The Los Angeles Clippers have accepted their fate as a bottom tier sports franchise.

At first, the Kawhi Leonard thing didn’t feel like a big deal. Salary cap circumvention? What’s that? Pablo Torre’s reporting was incredible, but for a brief moment, it felt like the gravity of the situation was overlooked by the common hoops fan.

The investigation dragged on and on. It was one of the weirdest pieces of the offseason, as the Leonard trade back to the Toronto Raptors was in limbo because of the league’s investigation. Leonard got off the hook with a slap on the wrist, just a $700,000 fine.

The Clippers did not get off the hook.

The NBA dropped the hammer on the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer. They lost five future first-round draft picks and the organization was fined $30 million. Ballmer and executive Gillian Zucker were suspended for one year, and president Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months. On Sunday night, ESPN’s Shams Charanis reported that Ballmer is complying with the league’s punishment.

In a league that’s had plenty of scandal, the NBA dropped their most significant punishment ever on the Clippers. As it turns out, you can’t sidestep the NBA salary cap by paying a superstar under the table cash through fake brands. Maybe other teams are doing it. Torre has suggested that it could be a possibility. If they are, they’d be really dumb if they continued.

Because the Clippers are royally screwed.

Sometimes in life, you know you’re getting the short end of the stick. There’s nothing worse than being in a rut.

But the Clippers just got themselves into a five year rut.

They aren’t a great team. They just sold Leonard, possibly because they knew a hammer punishment was being dropped as a result of this investigation. Darius Garland, Bradley Beal, Rui Hachimura and Brook Lopez will play actual NBA minutes together this season. It’s a roster coached by Tyronn Lue, whose superstar coaching status could likely dim as a result of this upcoming debacle.

The Clippers have no way to add young talent via the draft. Ballmer has money, but getting fined $30 million can’t be fun. They can play a super villain role, going well over the salary cap luxury tax and into the second apron, buying free agent superstars who would be open to signing big money deals in Los Angeles.

Or, they can accept their fate and meddle in the middle or bottom of the Western Conference. They’re an irrelevant franchise in Los Angeles. Leonard was supposed to be the thing that helped change that narrative, and he ended up being the guy that cemented it for at least another half decade.

The Denver Broncos will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Monday Night Football game of the season. Denver looks to continue their success after making the AFC Championship Game in 2025. Kansas City looks to bounce-back after missing the playoffs last season.

The Broncos were a relatively average offense last season, ranking 18th in points (0.362) per play. They averaged a reasonable 23.2 points per game, although they were better at home.

Denver is returning their entire offense, while adding an elite talent to the mix. Bo Nix and JK Dobbins will return from injury, while their entire receiving group returns in 2026. They also will feature the same starting offensive line as the majority of last season.

Denver traded a substantial amount for Jaylen Waddle in the offseason. Head coach Sean Payton raved about how versatile he is, and he believes he’s going to add an entirely new dimension to this offense.

The big question is how quickly can Nix get back in a groove after suffering a major injury in the AFC Divisional Round. The young quarterback looked good in his only preseason action, though, and I’m not expecting a ton of rust here.

On the other side, Kansas City lost a substantial amount of their defense in the offseason. Overall, they lost six defensive players who started double-digit games for them.

Kansas City’s lost a ton of their secondary. They traded Trent McDuffie, while Bryan Cook and Jaylen Watson left in free agency. They’ll also be without starting safety Chamarri Conner because of injury.

The Cheifs also lost Michael Danna, Leo Chenal, and Derrick Nnadi in the front seven. I’m less concerned about this for this play, as they return high-end players like Nick Bolton, Chris Jones, and George Karlaftis. I’m less concerned about this for this play, as they return high-end players like Nick Bolton, Chris Jones, and George Karlaftis.

The Broncos threw at one of the higher rates in the NFL last season, and they’re going to attack this young secondary. Kansas City will be relying on multiple rookies, which could cause issues on the backend.

We have a fully healthy Broncos offense, who is going to attack the weakest part of Kansas City’s defense. Luckily, we’re getting a relatively low number because of Denver’s struggles on the road in 2025.

Where to Bet: Denver Broncos over 20.5 team total | -120 at DraftKings Sportsbook

2026 NFL Season Betting Record: 0-2

Neil signed a three-year deal at Ibrox in July and was immediately instilled as part of Derek McInnes’ leadership group.

