LeBron James NBA free agency decision; early NBA winners, losers

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🏀 Five things to know Wednesday

1. The LeBron James era is over for the Lakers. There will be no Year 9 for King James in a Lakers jersey. The biggest domino of NBA free agency thus far fell yesterday when James hit the open market and informed the team he intends to sign elsewhere. The dust is still settling on his Los Angeles legacy, but it is not too early to ponder which franchise will be fortunate enough to land his talents. The Warriors have been linked to him over the last few days and are the clear favorites to bring him aboard, but these other teams would also be logical landing spots. Not all of our NBA writers are convinced Golden State presents the most entertaining situation, but it is hard not to salivate over the idea of James, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porziņģis all teaming up in the Bay Area. Meanwhile, the Lakers are left to rebuild their identity, and their top priority is already clear. And we’ve got your free agency winners and losers.
2. Kawhi Leonard will return to the Raptors via trade. The NBA offseason is not just about free agent signings. An absolute blockbuster transaction between the Clippers and Raptors will send Leonard back up north seven years after he departed from Toronto. In capitalizing on Leonard’s value and securing Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and a host of draft picks (including unprotected first-rounders in 2031 and 2033) in return, this is a home-run move for Los Angeles. Our trade grades reflect how the Clippers came out way ahead by parting with the seven-time All-Star, who never quite lived up to expectations across his seven years with the team.
3. Serena Williams and Ben Shelton are out at Wimbledon. It was a short stay in the tournament for two huge American names. Neither Williams nor Shelton made it out of the opening round due to their losses Tuesday. Williams still has at least one doubles match ahead of her, but her run in the singles field is done just one match into her comeback. She fell to 20-year-old Maya Joint in three sets in her first singles match in four years. Shelton, the highest-seeded American man at Wimbledon, fell in five sets to Otto Virtanen despite entering play as a perceived threat to at least return to the quarterfinals. Those remaining in the bracket embark on second-round play today.
4. Kylian Mbappé kept France rolling to highlight Tuesday’s World Cup action. Three more teams are through to the Round of 16: Norway, France, and Mexico. Mbappé, again, shined as bright as any star who was in action across the trio of matches with yet another brace (his third of the tournament) in Les Bleus’ 3-0 rout of Sweden. His fifth and six goals of the World Cup tied him with Lionel Messi at the front of the Golden Boot race and placed him one goal behind Messi’s pace on the all-time tournament leaderboard. And in yesterday’s nightcap, Mexico became the second host country to send its national team to the Round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Ecuador. Is the United States next? The USMNT returns to action tonight against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
5. NHL free agency gets underway today. The NBA isn’t the only league that gets to have some free agency fun. While the 2026 class does not hold a candle to others in recent years, there are still a few big names that could be on the move. We ranked the top 30 free agents, including a couple of Stanley Cup champion goaltenders, ahead of what promises to be an active stanza of the offseason.

🏆 Do not miss this: Who had the best year in college sports?

There are football schools, there are basketball schools and — in only a few instances — so-called “everything schools.” In modern college athletics, the strongest brands and wealthiest athletic departments are often the ones that dominate across sports. That was very apparent during the 2025-26 academic year, which has officially come to an end.

We created a formula to determine which Power Four schools enjoyed the most success in the six biggest sports and found that one athletic department stood head and shoulders above the rest. Congratulations to Texas on putting together the best year in major college sports! Our Cody Nagel explained what set the Longhorns apart.

• Nagel: “The Longhorns posted a regular-season win percentage above .750 in five of the six sports and accumulated 100 more postseason points than any other Power Four school. Texas was consistently strong across the board, but the biggest highlight came in softball, where the Longhorns won the Women’s College World Series for the second consecutive year.”

Each of the top nine schools hailed from either the SEC or Big Ten, but all four leagues were well represented in the top 25. The Big 12, in fact, dominated the No. 20 to No. 25 range:

20. Arizona State
21. Virginia
22. USC
23. Iowa State
24. Arizona
25. Kansas

⚾ White Sox write AL’s greatest first-half success story

Almost nothing has gone according to script in the American League this year. With more than 50% of regular-season games now complete, nearly all of the perceived preseason contenders are in the midst of dramatically underwhelming campaigns. Meanwhile, teams like the White Sox flipped all of those expectations on their heads.

Chicago is one of two clubs to receive an “A” grade on our MLB halfway report card thanks to an incredibly quick turnaround that nobody saw coming. Remember, it was just two years ago the White Sox set the modern record for most losses in a single season.

Here’s our Matt Snyder on this sudden surge from the South Siders:

• Snyder: “After losing 121 games two years ago and 102 last season, the White Sox are not only above .500 but are fighting for a division title. That’s a monster victory for the franchise. Speaking of victories, landing Munetaka Murakami was an utter coup, Miguel Vargas is blossoming into a star and Colson Montgomery has already hit 20 home runs. There remain questions in the rotation, but this White Sox bunch is clearly ahead of schedule.”

On the other end of the spectrum, neither of the reigning ALCS participants hold a division lead through 86 games. The Blue Jays are a whopping 11 games back in the AL East while the Mariners play catch-up in baseball’s worst division, the AL West. Neither of them received passing grades.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

🎾 Wimbledon, second round, 6 a.m. on ESPN
⚽ World Cup: England vs. Congo DR, noon on Fox
⚾ White Sox at Orioles, 12:35 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Tigers at Yankees, 1:35 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Mets at Blue Jays, 3:07 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Padres at Cubs, 3:30 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Belgium vs. Senegal, 4 p.m. on FS1
⚽ World Cup: United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 8 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Reds at Brewers, 8:10 p.m. on MLB Network