SAN FRANCISCO – Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke the truest of words before Sunday’s All-Star Game.

“You cannot force anybody to play hard if he doesn’t want to,” Antetokounmpo said.

In a meaningless exhibition game played with just two months left in the regular season and the playoffs lurking for several All-Stars, it’s almost impossible to get a competitive game.

That hasn’t stopped the NBA from changing the format to try.

As gracious All-Star host and game MVP Steph Curry said Sunday in the aftermath of another format change in which All-Stars played a mini three-game tournament: “It was a good step in the right direction to reinvigorate the game in some way, and then you tinker with it again next year and see what changes you can make.

“I don’t want to compare it to any other era because the world has changed. Life is different. The way people consume basketball is different. It’s not going to look like it used to. But it can still be fun for everybody.”

More true words.

All-Star games across all sports aren’t what they used to be, and that’s OK. Sunday’s game wasn’t awful – and that’s not the endorsement the league wants – with some entertaining moments, and the absence of an eyesore score in the upper 100s/lower 200s. The various stoppages that delayed play sapped energy from the night and I’m not sure the finished product was what the NBA sought.

And the hopeful skeptic in me wonders if the NBA All-Star Game can be what the league wants. (And I’m opposed to adding more prize money to the pool for players as motivation. The optics of that are unpleasant.)

It’s not time to scrap the All-Star Game yet.

Though replacing the game with other non-Saturday events should be something the NBA is discussing internally. One-on-one and three-on-three games. Different shooting contests. It can still be a celebration for the league, players and fans. The NBA can’t keep having a never-ending conversation about this game.

And I’m not sure NBC, which gets the All-Star Game next season as part of the league’s new 11-year, $76 billion deal, is ready for that either. Though next season will be a challenge with NBC also showing the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

There were portions of Sunday’s mini-tournament that worked. There was a modicum of defense, fewer uncontested dunks, a little less 3-point chucking – save for Curry who gets a free pass with his range and on his homecourt.

Getting rid of the Rising Stars participation should be high on the league’s to-do list. As Curry continued to speak truths, he said, “The All-Star experience on Sunday is very sacred, and you have to work your way into that.”

There is a lot of talk about an All-Star Game featuring international players vs. U.S. players. Antetokounmpo supported that, saying, “Oh, I would love that. I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. … For sure, I’d take pride in that. I always compete, but I think that will give me a little bit more extra juice to compete.”

However, among this season’s 24 All-Stars, there were only seven with international connections. It’s a numbers game. Yes, a record-tying 125 international players were on opening night rosters, proving how global the game is now. But there were still more than 325 U.S. players on opening night rosters.

It sounds fun, but the international squad would have to add players who otherwise might not make an All-Star team, and Curry’s comment about the event being sacred doesn’t lend itself to that idea.

Free suggestion for next season: Keep the eight-player-per-team format by divvying up the 24 All-Stars into three teams, eliminate the Rising Stars squad and the first team to win two games to 40 points is the All-Star champion. The first two teams play, and winner stays to play the third team – just like a pickup game. If the winner of the first game lost the second game then the winner of the second game would play the loser of the first game. There would be no more than four games.

Or each team plays each other in a round robin with one game consisting of a 15-minute quarter – and the team with the highest score is the champ. You can come up with various tiebreakers if two or more teams had the same points total after two games.

And keep the night moving.

Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

NFL free agency begins in March.

Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is slated to hit free agency after the New York Jets announced they are moving in a different direction. Rodgers is set to join a group of free-agent quarterbacks that includes Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

Multiple NFL teams are void of a starting quarterback. Is Rodgers the best available quarterback on the open market? Or should QB-needy clubs pursue a younger signal-caller in Fields, who appears to be beginning to tap into his potential?

USA TODAY Sports analyzes the best fits for the top free-agent quarterbacks this offseason.

NFL free agent QB best fits

Aaron Rodgers (2024 team: Jets)

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

The Jets announced on Feb. 13 that they are parting ways with Rodgers. New York will likely release Rodgers with a post-June 1 designation. That means the Jets must carry Rodgers on their roster until March 12, the start of the NFL’s league year. Rodgers is permitted to sign elsewhere on March 13.

