’s taking ground balls with a colostomy bag.’’

Beltre, who had undergone and emergency appendectomy in the Dominican before spring training, was suffering from a life-threatening infection from the ruptured appendix.

He missed a month and was back playing the rest of the 2001 season.

“That’s Adrian Beltre,’’ Boras said. “All he wanted to do was play baseball. Most guys are very exuberant, maybe cocky, when they’re really good and they’re young. Adrian was never that way. Never.’’

It was the infancy of the legend of Beltre, who Sunday afternoon (1:30 p.m. ET), will be inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame alongside Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer and manager Jim Leyland.

Beltre epitomized toughness. If he was breathing, he was playing. No matter the injury, no matter the intensity of pain, Beltre refused to come out of games.

There was the time in 2009 when a sharp ground ball smashed into his right testicle, which swelled to nearly the size of a grapefruit, and he remained in the game, scoring the winning run in the 14th inning for the Seattle Mariners. He played with painful bone spurs in his left ankle in 2004 where he could barely walk without limping, and still hit .334 with a career-high 48 homers, finishing second in the NL MVP race. He played with abdominal strains, hamstring strains, torn thumb ligaments, you name it, he kept playing.

“Most guys are done for a month with the hamstring strain he had with us one year,’’ former Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels said. “He’d come in and says, ‘Give me a couple of hours.’’’

That was the legend of Beltre, playing 21 years, and becoming one of only four players in baseball history who have produced 3,000 hits (3,146), 400 homers (477) and five Gold Gold Glove awards.

The others: Willie Mays, Carl Yastrzemski and Dave Winfield.

“I remember being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Mike Piazza deal (May 14, 1998), and they brought up this young guy to play third base,’’ said Gary Sheffield, who hit 509 home runs. “Well, one of the first games he played (June 28), he let a ball go through his legs, and we lost (6-4 to the Pirates). After the game he was in the locker room, with his head down.

“I walked over, made him lift his head up, and I told him, ‘Son, you’re going to be a Hall of Famer one day. When the game is over, it’s over. Don’t bring that in here. You’re too good.’’’

Now, 26 years later, the man Sheffield anointed as a Hall of Famer, is officially joining baseball immortality, with Sheffield flying in from his Florida home to attend his first induction ceremony.

Rangers third baseman Michael Young long admired Beltre across the field, but when Beltre signed a six-year, $96 million contract with the Rangers in January, 2011, it meant that Young would have to move to DH. The Rangers even talked about trading Young to the Colorado Rockies.

“It was a tough winter,’’ Young said. “I was in a big head-butting contest with the Rangers.’’

So, when the Rangers signed Beltre, giving him a sixth-year vesting option to keep him away from the Los Angeles Angels (“We were convinced he was the right fit after talking to him,’’ Daniels said), guess who was his first teammate to call him?

Yep, Young.

“I thought it would be tough for Adrian hearing that coming to a new team,’’ Young said. “So I told him this had nothing to do with you, and I wanted to make sure he could come to Texas with a clear head and play baseball.’’

Said Daniels: “Michael did such a great job. He made it work. Really, he made it comfortable for everyone.’’

Young and Beltre became best of friends, and together, led the Rangers to back-to-back American League pennants.

“When I played against Adrian, I admired him a lot because, one, he played through injuries,’’ said Young said. “He’s a tough dude. Played hard. Teammates loved him. It’s easy as an opponent to really, really like and respect guys like that.

“When I played with him, at 7:00, when the first pitch goes and the lights go on, he’s not just here. He’s here to win. When you have a good team, and a guy like that walks in the door before the first game is even played, we just got so much better.

“Obviously he’s a great player, just the way he approaches the game.’’

It’s no different than the way he’s been preparing his Hall of Fame speech. He has been working on it for nearly six months now, but didn’t submit it to the Hall of Fame until late last week. He wants it to be perfect, particularly speaking in English, his second language.

“Just how to deliver, that’s going to be the big part,’’ Beltre said. “I can’t speak (perfect) English, and once I get there, it’s going to be a mess, but I’m going to get up there somehow.’’

Beltre didn’t even play for the Rangers until the final eight years of his career, but this is where he became a legend, putting up spectacular numbers, leading to the Hall of Fame.

Beltre, with a .275/.329/.462 slash line in his first 13 years, hit .305 with an .866 OPS in Texas, finishing three times in the top seven of AL MVP balloting. He hit .308 with an .873 OPS, averaging 28 homers and 94 RBI from 2011-2016 during his original Rangers’ contract.

He became a living, breathing icon, and although he was the most respected player in the room, he was the one his teammates loved to tease. Beltre, you see, absolutely hated anyone but his barber tough his scalp.  Well, former teammate Elvis Andrus would always flip Beltre’s helmet off his head during home run celebrations, and as Beltre was high-fiving his teammates, Andrus would pat his head, and then run for his life.

