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Good morning! Get off the tarmac today. Coming up:
Monitoring 👀: Everyone’s waiting on the old GOAT
Roy Rochlin / Getty Images for Fanatics
Last night was pretty light game-wise, thanks to the MLB All-Star break, the World Cup progression and … a faulty WNBA plane. So today, we start by briefly monitoring some situations:
LeBron’s decision, ever closer. His greatness is never in question, but to have the league at a standstill because of a 41-year-old free agent amazes me. James appeared on stage at Fanatics Fest alongside Tyrese Haliburton yesterday in New York, declining to reveal his destination while saying it won’t be much longer. Mike Vorkunov has more from that scene.
Heat president/kingpin Pat Riley, after introducing new superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, said the franchise is still pursuing James, who won two titles in four years in Miami.
Tuchel, really? England manager Thomas Tuchel apparently still has the full support of the country’s national soccer apparatus and hopes to lead the English team to the Euros in two years. It is quite a surprise after his side’s collapse Wednesday, which has been pinned on Tuchel’s tactics backfiring. More on his future here.
A new World Cup star. I loved this story today about Fox Sports’ Stu Holden, who’s been excellent on the broadcasts and will be in the booth for the final on Sunday. His playing career could’ve been equal to that of Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey if not for injuries. He’s doing pretty well despite that.
Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
A defiant Dabo. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has never been a meek man, but his results of late — four or more losses in each of the last three seasons — spark worry about the health of his program after a dominant eight-year stretch prior. The 56-year-old was rigid in his confidence yesterday, saying he didn’t need any further success to validate his legacy. It will be a pivotal year for what was once a top-five program in the country, and the season starts on the road in Baton Rouge. No comment.
Let’s move on to a startling story:
Serious Matters: The unraveling of an NFL Draft analyst
On June 17, ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller was involved in a horrific car crash. In its aftermath, Miller was airlifted to the hospital and underwent life-saving surgeries. He lost his left arm in the process.
What followed — at least initially — took the traditional route of a tragedy. Miller shared a GoFundMe on social media to help cover healthcare costs. There was an initial outpouring of support from his colleagues.
Then, the narrative turned.
The ensuing saga is something difficult to parse, and is the focus of an investigative piece up on The Athletic this morning. I’ll try to briefly cover the premise:
Miller, 43, has become a favorite of many NFL Draftniks on social media over the past decade. He has been prolific online with draft content and fantasy football banter. He went from Bleacher Report writer to ESPN on-air personality. A rewarding career arc. Additionally, Miller appeared to be an active charitable force in his community of Joplin, Mo., and elsewhere.
When Miller shared his GoFundMe, accusations emerged. Multiple posts accused Miller of scamming people, in both fantasy football leagues and through charitable donations. Some allegations contained both. There are Reddit threads on the topic, too. A once tragic, supportive story deleted all the encouraging bits.
In the days since, a popular fantasy football platform — where he hosted nearly 100 leagues in 2025 — has banned Miller. The Missouri attorney general is now involved. And Miller denies any wrongdoing.
The story is worth a read this morning.
News to Know
Michael Nagle / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Smoke affects multiple sports
Air quality across the northern United States has deteriorated in the last two days due to Canadian wildfires, with various sporting events impacted. In Chicago yesterday, Robert Lewandowski’s debut for the Fire was postponed due to smoky air. On Wednesday in the NWSL, the attendance-record-setting game between the Spirit and Gotham FC felt dampened by the air quality, which forced hydration breaks every 15 minutes. The Phillies and Mets, meanwhile, trudged through tough conditions in New York’s 4-1 road win last night. The World Cup final could be affected, too.
See the latest on the fires over at The New York Times.
Suber, DeChambeau shine
Jackson Suber, a 26-year-old American with just two major starts before this week’s Open Championship, shot an opening-round 65 yesterday to take the first-round lead at Royal Birkdale ahead of a cadre of big names. The last time the Open graced Royal Birkdale, Jordan Spieth won the whole thing after taking the first-round lead. See more stats from Suber’s round.
Two shots back of Suber was Bryson DeChambeau, who may be the most controversial man in golf right now. His play was a welcome change after his recent major-tournament flops. Naturally, DeChambeau got into a verbal tiff with Nick Faldo afterward.
Booster donated to Paxton before Sorsby defense
Billionaire Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell donated $274,300 to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton just one day before Paxton issued a stern letter to the Big 12 in defense of Texas Tech during the Brendan Sorsby scandal, finance records show. Paxton is running for U.S. Senate in Texas. Read our full report.
More news:
NBA commissioner Adam Silver lamented Caitlin Clark’s status as a “political football” in the ongoing discourse. Read his comments.
The NBA will not punish Heat center Bam Adebayo for punching former teammate Tyler Herro in Las Vegas last week, a league spokesperson told The Athletic. Huh.
The league is also investigating the Bucks for possible salary cap circumvention via an extension for guard Gary Trent Jr. Full details inside.
A former pro tennis player saw his match-fixing suspension increase after appealing for a penalty reduction. Ouch.
MLB is cracking down on AI usage in the dugout. Some teams are mad.
The Reds agreed to a seven-year, $105 million extension with starter Chase Burns, a source confirmed to The Athletic. It’s a record for a pitcher of Burns’ experience level.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri says he isn’t concerned about the possibility of Max Verstappen joining the team. Hm.
Watch Guide
📺 Golf: The Open Championship
Now on USA, NBC Sports Network and Peacock
Round 2 is well underway. See the latest on our live blog.
📺 MLB: White Sox at Blue Jays
7:15 p.m. ET on Apple TV
Toronto may sit last in the AL East, but the Jays are still just 2 1/2 games back in the AL wild-card race. Meanwhile, the “other” Chicago team is tied for the AL Central lead and may be much more than a fluke this year. Good game.
📺 WNBA: Dream at Tempo
7:30 p.m. ET on Ion
Toronto may be four games under .500, but the team has real momentum with fans north of the border. Atlanta, still enduring a semi-swoon, needs a win. The atmosphere should be fun.
Pulse Picks
I can’t sell this any better than the headline: Welcome to the high-stakes universe of … World Cup Wikipedia editing. Click.
I loved this story because it touched on a benign version of the most understandable emotion: jealousy. Which skill would MLB players steal from their colleagues? These answers were great.
Women’s sports need more advocates, but as Candace Buckner wrote yesterday, is Flavor Flav the best we can do?
NBA Summer League can be a place where young prospects become stars. The best performance in its history, though? That belongs to Anthony Morrow, who still holds the scoring record 17 years later. This retrospective was fun.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Jack Pitt-Brooke’s excellent column on how Thomas Tuchel failed England.
Most-read on the website yesterday: ☝️