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The NBA season is less than two weeks away and Russell Westbrook remains unsigned, but the veteran point guard reportedly isn’t considering playing overseas just yet.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Westbrook has had “zero discussion” about gauging interest from teams abroad, but “securing his next NBA opportunity has been the focus for Westbrook’s camp.”

Westbrook, 36, spent the 2024-25 campaign with the Denver Nuggets, where he played a key role off the bench as he put up 13.3 points, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.

He had the chance to return to Denver for the 2025-26 season, but instead chose not to exercise his $3.5 million contract option and entered free agency. Former NBA player Danny Green said on his podcast last week that Westbrook declined his player option because the Nuggets didn’t plan to include him in the rotation.

There was some reported interest in Westbrook early this offseason as teams looked for point guards, but many of those teams have since filled those roles. One team reportedly is still eyeing him, however.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported last week that “there is strong mutual interest between” the Sacramento Kings and Westbrook, which could give him a place to call home before the start of the season.

But even if Westbrook goes unsigned through the start of the season, teams will inevitably need a point guard once injuries begin taking a toll, so the odds that Westbrook isn’t in the NBA at some point this year seem slim.

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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers†search for Bruce Bochyâ€s replacement is centered on Skip Schumaker, a former NL Manager of the Year who has worked in their organization for the past year.

“We have a lead candidate internally that weâ€re focused on,†Chris Young, the teamâ€s president of baseball operations, said Friday.

Young acknowledged that he had begun what he would consider a formal interview process, and that there were not yet any external candidates.

“At this point, we havenâ€t focused there yet,†he said. “Our hope is that we donâ€t have to.â€

Schumaker, a special advisor for the Rangers, was the 2023 NL Manager of the Year when Miami went 84-78 and made the fourth postseason appearance in club history. That was the same year Texas, with Bochy in his debut there, won its first World Series championship.

The Rangers and the 70-year-old Bochy, a four-time World Series champion who was baseballâ€s winningest active manager, mutually agreed Monday to end his managerial stint. That was the day after Texas finished 81-81 for its second non-winning record since its championship. Bochy was at the end of his three-year contract.

The Marlins slipped to 62-100 in 2024 after changes in the front office and a roster decimated by trades and injuries. Schumaker and the team mutually agreed that he wouldnâ€t return for this season.

Texas hired Schumaker last November, a move viewed by many as making him the heir apparent for Bochy. Schumaker remains under contract with the organization through the end of October.

There are seven other MLB teams also looking for new managers. Young wouldnâ€t say if any other teams had requested permission to speak with the 45-year-old Shumaker about their openings.

When asked if there was worry about Schumaker in relation to those other openings, Young said: “Iâ€m not overly concerned at this point.â€

Before going to Miami, Schumaker was a bench coach for St. Louis, where he played for the Cardinals during their 2011 World Series win over Texas. He played 11 big league seasons with St. Louis (2005-12), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013) and Cincinnati (2014-15).

Rangers general manager Ross Fenstermaker said while Schumaker lives on the West Coast, he has been very involved with the team in his advisory role.

“Heâ€d spend time with us and many different folks in the front office, add his perspective, his wisdom. He was around and available a lot,†Fenstermaker said. “We probably talked to him every few days, if not daily, throughout the course of the year and bounce ideas off him and get his perspective.â€

Bochy has been offered an advisory role in the Rangers front office. He also could be in line for such a position with the San Francisco Giants, though he isnâ€t a candidate for the managerial opening of the team he led to three World Series titles from 2010-14.

With 2,252 wins, Bochy is sixth among all managers, with the five ahead of him all in the Hall of Fame.

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  Jamal CollierSep 29, 2025, 05:24 PM ET

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  Jamal Collier is an NBA reporter at ESPN. Collier covers the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and the Midwest region of the NBA, including stories such as Minnesota’s iconic jersey swap between Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson. He has been at ESPN since Sept. 2021 and previously covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune. You can reach out to Jamal on Twitter @JamalCollier or via email Jamal.Collier@espn.com.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo reiterated his desire to win a second championship Monday and confirmed reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania that he was open-minded over the summer about exploring whether his best long-term fit was in Milwaukee or elsewhere.

“The same thing I’ve been saying my whole career, I want to be in a team that allows me and gives me a chance to win a championship,” said Antetokounmpo, who is sitting out the start of training camp after testing positive for COVID-19. “I think it’s a disservice to basketball, just to the game, to not want it to compete in a high level, to want your season to end in April.”

