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NHL trade grades: Who won blockbuster deal?

The Carolina Hurricanes are taking a big swing.

Carolina acquired two-time 40-goal scorer and Stanley Cup champion Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and former NHL MVP Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks in a blockbuster trade Friday night.

Colorado received Martin Necas and Jack Drury from Carolina in the deal, along with a second-round pick and fourth-round pick. Chicago gets a third-round pick, helping to facilitate the deal by retaining 50% of Rantanen’s salary.

Carolina Hurricanes trade grade

Grade: B+

For the Hurricanes, the move for Rantanen is all about raising the ceiling.

Rantanen, 28, has been one of the NHL’s most productive wingers in recent seasons, putting up back-to-back 40-goal, 100-point campaigns (including 55 goals in 2022-23) and helping the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent poised to see his average annual value increase from the $9.25 million he was already making.

In a perfect world, the Hurricanes and Rantanen will be able to come to an extension. The fact we don’t yet know if an extension is in place is the only thing really holding this deal back from being an A. Worst-case scenario: This is last year’s Jake Guentzel trade, on steroids.

Even if an extension doesn’t come, Rantanen is the kind of high-end difference-maker who could help Carolina finally break through. The Hurricanes have been knocking on the door for years but haven’t reached the Stanley Cup Final in 19 years, with two conference finals appearances and three second-round exits since 2019.

Hall, 33, isn’t the player he was when he won the MVP award in 2018, but he’s still a solid enough depth option and will likely put up more points playing for a significantly better team.

Colorado Avalanche trade grade

Grade: C+

This deal seems to indicate Rantanen and the Avalanche did not see a path forward. Colorado already has one of the league’s most expensive players in MVP Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million AAV) and it frankly will be a surprise if defenseman Cale Makar does not clear the $10 million a year mark when his contract expires after the 2026-27 season.

Losing a homegrown player like Rantanen always hurts, but for a competing Colorado team, landing Necas will help soften the blow. Necas, 26, is actually the Hurricanes’ leading scorer right now (55 points in 49 games) and has another year left on his contract at a great price ($6.5 million AAV).

Drury, 24, is a young depth option under team control. And it never hurts to add picks.

NHL insider Chris Johnston says there is ‘more to come in Colorado.’

Chicago Blackhawks trade grade

Grade: C

Not much to see here. One of the worst teams in the league ships out Hall and gets a pick to help make the deal happen. Thus is the life of a rebuilding team already thinking about the draft lottery.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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5 likely choices for who really ran the disastrous Biden White House

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

For years, conservative media, lawmakers and talking heads have been sounding the alarm about President Joe Biden’s cognitive free fall. And for years, left-wing media, lawmakers and their loyal mouthpieces waved it off with the same condescending dismissal — accusing us of lying, fear-mongering or worse. Some even went so far as to say they couldn’t keep up with Biden’s supposed brilliance and jam-packed schedule of what was mostly just one morning briefing and two mid-afternoon naps. 

Fast-forward to the post-presidency. Now that Biden has shuffled out of office, left-wing media seems to be waking up to the glaringly obvious. The New York Times of all places — yes, the same paper that acted as Biden’s PR firm — has revealed that he relied on teleprompters during intimate fundraisers in private homes. At events where he was supposed to come across as casual and personable, he needed scripted prompts. Donors weren’t exactly brimming with confidence. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson dropped a bombshell about a January 2024 meeting in which Biden was apparently stunned to learn he had signed an executive order halting liquefied natural gas exports just weeks earlier. He repeatedly denied even knowing about it. Johnson believed Biden didn’t know what he signed, leaving him with a terrifying question: ‘Who is running the country?’ 

Spoiler alert: It wasn’t Biden. And to answer Johnson’s question, there are at least five shadowy figures who might have been behind the wheel — or rather, letting the car roll downhill with no one on the brakes. 

1. Former President Barack Obama 

Remember when former President Barack Obama joked in a 2020 interview with Stephen Colbert that he’d love a third term where he could play puppet master while someone else carried out his orders? Well, guess what — he may as well have been describing the Biden presidency. 

The continuity of Obama-era policies under Biden is glaring. Biden’s radical economic and climate boondoggles — like Build Back Better and The Inflation Reduction Act — weren’t just echoes of Obama’s agenda; they were carbon copies, with Biden playing the role of a less convincing understudy. Biden’s own ‘Obamacare’ albatross was just as disastrous, except this time it was painted green, cost even more, and led to an inflation nightmare. 

And let’s not forget the Afghanistan withdrawal fiasco, which had Obama’s fingerprints all over it. The same architects of Obama-era failures were in charge, bungling timelines and ignoring warnings. Meanwhile, Biden seemed to be caught off guard at every turn, surprised by how the plan unfolded — because he probably wasn’t the one pulling the strings. Who were Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and CIA Director William Burns actually answering to? 

Obama wasn’t exactly subtle about staying in the picture. He was offering Biden advice, headlining White House events, and reportedly holding closed-door meetings with key officials. By 2023, when Biden’s mental decline became increasingly difficult to camouflage, Politico openly wondered, ‘Is Barack Obama Ready To Reassert Himself?’ He might have been asserting himself the entire time, or at least nudging the wheel while Biden tried to figure out where the car keys were. 

2. First Lady Jill Biden 

The first lady was Joe Biden’s handler, coach and babysitter. Jill Biden’s influence on Joe’s decision-making has been an open secret for years, starting with his decision to run for president in 2020, even though close advisers reportedly warned he didn’t have the stamina for a grueling campaign.  

When Joe Biden’s promise to be a one-term president came up, and Democrats began eyeing the door for their next candidate, it was Jill who convinced him to run for re-election — despite what she had to know about his obvious decline. Was this about his legacy, or was it just a desperate power grab? 

After Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, where he looked more confused than commanding, Jill delivered the kind of praise that would make North Korean propagandists blush: ‘You answered every question! You knew all the facts!’  

It was as believable as former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas telling us the border was secure while we watched videos showing illegal immigrants streaming across it. Mayorkas lied to protect an agenda; Jill lied to protect her husband’s image — and her own grip on influence. 