Rodgers, 41, doesn’t perform at the four-time MVP level he once did, but he’s still a starting-caliber QB. He started to play better during the later portion of last season. He had a 90-or-above passer rating in four of his final five starts in New York.

The Las Vegas Raiders don’t have a starting-caliber quarterback on their roster. Even in his 40s, Rodgers is an upgrade from Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew. Rodgers would be a solid bridge QB while the Raiders look for a QB of the future.

Unfortunately for Rodgers, the Pittsburgh Steelers are perhaps the only QB-needy team that possesses a ready-to-win roster. However, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme is better suited for Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Furthermore, Steelers safety DeShon Elliott publicly scoffed at the idea of the team signing Rodgers.

Sam Darnold (2024 team: Vikings)

Is Darnold the quarterback who helped lead the Vikings to a 14-2 record through 17 weeks or the QB who withered down the stretch?

It’s likely somewhere in the middle.

Darnold enjoyed career-highs in every significant statistical quarterback category this season, including yards (4,319), touchdowns (35) and passer rating (102.5), but he regressed in Week 18 and during Minnesota’s wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He had a 55.5 passer rating in the regular-season finale and followed that performance up with an interception, a fumble and indecisive play in the postseason.   

In totality, Darnold’s 2024 season was much improved from what we’ve previously seen from the journeyman. The Vikings could re-sign Darnold, but will they really sit J.J. McCarthy another year?

I believe Darnold should return to New York, but this time in a blue uniform.

Russell Wilson (2024 team: Steelers)

Wilson passed for 16 touchdowns to just five interceptions in 11 regular-season games. He had a 6-5 record as a starter and helped the Steelers earn a playoff berth. The Steelers might re-sign Wilson. He quietly had a solid year in Pittsburgh and even earned a Pro Bowl invite.

The 36-year-old QB still throws a nice moon deep ball, but his game has become limited to long passes or check downs. Wilson rarely throws intermediate passes or delivers balls in tight windows. Is that a byproduct of waning arm strength?

Wilson doesn’t maneuver as he once did but can still cook when playing off-script.

A short-term deal with the with the Steelers seems logical for both sides.

Justin Fields (2024 team: Steelers)

Is Fields ready for another starting opportunity? He had a 4-2 record as Pittsburgh’s starter before Russell Wilson took over the job.

To Fields’ credit, he improved as a pocket passer in 2024. He had a career-best 93.3 passer rating last season, albeit in a short sample size.

The Steelers are likely to keep either Wilson or Fields. Fields turns 26 in March and has a higher ceiling. His dual-threat ability is a good fit in Arthur Smith’s system. Can Fields’ passing ability continue to trend upward? I believe the answer is yes.

Fields in the Big Apple would be intriguing.

Jameis Winston (2024 team: Browns)

Super Bowl 59 festivities proved that Winston’s got a future in television. Fans enjoy the charismatic quarterback.

TV can wait for a while, though, because the well-traveled QB still has football left in him. Winston possesses above-average arm strength, is experienced and a good guy to have in the locker room.

Winston’s play can be erratic. His propensity to give the football away resulted in demotions at practically all his stops (Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Cleveland). He isn’t a long-term answer but he’s a serviceable starter or a high-end backup.

The Falcons are inevitably going to move on from Kirk Cousins. Winston could fill in as Atlanta’s backup behind Michael Penix Jr.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

TEMPE, Ariz. ― Oh yes, you better believe Mike Trout saw it.

He stays off social media, but is well aware of the recent rankings from MLB Network that had him as only the 39th-best player in baseball.

He understood it, but you better believe it provided all the motivation he needed to prove everyone wrong once again this year.

‘Oh yeah, oh yeah …,’ he said, smiling. ‘Stuff like that fires you up a little bit.’

Trout realizes he has played only 111 games the past two years for the Los Angeles Angels, and hasn’t played more than 140 games since 2016. But still, he’s a three-time MVP, 11-time All-Star and a future Hall of Famer.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

‘They’re going off the last couple of years,’ Trout said Monday morning, ‘and I haven’t been there. So, that’s their ranking.

‘I know where I stand.’

Trout arrives into camp for his 15th season, and this time, as the Angels’ new right fielder.

Angels manager Ron Washington and GM Perry Minasian met privately with Trout on Sunday and informed him that he’s moving from center field to right field, and will also be used as a DH once a week.