Really, few players had more fun than Beltre on the field. He once picked up the on-deck circle and moving it closer to home plate, prompting an ejection by veteran umpire Gerry Davis. He walked to the plate once wearing his batting helmet backwards because he was facing reliever Pat Venditte, who threw left-handed and right-handed. He once sprinted all of the way into left field to avoid a tag at third base. He constantly questioned the umpire’s strike zone, even when the pitch was right down the plate.

Inside the clubhouse, he was the Rangers’ judge in kangaroo court, even wearing a robe and white curls, and was their ultimate leader, unafraid to criticize older veterans, coaches, even front office staffers.

He wanted the best for the Rangers organization, no matter their job title.

“He really taught me everything about baseball,’’ said San Diego Padres All-Star outfielder Jurickson Profar, who was raised in the Rangers’ organization. “He’s really the one who helped me have the career I’ve had.’’

Few had more fun than Beltre on the field, but few were more serious, too.

“He towed that line perfectly,’’ Young said. “He had a blast playing the sport he loved, but there also wasn’t anybody who was more competitive or more intense.’’

That was Beltre, who not only wanted to set an example for his teammates, but really, for everyone who played the game of baseball.

“You need to understand there’s people watching you, people looking at you,’’ Beltre said. “Not just what you do on the field, how you carry yourself around other people. The kind of person you are. Not just to be a good player, but a good human being.

“You always want to create leaders, not only for the game, but also for life too.’’

The man epitomizes the definition of a baseball Hall of Famer, and his legacy will now live forever in Cooperstown, right where it belongs.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Major League Soccer announced Thursday it will immediately implement roster changes to allow teams to welcome more star talent like Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and LAFC’s Olivier Giroud, and attract younger, on-the-rise players to the league.

Get ready for MLS owners with deep pockets ready to spend on free-agent international stars and aspiring young talents – even if exorbitant transfer fees are involved.

Essentially, MLS heard the complaints from coaches and players, particularly when it comes to competing against teams in LIGA MX in Mexico during tournaments like CONCACAF’s Champions Cup or the upcoming Leagues Cup, which begins next Saturday.

It’s a broad effort that shows a commitment from MLS to advancing the sport in North America, promising an even more exciting and competitive future for players, clubs, and fans alike.

“The new roster rules open the door for clubs to sign additional world-class players and more emerging stars, while also providing a great deal of flexibility to invest across the roster,” said Todd Durbin, MLS executive vice president player strategy and relations.

“We have a unique opportunity with the World Cup coming in two years. These modifications, along with others being discussed for potential implementation in 2025 and beyond, will elevate our league and increase fan engagement around the world.”

MLS says the rule changes come after a comprehensive, data-driven process by the league and its Sporting and Competition Committee, filled with club owners and sporting directors, along with insights from more than 25,000 soccer fans surveyed across the United States and Canada.

What are the new MLS roster rules?

All MLS rosters will now feature six prime roster spots that can be used to acquire or retain more world-class players and emerging talents.

Teams can use all three Designated Player and all three U22 Initiative Player slots, eliminating previous limitations.

The total compensation and acquisition costs for the three designated players can exceed salary cap measures, while players 22 years old or younger can be signed with unrestricted acquisition fees not counted against a team’s salary budget.

Teams can also opt to add a fourth under-22 player instead of the third designated player, and receive $2 million in general allocation money to dedicate how they see fit for the rest of their roster.

MLS teams can also convert $3 million of total transfer revenue into general allocation money to further help with roster spending.

The rule change went into effect on Thursday.

What impact will the new rule changes have on MLS?

Along with attracting new star players and younger talent, the rule changes offer MLS teams more flexibility to build rosters and invest in homegrown players.

The new rules will impact how clubs can spend significant funds outside of the salary budget and provide teams the opportunity to move discretionary spending into the general spending pool.

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino was an outspoken figure in favor of the roster changes implemented, after his club’s exit in the quarterfinal of the Champions Cup in April. Reigning MLS champions Columbus Crew ultimately fell to LIGA MX side Pachuca in the final.

“If MLS doesn’t ease the various rules it has to have deeper rosters, with injuries and suspensions, Liga MX will continue to have the advantage,’ Martino said.

“Still, I’ve always thought, even while working in Mexico and now working in the U.S., that the comparison between the two leagues is useless. MLS still cannot compete with Liga MX at the same level because of roster rules. I think the process will be changing, with alterations coming in the short term.”

Inter Miami’s Julian Gressel offered a player’s perspective.

“I don’t want to make excuses, I don’t want to come here and say that’s why we’re out, but I think if you look at the two benches, it gives you a pretty good idea of what it’s like,” Gressel said. “I hope that the MLS will take the right steps to potentially, in the future, be able to have a deeper roster so that you can compare a little bit more and you can kind of make a push for this competition more.”

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