He once again wore the captain’s armband in Lawrence Shankland’s absence and rose to the occasion of his first Old Firm derby, excelling in the middle of the park alongside Nicolas Raskin and James Penrice, who inverted from left-back.

“Dan is going to get highlighted for his goals – two different types of finishes – but we knew we could occupy that space on the edge of the box if we attacked properly,” manager McInnes said.

“You still need people to step up and show their quality and Dan did that. His performance was really strong as well, as was Nico and wee James in there.

“The three of them were terrific and it played a big part in us getting some sort of ascendancy in the game.”

Neil has grown in stature in recent weeks, but this was his finest performance in a Rangers shirt to date, getting the better of proven performers Callum McGregor and Benjamin Nygren.

At one point, Neil spun McGregor and left the Celtic captain in his wake. It was reflective of Rangers’ dominance throughout the 90 minutes and Neil’s own excellent showing.

“It was a great team performance,” Neil told Premier Sports. “We fully deserved the victory out there.

“In the last few games we’ve done well without the ball. Today we wanted to use the crowd and get after them – the lads executed it perfectly.”

Ryan Garcia ended Conor Benn’s welterweight world title dreams in Las Vegas, dropping and stopping the Brit in two rounds, and Chris Eubank Jr was quick to react.

Benn came back down to 147lbs for the first time in four years to challenge for Garcia’s WBC belt, battling the scales in what he called a ‘brutal’ weight cut.

On the first bell, he came out and put pressure on Garcia, who landed his signature left hooks and sneaky uppercuts in response. Benn stood up to those shots in the first three minutes, but a right hand in the second round saw him on the canvas.

Garcia jumped on the opportunity for the stoppage and landed enough unanswered shots for referee Thomas Taylor to step in and wave it off.

The American was a heavy favourite and plenty of big names in the sport predicted a stoppage due to his speed and power, but not many said it would end so early.

Some will put it down to Benn’s punch resistance being depleted after his extreme weight cut, and will await his words on the outcome in the next day or two.

In the meantime, Eubank took to social media almost immediately after the fight, highlighting the irony of the circumstances.

“Welcome to the ‘fighting after cutting too much weight’ club… Enjoy.”

Eubank and Benn fought twice last year, each managing a win. The ‘born rivals’ each managed a win, with Eubank scoring a unanimous decision in the first meeting and Benn the same result in the rematch.

Eubank was extremely vocal about facing a 10lbs rehydration clause in the contract for both bouts, meaning he couldn’t weigh more than 170lbs on the morning of each fight after making 160 the day before. The clause seemed to have a major effect on him in the second fight.

Benn faced no such rehydration clause, and even boasted this morning that he had put on over 30lbs since making 146lbs, however it was almost certainly gamesmanship.

The Brit is now expected to move up in weight, and a trilogy with Eubank may be the strongest option out there for him.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has distanced itself from Bangladesh women’s team captain Nigar Sultana‘s decision to not shake hands with Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 semi-final on Thursday. While Nigar Sultana did not shake hands with Harmanpreet during toss time, the BCB’s women’s committee chairman, Rafiqul Islam Babu, has clarified that the board did not have any say in the matter. Rafiqul called Sultana’s decision a purely personal choice, and reiterated that Bangladesh want to “maintain friendly relations with all countries”.

“Of course, it was her own decision (not to shake hands with Harmanpreet),” said Rafiqul, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“We believe sports bring the world together. We want friendly relations with all countries, not just India and so whatever she did was entirely her personal decision,” he added.

The exact reason behind the handshake snub has not been made clear by Nigar Sultana or any member of the Bangladesh women’s cricket team.

In late 2025, diplomatic and cricket relations between India and Bangladesh turned frosty, and the BCCI instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release their Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman.

Following that, Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, and were ultimately replaced by the ICC with Scotland.

However, sporting relations appear to be improving of late, ever since former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal took over as BCB president earlier this year.

India have not exchanged handshakes or post-match pleasantries with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir in 2025.

In their Women’s Asia Cup semi-final clash, India defeated Bangladesh by 40 runs to book their place in the final. Shafali Verma slammed 64 as India posted 149/6 batting first. An excellent Indian bowling effort, led by Deepti Sharma‘s three-wicket haul, saw them restrict Bangladesh to just 109/7.

BCB women’s committee chairman Rafiqul also confirmed that Nigar Sultana’s position as captain would be reviewed following the Asian Games 2026.

