One of the best front-office executives in the NBA just hit the open market.

Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors have parted ways.

Ujiri had the title of vice chairman and team president and was the Raptors’ alternate governor. Not only did he have a significant impact on roster construction that led to Toronto’s 2019 championship, he was influential when it came to league matters at large.

If a team is looking for an executive to lead the next phase of operations at a high level with a track record of success, Ujiri is the answer.

However, is that what Ujiri wants to do next with his life? He has opportunities in and out of basketball that don’t involve the NBA directly.

I’ve always thought the Ujiri may want to have an impact on society beyond basketball: politics, or another type of public service; expanding his Giants of Africa foundation; other charitable organizations. I wondered if New York or Washington, D.C. might be one of his next stops, even if it wasn’t with an NBA team. Being that close to powerful people and organizations makes sense.

Ujiri is smart, thoughtful, savvy in the best ways and is well connected. If Ujiri wanted to text Barack Obama right now, he could.

He has choices and his next step will be fascinating.

Ujiri’s Giants of Africa provides basketball instruction and mentorship of youth in Africa and hosts camps across the continent, and earlier this year, he had the first Giants of Africa camp in Ethiopia and late in 2024, he had the first camp in Gabon. He also has a specific basketball camp for big men – 6-foot-8 and taller.

He has official and unofficial roles in helping the NBA’s international growth in Canada and Africa. When Ujiri joined the Raptors in 2013, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a 14-year-old developing a love of the game in Toronto. Today, Gilgeous-Alexander is a 2025 NBA champion and reigning regular-season and NBA Finals MVP.

Ujiri is not single-handedly responsible for the basketball explosion in Canada, but he understands the landscape and was influential. He had an official role with the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders and the Basketball Africa League.

Ujiri doesn’t have to decide now. He had one year remaining on his contract, and it’s known throughout the league that the Raptors and ownership Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment are more than fair with compensation.

Teams will call Ujiri, and he will be wise to listen. But there may be other, more important endeavors on his agenda.

The New York Islanders selected Erie (Pennsylvania) Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft on June 27.

He’s the first defenseman to be taken first overall since the Buffalo Sabres selected Owen Power in 2021. He is also the first player from Erie to go No. 1 since the Edmonton Oilers chose Connor McDavid in 2015.

Schaefer established himself as the top prospect in the draft despite missing the last half of the season with a broken clavicle.

Here’s what to know about Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft:

How old is Matthew Schaefer?

He is 17 and will turn 18 in September.

Matthew Schaefer height, weight

He is 6-foot-2, 183 pounds.

Where is Matthew Schaefer from?

He was born in Stoney Creek, Ontario. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Ontario Hockey League draft.

Matthew Schaefer has overcome adversity

Schaefer lost both his mother, Jennifer, his team owner, and his billet mother, Emily Matson, during the 2023-24 season. (Junior hockey players live with billet families in the cities where they’re playing.) Otters team owner Jim Waters died in 2024. Schaefer said the Otters and the hockey community were very supportive of him through his losses.

He has a photo of him and his mother inside his jacket.

‘I wish she could be there,’ he said of his mother during a June 26 media availability. ‘I think that’s the biggest thing I’ll be thinking about when I hear my name called, but I know she’ll be smiling down. I know she’s with me in spirit. I know my dad and brother will have some tears. I think I’m going to have some tears.’

He said if it rains on draft day, then his mother is crying, too.

Matthew Schaefer missed time with injury

He was playing in the world junior hockey championship in December when he crashed into the net and broke his clavicle. He needed surgery and missed the rest of the season. But his play beforehand and his two points in two games at the tournament led NHL Central Scouting to keep him as the top-ranked prospect.

He said the toughest part was not being there for his Canada teammates at the tournament, which was won by the USA, and his Erie teammates.

‘No hockey player (likes not) playing hockey, and watching it is a lot more stressful,’ he said. ‘I’m sitting there and I’m grabbing the desk, like the chair I’m on and I’m rocking and I’m trying to stand still. I just want to be out there.’

He said he’ll be ready to take part in development camp after the draft.

Matthew Schaefer stats

He had five goals and 17 assists in 17 games with the Otters before his injury. The previous season, he had 17 points in 56 games as he worked on the defensive side of his game. He got to show his offensive side this past season, he said.

Matthew Schaefer scouting report

Red Line Report’s Kyle Woodlief says Schaefer is one of the top defense prospects in the past five years.

‘Tremendous compete level, leadership and IQ,’ Woodlief wrote. ‘ He’s totally engaged from first puck drop and his engine never shuts off until the final buzzer. Defensively he does it all. Excellent coverage, blocks shots, initiates physical contact, wins puck battles and makes fantastic zone exits. His tremendous skating allows him to join, and often lead, the rush.’

How does Matthew Schaefer describe himself?

He joked that he’s a great singer and dancer but then called himself a two-way defenseman.

‘I can play all over the ice,” he said. “Power play, penalty kill, very competitive and loves to win. Off the ice, I love to talk, as you guys can tell. I’m a leader, but honestly, the fans mean a lot to me. If they want autographs or anything — which I don’t know why they’d want one really but if they do — and pictures, I love taking the time because they come out to support us so much.”

The NHL draft is on June 27, and free agency is around the corner on July 1.

But there are also trades to be made as NHL teams acquire or move players to improve their immediate future or get their salary cap situation under control.

The latest was a reported trade on June 27 between the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens that also affects the first round of the draft. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Islanders are sending defenseman Noah Dobson to the Canadiens for winger Emil Heineman and Montreal’s first two first-round picks (16th and 17th overall).

Trades will pick up when the draft begins on Friday, June 27 and free agency approaching. Tracking the latest NHL deals:

June 27: Blue Jackets acquire Charlie Coyle, Miles Wood from Avalanche

The Avalanche get back 20-year-old forward Gavin Brindley, a third-round selection (77th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft and a conditional 2027 second-rounder. This move helps the Blue Jackets’ depth. Wood has a lot of speed and kills penalties. Coyle, acquired by the Avalanche at the trade deadline, had 25 goals two seasons ago.

June 27: Canadiens acquire Noah Dobson from Islanders

Dobson, a restricted free agent, signed an eight-year, $76 million extension as part of the deal, according to Friedman. Dobson, a skilled offensive defenseman, had 70 points two seasons ago and joins a Montreal blue line that features rookie of the year Lane Hutson. Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche gets two picks in the middle of the first round. Could he use the 16th and 17th picks as part of a package to move up in the draft? So far, through 12 picks, he hasn’t. Heineman, whom the Islanders acquired from the Canadiens as part of the deal, is known for his speed and two-way ability.

June 26: Mammoth acquire JJ Peterka from Sabres

The Utah Mammoth will be aggressive this offseason as they head into their second season in Salt Lake City. Peterka is coming off a career-best 68 points and totaled 55 goals the past two seasons. The 23-year-old was a restricted free agent and signed a five-year deal with the Mammoth after the trade.

The Sabres, who need to adjust their roster to try to end a 14-season playoff drought, get back defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Josh Doan. Kesselring, 25, had a career-best 29 points as he got more ice time because of injuries on the Utah blue line. Doan, 23, is the son of former Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan. He has another year left on his contract.

June 26: Panthers acquire Daniil Tarasov from the Blue Jackets

The Panthers give up a 2025 fifth-round pick for Tarasov, 26, a restricted free agent who became available with Jet Greaves emerging in Columbus. Current backup Vitek Vanecek is a pending unrestricted free agent. Tarasov has a career 3.44 goals-against average but those numbers should come down while playing behind a better Panthers defense. Sergei Bobrovsky will be 37 next season and has a year left on his contract. General Bill Zito potentially has found his future No. 1 goalie.

Also: The Seattle Kraken acquired two-way center Frederick Gaudreau from the Minnesota Wild for a 2025 fourth-round pick. … In a free agency move, the Dallas Stars re-signed captain Jamie Benn for one year at $1 million, plus an additional $3 million in potential performance bonuses

June 25: Oilers trade Evander Kane to Canucks

This was a salary cap move, saving more than $5 million with the Oilers needing to re-sign defenseman Evan Bouchard. The Oilers get back a fourth-round pick. Kane, a Vancouver native, adds help on the wing with the Canucks expected to lose Brock Boeser to free agency.