Simply, the Angels believe that switching positions will provide a better chance for him to stay healthy.

‘He could play anywhere,’ Minasian said. ‘If we asked Mike Trout to play shortstop, he’d do it. He’s that kind of guy. For us, it’s just keeping him on the field. There’s no secret. He’s dying to play.

‘For us, taking the load off in center field is really important, and not having that responsibility. … In our situation, we think it’s best for the team.’

Trout, 33, has been the Angels’ everyday center fielder since 2014, and he hasn’t played right field since 2012, and only 17 games in his career.

Yet, if the move helps keep him healthy and is better for the team, he says he’s all for it.

Besides, if nine-time Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter can be asked by the Angels to move from center field to right field, who’s he to argue?

‘They threw everything on the table, what’s best for me body-wise, keep me on the field,’ Trout said. ‘Came to the conclusion that I’m going to go to right field. I’ll try it out, see where it goes.’

Former Angels manager Joe Maddon broached the idea two years ago of Trout moving out of center field, but he balked and remained in center until now.

‘I knew it was coming,’ Trout said. ‘I just got to get used to it. … Trying to preserve the legs and go out and there and run some balls down in right.’

Trout knows it certainly will be different playing right field but plans to talk to Hunter, a special assistant in the Angels’ organization, to collect his thoughts when he comes to camp. He also plans to speak to Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. this week. Griffey, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, moved from center field to right field in 2007 at the age of 37.

‘There’s a lot of guys that moved to right field that I’m going to talk to,’ Trout said. ‘Just see the difference and just go out there and get comfortable in the spring.’

Washington says he has no doubt Trout will easily be able to make the transition from center field to right, but wants to emphasize communication with the new center field tandem of Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak with Trout with balls hit into the right-center gap.

‘We don’t need nobody running into Mike Trout,’ Washington said, ‘so ya’ll better make certain that ya’ll understand when a ball is put in a certain area, somebody is going behind and somebody is going on front. The communication has to be constant to avoid collisions.

‘That’s what we pounded because we don’t want nobody running into Mike Trout because I don’t think Mike is going to run into them..’

Trout has endured an assortment of enough injuries during the past four years without adding a new one to his resume. Trout hit 10 home runs with 14 RBI in his first 29 games last year, stealing six bases, but then tore the meniscus in his left knee in late April, and suffered the same injury attempting to rehab in the minors.

It was just the latest injury-plagued season after playing in only 36 games in 2021 because of a calf injury, 119 games in 2022 because of a bad back and 82 games in 2023 with a fractured hand.

He came to camp lighter, saying he feels ‘more like myself,’ and won’t play any differently than in the past.

‘I’m not going to limit myself,’ Trout said. ‘I can still play the game hard. That’s the only way I know how to play. But just limit the overall beatdown and the wear and tear. …

‘That’s the biggest thing. You know, the last few years have been tough.’

Now, with less ground to cover in right field, more games as a DH, could lead to more games out of the trainer’s room.

‘I think trying to limit the crazy plays, and I think moving to right field helps a little bit,’ Trout said. ‘Center field, you’re running gap to gap. I think mixing in DH, just stuff like that, is going to be a see-how-I-feel thing. If I come in feeling something, or feeling sore, if I need a day off, it’s just open communication with Wash, the front office and the coaches, and I’m good with that.’

Trout still has six years and $212 million left on his contract, so he’s certainly not going anywhere. He remains the face of the franchise and has a full no-trade clause. If he ever again resembles the perennial MVP candidate that hit .308 with a 1.009 OPS, averaging 35 homers and 92 RBI a year from 2012-2019, maybe it could jump-start the Angels into contention. They have been to the postseason only once in Trout’s career.

If nothing else, a monster year could bring back the discussion whether the Angels would be better off trading him, using the savings to help them get back to being a power in the AL West.

That’s a discussion for another day.

For now, Trout is back, with a new position, and fired up to prove a whole lot of people wrong.

‘Oh yeah,’ he said.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Matthew and Brady Tkachuk set the tone for Team USA in the opening game against Finland by scoring two goals apiece.

The brothers set a tone against Canada in the second game by starting fights in the opening seconds.