“We have discussed the thing in total with the board president and since they are in Asian Games we will assess the situation after the conclusion of the games. First, we will see how the team performs at the Asian Games, then decide what needs to be done,” Rafiqul said.

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A clearer picture of potential international contenders for this year’s Melbourne Spring Carnival features has emerged, with seven horses entering quarantine in the United Kingdom and Ireland late on Saturday.

The horses include Joseph O’Brien’s quartet – Kizlyar, Omni Man, Small Fry, and Starford – along with Roger Varian’s charge Enfjaar, who are in quarantine in Ireland. In England, the Harry Charlton-trained Wine Dark Sea and Ciaron Maher’s Point Of Law have also been isolated.

All these horses are nominated for both the $6 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) set for October 17 and the $10 million Melbourne Cup, which takes place 17 days later. They have all successfully navigated Racing Victoria’s necessary veterinary protocols up to this stage.

“The first seven international horses targeting the 2026 Spring Racing Carnival yesterday entered pre-export quarantine in the UK and Ireland where they will remain for two weeks prior to travelling to Melbourne,” stated RV head of racing Paul Bloodworth. “All seven hold nominations for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and have satisfied RV’s pre-travel veterinary protocols, passing a compulsory scan of their distal limbs and completing two physical veterinary examinations so far – they must undergo a final examination in PEQ.”

By being part of this initial shipment, which is scheduled to arrive in Melbourne during the final weekend of the current month, these horses will be eligible to compete in the Caulfield Cup.

Currently, Enfjaar, the winner of the Group 3 Glorious Stakes last start, and Wine Dark Sea, a victor of the Group 3 Geoffrey Freer, are the shortest-priced international entries for this year’s Caulfield Cup. Following them are O’Brien’s Omni Man and Starford, as well as Point Of Law, who has joined Maher’s stable after previously being trained by John and Thady Gosden.

Small Fry’s participation in the Caulfield Cup is not guaranteed, as O’Brien and owners OTI are also considering a start in the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m). Furthermore, Varian has not committed Enfjaar to a Melbourne Cup start, with the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington being a potential alternative.

Over the weekend, there were also developments concerning the Melbourne Cup, as Highwayman saw its odds shorten significantly following its victory in the Group 1 English St Leger (2921m) at Doncaster on Saturday night, Australian time.

Additional notable entries are expected on Sunday night, with Trustyourinstinct set to compete against established stayers Scandinavia and Jan Brueghel in the Group 1 Irish St Leger (2816m). Check out the latest racing odds at racing betting markets.

Ferran Torres was on target as champions Paris Saint-Germain finally got their Ligue 1 campaign up and running with a 1-0 win at Brest on Sunday. Prior to their trip to Brittany, Luis Enrique’s double Champions League-winning side had managed just two points from their opening three matches in an uncharacteristically sluggish start to the league season. They began their quest to win a third consecutive Champions League title by thrashing Slovan Bratislava 6-1 on Wednesday and four days later they are now off the mark domestically thanks to new signing Torres.

The close-season arrival from Barcelona, who scored the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final this summer, netted a hat-trick midweek and followed it up with a sumptuous early strike at Brest’s Stade Francis-Le Ble.

Torres now has six goals in five outings in all competitions for PSG.

“What matters to me is always helping the team, regardless of how much playing time the coach decides to give me, and doing my part. Whether that’s through goals, assists, or my work on the pitch,” the 26-year-old said.

The result sent the Parisians up to eighth in the league table, with an identical record to their hosts, who had been unbeaten heading into the encounter.

Ahead of kick-off, Brest paid tribute to their former coach Eric Roy, who died in June aged 58 after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

PSG got the crucial breakthrough in the fifth minute when Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele flicked a backheel into the path of the onrushing Torres.

The Spaniard strode onto the ball just outside the ‘D’ and caressed it into the bottom corner beyond the dive of goalkeeper Egil Selvik.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then went close to doubling PSG’s lead in an entertaining first half.

It was not all good news for PSG in the opening period, however, as Morocco captain and right-back Achraf Hakimi limped off just before half-time to be replaced by midfielder Fabian Ruiz.

Brest came within a whisker of equalising five minutes after the interval when Nuno Mendes carelessly played the ball across for Kamory Doumbia, but the forward saw his effort rebound off the post when he had only goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to beat.

The hosts then turned into their own net two minutes later but the goal was disallowed for a push by Warren Zaire-Emery, which forced the error.

Safonov was the hero for PSG late on as he got down quickly to fingertip a Pathe Mboup effort past his far post as Luis Enrique’s side held on for the victory.