Remember the infamous photo of her sitting in the president’s chair on Air Force One while ‘prepping for the G7 Summit’? Or how she led a cabinet meeting last September? Since when does the first lady run cabinet meetings? Jill was stepping in when her husband was disengaged, disoriented or otherwise absent — a role that feels more like acting president than loving partner. 

3. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients 

Biden’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, often called a ‘fixer,’ quietly emerged as one of the most powerful figures in the administration. Zients’ influence was evident during the early stages of the pandemic, when he spearheaded the COVID-19 response team. Since then, his role has expanded, effectively making him the behind-the-scenes manager of the White House with a president who didn’t grasp what was really going on. 

Zients played a crucial part in shaping and managing the administration’s day-to-day agenda, including overseeing staffing decisions and ensuring execution of Biden’s initiatives. He recruited a third deputy chief of staff, Natalie Quillian, to implement the administration’s initiatives, but the move was internally controversial, ruffling feathers of those who saw her as Zients’ enforcer as the ‘bad cop.’   

Given Zients’ reputation as a detail-oriented manager with significant control over White House operations, it’s certainly plausible that he orchestrated the signing of the executive order halting liquefied natural gas exports, ensuring it aligned with his broader environmental or economic goals without requiring Biden’s deep engagement. 

4. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

His role as national security advisor positioned him as a key figure in the Biden administration, but given the president’s cognitive abilities, it may have been simply calling the shots. Too bad he wasn’t very successful. 

Sullivan was instrumental in orchestrating major policies, such as the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, where he managed the planning process. Sullivan was so involved that it caught the attention of Congressman Mike McCaul, who demanded Sullivan testify in front of a House committee. He also played a significant role in shaping the administration’s industrial strategy, promoting policies to protect U.S. manufacturing and counter China’s technological advancements. 

Given these substantial responsibilities and his central role in formulating and implementing policy, it’s plausible that Sullivan functioned as a de facto leader within the administration, especially given Biden’s capacity to govern.  

5. A purple-haired 24-year-old intern who moonlights as a TikTok influencer 

The radical shift in gender and race policies under the Biden administration screams of a progressive activist completely out of touch with mainstream America. 

Biden’s decision to let biological males compete in women’s sports — signed as an executive order on day one — showcases the extreme agenda of far-left influencers. Add to that the administration’s push for critical race theory training across federal agencies and its abandonment of meritocracy for race- and gender-conscious hiring.  

These policies feel like they were dreamed up by a 24-year-old progressive fresh out of college, fresh off a ‘gap year’ funded by their parents while they ‘roughed it’ in luxury hotels across Europe. 

Then there’s the White House’s reliance on TikTok and X influencers like Harry Sisson and Chris Mowrey. Watching influencers awkwardly dance while professing their love for an octogenarian president wasn’t just embarrassing — it was a window into who’s really shaping the administration’s messaging.  

The first lady was Joe Biden’s handler, coach and babysitter. Jill Biden’s influence on Joe’s decision-making has been an open secret for years, starting with his decision to run for president in 2020, even though close advisers reportedly warned he didn’t have the stamina for a grueling campaign.  

What kind of adult turns to TikTok twerps for serious promotion? Probably another TikTok twerp with access to Biden’s social media accounts. This cringe-worthy reliance on influencers reflects a radicalized youth presence in the White House, wielding outsized influence over both policy and messaging. 

The Rejects 

Could Vice President Kamala Harris really have been running the show? Unlikely. She treated her VP title the same way she handled her border czar role — loving the prestige while doing next to nothing. As for Hunter Biden, he may have had influence, but running a shadow presidency while hawking finger paintings for Oval Office access? That’s a full-time job all on its own. And actor George Clooney? Sure, he ended Biden’s presidency with one editorial, but let’s be real — would someone who wields that kind of influence give up power so easily? Doubt it. 

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Experts say first week of ‘Trump effect’ is derailing global climate movement’s ‘house of cards’

The global climate movement is already feeling the sting of the ‘Trump effect’ after green energy policies were a target of President Donald Trump’s first executive orders, according to energy experts who reacted to the president’s first week in office.

Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States Monday, signing numerous executive orders aimed at unraveling former President Joe Biden’s climate agenda.  

‘President Trump has not wasted any time to undo Biden’s many climate policies designed to make energy more expensive and less affordable. America and the world can look forward to a brighter future because of the actions that President Trump has started on his first day in office,’ Myron Ebell, chairman of the American Lands Council, said in a statement.

But Ebell added that ‘it’s going to be a long, hard fight because of ferocious opposition’ from climate groups.

This week, Trump signed an executive order to ax the U.S. climate standards, which aimed to reduce emissions 61-66% by 2035. 

Additionally, the president ended the electric vehicle (EV) mandate and withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement, a legally binding treaty among more than 190 parties committed to international cooperation on climate change.

‘President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Accords is a victory for American workers and families, rejecting policies that prioritize the Chinese Communist Party’s interests over our own,’ said Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute and a former Texas state representative.

‘The Paris framework does nothing to mitigate a changing climate but drives up energy costs and burdens Americans with decarbonization mandates rooted in the climate hoax. By making American energy more affordable and accessible, President Trump is benefiting not only our nation but the world.’

Marc Morano, publisher of Climate Depot, a communication platform for climate issues designed by the Committee For a Constructive Tomorrow, a D.C.-based public policy group, said that Trump’s second term ‘could become one of our lifetimes’ most consequential presidencies.’

‘Trump is poised to, once and for all, put a stake through the heart of the U.N. globalist climate change scam,’ Morano said in a statement shared with Fox. ‘The Trump effect is already derailing the U.N. climate summits, canceling EV mandates, disintegrating the Wall Street climate group and Net Zero goals. Trump’s policies could have the effect of collapsing the entire climate house of cards.’

Trump’s executive orders were not accepted by many Democratic lawmakers and climate groups, who criticized the president’s executive orders. 

‘It’s the second day of the second Trump presidency, and there are three things we know for sure: there is no energy emergency; there is a climate emergency; and the policies rolled out in these past 24 hours will make the climate crisis worse,’ said Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress plan on going even deeper on reversing green energy policies enacted over the past four years. Republicans in the House have already introduced legislation to block Biden’s climate standards on household appliances.