But they didn’t get a chance to set a tone against Sweden on Monday night because of injuries.

Matthew (lower body) missed Monday’s 2-1 loss after sitting on the bench for a chunk of the third period of the Canada game. Brady wasn’t able to finish the Sweden game after he lost his balance in the first period and slid hard into the net.

He went to the dressing room later in the period and returned to the bench. He took one short shift, firing a shot that was stopped by Samuel Ersson, and went immediately to the bench and didn’t skate again.

After not returning in the second period, Team USA ruled him out for the rest of the game.

Brady told TNT before the game that there was no way to keep Matthew out of Thursday’s championship game — Canada advanced after beating Finland, 5-3 — but now USA Hockey will have to hope both brothers can play.

‘We held him out more for precautionary reasons at that point,’ USA coach Mike Sullivan told reporters about Brady. ‘I haven’t gotten an update to this point after the game yet, but we’ll see how it responds, but I don’t anticipate it being an issue.’

The USA was already playing a man short in Monday’s game because Auston Matthews was a late scratch. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy didn’t play, either.

The Boston Globe reported that McAvoy was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital because of his injury.

Sullivan told reporters he hoped to have answers on Matthews’ and McAvoy’s upper-body injuries on Tuesday.

Matthew Tkachuk was asked on TNT how he was feeling about his chances of playing on Thursday. He chuckled, then said, ‘Let’s just say I’m really excited for that one.’

Kevin Durant is fed up with the criticism.

Hours after he and his Shaq’s OGs teammates won the 2025 NBA All-Star Game mini-tournament under a revised format, Durant responded on social media to widespread criticism of the NBA, suggesting that the game be canceled if fans aren’t appreciating it.

‘I think it’s more fun to complain about the nba than to actually watch it,’ Durant wrote Monday afternoon. ‘Crazy, cancel all star weekend and let’s just give everybody a break since we’re so miserable around this time…’

The NBA has experimented with varying formats to increase competitiveness in the All-Star Game, an issue that has also afflicted other sports leagues, including the NFL’s Pro Bowl. This year, the NBA divided the 24 selected All-Stars into three teams of eight players. TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith each drafted their teams. The fourth team was the winning squad from the Rising Stars event Friday night.

Those four teams faced off in a mini-tournament, with the winner of the final being declared the winning team of the All-Star Game.

Durant, for his part, also was not a fan of the revised format when it was announced.

‘I hate it,’ Durant said Dec. 17 when asked about the new format. ‘I absolutely hate it, that’s terrible. All-Star Game formats changing, all the formats, it’s terrible in my opinion. We should just go back to East-West and play a game.

‘I think we’ve been trying to bring that flair back somehow with All-Star weekend, but I think we (should) just keep it traditional. But we’ll see how this one works, you never know, I might be wrong. I’m just another guy with another opinion.’

The format did amplify some competitiveness Sunday night, when compared to years previous, but it remained nonetheless an imperfect system; multiple breaks slowed play and the action, at times, was sloppy.

‘I try to read it all, frankly, and we try to absorb it at the league office,’ NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday during a news conference. ‘I think the state of the game is excellent. I think it’s the media’s role, the fans’ role, it’s perfectly appropriate to be critical of the game, and I find it very helpful. I’m not one of those people who said I don’t read criticism.’

Durant, one of the NBA’s premier stars, has not shied away from addressing critics on social media over the years. He was a member of Shaq’s OGs, a team composed of seasoned veterans with multiple All-Stars to their résumés. Durant scored four points across both games on two-of-nine shooting.

Several fans responded to Durant’s initial social media post suggesting canceling the All-Star Game, including one who said Durant should watch a replay of the broadcast that included all the commercials and stoppages.

‘I get it,’ Durant responded. ‘My point is, fans complain about EVERYTHING. Like nothing is good enough for the fans right now. Only thing they enjoy is playoffs, trade deadline, free agency and when players beef with each other lol.’

The Elimination Chamber matches are set.

Seth Rollins/Finn Balor and Raquel Rodriguez/Roxanne Perez clinched the final spots in the men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches, putting them one step closer to punching a ticket to WrestleMania 41. Now all six entrants for each match at the premium live event are set, which takes place on March 1.

