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The 2026 NBA All-Star starters have officially been announced, based on voting by fans (50% of the vote), current players (25%), and members of the media (25%). Eastern Conference All-Star Starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen BrownWestern Conference All-Star Starters: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Stephen Curry, and Victor WembanyamaBut while there weren’t any major surprises for the list of starters from both the Eastern and Western Conference, barring LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who had his historic 20-year streak of being named an All-Star starter snapped, there were some wild names who received votes. LeBron James’ Historic Streak Ends As NBA Announces All-Star Starters Of those included, LeBron’s son and teammate, Bronny James, Boston Celtics star who has yet to play this season, Jayson Tatum, as well as Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors, who hasn’t played in over a month, along with a loaded list of other shocking All-Star nominees. Rich Paul Doesn’t Want “Charity” All-Star Selection For LeBron Granted, those just mentioned and about to be named were all given votes by current players, (as the list of names voted on by the fans is even longer), as Tim Cato of DLLS Sports put it, ‘NBA players still don’t take their All-Star votes seriously. Just look at the ballots.’The list of players who received votes from their own peers is shocking to say the least. To give full context, here are some notable players who got All-Star votes from both the East and West. Surprising Western Conference Players Given All-Star Votes By Their PeersStarting with Bronny James, he received two All-Star votes from current players. The son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is putting up averages of 1.5 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on 31.8/30.2/81.3 shooting splits in 6.9 minutes in 24 total games, with one start.James has been putting up stronger numbers on the Lakers’ G-League affiliate, but hasn’t played more than 20 minutes in a game this season. Perhaps players think his father’s genes will finally be proven true, or perhaps his father himself, along with someone else, thought he was deserving, or not, of the All-Star nod. As mentioned, Kuminga got a vote from a player, but after a long saga with the Warriors, demanded a trade, hasn’t played since mid-December, and while putting up lower averages than in years past, looks to have played his last game in Golden State. Warriors Add Surprise 3-And-D Target In Bold Kuminga Trade Idea Several other role players for both the Lakers and Warriors received All-Star votes, and while the fan voting might indicate the same, it is somewhat surprising from a player’s perspective.Dario Saric of the Sacramento Kings, with a total of five appearances on the year in 8.2 minutes per game, got a vote. Cody Williams, a struggling second-year wing with the now-famous record of the worst plus/minus in NBA history, got at least one vote. Dejounte Murray and Damian Lillard, who has yet to play this season ,also each got a vote. 39-year-old Jeff Green of the Rockets, with only 32 points on the year, received one vote as well.Many players with alarming statlines got votes as well. Here is the full list of All-Star voting for the Western Conference.Shocking Eastern Conference Players Given All-Star Votes By Fellow PlayersTatum is likely the most notable player to receive votes from the East, because, regardless of any injury return rumors, he has yet to play this season after tearing his Achilles in the playoffs, getting one player vote. View this post on Instagram Miami Heat rookie Vladislav Goldin, with just one total minute in one appearance and no points on the year, got a vote. Taurean Prince of the Bucks, who is set to miss the rest of the season with injury, also got one nod from a fellow player. Collin Castleton from Orlando, who hasn’t played this year, got a vote. Emanuel Miller of the Bulls, a team…

The college football world has gotten to know University of Indiana wide receiver Charlie Becker over the last few months — at around the same time the Hoosiers and their fans got to know him.The 6-foot-4, 204-pound Becker has been one of Indiana’s breakout stars in the postseason, starting with a breakout performance in a 13-10 win over No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game with 6 receptions for 126 yards.Indiana entered the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Miami Hurricanes with a perfect, 15-0 record.Becker had 30 receptions for 614 yards and 4 touchdowns headed into the CFP championship, with 23 receptions for 457 yards and 4 touchdowns in the last 6 games. That includes touchdown receptions in Indiana’s CFP wins over Alabama and Oregon.“I’m not sure how high they’ll all be drafted when the time comes, but the receiving trio of Elijah Sarratt, Charlie Becker, and Omar Cooper Jr is one of the most fun in recent memory,” NFL influencer Bengal YouTube wrote on their official X account. “Fernando Mendoza: 152.5 Passer Rating when targeting Charlie Becker,” PFF College Football wrote on X. “Highest among all QB/WR duos in college football.”Becker Comes From Family of Elite AthletesBecker comes from a family of athletes most notably led by his father, former Ohio State linebacker and professional baseball player Dave Becker.Dave Becker starred as a linebacker in football and as a catcher in baseball at powerhouse Cincinnati Elder High School and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 1992 MLB draft. He played 3 seasons of minor league baseball, spending 1 season in rookie ball and 2 seasons in Class A for the Blue Jays before he decided to return to football and enroll at Ohio State, where he played linebackerCharlie Becker’s older brother, Cole Becker, plays linebacker for Appalachian State.Charlie Becker: Tennessee Prep Standout, IU StarBoth Charlie Becker and Cole Becker starred at Father Ryan High School in Nashville, Tennessee — a private Catholic school.Charlie Becker first showed he was a world class athlete at Father Ryan, where he not only starred in football but but in track and field, where he won a pair of state championships in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles as a junior in 2022.He was rated as a 3-star recruit by 247Sports and committed to the Hoosiers in June 2023 over offers from Northwestern, Iowa, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Charlie Becker’s Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know appeared first on Heavy Sports.

