Sorber suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during a workout in Oklahoma City on Thursday, Sept. 4.
He was the 15th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in June. The forward/center averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game in 24 games played at Georgetown last season.
Sorber was second in the nation in rebounding among freshmen. He had season-ending foot surgery (turf toe) in February with Georgetown.
It’s time to light it up.
AJ Lee has made her triumphant return to WWE after she retired from wrestling 10 years ago. Lee made her comeback during the Sept. 5 edition in SmackDown, joining her husband CM Punk in his hometown of Chicago. The couple faced another married duo in Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
After making her electric return, Lee delivered shots to Lynch before the Women’s Intercontinental Champion retreated.
Lee’s arrival comes as her husband has reignited his longstanding feud with Rollins. Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam in August but Rollins returned from his supposed injury and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Punk to win the title.
The two met again at Clash in Paris in a fatal four-way match, and Punk’s chance to win the title back was thwarted after Lynch interfered and helped her husband retain the gold. At Raw on Sept. 1, Lynch berated Punk and slapped him. Afterward, Punk teased something could be happening at SmackDown, which resulted in Lee’s arrival.
It is believed Punk and Lee will team up to face Rollins and Lynch at WrestlePalooza on Sept. 20, WWE’s first premium live event in ESPN’s livestreaming service.
It took a decade, but Lee’s return to wrestling is something fans had been hoping and anticipating for years. Known for her unstable persona along with her elite promo skills and signature skip, Lee is considered one of the best wrestlers in the early 2010s. She was consistently at the top of the women’s division and is a three-time Divas Champion, tied for the most reigns in what was once the top women’s title.
While an accomplished star, Lee’s WWE tenure was rather short, spending only four years on the main roster. After competing at WrestleMania 31 in March 2015, she had her final match the next night on Raw. WWE announced Lee’s retirement from in-ring competition in April 2015. In her memoir ‘Crazy Is My Superpower,’ Lee said damage to her cervical spine and was a factor in her retirement.
Lee hasn’t wrestled since, but she’s stayed around the business. She’s been a writer for movies, TV shows and authored books, but she also was an executive producer for Women of Wrestling from 2021-23.
There was always hope Lee would eventually return to wrestling, especially since she did in the show ‘Heels.’ The belief raised when Punk made his return to the company in 2023, sensing she could also be coming back. Punk has referenced her several time during his current stint with WWE.
Now, Lee is finally back in the ring.
Foster is a member of the Angels’ High-A affiliate, the Tri-City Dust Devils, and was a passenger in a car involved in the accident. He was taken to a local hospital and is in critical condition.
The Dust Devils announced on Friday evening that their game against the Hillsboro Hops has been canceled.
Foster has been with the Angels’ organization since 2023, after he was selected in the 16th round with the 474th overall pick in the draft that year.
(This story will be updated as more information becomes available.)
San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper underwent surgery on Friday, according to an ESPN report.
Harper needed to have a partially torn ligament in his left thumb repaired in his left thumb. The injury occurred during a workout on Wednesday.
According to ESPN, Harper is expected to be ready for his NBA debut when the Spurs open the season against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 22.
The Rutgers standout was the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft in June. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and four assists in 32.6 minutes played in 29 games during his only college season.
Harper was the highest-drafted Rutgers player in the school’s history.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
No matter the sport, some luck is required to win a championship.
The Indiana Fever had plenty of luck this season. It’s just that all of it was bad.
On Thursday night, Caitlin Clark confirmed what was already obvious: She will join Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham on the list of Fever players whose seasons were cut short by injuries this year. The idea that Clark and the Fever could contend for the WNBA title this year is gone, buried beneath a mountain of MRI results, bandages and ice packs.
Yes, they can still make the playoffs, clinging to the eighth spot with three games to play. But even if they hang on, they’d get a first-round matchup with the Minnesota Lynx and, well, good luck with that.
“Any time you have to reinvent yourself throughout the course of the season … it’s challenging,” Fever coach Stephanie White said last week.
And the Fever had to do it over and over and over again. Nine starting lineups. Sixteen different players on the roster. Injury setbacks. It’s been a season-long Groundhog Day of bad juju.
After making the playoffs in Clark’s rookie season, and playing the Connecticut Sun tougher than almost anyone expected, Fever management recognized the championship window might have opened earlier than they’d hoped. They went all in in the offseason, upgrading their roster by signing DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and Cunningham and brought back White.
“My expectation is for us to try to win a championship,” Clark said before the season opener, a statement she repeated after she recorded a triple-double in the Fever’s 35-point thumping of the Sky.