The Elimination Chamber match — where participants battle it out in a large, steel structure — serves as the other way to get a championship match at WrestleMania after the Royal Rumble winners make their pick. The winner of the men’s Elimination Chamber match will face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship and the women’s victory will challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship. The selections are in place after Jey Uso picked Gunther and Charlotte Flair chose Tiffany Stratton to face at WrestleMania.

Each match is filled with stars who know something about winning championship gold and headlining WrestleMania. Five of the men’s entrants are former WWE champions, and five on the women’s side are also former Women’s champions, which will make the bouts highly intriguing ones.

Here are the people in the men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches, and how they got in:

Men’s Elimination Chamber participants

John Cena (declared at Royal Rumble)
CM Punk (def. Sami Zayn)
Drew McIntyre (def. Jimmy Uso and LA Knight)
Logan Paul (def. Rey Mysterio)
Damian Priest (def. Braun Strowman and Jacob Fatu)
Seth Rollins (def. Finn Balor)

Women’s Elimination Chamber participants

Liv Morgan (def. Iyo Sky)
Bianca Belair (def. Piper Niven)
Alexa Bliss (def. Candice LeRae)
Bayley (def. Lyra Valkyria)
Naomi (def. Chelsea Green)
Roxanne Perez (def. Raquel Rodriguez)

A crowd packed inside John Paul Jones Arena on Monday hoping to see Virginia men’s basketball upset No. 3 Duke was down at least one spectator for much of the night.

With 5:16 remaining in the first half, and with the Blue Devils out to a comfortable 34-22 lead, referee Roger Ayers blew play dead and ejected a Cavaliers fan.

After the ejection, the ESPN cameras cut to an older, bespectacled man in professorial-looking attire — a green sweater over a white turtleneck — who was walking up the stairs to leave the arena. A replay showed him angrily pointing and yelling in the direction of the court. Afterwards, the man high-fived a fellow Virginia fan on his walk up and shook hands with another before making his way out.

ESPN’s broadcast team said he had come down from his seat to say something to Ayers, which prompted the early dismissal. It’s unclear what, exactly, he said to necessitate the unusual step of a referee booting a fan.

For the man who drew Ayers’ ire, leaving the game before the final media timeout of the first half may not have been the worst thing. Duke led by 14 at halftime and stretched its advantage to 25 in the opening six minutes of the second half.

It has been a difficult season for Virginia, which lost longtime coach Tony Bennett to an unexpectedly early retirement only about two weeks before its first game. Under interim head coach Ron Sanchez, the Cavaliers were 13-12 overall and 6-8 in the ACC entering Monday’s matchup against Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils.

Duke went on to win the game, 80-62.

It should come as no surprise that the winner of Saturday’s 1-vs.-2 head-to-head showdown in men’s college basketball is now the unanimous top choice in the new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Auburn is back at the top after taking down archrival Alabama. The Tigers claim all 31 first-place votes, while the Crimson Tide’s stint at No. 1 lasts just a single week.

The balloting for No. 2 was more suspenseful. For now it is Florida in second, finishing just eight poll points ahead of Duke. The No. 2 ranking is a season high for the Gators, and is their highest position since a stint at No. 1 late in the 2014 season in which they made their most recent Final Four appearance. Duke in turn is 12 points ahead of Alabama for the No. 3 spot as the Tide ebb to No. 4. Houston moves up a notch to No. 5 after a big road win at Arizona over the weekend.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll

Tennessee slips two places to No. 6 but managed to avoid a two-loss week with a comeback win Saturday against Vanderbilt. Texas A&M moves up two spots to give the SEC five of the top seven teams in the poll. Iowa State, St. John’s and Texas Tech round out the top 10.

Another SEC squad, Missouri, makes the week’s biggest jump from No. 22 to No. 16. The Big Ten was responsible for plenty of other shifting as No. 12 Michigan and No. 20 Maryland each gain five positions, while Purdue takes a seven-spot tumble to No. 14 thanks to a pair of defeats.

Kansas narrowly avoids the dropout list, hanging on at No. 25. The last time the Jayhawks were not in the rankings was Feb. 8, 2021. Creighton, Mississippi and Connecticut were not as fortunate, replaced by the returning trio of No. 22 Louisville, No. 23 Mississippi State and No. 24 St. Mary’s.