Another day passed on Monday, and it was one more day that free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger and his former team, the New York Yankees, failed to come to a contract agreement. Despite reportedly making a Bellinger reunion their top priority this offseason, general partner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman have shown no signs of improving on their reported offer of five years and $160 million. One reported indication that the Yankees were willing to be at least slightly flexible emerged on Sunday when, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, it became likely “that the Yankees would be willing to include opt-outs after year two and year three of the five-year deal,” he added. But if that report is true, it has made no difference. Bellinger, acting with the advice of agent Scott Boras, has not signed a deal with the Yankees — or anyone else, despite strong interest from the New York Mets. But the Mets, according to another Athletic correspondent, Will Sammon, on Sunday, would prefer to land Bellinger on a short-term, high-salary contract, at fewer than the five years the Yankees are said to have offered. Even as the stalemate continues, and the Yankees remain in need of another productive bat in the middle of their order, they have remained active in other areas. The Yankees made 14 signings on the opening day of the 2026 international free agent signing period last Thursday. Read More From Heavy Yankees Draw Hard Line With Cody Bellinger, Scott Boras Teen Catcher Leads 2026 International Class While Bellinger would help to solve one of the Yankees’ most pressing problems, they addressed what could be developing into a serious problem for their future — the catching position. With last year’s regular first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, a former National League MVP, departing in free agency, the Bronx Bombers will be able to move last year’s 26-home run-hitting rookie Ben Rice out of the catcher’s spot to first. Unfortunately, that leaves only 2020 first-round draft pick Austin Wells, who managed just a .712 OPS last year, to handle the bulk of catching duties. But catching could be a serious problem for the Yankees well into the future. Of New York’s top 30 prospects as rated by MLB Pipeline, not a single one is a catcher. That likely is why the Yankees added to their catching pipeline with four signings of teenage backstops in their 2026 international class — a group headed by 16-year-old right-handed-hitting catcher Kenneth Melendez, out of Venezuela. Read More From Heavy Yankees Hit Cody Bellinger With Blunt Message as Contract Talks Stall Venezuelan Catcher Gets Biggest Yankee Bonus Operating with a pool of $5.44 million — after losing $1 million from their bonus pool because last offseason they signed free agent starter Max Fried, who had declined a qualifying offer from the Atlanta Braves — the Yankees awarded Melendez their largest signing bonus of the year, $250,000, according to journalist Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. According to a scouting report by Empire Sports Media, the 16-year-old displays “real offensive promise.” “Evaluators believe he has a chance to be the best player in the Yankees’ international class this year,” wrote ESM correspondent Andres Chavez. “There is real offensive promise in his bat, including the ability to handle more than just fastballs, and that matters at a position where offense is often a bonus rather than an expectation.” On the other side of the ball, Melendez “already shows soft hands and fluid movement behind the plate. Those are skills that cannot be taught easily, and they give him a projection edge as he grows into his frame,” according to Chavez. The Yankees focused mainly on defense up the middle, signing only two international outfielders as they continue to deal with Bellinger’s current contract demands. In addition to Melendez, the Yankees also signed, according to Romero, catchers Cesar Lopez for a $150,000 bonus,…

If the Seattle Seahawks want to reach the Super Bowl, Sam Darnold will need to take care of the football, something he’s struggled with against the Los Angeles Rams. Darnold had a passer rating of 62.4 with 549 passing yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions in two games versus the Rams this season, per StatMuse. Los Angeles have been a thorn in the Seahawks’ side this season. As a result, former Seahawks star Richard Sherman believes that Darnold will need to overcome this hurdle that plagued him this season to get Seattle to Santa Clara for Super Bowl LX. “If you’re Sam Darnold, you thought you overcame your nightmares with the Rams,” Sherman said on the Jan. 19 edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast.” “You thought you had overcome them. You thought, ‘Hey, I only had to see it once. I killed Freddy Krueger. I killed him. He’s dead.’“… But he’s going to have to overcome. They’re going to bring back all the stats about the Rams’ pressure and how Sam Darnold struggled against it. And so, as high as we are for the Seattle Seahawks right now, they’re on the moon. They are freaking playing lights-out football defensively.”Seahawks Need to Lean on Ground Game Against RamsDarnold’s two touchdowns came in the Seahawks’ comeback overtime win on Dec. 18, which put Seattle in the driver’s seat to win the NFC West and secure the No. 1 seed in the conference. Because of that performance late in the regular season, Darnold could have the belief that he can perform well for four quarters against Los Angeles. “Now, if I’m Sam Darnold, I watched the last drive in the fourth quarter of that game against the Rams, and I feel pretty good,“ Sherman added. “You were cooking with grease. You were James Harden in the clutch, cooking. So, let’s get back to cooking. Run the football. [Kenneth Walker III] is running as good as he has in his entire career. “Had three touchdowns in the last game, tying Shaun Alexander for the franchise record [in a postseason game]. If they can do that let that defense just eat, Seattle Seahawks back in the Super Bowl.”Sam Darnold Gets Clear Warning Before Rams GameMeanwhile, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho believes that the Seahawks signal-caller is under pressure not to turn the ball over, as he has against the Rams this campaign, if Seattle hopes to punch its ticket to the Super Bowl.“Ram [and] Seahawks, they’ve played each other twice this season. Matthew Stafford has five touchdowns [and] no interceptions,“ Acho said on the Dec. 18 edition of “Speakeasy.” “Sam Darnold has two touchdowns [and] six interceptions. Let that sink in. It’s not a conversation. The game of football is all about the football.“Matthew Stafford got five [touchdowns], no picks, in the two games combined. Sam Darnold got six picks in the two games combined. Average three picks a game. If Sam Darnold goes out there and starts throwing these picks, it’s going to be blouses before it gets started.” Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Richard Sherman Hits Seahawks’ Sam Darnold With Strong Words appeared first on Heavy Sports.