Mbappe redemption

Earlier, Ethan Mbappe redeemed himself after his Champions League red card in midweek by scoring a late goal in a 2-0 win over Troyes which sent Lille top of Ligue 1.

Mbappe, the younger brother of France and Real Madrid star Kylian, was sent off in Wednesday’s 3-2 home loss to Real Betis in Europe for elbowing an opponent.

The 19-year-old put that incident behind him, though, as he came off the bench against Troyes to seal victory in stoppage time, after the hosts had taken a first-half lead through Portuguese full-back Tiago Santos.

Mbappe celebrated his first goal since December in subdued fashion by apologising to supporters for his red card, but the strike lifted Lille above Monaco and Rennes on goal difference at the top of the table.

“He came to his senses after his red card and showed maturity beyond his years; he took responsibility for his actions,” Lille boss Davide Ancelotti said.

“This week has been very important for him personally, helping him to grow as a player and as a person. As for his qualities, he certainly has them –- he showed that again today.”

Lille have taken 10 points from a possible 12 under new coach Davide Ancelotti, the son of Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Last season’s surprise title challengers, Lens, have found the going tougher this season in Ligue 1.

A 3-2 Champions League win on Thursday at Slavia Prague and victory over PSG in the French Champions’ Trophy last month stand in juxtaposition to a difficult early domestic campaign.

They now have just four points from as many outings following a 2-2 draw away to newly-promoted Le Mans on Sunday, which leaves them in 10th.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Davey has primarily trained at scrum-half with Wales and faces competition from Keira Bevan and Seren Lockwood.

And contrary to the stereotype of the position, the nines get along with no animosity.

“We all really enjoy each other’s company. We want each other to do well, so there’s never that hatred towards each other,” said Davey, who has previously started at fly-half for Loughborough.

“Whoever goes out there and does the job first is the best pick for the team and you just need to back that completely.”

Wales open their WXV campaign against South Africa at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday, 18 September (19:15 BST), and any potential involvement would mean the world to Davey.

“Playing international rugby is such a privilege and I want to make everyone proud – my family, but also the coaches that have been behind me for the last 15 years of my journey,” she said.

“It’s just that final step, like ‘I made it’. I’m really excited and hopefully it comes at some point.”

With the WNBA season on hiatus due to the FIBA World Cup, Sophie Cunningham has been keeping busy during her downtime. On Sunday, the Fever guard visited the World Wide Technology Raceway for the Illinois 300 and appeared to greet Michael Jordan during the NASCAR event.

Steven Taranto shared a post on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting Cunningham’s linkup with Jordan in the pit lane.

“Sophie Cunningham saying what’s up to Michael Jordan and Jeff Gordon before the green flag today,” Taranto wrote.

The post featured a couple of images of Cunningham at the event, where the guard appeared to shake hands with the Bulls legend and former racing driver Jeff Gordon. The images quickly went viral online, with fans going wild over the unexpected linkup.

“Sophie going for Jordan son,” a fan wrote.

“Sophie’s boyfriend better watch out!” another fan added.

While Cunningham’s NASCAR visit drew plenty of reactions from fans, the guard made the most of her appearance at the race. Apart from linking up with Jordan and Gordon, the Fever star made her way to the pit lane, where she appeared to interact with racers and engineers.

She also joined the pre-race stage, spent some time in the broadcast booth, and waved the green flag to start the race.

Cunningham has quickly become one of the biggest names in the WNBA, and her appearance at the race was another example of her growing popularity, as she was welcomed by the teams and even got the chance to meet the basketball GOAT.

Sophie Cunningham opens up on the mental side of the game during NASCAR visit

Sophie Cunningham had an eventful outing during her NASCAR visit on Sunday. While her link-up and appearance at the event turned heads, her interaction with fans also stood out as she kicked footballs and threw hats into the crowd while offering a candid interview with Kenny Wallace.

During the interview, Cunningham was asked about the mental side of sports and how she has “mastered” it through her antics during games.

“I think I’ve kind of mastered that art a little bit,” Cunningham said. “I get a little feisty, if you know what I’m saying. And you know, I do think it is part of the sport. And so, you got to have a one-up on people. And sometimes it’s not so physical, but it is the mental game. So, it’s fun.”

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Cunningham has earned a reputation as a feisty figure, with the guard often finding ways to rile up her opponents through simple gestures and on-court antics.