Le Journal

All 15 WNBA teams released a 44-game 2026 schedule on Wednesday afternoon, shepherding in the league’s 30th season and the league’s two newest teams in Toronto and Portland. Yet, instead of excitement, the announcement was met with pure confusion. How, if the WNBA has yet to come to terms with its players on a Collective Bargaining Agreement, is it possible to schedule a season? Why release the schedule if we don’t know for certain there will even BE a 2026 WNBA season? Apparently, it comes down to league operations, venue booking, and logistics, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. Teams need time to sell ticket packages, make broadcast plans, and ensure the arenas are booked before other events come in and take the dates they need. The league views the schedule release as a necessary part of business operations that allows teams to start logistical planning, sell ticket packages… also to secure optimal arena dates, all the more crucial for teams who don't own their arenas https://t.co/atKTctzofC— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 21, 2026 When the teams around the WNBA started teasing an announcement for this afternoon, there was speculation on what it could be. Especially knowing there has been no real news about the CBA negotiations in over a week. A 30th anniversary celebration? Jersey updates? Merchandise? If it were the CBA itself, the announcement would have probably been leaked to a journalist and not teased out by the league. Surely, fans thought, they couldn’t release the dates without a contract? Well, that was wrong. The WNBA is planning a 44-game season for 2026, starting on May 8 and ending on Sept. 24, with the playoffs to follow. There will be a break from Aug. 31 to Sept. 16 for the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany, with the regular season resuming for just over a week after that break. Another confusing aspect of the 2026 campaign is taking a two-and-a-half-week break, right when the season is ramping up, and the playoffs are just around the corner. In previous years, the WNBA has condensed the season during a World Cup year, ending before the tournament, yet with 44-games now, that’s not possible. The WNBA All-Star Game will happen in Chicago on July 24 and 25. The WNBA will also be welcoming its first international team in Toronto, and the Tempo will play two games in Vancouver on Aug. 21 and 23, as well as two in Montreal on July 10 and 12. The rest of Toronto’s home games will be played in their home city, with three special games at Scotiabank Arena and the rest at the Tempo’s home arena of Coca Cola Coliseum. Yet, all of this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. There is still no guarantee that there will be a 2026 WNBA season, or that this current schedule will hold. There have been few recent updates on the state of CBA negotiations, and the league and players still seem far apart on their wants and needs. Maybe this is a bit of a push to get the ball rolling on that, but it was still strange to see so many straight-faced updates on a season that is far from guaranteed to even take place.

Getty Image All the Best New Artist nominees will be highlighted on the Grammys stage.

In 1986, Mike Krzyzewski took Duke to the Final Four for the first time since the 1978 team got there. Naturally, the immediate question after the championship game, which Duke narrowly lost to Louisville, was whether Duke was a flash in the pan. Was this a one-time thing, like it turned out to be for Jim Valvano at NC State and Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech? The 1986-87 team became crucial and by the end of the season, it made the Sweet Sixteen. Led by senior guard Tommy Amaker and star sophomore Danny Ferry, the Blue Devils were again a tough out despite losing four starters. And on January 24th, Duke went down to Clemson’t notorious Littlejohn Coliseum and got into one heck of a game. This one went to overtime and with just seconds left and Duke up 105-103, Billy King was fouled. Clemson called a timeout and when the teams came back on the court, a new rule caused a problem: that year: teams had 15 seconds to get out of time out and in position at the foul line or it would be a turnover. And that happened to King, much to his shock and dismay. Clemson got the ball back and came up court and someone – we think Michael Tait – took a shot, and Ferry blocked it. Duke played keep away for the last few seconds before the Tigers gave up. Games like this showed that Duke was not going anywhere. Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a line

In late November, I spent several hours talking with a member of the DC National Guard. I’d met him at an event—one unrelated to the Army—and when I found out what he did, I had questions. Was he among the soldiers stationed on street corners since the summer? Did he think he was helping the […] The post An Anonymous DC National Guardsman Tells All first appeared on Washingtonian.

When Duke signed Darian Mensah to a two-year, eight million dollar contract, it was seen as sort of a step into a Brave New World. Now that he’s entered the portal, despite signing a two-year contract with Duke, the university is again going first but in a very different way: Duke has filed suit against Mensah, seeking to bar him from entering the portal, but that has apparently been denied. However that is ultimately resolved, a contract is a contract, and you can’t just break it without consequence. Among other things, the lawsuit opens the discovery process, and unless we’re mistaken, Duke can force Mensah to turn over his texts, e-mails and any communications with Miami, the school that most people believe induced him to enter the portal. Whether it’s Miami or not, Duke now has what the NCAA lacks, which is subpoena power. So now the uni has not just the intention to sue Miami (or if not Miami, whoever might have been involved in tampering with Mensah), but also the ability to take confidential information public, where the NCAA can see it. So not only might Mensah and Miami have to make Duke whole, not only might they face damages in a Durham County trial, Miami might – might – be in serious trouble with the NCAA. Stay tuned. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah enters transfer portal hours before closure, sued by University Duke quarterback Darian Mensah enters transfer portal hours before closure, sued by University Duke files a lawsuit against QB Darian Mensah to enforce his contract and block a transfer Duke sues Darian Mensah over star QB’s ability to enter transfer portal while under contract Duke sues QB Darian Mensah to prevent him from transferring Duke suing quarterback Darian Mensah Duke sues quarterback Darian Mensah over transfer portal dispute Everything to Know About Duke QB Darian Mensah Transfer Portal Controversy Duke sues QB Darian Mensah to keep him from transferring Duke sues quarterback Darian Mensah over transfer portal request, NIL contract BREAKING: Duke Denied Restraining Order Preventing Darian Mensah From Joining Miami Duke University sues former Tulane QB Darian Mensah over NIL agreement Duke Blue Devils Trying To Kill Miami’s 2026 Football Season Before It Even Begins Duke suing Darian Mensah in attempt to stop QB from entering portal Darian Mensah’s Attorney Breaks Silence After Manny Diaz’s Duke Sues QB to Block Transfer Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a line