Though the Fever started slowly, there were signs they could grow into a team to be reckoned with. They took the defending champion New York Liberty down to the wire when the Liberty were playing as well as anyone, then walloped them by 14 three weeks later. They beat the Lynx to win the Commissioner’s Cup.
Signs of trouble were already lurking, though. Clark, who had never missed a game in her four years at Iowa or in her rookie season, injured her left quad on May 24 and missed the next five games.
She returned June 14 but played only five games before injuring her left groin. Clark came back after five games, only to injure her right groin in her fourth game back. She has not played since.
Bonner and the Fever, meanwhile, were never a fit. She averaged just 7.1 points, less than half her career average, and lost her place in the starting lineup after three games. She left the team after playing nine games, and the Fever would waive her two weeks later.
Despite the loss of Bonner and Clark, the Fever managed to stay competitive. They went on a five-game win streak, led by All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, and rose as high as fifth in the standings on Aug. 3.
And then the wheels came completely off.
Both Colson and McDonald, who initially came to the Fever on an emergency hardship contract, suffered season-ending injuries in the Aug. 7 game against the Phoenix Mercury. Ten days later, Cunningham tore her MCL.
Adding insult to all these other injuries, Chloe Bibby, who joined the Fever on a seven-day contract in July before being signed for the rest of the season, is now out for the year with a knee injury.
‘Everybody in this league undergoes injuries at some point. I’ve never, in my 25 years in this league, seen all of this at once,’ White said earlier this week.
But the WNBA isn’t going to stop the season just because Clark and the Fever are going through it. Indiana has no choice but to keep playing, even as a season that began with such hope limps to a hellish end.
And hope for better luck next year.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
Week 1 will feature four prime-time games between Thursday and Monday.
The playoff rematch between Buffalo and Baltimore on Sunday night looms as the game of the weekend.
One of our experts picked nearly 73% of the games correctly in 2024.
Since the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl 59 in February, a full 207 days have passed ahead of their 2025 regular-season kickoff opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. In between? There was a draft, free agency, Micah Parsons got traded from the Cowboys, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got engaged, Nike rolled out some slick new uniforms … but no legit NFL football.
But now our cups runneth over. Following Eagles-Cowboys, the Week 1 smorgasbord rolls onward Friday night, when Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs face the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo, and Swift will reportedly be in attendance at Corinthians Arena.
Sunday’s 13-game stack kicks off with Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers’ return to ‘JetLife’ Stadium and ends with a playoff rematch between former MVP Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens and reigning MVP Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills.
Week 1 ends Monday night in Chicago, where the new-look Bears will host the Minnesota Vikings in QB J.J. McCarthy’s first regular-season start.
Can’t. Wait.
(But to tide you over in the interim, Week 1 picks from USA TODAY Sports’ panel of NFL experts.)
(Odds provided by BetMGM)
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
New York Giants at Washington Commanders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer denies allegations that the team circumvented the NBA’s salary cap rules when signing Kawhi Leonard in 2021.
The NBA is investigating claims that the Clippers facilitated a no-show endorsement deal for Leonard with Aspiration, a company in which Ballmer had invested.
If found to have violated the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Clippers could face significant penalties.
Ballmer is adamant his organization went about its business according to league rules.
‘We did things by the book,’ Ballmer declared in an interview with ESPN that aired on Thursday, Sept. 5, which also served as his first public comments on the matter.
The NBA is investigating allegations made by sports reporter Pablo Torre of ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out’ that the Clippers facilitated a no-show endorsement deal for Leonard worth at least $28 million with Aspiration, a now-bankrupt ‘green’ financial services company that was a prominent team sponsor at the time. Aspiration also received a $50 million investment from Ballmer.
If the NBA finds the Clippers to have violated the salary cap circumvention provisions in the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the penalties could be significant based on current bylaws and previous incidents of salary cap circumvention.
The Clippers called the allegations ‘provably false’ and ‘absurd’ in team-issued statements Wednesday after the initial report. Ballmer went into more detail Thursday about the circumstances behind Leonard’s signing, and how the Clippers abided by NBA rules and protocols when dealing with Leonard and his representatives.
The former Microsoft CEO noted, for instance, that Leonard’s four-year, $176.2-million contract with the Clippers was finalized in August 2021 and the franchise’s lucrative sponsorship deal with Aspiration came together in September. Aspiration then approached the Clippers for an introduction to Leonard in ‘early November,’ according to Ballmer.