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Hamas releases 4 female hostages as part of Israel ceasefire deal

The terrorist group Hamas released four additional hostages from Gaza on Saturday after a ceasefire deal with Israel took effect nearly a week ago.

Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag — all of whom are members of the Israeli Defense Forces —were freed on Saturday in the second round of hostage releases.

In exchange, Israel was expected to free 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees, including 120 militants serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.

The first round of hostage releases on Sunday freed Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, and Doron Steinbrecher.

Video from Palestine Square in Gaza shows the four newly released women hostages being taken from the cars. They are alive and walking, wearing uniforms.

‘The Red Cross has communicated that four Israeli hostages were transferred to them and are on their way toward IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip,’ the IDF and Israeli Securities Authority said in a joint statement.

The four female soldiers were believed to have been, at least at one time, held all together.

Under the ceasefire deal, a total of 33 hostages are to be set free over the course of six weeks, including those already released, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.

This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war that began more than a year ago.

The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

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‘Just evil’: Top Republican details Russia’s ‘horrific’ mass abductions of Ukrainian children

More than 200,000 children have been abducted by Russia since the start of its invasion of Ukraine, Chairman Emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said, citing U.S. estimates.

‘If a foreign adversary took 260,000 of our kids, and they were in indoctrination camps, I mean, how would we feel about that?’ McCaul asked Fox News Digital.

The Texas Republican was recently term-limited in his time as chairman of the foreign affairs panel, but he is continuing to work on the world stage, in part by raising awareness about Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine. Among the most egregious is the relocation of thousands of Ukrainian children into Russia, the vast majority of whom have not been returned.

Some parents would be coerced into giving up their children because Russian forces were threatening to bomb their city, McCaul said, while other times ‘they just invade and capture the children.’

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in February 2023 for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, ‘for the war crime of unlawful deportation of [children] and that of unlawful transfer of [children] from occupied areas of Ukraine.’

Lvova-Belova was sanctioned last year by the U.S. over her part in the scheme, which has been widely condemned by western governments.

However, the Kremlin has denied war crime allegations and maintained it is doing humanitarian work facilitating homes for Ukrainian children, NPR reported.

Existing accounts from returned children and elsewhere paint a picture of forced indoctrination within Russia’s borders, however. Some of those children are given military training, according to the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, likely in preparation to fight on Russia’s front lines.

Estimates on how many children have been taken to Russia vary between 20,000 to upwards of 250,000.

Part of McCaul’s work raising awareness about Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian children will include a screening of a documentary titled, ‘Children in the Fire: Ukraine’s War Through the Children’s Eyes’ by filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky, at the Munich Security Conference next month.

He has also worked with the nonprofit Save Ukraine, which is working to return children.

‘In the documentary, the child’s brought into this prison where it looks like adults are being— basically they’re using electrodes to shock them, you know, under their fingernails and their genitals, and it’s just very, very barbaric,’ McCaul said.

He also held a hearing last year on the issue while leading the foreign affairs committee.

McCaul said Russia’s abduction of children is among the most vile of its alleged violations of the Geneva Conventions. He compared it to infamous Nazi physician Josef Mengele’s experiments on Jewish children and adults.

‘It’s just evil. I mean, any civilization that would capture— I mean, it’s one thing if you’re on the battlefield killing the enemy, from their point of view,’ McCaul said. ‘But to capture the children to re-indoctrinate them is sort of reminiscent of, you know, Mengele’s experiments on kids…And I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this in recent society.’

The House passed a resolution last year condemning Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children in a bipartisan 390 to 9 vote.

‘It’s just horrific. I can’t imagine, as a father, my children being, you know, taken away by the Russian Federation and then not knowing where they are or what’s happening to them,’ McCaul said. ‘But this is all part of Putin’s game, is to try to indoctrinate the children in Ukraine to go against their own country and belief system.’

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‘Flooding the zone’: Trump hits warp speed in first week back in office

President Donald Trump is back in the White House and moving at warp speed to push through his long-awaited agenda with dozens of executive orders, surveying damaged areas in North Carolina and California, and rallying behind his Cabinet nominees to get confirmed.

In his inauguration address on Monday, the new president vowed that things across the country would ‘change starting today, and it will change very quickly.’ And moments later, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich took to social media to tease, ‘Now, comes SHOCK AND AWE.’

Trump signed an avalanche of executive orders and actions in his first eight hours in office, which not only fulfilled major campaign trail promises, but also allowed the returning president to flex his executive muscles as well as settle some longstanding grievances.

The president immediately cracked down on immigration; moved towards a trade war with top allies and adversaries; and reversed many policies implemented by former President Joe Biden, including scrapping much of the previous administration’s federal diversity actions and energy and climate provisions.

He also sparked a major controversy by pardoning or commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 supporters who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to upend congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory. Among those whose sentences were commuted included some who violently assaulted police officers on one of America’s darkest days.

Trump also fired some top government officials; made a high-profile, half-trillion dollar tech investment announcement; held unscripted and wide-ranging, informal and impromptu news conferences during his first two days back at the White House; and even renamed the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America.’

The frenetic pace kept up throughout the week, with more executive orders signed and actions taken by Trump and his new administration during the first 100 hours in office.

Amid the fast-paced environment of the first week of the Trump White House, Senate Republicans and the president’s allies are rallying behind his Cabinet nominees and pushing them to get confirmed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Radcliffe were confirmed by the Senate earlier this week, and several other nominees are expected to be confirmed between the weekend and next week. 

On Friday, the president took to the skies, flying to hurricane-ravaged western North Carolina and then on to Los Angeles, where horrific wildfires this month have left a wide path of destruction.

‘I think it’s brilliant how they’ve been handling it, to immediately meet the moment with action. It’s exactly what he needs to do and it’s exactly what the people voted for,’ veteran Republican strategist Kristin Davison told Fox News.

‘Americans vote for decisive, fast action, and true leadership. And Trump understands that more than anyone. I think he and his team knew how important it was out of the gate to show that they heard what the people wanted and are answering with leadership,’ she argued.

Longtime Republican consultant Alex Castellanos agreed.

‘He’s flooding the zone. He’s making a case for action. He’s demonstrating action. He is rallying a wave of American support for a massive transformation of government,’ Castellanos, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, told Fox News. 