Por JOSH DUBOW SANTA CLARA, California, EE.UU. (AP) — George Kittle, ala cerrada de los 49ers de San Francisco, quien ha sido seleccionado para el Pro Bowl, dijo que los médicos caracterizaron su ruptura del tendón de Aquiles como un “mejor escenario posible”, lo que le da esperanza de poder regresar sin perder tiempo significativo la próxima temporada. Kittle se lesionó el tendón de Aquiles derecho en una victoria en la ronda de comodines sobre Filadelfia el 11 de enero y se sometió a cirugía la semana pasada en Los Ángeles. Kittle dijo que el Dr. Neal ElAttrache le informó que tenía un “desgarro limpio” cerca de su músculo sóleo, que está más arriba en el tendón de Aquiles. “No tuvieron que perforar mi talón”, dijo Kittle el lunes. “Donde fue la reparación, hay más flujo sanguíneo, por lo que reduce el tiempo de recuperación. Así que está muy emocionado por todo. Mi recuperación —cuando estaré corriendo, cuando estaré listo para jugar de nuevo— le entusiasma mucho. Así que eso me pone de muy buen humor. No es tan malo como otros casos”. “Lo mantendré como una sorpresa”, comentó Kittle cuando se le solicitó comentar sobre un cronograma de su recuperación. Pero un regreso en ocho a nueve meses podría llevar a Kittle de vuelta al campo cerca del comienzo de la temporada 2026. Kittle dijo que supo de inmediato cuán grave era la lesión, diciendo que “se sintió como si alguien pusiera una escopeta contra mi pantorrilla y apretara el gatillo”. Le dijo al entrenador de los Eagles, quien fue el primero en el campo para revisarlo, que necesitaba un carrito y fue llevado de regreso al vestuario. Kittle fue acompañado allí por su familia, así como por el propietario de los Niners, Jed York, quien consiguió una botella de tequila para su estrella. “Recibir su apoyo fue absolutamente fantástico”, dijo Kittle. “El hecho de que el dueño del equipo baje para darte sus condolencias y simplemente se quede allí contigo realmente muestra qué tipo de lugar es este y las personas que están en este edificio. Y me hace muy feliz ser un Niner”. Kittle ha sido dos veces All-Pro y siete veces seleccionado para el Pro Bowl, siendo una parte clave de la ofensiva de San Francisco como amenaza en el pase y como bloqueador en el juego terrestre. Tuvo 57 recepciones para 628 yardas y siete touchdowns esta temporada. Los Niners tuvieron dificultades ofensivas en su ausencia la semana pasada, perdiendo 41-6 ante Seattle en la ronda divisional. Actualización de lesiones Hubo algunas otras actualizaciones de lesiones en el día de limpieza de vestuarios para San Francisco. El destacado linebacker Fred Warner dijo que estaba listo para regresar si el equipo avanzaba al juego por el título de la Conferencia Nacional, pero ahora ralentizará su trabajo de rehabilitación con significativamente más tiempo para sanar. “Creo que mi rehabilitación se había acelerado obviamente para intentar llegar al juego de campeonato de la NFC”, dijo Warner. “Ahora, solo puedo ralentizar las cosas y realmente trabajar en todos los pequeños detalles que no pude trabajar antes de que todo esto sucediera. Es solo negocio como de costumbre”. El ala defensiva novato Mykel Williams, quien se rompió el ligamento cruzado anterior en la semana nueve, dijo que su rehabilitación va bien y espera estar listo para el inicio de la temporada. El quarterback Brock Purdy dijo que no necesitará ningún tratamiento especial para su lesión de dedo de césped que lo dejó fuera de juego durante ocho partidos de la temporada. “El dedo está listo”, dijo Purdy. “Obviamente, continuaré fortaleciéndolo y dándole algo de descanso y demás. Pero está bien”. ___ Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes