The tributes are pouring in for Don Nelson, the former NBA coach and player who left us yesterday at 86—peaceful, surrounded by family, the way the best stories sometimes end when the writer finally puts the pen down.

He never quite got the coveted championship ring as a coach, the one shiny object that eluded him no matter how many times he rewrote the playbook. But let’s be honest: the man still ranks second all-time in wins among NBA head coaches, right behind Gregg Popovich, and he’s one of only three guys ever to crack 1,300.

He’s also one of just two coaches (Lenny Wilkens being the other) who managed to rack up 300 or more victories with three different franchises—540 with the Bucks, 422 with the Warriors, 339 with the Mavericks.

That’s not a résumé. That’s a love letter to the game written in permanent marker.

Thirty-one seasons. Thirteen times he won 50 or more games. Twice he hit 60.

With the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and two separate tours with the Warriors, he finished 1,335–1,063 and collected seven Central Division titles along the way. Three-time Coach of the Year. Five NBA championships as a player with the Boston Celtics—where they retired his number 19 in 1978 like they were putting a star on the walk of fame.

Hall of Fame induction in 2012, despite the fact that he signed with the Celtics as a free agent in 1965 and spent eleven seasons as the ultimate sixth man, averaging 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while quietly collecting those five rings.

Then he turned around and started inventing the future. From day one on the bench, he was the guy who looked at the rulebook, shrugged, and said, “What if we did it this way instead?”

He pioneered the “point forward,” running the offense through a frontcourt player—Paul Pressey and Marques Johnson in Milwaukee, then Chris Mullin and Rod Higgins in Golden State—like he was rewriting the entire script of how basketball was supposed to look.

RIP, coach. You left your mark, and everybody in the NBA is better off because of it.

As the 2026 NFL preseason begins, many teams still taking shape.

The preseason NFL power rankings show the AFC field as wide open, with the Los Angeles Rams now favored as the Super Bowl favorite despite key offseason moves, while many teams’ face uncertainty due to injuries, coaching changes, and roster upgrades.

Heading into the Week One NFL preseason games starting this Thursday, these are the five teams getting the most love...

KEY POINTS:

The Los Angeles Rams are ranked No. 1 in the preseason power rankings and are considered the near-universal Super Bowl favorite.

The Seattle Seahawks are ranked No. 2 and are praised for their team cohesion under third-year coach Mike McDonald.

The Denver Broncos are ranked No. 3 (previously No. 4) and could improve in Year 3 of the Sean PaytonBo Nix era if injuries are resolved.

The Buffalo Bills are ranked No. 4 (previously No. 5) despite multiple changes including a new head coach, defensive coordinator, wide receiver DJ Moore, stadium, and uniforms.

The Houston Texans are ranked No. 6 (previously No. 8) and could secure the AFC's top playoff seed for the first time in franchise history.

Max Scherzer just carved his name a little deeper into the MLB history books on Saturday, vaulting past Walter Johnson into 10th place on the all-time strikeout leaderboard.

By the numbers: Mad Max now sits at 3,516 career punchouts in a mere 2,999 innings. That’s the fewest innings of anyone in the top 10—and it’s not particularly close. His 10.55 K/9 ranks eighth all-time and second only to Randy Johnson’s 10.61 among the current top 10

• Three-quarters of those strikeouts came in Nationals (1,610) and Tigers (1,081) colors. The rest of the ledger reads Mets (294), Diamondbacks (240), Blue Jays (109 and climbing), Rangers (93), and Dodgers (89).

• He joins Justin Verlander (3,554) as the only active arms still swinging in the top 10. Johnson (4,875) and Roger Clemens (4,672) are the lone others who worked this century.

How high can the 42-year-old climb? Injuries have limited him to just nine starts this season, but if the arm holds up the rest of the way he should get roughly seven more.

At his current strikeout rate, that puts Gaylord Perry (3,534) in the rearview for ninth place. One more healthy year after that and he’s got a realistic shot at leapfrogging the retiring Verlander and Don Sutton (3,574) to claim seventh.

Unfortunately the Future Hall of Famer simply doesn’t know when to call it quits. Meanwhile he’s still dealing. Still climbing.

Last week began with legitimate hope that the Protect College Sports Act would be on a glide path toward becoming law. It ended in an all too familiar place: mired in the nuts and bolts of American politics.

Driving the news: The U.S. Senate adjourned for its annual five-week August recess on Saturday without voting on legislation that intends to regulate college athletics, kicking any possible vote to September, as Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger first reported.

What happened? Politics happened. As the PCSA inched toward a vote, a wave of detractors emerged to block the path. Instead of being jammed through without much scrutiny, which seems to be what co-authors Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) intended, the bill is now riddled with amendments and various outside groups imploring senators not to pass it.

• Mounting opposition: The Congressional Black Caucus released a statement slamming the bill; more than a dozen Republican senators filed objections or amendments; several labor unions sent a joint letter in opposition.

• Other priorities: A logjam of agenda items before the Senate last week took precedence over college sports. Bills to fund the government, implement sanctions against Russia and balance the budget, as well as administrative nominations, shoved the act aside.

You’ve got to see this to believe this.

Click on this.

Thank you, Savannah Bananas.

Courtesy of the 2026 PLAYBOOK
Football Preview Guide Magazine

Mississippi State

The Bulldogs burst out of the gate with a flashy 4-0 start, dreaming SEC bowl credibility. Then came a 41-34 overtime gut punch from Tennessee that shattered the illusion. What followed was a collapse: eight losses in nine games, with 35+ points in six brutal finishes. The defense cratered – 108th in points per play and dead last in fourth-quarter scoring. Yet, a 5-7 record still earned a bowl bid when they were selected among 5-7 teams based on Academic Progress Rate (APR) tiebreakers. Wake Forest promptly exposed them, 43-29, in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, as they were DOA when they arrived to Charlotte.
STAT YOU WILL LIKE: The Bulldogs will face 8 opponents that played in a bowl game last season. They faced 7 of the same in 2025 and 10 in 2024.