June 23: Flyers acquire Trevor Zegras from Ducks

Zegras wanted to play center and the Ducks didn’t have room for him there in their top six. The Flyers land a creative forward who has scored several lacrosse-style goals but also has dealt recently with injuries. The Ducks get back center Ryan Poehling, who wins faceoffs and kills penalties, two areas where Anaheim needed improvement. They also receive a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder.

June 21: Blackhawks, Kraken make trade

The Chicago Blackhawks traded for left wing Andre Burakovsky, sending center Joe Veleno back to the Seattle Kraken. Burakovsky was available after the Kraken earlier acquired Mason Marchment. Burakovsky has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons but bounced back to play 79 games during the 2024-25 season, netting 10 goals and 27 assists with Seattle. Veleno scored 17 points this season between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. – Elizabeth Flores

June 19: Kraken acquire Mason Marchment from Stars

The Stars needed to clear out cap space after re-signing Matt Duchene so they traded 22-goal scorer Mason Marchment and his $4.5 million contract to the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2025 fourth-rounder. In addition to his goals, he’s 6-foot-5 and throws hits.

Justin Tucker does not deserve the sympathy he wants.

After the NFL announced Tucker’s 10-week suspension Thursday, his agent took to social media to claim what a good guy the former Baltimore Ravens kicker is, how he has “always strived to carry himself in a way that would make his family and community proud.” But there are at least 16 women who will tell you differently, and all sympathy should be reserved for them.

“I don’t think it’s enough,” one of the women told The Baltimore Banner. “He got 10 weeks and we have to deal with this the rest of our lives.”

Tucker might be a standup guy to his family and friends. He might be a great teammate and a good representative of his team. But 16 women told the Banner that Tucker was sexually inappropriate with them, in details that were as similar as they were disturbing.

Tucker intentionally exposed himself during massages booked outside the team, the women said. In some cases, therapists said he brushed his erect penis against them. At least four therapists told the Banner they found what appeared to be ejaculate on the sheet after Tucker left.

Several of the women provided corroboration of their experiences, and two spas told the Banner they had banned Tucker because of his inappropriate behavior.

Does that sound like the behavior of the upstanding citizen Tucker’s agent is describing? Or does it sound like someone who saw those women as disposable and treated them as such?

And before you squawk about Tucker not facing criminal charges, just … don’t. The NFL did its own investigation and saw fit to give him a 10-week suspension. That’s an eternity in the NFL, which normally has as little regard for women as Tucker does.

It really is not that hard not to be a garbage human. Treat others how you want to be treated. Be kind. Say please and thank you and don’t be rude. Share. Speak up when something is wrong. Defend those who are being mistreated.

You know, the lessons we all had down by the time we went to kindergarten.

But some people get it in their heads that because they have money or power or some special skill, those rules no longer apply. That because of their circumstances, whether earned or given, they get a pass.

They can take more than their fair share. They can ridicule people they don’t like. They can treat people as if they’re less than.

They can dehumanize and demean women.

“I’ve told people about this over the years, and they act like it’s hot (gossip) or a joke,” a therapist who worked on Tucker in 2016 told the Banner in a story published in January. “It was really degrading.”

Tucker is hardly the first athlete to behave badly. He’s not even the only NFL player to be abusive to women. But it’s never OK, and excusing Tucker because he’s outwardly a good guy or because most of the incidents happened more than a decade ago doesn’t negate them.

That this is likely to end Tucker’s illustrious career is of little consolation, either. Tucker was cut by the Ravens in May and while he can sign with another team and even participate in training camp, that’s unlikely.

Not because of the suspension, of course. Deshaun Watson was suspended for two-thirds of the season for similar misdeeds and he’s still in the league. But Tucker is a 35-year-old kicker who had the worst season of his career last year, and there’s only so much NFL teams are willing to forgive.

That’s the worst of it, though. The end of his career clouded in shame and a blemish to a Hall of Fame career that will fade by the time he’s ready for Canton. The scars for the women run deeper and, unlike Tucker’s suspension, are permanent.

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

Clark, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, was ruled out of the Indiana Fever’s game against the Dallas Wings on Friday, June 27, due to a left groin injury, putting a dent in the anticipated matchup against Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.