Seasoned Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo didn’t dispute Trump’s frenetic actions.

‘The pace of this shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. Trump made it abundantly clear he was going to act quickly, he was going to act boldly, and he was going to do exactly what he told voters he would do,’ he said.

But Caiazzo argued that ‘the things he is doing is going to directly negatively impact working families from coast to coast. It’s also a signal he has no respect for the rule of law.’ 

Asked if Trump’s actions were what Americans voted for this past autumn, Caiazzo replied, ‘Of course not. What Americans voted for was cheaper groceries. What Donald Trump is going to give us is a litany of policies that work to deteriorate our institutions, that work to enrich the wealthy and solidify his standing among the oligarchy in this country.’

There’s another reason for Trump’s fast pace — even though he’s the new president, he’s also a term-limited and lame-duck president. And by Labor Day, much of the political world will start looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections.

‘This is his second term. He’s got to move quickly,’ Davison emphasized.

Trump’s show of force in the opening days of his second administration is also in contrast to eight years ago, when he first entered the White House.

The president and his team are much more seasoned the second time around, and the supporting cast is intensely loyal to Trump.

‘In the past administration, there would be logjams and bottlenecks because there were people who didn’t agree with him,’ a senior White House source told Fox News. ‘Now we have a whole infrastructure and staff that’s built around him, in support of him. When he says something, it’s getting done. It’s testament to him and the team that he built.’

Credit is also being given to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who, as co-campaign manager of Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, kept the trains on the tracks.

‘What Susie has done is look at the totality of Trump and found the best players and put them in the best positions to support the president. Trump is surrounded by Trump people who’ve all proven themselves over the years not just to be loyal but ultra-competent operators,’ added an adviser, who asked for anonymity to speak more freely.

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Unrivaled recap: Griner shines despite hip pointer; Thomas hurts knee

MEDLEY, Fla. — Unrivaled’s second weekend began Friday with two standouts dealing with injuries that raise concerns for the new women’s basketball league moving forward.

While Brittney Griner was able to play through a hip pointer to score the game-winning basket for the Phantom in the first game Friday, Laces standout Alyssa Thomas left the second game in the fourth quarter after suffering a right knee injury.

Thomas, of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, writhed in pain while clutching her knee, before she walked off the court with the help of a trainer. She will be re-evaluated Saturday morning, the league announced after the game.

Still, the Laces (3-0) were motivated to pull out an 83-79 victory over the Vinyl (2-1) for their injured teammate.

“You really just want to win for her,” Laces guard Kate Martin, of the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, said of Thomas. “I’ve seen people call her ‘the engine.’ When your engine goes down, you have to find ways to pick up the missing piece there.”

Thomas had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Laces, while Kayla McBride scored the game-winning layup and finished with 22 points. Tiffany Hayes led the Laces with 26 points in the win.

“Our captain went down, and we had to get the win for her,” Hayes said after the game.

Griner may have caused some concern when she left the Unrivaled court several times during Friday’s first game. But she left no doubt with her final basket of the night. She scored 29 points to help the Phantom secure their first Unrivaled win of the season, 74-69 over the Mist.

Satou Sabally also scored 29 points, while Nastasha Cloud added nine assists as the Phantom played without star Sabrina Ionescu, who participated in promotional activities for the NBA Paris Games this week.

Phantom coach Adam Harrington is hopeful Griner can play in the Phantom’s second game of the weekend Saturday against the undefeated Lunar Owls (2-0).

“It took all of us,” Griner said after the win.

She was 14 of 18 from the field with nine rebounds. She also scored eight points in the final quarter.

While the Phantom improved to 1-2, the Mist fell to 0-3 despite Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart scoring 10 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter with 11 rebounds. Rickea Jackson also scored 24 points for the Mist in the loss.

Dearica Hamby led the Vinyl with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Rhyne Howard and Arike Ogunbowale each scored 16 points in the club’s first loss of the season.

Unrivaled’s second weekend continues Saturday when Angel Reese and the Rose face the Mist at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the Lunar Owls vs. Phantom at 7 p.m. ET (both on TruTV).

The weekend ends Monday when the Vinyl meets the Lunar Owls at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Rose vs. Laces at 8:30 p.m. ET (both on TNT).

Unrivaled highlights: Phantom vs. Mist

Unrivaled highlights: Laces vs. Vinyl

Unrivaled final score: Laces 83, Vinyl 79

Kayla McBride scored the game-winning layup, helping the Laces (3-0) stay undefeated with an 83-79 win over the Vinyl (2-1) in the second game.

McBride finished with 22 points, while Tiffany Hayes led the Laces with 26 points. Alyssa Thomas added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Laces, but left the game in the fourth quarter after a right knee injury.

“Our captain went down, and we had to get the win for her,” Hayes said after the game.

Vinyl standout Rhyne Howard collided into Thomas while contesting for a rebound. Thomas was able to walk on her own back to the locker room.

Dearica Hamby led the Vinyl with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Howard and Arike Ogunbowale each scored 16 points for the Vinyl in the club’s first loss of the season.

Unrivaled score: Laces 71, Vinyl 60 after third quarter

Target winning score: 82

Tiffany Hayes has 24 points, Kayla McBride has 16 points, and Alyssa Thomas has 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Laces, who lead 71-60 after the third quarter.

Both teams must reach the target winning score of 82 points to secure victory.

Dearica Hamby has 16 points and seven rebounds, while Rhyne Howard has 13 points for the Vinyl.

Unrivaled halftime score: Laces 45, Vinyl 40 after second quarter

Tiffany Hayes is 4 of 5 from 3-point range with 16 points, Kayla McBride has 11 points, and the Laces lead 45-40 at halftime.

Dearica Hamby has 12 points, while Rhyne Howard has 10 points for the Vinyl, who trailed by as many as 14 points in the second quarter.

Unrivaled score: Laces 24, Vinyl 20 after first quarter

Kayla McBride has 11 points and the Laces have a 24-20 lead in the first quarter against the Vinyl.

Rhyne Howard has seven points, while Dearica Hamby has six points for the Vinyl.

Unrivaled final score: Phantom 74, Mist 69

Brittney Griner and Satou Sabally each scored 29 points, and Natasha Cloud added nine assists as the Phantom won its first Unrivaled game of the season in a 74-69 win over the Mist on Friday night.

Griner scored eight points, including the game-winning shot, in the final quarter. The Phantom played without star Sabrina Ionescu, who participated in promotional activities for the NBA Paris Games this week.

“It took all of us,” said Griner, who was 14 of 18 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds in the win.

Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart scored 10 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 11 rebounds, but the Mist fell to 0-3.

Rickea Jackson also scored 24 points for the Mist in the loss.

Unrivaled score: Phantom 62, Mist 57 after third quarter

Target winning score: 73

Satou Sabally is up to 27 points, and the Phantom has gotten out in front of the Mist 62-57 heading into the fourth quarter. The first team to reach 73 points will win.

Unrivaled halftime score: Mist 41, Phantom 36 after second quarter

Rickea Jackson has 18 points, and Breanna Stewart has 13 points and seven rebounds as the Mist lead the Phantom 41-36 at halftime.

Satou Sabally also has 18 points, while Brittney Griner has 14 points for the Phantom.

Both clubs – vying for their first Unrivaled win of the season – were 14 of 32 from the field in the first half.

Unrivaled score: Mist 24, Phantom 20 after first quarter

Rickea Jackson has 11 points, and Breanna Stewart has nine points and three rebounds for the Mist, who got off to a fast start with a 13-3 run to start the game.

Satou Sabally has 10 points, while Brittney Griner has eight points for the Phantom, who responded with a 17-11 run after the first timeout.

How to watch Unrivaled on Friday night

Unrivaled is available on cable television on TNT in the United States, and TSN+ in Canada. It is also available to live stream on Max, YouTube and Sling TV.

Sabrina Ionescu not playing Unrivaled games in Week 2

WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu won’t be available for Phantom, after participating in promotional activities during NBA Paris Games this week.

Phantom (0-2) vs. Mist (0-2) preview

The Phantom and Mist were each winless after their first Unrivaled weekend.

Satou Sabally is the second-leading scorer for Phantom (11.5 points per game) behind Ionescu (16.0). Phantom fell 86-48 to the Laces, then 84-69 to Vinyl last week.

Stewart is the league’s leading rebounder at 13.5 rebounds per game for Mist, which lost 84-80 to the Lunar Owls, then 63-43 to the Laces.

Along with Phantom and Mist, Rose is the other Unrivaled team with a 0-2 record after the first weekend.

Laces (2-0) vs. Vinyl (2-0) preview

McBride is second in Unrivaled with 24.5 points per game for the Laces, who beat Phantom and Mist last week.

Howard scored 33 points in Vinyl’s opener, the highest point total for an Unrivaled player last week. She’s third in the league, averaging 23.5 points. The Vinyl beat Rose 79-73 before beating Phantom last week.

Along with the Laces and Vinyl, the Lunar Owls (2-0) are the only other undefeated team in Unrivaled.

Unrivaled Week 2 games on Saturday and Monday

On Saturday, Mist will face Rose at 6 p.m. followed by Lunar Owls against Phantom at 7 p.m. on TruTV.

On Monday, Vinyl will meet the Lunar Owls at 7:30 p.m., followed by Rose and Laces at 8:30 p.m. on TNT.

What is Unrivaled?

Six teams with 36 of the best women’s basketball players in the world, including Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner, will compete in 3-on-3, full court games for the next nine weeks.

Where are Unrivaled games played?

Games will be played at Wayfair Arena in Medley, Fla., which is in the Miami metropolitan area, about 7 miles from Miami International Airport.

Unrivaled team names and rosters

Laces: Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes, Kate Martin, Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young.
Lunar Owls: Shakira Austin, Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams, Cameron Brink (IR).
Mist: DiJonai Carrington, Aaliyah Edwards, Rickea Jackson, Jewell Loyd, NaLyssa Smith (relief player contract), Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot.
Phantom: Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner, Natisha Hiedeman (relief player contract), Sabrina Ionescu, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Katie Lou Samuelson.
Rose: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Lexie Hull, Angel Reese, Azura Stevens, Brittney Sykes.
Vinyl: Aliyah Boston, Rae Burrell, Jordin Canada, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, Arike Ogunbowale.

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High school player scores 102 points. The world has lost its mind

INDIANAPOLIS − What you should know about The Waverly School in Pasadena, California: They’re proud of their sports there. Yes, we’re proud of our sports here, and this story has echoes that crash from southern California to Indiana, ugly echoes, sounds like thunder rumbling and adults jeering and lightning crashing and kids crying.

We’ll get to Crispus Attucks vs. Washington, and to South Bend Washington vs. Gary Lighthouse.

But first, what you should know about Waverly: Their middle school soccer team went undefeated in 2019. It’s a big deal — imagine being those kids! — which is why it’s one of a handful of highlights mentioned on the school’s website, on the page devoted to the sports programs there. Also, the middle school boys flag football team went to the playoffs in 2018.

No, this is not your typical school. At Waverly, a private school so small its Class of 2024 graduation ceremony was held in somebody’s backyard, kids can meet their P.E. requirement by playing a team sport. Kids have other graduation requirements, too, most beautifully this one:

“High school students are required to participate in a total of 60 hours of community service prior to graduation.”

That’s straight from the Waverly website. So is the first sentence under the school’s mission statement:

“Rela­tion­ships are para­mount at Waverly, defined by trust, under­stand­ing, and mutual respect.”

Why are you reading about The Waverly School, located in Pasadena? Because of the echoes. Because of what happened earlier this month when the Attucks girls basketball team beat Washington 115-5 — nope, not a misprint — and because of what happened in November when the South Bend Washington girls basketball team beat Gary Lighthouse 100-0.

Nick Khatchikian set a CIF record with 102 points. His twin, Dylan Khatchikian, set a CIF record with 35 assists. Dylan, and this is not me calling him the unselfish twin, had a triple-double without scoring a point: 35 assists, 15 rebounds, 13 steals.

Mesrobian was leading 79-0 at halftime. Nick Khatchikian had all 79 points.