Among the documents uncovered by Torre was Leonard’s contract with Aspiration, which included a clause that states KL2 Aspire LLC, a company run by Leonard, could ‘decline to proceed with any action desired by the Company,’ which set up a structure for Leonard to potentially receive payments without performing any work. Another clause states that Leonard would receive payments only if he continued to be a player on the Clippers.
‘They did request to be introduced to Kawhi,’ said Ballmer, who added neither he nor the Clippers had control over Aspiration’s business dealings despite their investment. ‘Under the (NBA) rules, we can introduce our sponsors to our athletes. We just can’t be involved. We made an introduction. That was in early November, well past when all of this happens.’
Ballmer said he was instead ‘conned’ by Aspiration, and emphasized he did not know the financial terms agreed to between Leonard and Aspiration. The Justice Department announced in August that Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud for defrauding investors and lenders of more than $248 million.
The Clippers had gone through documents and emails related to Aspiration and Leonard in recent months as part of the the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission investigations into the company, according to Ballmer. He said the Clippers ‘welcome the league investigation. We have nothing to hide.’
The Clippers have already been found to have engaged in impropriety with third-party endorsements under Ballmer. Back in August 2015 – a year after Ballmer’s purchase of the team was finalized – the NBA fined the franchise $250,000 for ‘violating NBA rules prohibiting teams from offering players unauthorized business or investment opportunities’ in their pursuit of then-free agent center DeAndre Jordan.
‘It’s really important to me to communicate to the NBA ecosystem, but particularly Clipper fans, that we’ve been on the up and up,’ Ballmer said. ‘Since the day I bought the team, and you know the circumstances were definitely tough, we’ve emphasized doing things the right way. … I want our fans to really understand that they’ve aligned themselves, they’ve supported an organization that does things the right way.’
USA TODAY Sports reporter Lorenzo Reyes contributed to this report.
That’s not to say Ohtani isn’t ready to junk it and help out the team on short notice as needed.
When Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow told coaches and trainers he was suffering back stiffness, the struggling club was left in a tight spot. Ohtani was scheduled to pitch Monday after suffering through a mild illness that relegated him to simply hitting earlier this week in Pittsburgh.
Yet around 2 p.m., Ohtani discussed the notion of starting hours later with pitching coach Mark Prior. And the Dodgers had their Friday starter.
Now, it’s hardly an unprecedented act of gallantry for a pitcher to move up a couple days, particularly when he had extra rest built in. Yet the episode illustrated to the Dodgers that their greatest player is far from a diva.
In case of emergency, break glass and enjoy the Sho.
‘He is learning, as most people are, that he’s capable of making adjustments,’ says Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. ‘And I think routine is great. But I also think the desire, the will to read and react, to adjust, that’s still possible, too.
‘Shohei, to his credit, wants to pick us up. And I really admire him for that.’
Ohtani, making just his 12th start of the season on his road back from a second Tommy John surgery, was up to the task, even as Roberts intimated that a virus that slowed him in Pittsburgh would hold him back a bit.
Ohtani nonetheless shut out the Orioles over 3 2/3 innings, striking out five and leaving one baserunner on for reliever Anthony Banda, who left it stranded.
The impromptu start and the illness that precipitated it were but a mild setback in Ohtani’s steady buildup this season. In his last outing, he went five innings and struck out 10 against the Cincinnati Reds.
But Ohtani, who has struck out 49 in 36 innings this season, was largely dominant against the Orioles, exceeding 100 mph on 11 pitches.
It was a key boost of adrenaline for the Dodgers, who are clinging to a two-game lead over the San Diego Padres and fading further in the race for a first-round bye. They arrived in Baltimore having got swept out of Steel City by the lowly Pirates.
In that sense, Ohtani taking the ball wasn’t a pick-me-up solely from the innings he gives them.
‘I think it will,’ says Roberts of providing a jolt for a club that has lost five of its last six games. ‘For a guy who’s a starter that’s got a routine and going to pitch a couple days later to then change course, speaks a lot for what this team needs. I expect our guys to respond to that.’
NEW YORK – Carlos Alcaraz’s revenge tour is nearing completion after dispatching Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 in the US Open semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and he is headed to the final in search of his sixth Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion, had said he wanted payback from Novak Djokovic after he beat him in the Australian Open in January and the gold medal game at the Paris Olympics last summer.
The No. 2 seed did just that, improving to a staggering 53-0 all-time after winning the first two sets at a Grand Slam tournament.
“Today, I’d say, it wasn’t the best level of the tournament for me,” Alcaraz said after the match, “but I just kept a cool level (from) the beginning until the last point.”