It marks Clark’s second consecutive game missed with a groin injury and her seventh missed game of the season after a quad injury sidelined her for five games earlier this month.

The Fever (7-8) currently sit in ninth place in the WNBA standings heading into Friday’s road matchup against the Wings, which marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Fever. Indiana has gone 2-4 without Clark.

Head coach Stephanie White said she learned of Clark’s groin injury late Wednesday night. She said Clark remains ‘day-to-day,’ adding Clark’s availability depends on ‘her rehab, therapy and strength training.’

‘She’s tough and a quick healer, so we’ll see,’ White added on Thursday.

The Fever are looking to bounce back from a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday, June 27. Indiana had a 10-point lead over Los Angeles with 9:26 remaining in the contest, but the Fever had a fourth-quarter meltdown and were outscored 35-17 in the final period. The Sparks went on to win 85-75 to move to 5-11 on the season.

‘With the injuries particularly, you can’t maintain a consistent rotation,’ White said following the loss to the Sparks. ‘When you have a such a ball dominant player like Caitlin, who makes everyones job a lot easier, out of the game, then you’ve got to find ways to try to position them to get some easy ones. … We don’t run quite as much with Caitlin off the floor, but we still need to.’

Clark suffered a quad injury during the Fever’s 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty on May 24. Clark returned to the Fever’s lineup on June 14 in the Fever’s 102-88 win over the Liberty after missing five games, which officially ended her longest stretch of missed due to injury in her collegiate or WNBA career. She dropped 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in her first game back.

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The effort to revive Deontay Wilder’s boxing career begins (and may end) Friday night in Wichita, Kan.

Wilder, the former world heavyweight champion, has lost four of his last five fights. Lost three of those fights by knockout. And, with his career in tatters, he will face Tyrrell Herndon in a 10-round heavyweight bout.

Who’s Tyrrell Herdon? Well, among other things, winner of the Texas Combative Sports Program Texas Heavyweight championship last year (no joke). And owner of a three-fight winning streak dating back to his second-round KO loss to Richard Torrez Jr. in 2023.

Wilder, 39, seemingly has little to worry about against the 37-year-old Herndon.

Then again, who foresaw Wilder’s career descent? It started with back-to-back knockout losses to Tyson Fury, was interrupted by Wilder’s KO victory over Robert Helenius, then went back into freefall with two more losses. That includes a fifth-round TKO defeat against Zhilei Zhang in June 2024 — Wilder’s last fight.

USA TODAY Sports has you covered with updates, analysis and highlights from the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon card here:

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon: Time, PPV, streaming for fight

The highly anticipated bout between Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon will take place on Friday, June 27 and can be watched on BLK Prime pay-per-view.

Date: Friday, June 27, 2025
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Wichita, Kansas
PPV: BLK Prime pay-per-view
Streaming: Fubo as a Pay-per-view

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon main card, ring walk start times

Main card start time: 9 p.m. ET
Main event ring walks: 11 p.m. ET (approximate)

The idea of NFL players taking on the world in flag football just sounds cool, right? Players like Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson loves the idea. He called it a ‘dream’ in fact.

And that’s how it’s been portrayed throughout much of the media since it was decided NFL players will take part in the 2028 Olympics in flag football. This is a great thing. Players are jacked. Let’s go kick some flag football butt, America!

But what if players aren’t actually all that excited to be flag football Olympians?

There was a recent extremely under-reported remark from Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase. He was asked about flag football and maybe spoke for more players than people want to acknowledge.

‘I don’t know how I feel about it, if I’m being completely honest,” Chase said, via WPCO’s Marshall Kramsky. “I want to know the timing for us, offseason, in-season. I want to know if we’re getting paid. I want to know where we traveling every other week or every day, like all that plays a part, because we have an offseason, we have a life. Also, how long would that be? I don’t know. There’s a lot of questions to it.’

The key part of that quote: We have an offseason, we have a life.

This doesn’t mean that there are players who aren’t excited about participating in the Olympics. There are and will be. It does mean there will be players who don’t see the same level of excitement about it the league office and fans have.

When Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked about Olympic flag football, he went all Roger Murtaugh from ‘Lethal Weapon:’ “I’ll probably leave that to the younger guys. I’ll be a little older by the time that thing comes around.”

Speaking of coaches, Denver’s Sean Payton has been talked about as someone who could lead the team. On June 6 he was asked about the possibility of coaching the flag team and he was, well, noncommittal. For now.

In part, what you’re seeing, I believe, is that some players (and others) don’t see flag football as a vital thing to do. Or at least not on the level of, say, Olympic basketball. The world had caught up to us in hoops (and even surpassed America) mandating the arrival of the Dream Team. Basketball was our game, not the world’s, and we had to retake the sport from the clutches of others.

That’s not the case with flag football. There’s no nationwide call to beat everyone in flag football.

There’s also no need for people to dive into this now. It’s three years away.

You also hear in Chase’s remarks the union and labor part of this. Players know the NFL will find a way to make tons of cash off of this, and Chase, understandably, wants to make sure players get their share. I respect him for that.

Again, others will get into the flag football groove. There’s no question about that.

“I feel like it’s always an honor to play for your country,” Falcons running back Bijon Robinson told Cory Muse of KVUE. “Like, you always want to play for your country. I would love to show my skillset on that type of stage.

“So, I think it’s going to come down to our schedule and where it lies, and if the teams even let us go. But I would love to play if given the opportunity. We’ll see. I don’t want it to affect my team and what we’ve got going here.”

“Yeah, I think it’s great,’ Rams coach Sean McVay recently told reporters. ‘I think that is so far away from me. Coaching years are dog years, you know that. You hear Justin Jefferson come out and talk about, ‘Man, that would be really cool.’ That’s awesome. Like I think you give guys the opportunity to say, ‘Alright, well what’s your preference on it?’ And I think whatever our guys are…there’s going to be the availability for maybe one guy on each team to be able to do that.

‘And if that’s something that players say they want to be able to do, then I think it’s a really cool experience for them to be able to be a part of while also acknowledging that man, there are some other guys that have been doing it. I’m not going to pretend to understand the nuances tactically and what that game entails, but I think it’s good. I think it’s great.”

There’s definitely that sentiment out there.

Still, there could be a lot more complexity to this flag football story than we know.

A group of more than 125 Indiana Fever fans are sounding off about the sound coming from one vocal fan for Caitlin Clark and company, and they’ve launched a petition requesting the team fix the problem.

Josh McNattin, the petition starter at change.org, wrote about ‘a distinct and persistent voice — believed to be from a fan seated close to the scorer’s table,’ disrupting Fever television broadcasts when they play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. He noted this ‘in-arena audio mix’ issues are well known enough to have inspired discussions on Reddit and WNBA fan forums, and he believes people have heard enough.

‘While we celebrate the passion of all fans, this particular sound consistently overpowers other audio elements, including the commentary and ambient crowd noise,’ McNattin wrote. ‘As a result, it can detract from the viewing experience for many fans watching from home or streaming online.’

‘The consensus is not a criticism of any individual fan’s enthusiasm,’ McNattin added, ‘but rather a call for an audio solution that preserves the game’s energy while ensuring a balanced broadcast mix.’

As of 1:45 p.m. ET on Friday, June 27, the change.org petition had 127 signatures. There are multiple Reddit threads and hundreds of comments.

‘Is this the woman that sounds like a dolphin? Because that IS super annoying,’ wrote Reddit user idahomokate in a thread created in response to the IndyStar story about the petition. The comment had generated 248 upvotes.

Pacers Sports & Entertainment owns the Fever and did not respond to the IndyStar, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

The attention paid to the Fever’s games, and their television broadcasts, has risen exponentially since Clark joined the WNBA last season. Clark’s presence has generated record ratings when she plays for the Fever. She did not appear in the team’s 85-75 road loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday, June 26 due to a groin injury.

Indiana’s next home game is Thursday, July 3 against the Las Vegas Aces. McNattin, through his petition, is hopeful the Fever will hear his group’s call for help.

‘We know that Fever management is committed to providing a high-quality experience for both in-person and remote fans,’ McNattin wrote. ‘Your attention to this matter would mean a great deal to those of us who love watching Fever games and supporting the WNBA.’