The brothers played most of the third quarter, then posed for pictures afterward. Nick’s holding a piece of paper with “102” on it, an echo — there’s that word again — to Philadelphia Warriors star Wilt Chamberlain’s famous pictorial celebration after he scored 100 points against the Knicks in 1962. Dylan’s holding a piece of paper with “35 ast” on it.

Chamberlain scored 100 points against pros who had won 27 games that season.

The Khatchikian brothers did their thing against kids from The Waverly School, which has lost all nine games — scores include 71-9, 79-13 and 65-14 — with a roster featuring four sophomores and two freshmen, all fulfilling their P.E. requirements, all competing for a program with a “focus on maxi­miz­ing the partic­i­pa­tion of all team members. Success is measured in terms of personal devel­op­ment and the team’s overall progress.”

Success looks different to other folks.

LeBron James, ESPN think it’s great

We are not immune to this in Indiana. We are not immune to this anywhere, perhaps, or at any level. Ever heard of Grinnell College? That’s an NCAA Division III school in Grinnell, Iowa, that for years under coach David Arseneault would schedule one game a year against an even smaller school — not an NAIA or junior college team; think smaller — and use that competition to paint a masterpiece:

∎ 138 points for Jack Taylor in 2012 against Faith Baptist College, a National Christian College Athletic Association team.

∎ 37 assists for Patrick Maher against College of Faith, an online ministry school, in 2014.

Every time it happened, the media — social and otherwise — would go gaga: Hey, isn’t this cool! Check what the kid from Grinnell did. Sick!

Oh it would be nice right now to say: But times have changed…

But they haven’t.

On ESPN, the late-night SportsCenter from L.A. devoted most of its final minute to “a special evening for the Khatchikian family,” complete with pictures of the brothers holding their pieces of paper. On Twitter, sites like BallIsLife were saying things like “THIS IS INSANE” to its 1.6 million followers, and on Instagram, ESPN’s SportsCenter page — with the picture of the brothers holding their paper — was greeted by the following comment:

“I wanna see the game film!”

That was from LeBron James.

The world has lost its mind, and again, it’s not just them. It’s us, too.

It was Attucks on Jan. 11, playing a Washington team coming off a 64-9 loss to Purdue Poly Englewood earlier in the week, using a trap defense and high-tempo offense to build leads of 38-2 after one quarter and 73-3 at halftime — and using the same trap, same tempo, deep into the fourth quarter of this 115-5 disaster. Attucks star Kamrah Banks, a high-Division I prospect and the daughter of coach Kamaren Banks, took nearly every shot in the first half and scored a school-record 63 points.

And it was South Bend Washington, a Class 4A powerhouse, scheduling Class 2A Gary Lighthouse on Nov. 16. Last season Lighthouse played nine games, lost all nine, and scored 80 points all season. South Bend Washington had more than that (86) after three quarters. Washington coach Steven Reynolds told the South Bend Tribune, “When I tell you we could’ve scored 300 points — we could have,” and added: “We did show mercy.”

Crispus Attucks, South Bend Washington no better

The weak people among us — folks like Steven Reynolds — tend to fight back with some form of the following:

What do you want us (Mesrobian, Attucks, South Bend Washington) to do?

Because it’s unavoidable, see. Mesrobian, South Bend Washington and Attucks are good. Waverly, Gary Lighthouse and Indianapolis Washington are not. What do you want the good teams to do?

Not that.

Not copying the Grinnell model and, for whatever reason, scheduling an opponent that clearly can’t compete. SBW was an IHSAA Class 3A state champion in 2022 and 4A region champ in ’23. What’s it doing scheduling a team like Class 2A Lighthouse, which had lost its last 28 games?

“We reached out to everybody,” Reynolds told the South Bend Tribine, “(to) any 4A school in the area that we could possibly play, and nobody wanted to play us. And I have to fill a schedule.”

No you don’t, see. Play one less game. Would that hurt your kids more than a 100-0 loss will hurt the girls at Lighthouse?

As for Mesrobian, they pulled back with about a minute left in the third quarter. By then the Khatchikian brothers had set their records by bastardizing the game. The box score shows Nick, who had the ball in his hands enough to score 102 points, had zero assists. Dylan had 35 assists and took zero shots. The coach at Mesrobian, Mike Gabriel, told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune his team discussed the CIF individual scoring record at halftime — Nick Khatchikian had 79 points, remember, and Mesrobian led 79-0 — and “we decided as a team to let him go for it.

“Everyone was on board,” he added.

In the other locker room, preparing to come out for the second half, were the kids at Waverly. That’s a school that counts among its finest athletic achievements the time in 2017 when “the middle school started a coed tennis team.”

That feat is a few sentences beneath the following sentence:

“We believe that partic­i­pa­tion in sports can contribute signif­i­cantly to the phys­i­cal, social, and emotional well-being of our students.”

Depends, really.

Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel onThreads, or onBlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at www.facebook.com/greggdoyelstar.

More: Join the text conversation with sports columnist Gregg Doyel for insights, reader questions and Doyel’s peeks behind the curtain.

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Unrivaled recap: Griner shines despite hip pointer; Thomas hurts knee

MEDLEY, Fla. — Unrivaled’s second weekend began Friday with two standouts dealing with injuries that raise concerns for the new women’s basketball league moving forward.

While Brittney Griner was able to play through a hip pointer to score the game-winning basket for the Phantom in the first game Friday, Laces standout Alyssa Thomas left the second game in the fourth quarter after suffering a right knee injury.

Thomas, of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, writhed in pain while clutching her knee, before she walked off the court with the help of a trainer. She will be re-evaluated Saturday morning, the league announced after the game.

Still, the Laces (3-0) were motivated to pull out an 83-79 victory over the Vinyl (2-1) for their injured teammate.

“You really just want to win for her,” Laces guard Kate Martin, of the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, said of Thomas. “I’ve seen people call her ‘the engine.’ When your engine goes down, you have to find ways to pick up the missing piece there.”

Thomas had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Laces, while Kayla McBride scored the game-winning layup and finished with 22 points. Tiffany Hayes led the Laces with 26 points in the win.

“Our captain went down, and we had to get the win for her,” Hayes said after the game.

Griner may have caused some concern when she left the Unrivaled court several times during Friday’s first game. But she left no doubt with her final basket of the night. She scored 29 points to help the Phantom secure their first Unrivaled win of the season, 74-69 over the Mist.

Satou Sabally also scored 29 points, while Nastasha Cloud added nine assists as the Phantom played without star Sabrina Ionescu, who participated in promotional activities for the NBA Paris Games this week.

Phantom coach Adam Harrington is hopeful Griner can play in the Phantom’s second game of the weekend Saturday against the undefeated Lunar Owls (2-0).

“It took all of us,” Griner said after the win.

She was 14 of 18 from the field with nine rebounds. She also scored eight points in the final quarter.

While the Phantom improved to 1-2, the Mist fell to 0-3 despite Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart scoring 10 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter with 11 rebounds. Rickea Jackson also scored 24 points for the Mist in the loss.

Dearica Hamby led the Vinyl with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Rhyne Howard and Arike Ogunbowale each scored 16 points in the club’s first loss of the season.

Unrivaled’s second weekend continues Saturday when Angel Reese and the Rose face the Mist at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the Lunar Owls vs. Phantom at 7 p.m. ET (both on TruTV).

The weekend ends Monday when the Vinyl meets the Lunar Owls at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Rose vs. Laces at 8:30 p.m. ET (both on TNT).

Unrivaled highlights: Phantom vs. Mist

Unrivaled highlights: Laces vs. Vinyl

Unrivaled final score: Laces 83, Vinyl 79

Kayla McBride scored the game-winning layup, helping the Laces (3-0) stay undefeated with an 83-79 win over the Vinyl (2-1) in the second game.

McBride finished with 22 points, while Tiffany Hayes led the Laces with 26 points. Alyssa Thomas added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Laces, but left the game in the fourth quarter after a right knee injury.

“Our captain went down, and we had to get the win for her,” Hayes said after the game.

Vinyl standout Rhyne Howard collided into Thomas while contesting for a rebound. Thomas was able to walk on her own back to the locker room.

Dearica Hamby led the Vinyl with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Howard and Arike Ogunbowale each scored 16 points for the Vinyl in the club’s first loss of the season.

Unrivaled score: Laces 71, Vinyl 60 after third quarter

Target winning score: 82

Tiffany Hayes has 24 points, Kayla McBride has 16 points, and Alyssa Thomas has 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Laces, who lead 71-60 after the third quarter.

Both teams must reach the target winning score of 82 points to secure victory.

Dearica Hamby has 16 points and seven rebounds, while Rhyne Howard has 13 points for the Vinyl.

Unrivaled halftime score: Laces 45, Vinyl 40 after second quarter

Tiffany Hayes is 4 of 5 from 3-point range with 16 points, Kayla McBride has 11 points, and the Laces lead 45-40 at halftime.

Dearica Hamby has 12 points, while Rhyne Howard has 10 points for the Vinyl, who trailed by as many as 14 points in the second quarter.

Unrivaled score: Laces 24, Vinyl 20 after first quarter

Kayla McBride has 11 points and the Laces have a 24-20 lead in the first quarter against the Vinyl.

Rhyne Howard has seven points, while Dearica Hamby has six points for the Vinyl.

Unrivaled final score: Phantom 74, Mist 69

Brittney Griner and Satou Sabally each scored 29 points, and Natasha Cloud added nine assists as the Phantom won its first Unrivaled game of the season in a 74-69 win over the Mist on Friday night.

Griner scored eight points, including the game-winning shot, in the final quarter. The Phantom played without star Sabrina Ionescu, who participated in promotional activities for the NBA Paris Games this week.

“It took all of us,” said Griner, who was 14 of 18 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds in the win.

Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart scored 10 of her 27 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 11 rebounds, but the Mist fell to 0-3.

Rickea Jackson also scored 24 points for the Mist in the loss.

Unrivaled score: Phantom 62, Mist 57 after third quarter

Target winning score: 73

Satou Sabally is up to 27 points, and the Phantom has gotten out in front of the Mist 62-57 heading into the fourth quarter. The first team to reach 73 points will win.

Unrivaled halftime score: Mist 41, Phantom 36 after second quarter

Rickea Jackson has 18 points, and Breanna Stewart has 13 points and seven rebounds as the Mist lead the Phantom 41-36 at halftime.

Satou Sabally also has 18 points, while Brittney Griner has 14 points for the Phantom.

Both clubs – vying for their first Unrivaled win of the season – were 14 of 32 from the field in the first half.

Unrivaled score: Mist 24, Phantom 20 after first quarter

Rickea Jackson has 11 points, and Breanna Stewart has nine points and three rebounds for the Mist, who got off to a fast start with a 13-3 run to start the game.

Satou Sabally has 10 points, while Brittney Griner has eight points for the Phantom, who responded with a 17-11 run after the first timeout.

How to watch Unrivaled on Friday night

Unrivaled is available on cable television on TNT in the United States, and TSN+ in Canada. It is also available to live stream on Max, YouTube and Sling TV.

Sabrina Ionescu not playing Unrivaled games in Week 2

WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu won’t be available for Phantom, after participating in promotional activities during NBA Paris Games this week.

Phantom (0-2) vs. Mist (0-2) preview

The Phantom and Mist were each winless after their first Unrivaled weekend.

Satou Sabally is the second-leading scorer for Phantom (11.5 points per game) behind Ionescu (16.0). Phantom fell 86-48 to the Laces, then 84-69 to Vinyl last week.

Stewart is the league’s leading rebounder at 13.5 rebounds per game for Mist, which lost 84-80 to the Lunar Owls, then 63-43 to the Laces.

Along with Phantom and Mist, Rose is the other Unrivaled team with a 0-2 record after the first weekend.

Laces (2-0) vs. Vinyl (2-0) preview

McBride is second in Unrivaled with 24.5 points per game for the Laces, who beat Phantom and Mist last week.

Howard scored 33 points in Vinyl’s opener, the highest point total for an Unrivaled player last week. She’s third in the league, averaging 23.5 points. The Vinyl beat Rose 79-73 before beating Phantom last week.

Along with the Laces and Vinyl, the Lunar Owls (2-0) are the only other undefeated team in Unrivaled.