Alcaraz awaits the winner on Sunday, between the No. 1 seed and top-ranked Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who take center stage in the other semifinal.
Alcaraz beat Sinner in a classic at the French Open final, Sinner returned the favor by taking home the Wimbledon title in July, and the Spaniard went on to defeat him for the Cincinnati Open championship, serving as a tune-up for the US Open. Alcaraz and Sinner have won each of the seven Grand Slam championships.
After losing the first set, Djokovic was in firm control in the second, up three games to none, when Alcaraz broke him in the fifth game and steadily held his serve until he forced a tiebreak, where he easily put away the set. The 38-year-old Djokovic, on another day, against any other player, outside of Alcaraz and Sinner, had a chance to extend or even win the match, but was undone by 30 unforced errors, compared to 15 winners.
But the 24-time Grand Slam champion will have to wait another day for his possible record-breaking Slam victory, and next up is the 2026 Australian Open, which he has won 10 times. It is the first time since 2017 that Djokovic has not appeared in a Grand Slam final in a calendar year, as he lost in the semifinal round in all four majors.
Djokovic said he has a better chance if the matches were best-of-three sets, not best-of-five, like the major tournaments, and will continue to fight for another Grand Slam.
‘I’m happy with my level of tennis, but you know, it’s just the physicality of it, you know. As I said after the quarterfinals,’ Djokovic said. ‘I’m going to do my very best to get my body in shape to sustain that level and that rhythm for as many hours as it’s needed, but, you know, it wasn’t enough. That’s something I, unfortunately at this point in time in my career, can’t control.’
Alcaraz will return to the No. 1 spot in the rankings if he wins the tournament and is now on a 12-match winning streak. He has only lost twice since April, still hasn’t dropped a set this year at Flushing Meadows, and has spent less than 10 hours on the court in his run-up to the US Open finals.
Djokovic’s chances of reaching a final and competing for a 25th Grand Slam championship are looking bleak as he lost the second set tiebreak and is down two sets. Alcaraz improved to 15-8 in tiebreaks this year, while Djokovic has an 8-13 tiebreak record in 2025.
A crucial tiebreak is forthcoming, with Djokovic having a chance to square the match at one set apiece, or Alcaraz trying to put more distance between the two in an effort to get back to the final on Sunday
All it took was one service hold and one break for Alcaraz to get back in the match. Djokovic’s three-game streak to open the set was followed up by one from Alcaraz, and we are square at 3 heading into the crucial 7th game, with Djokovic on serve.
One of the rare occasions of the tournament puts Djokovic up two games in the second set as Alcaraz was broken when his forehand on break point went way out of bounds. It could be a long match, and it will be interesting to see how Djokovic’s fitness holds up against the 22-year-old Spaniard.
Both men are not letting up, both Alcaraz have done what they needed to do and have held their serve throughout, leading to a 6-4 first set win to continue the streak of not losing a set in this tournament.
Djokovic is holding his serve and keeping the match close, and Alcaraz shows no signs of his serve being effective. Coming into the match, Alcaraz had won 99% of his service games and 84% of his first serves, as well as 68% of his second serves.
Djokovic began the match serving and was broken during the seven-minute first game. The No. 7 seed Djokovic had four unforced errors in the game, including the last forehand error to put him down a break. Alcaraz rolled through his service game with little trouble and looks to be in command.
Unlike last night for the women’s semifinal matches, because of rain and nearly 30 miles per hour winds, the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium will be open for the Djokovic-Alcaraz match. Temperatures in Flushing Meadows are hovering around 80 degrees, and there should be no significant effect from the wind.
No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz will face off against No. 7 Novak Djokovic in the US Open men’s semifinal match.
Date: Friday, Sept. 5
Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Watch the 2025 US Open on Fubo (free trial)
Dates: Sunday, Aug. 24-Sunday, Sept. 7
Location: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York
TV: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes
Stream: Fubo
Angel Reese has been suspended by the Chicago Sky for the first half of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces.
She was suspended because of comments made during the second-year player’s league-mandated media session.
“This matter has been handled and resolved internally and we are moving forward as a team,” the organization said in a statement.
Reese shared her frustration with the team earlier this week, when telling the Chicago Tribune that she “might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me” if the team didn’t look to improve.
Reese has averaged 14.7 points and 12.6 rebounds in 30 games this season. The Sky are 10-30 overall ahead of their road game against the Indiana Fever on Friday.
The All-Star has already retracted her comments and apologized to the team.
Reese was drafted by Chicago in the first round with the seventh overall pick. She’s in her second year of a four-year deal worth $324,383.