Unrivaled Week 2 games on Saturday and Monday

On Saturday, Mist will face Rose at 6 p.m. followed by Lunar Owls against Phantom at 7 p.m. on TruTV.

On Monday, Vinyl will meet the Lunar Owls at 7:30 p.m., followed by Rose and Laces at 8:30 p.m. on TNT.

What is Unrivaled?

Six teams with 36 of the best women’s basketball players in the world, including Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner, will compete in 3-on-3, full court games for the next nine weeks.

Where are Unrivaled games played?

Games will be played at Wayfair Arena in Medley, Fla., which is in the Miami metropolitan area, about 7 miles from Miami International Airport.

Unrivaled team names and rosters

Laces: Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes, Kate Martin, Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young.
Lunar Owls: Shakira Austin, Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams, Cameron Brink (IR).
Mist: DiJonai Carrington, Aaliyah Edwards, Rickea Jackson, Jewell Loyd, NaLyssa Smith (relief player contract), Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot.
Phantom: Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner, Natisha Hiedeman (relief player contract), Sabrina Ionescu, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Katie Lou Samuelson.
Rose: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Lexie Hull, Angel Reese, Azura Stevens, Brittney Sykes.
Vinyl: Aliyah Boston, Rae Burrell, Jordin Canada, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, Arike Ogunbowale.

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Best Kobe Bryant quotes, highlights: Remembering the Lakers legend

Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Kobe Bryant and eight other people, including his daughter.

The Los Angeles Lakers organization and the basketball world have continued to honor Bryant’s legacy — for what he did for the game and the city of Los Angeles.

“I respected him as a person and he was an amazing basketball player,” Lakers rookie Bronny James said. “It’s going to be a special day for everyone in the Lakers community and all around the world.”

The murals around the city, the Nos. 8 and 24 jerseys hanging up in the rafters, the two statues sitting out front of Crypto.com Arena — they all help serve as reminders of his impact.

Kobe Bryant’s best quotes

Bryant was known for his work ethic and commitment to his craft throughout his career. He often began training sessions early in the morning, already completing the first in a series of workouts throughout the day before his teammates and opponents were just waking up.

All things Lakers: Latest Los Angeles Lakers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

“I knew that I was not going to be stopped,” he said in his documentary ‘Kobe Bryant’s Muse.’ ‘At the age of 18, this was my life, so you can’t possibly become better than me, because you’re not spending the time on it that I do. Even if you want to spend the time on it, you can’t, because you have other things. You have other responsibilities taking you away from it. So, I already won.”

Throughout his 20 years with the Lakers, Bryant experienced several highs and lows while in the public eye. Bryant and the Lakers finished .500 or better in 15 different seasons but went just 17-65 (.207) during his final season. The Hall of Famer won five NBA championships and was recognized on the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

“Doubt is such a strange thing, there’ll be times where you succeed and there are times that you fail, so wasting your time doubting whether you’re gonna be successful or not is pointless,” Bryant said while talking about insecurities and self-doubt as a guest at the Milken Institute. “You just put one foot in front of the other and you control what you can control and then you see what the outcome is. If you win, great, you’re going to have to wake up the next day and do the journey over again. If you lose, it sucks, but you’re gonna have to wake up the next day and do the journey all over again anyway.”

Bryant’s impact was felt earlier this month in the debut of Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league. Aaliyah Edwards of the Mist wore purple and yellow braids in honor of Bryant. Her teammate, Jewell Loyd, is referred to as the Gold Mamba, a nickname Bryant gave her.

Bryant also continues to have an impact on the current generation of NBA players, with the likes of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum calling Bryant his all-time favorite player.

Following his retirement, Bryant found ways to give to the next generation of athletes in as many ways as possible and helped oversee the Mamba Academy.

Several athletes have referenced the “Mamba mentality” in interviews, referring to the phrase Bryant coined about his mindset and approach.

“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most,” Bryant said in an interview with Amazon Book Review. “It’s the ultimate mantra for the competitive spirit. It started just as a hashtag that came to me one day, and it’s grown into something athletes — and even non-athletes — embrace as a mindset. Hard work outweighs talent — every time. 

“Mamba mentality is about 4 a.m. workouts, doing more than the next guy and then trusting in the work you’ve put in when it’s time to perform. Without studying, preparation and practice, you’re leaving the outcome to fate. I don’t do fate.”

His most famous quote might be his simplest: ‘Job’s not finished.’

Kobe Bryant highlights

Bryant has no shortage of highlights — owing to his brilliance and the number of big games he played in.

Bryant’s most notable single-game performance was his 81-point game in a 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006.

‘It was an honor to be a bug on the windshield as he had his all-time scoring affair,” Jalen Rose said on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ said around the 15th anniversary of that game. “The second-highest scoring game in the history of the NBA. … It hits different because I used to be able to text him about this.”

Bryant made 28 of his 46 shot attempts and went 7-for-13 from the 3-point line. He also made 18 of his 20 free throw attempts.

It was the second-highest scoring performance in a single game, behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point performance in 1962.

Bryant also scored 65 points in a single game against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007 and 62 points in three quarters of play against the Dallas Mavericks in 2005, but his 61-point effort against the New York Knicks in 2009 might be his other most notable scoring game; he set a Madison Square Garden record for most points in a single game in that contest, a record eventually surpassed by Knicks star Carmelo Anthony (by one point).

Bryant battled through injuries while on the court, including tearing his Achilles while driving to the basket against the Golden State Warriors in 2013. He was able to get up and walk over to make a pair of free throws before leaving the game.

‘I’ve never seen anyone to this day tear their Achilles and walk off the basketball court,’ Lakers legend Bryon Scott said on his ‘Fast Break’ podcast. ‘I’ve seen a whole lot of them tear and get carried off the court.’

Scott was Bryant’s head coach in 2015 when the former MVP tore his rotator cuff in his right shoulder during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite the injury, Bryant told Scott that he was still going to play and spent several more minutes in the game before the coach decided to pull the 2007-08 MVP as he began using his left hand to try and finish out the game.

Bryant stepped off the court in a Lakers jersey for the final time the following year. He scored 60 points in his finale and finished his career with 33,643 points. He ranks fourth all-time in scoring, behind LeBron James (41,396), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928).

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