The Bucks have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in three consecutive seasons meaning Antetokounmpo, 30, has not played in a game beyond the first round since 2022.

“It’s not the first time. I had the same thoughts last year,” Antetokounmpo said. “I had the same thoughts two years ago. I had the same thoughts five years ago. It is never going to change. I want to be among the best. I want to compete with the best, and I want to win another championship.”

Still, Antetokounmpo sounded optimistic Monday during a video call from Greece when speaking about the state of the Bucks roster, saying he was excited about the addition of center Myles Turner and for a chance to play with younger, more athletic teammates.

“I deal with what I have in front of me,” he said. “I think it’s a great team. It’s a sleeper, and a lot of people might not take it serious, but I think we are a very, very dangerous team.”

Earlier this month, Antetokounmpo led Team Greece to a bronze medal during the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament, playing alongside his two brothers in an experience he called “the greatest basketball accomplishment” of his life.

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In the third-place game Sept. 14, he scored 30 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Yet, as the rest of the Bucks arrived in Milwaukee for the start of camp, Antetokounmpo remained home in Greece.

“We don’t think it’s safe for him to be around our team,” general manager Jon Horst said Monday. “As soon as he is, he’ll be back with us.”

Despite Antetokounmpo acknowledging the fact that he explored his options this summer, the Bucks preached confidence Monday about Antetokounmpo’s commitment to the franchise.

“This team is built to maximize Giannis, but Giannis can actually maximize this team,” Horst said. “This is a team that is really hungry to earn whatever we get, and they want to deserve to win. And that’s going to be our style of play, that’s going to be playing together, and that’s going to feature the best player in the world, and Giannis and a bunch of guys that fit him really, really well.”

Bucks managing governor Wes Edens echoed Horst’s confidence in Antetokounmpo, emphasizing a conversation they had in June after the end of the season.

“He made it clear that he was very committed to Milwaukee,” Edens said Monday. “He likes being here, likes his family being here. He thinks that the team is — obviously we’ve had some kind of bad fortune in these last couple of years in the playoffs — but there’s a lot of positives.”

However, Antetokounmpo said later in the day that he did not recall having that conversation.

“I believe in my teammates,” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s pretty much it. I believe in the people around me. I believe in my teammates. I believe in the moves that they make. Hopefully, we can get on the same page and understand what’s at risk right now. The last three years we’ve been eliminated in the first round, so it’s not much to talk about. We just got to put our heads down and stay locked in the whole year long and try to win some games and hopefully get in the playoffs and then don’t get eliminated in the first round. That’s pretty much it. And then we go from there.”

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Throughout this year, it’s no secret that WWE has attempted to counter-program AEW at every opportunity possible, with many of the Jacksonville-based promotion’s pay-per-views having to compete with Saturday Night’s Main Event or a “WWE NXT” PLE. However, along with its counter-programming strategy, WWE’s ticket sales have never been higher, with seat prices becoming less affordable for families, resulting in fans to complain about the company’s partnership with TKO Group Holdings. Following AEW All Out this past weekend, many of the company’s stars touched on being counter-programmed and WWE’s increased ticket prices, including Ricochet, who feels AEW is not only a suitable alternative, but also a beneficial substitute financially.Â

“All those families and all those people who may not be able to afford to go to WWE can afford to come to our show and have a good time and experience some new action, experience some new characters, experience some new drama, and experience just an alternative to what has been going on for a long time. So whether they’re going to counter-program or not, I’m glad that AEW is around.”Â

Ricochet continued to speak on the competition between WWE and AEW by highlighting tribalism in professional wrestling, stating that fans have been conditioned to choose sides.

“We’ve been kind of programmed to like despise the other territories,” Ricochet claimed. “Even when they came together and it was like WWF versus WCW, like one had to win and one had to lose, like one needed to go under, you know what I mean? Like so we were kind of taught to like despise the other wrestling companies … it’s never been really acceptable to have multiple wrestling companies on television.”Â

Ricochet shares additional thoughts on WWE counter-programming AEW

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When going further into detail about WWE counter-programming AEW, Ricochet feels that its best to acknowledge the competition rather than ignore it, but to maintain the delivery of a reliable show as their top priority.

“Every company’s goal is to make the most money possible,” Ricochet said. “When we feel things are being done in bad faith, that’s when I feel it’s like okay, then let’s get a little crazy because they can say whether they’re doing it for this reason or that reason, they can say whatever they need to feel. How most people see it, how most people view is one way. So, why not just say, ‘Yo, that’s what’s up. What y’all doing? We know what y’all doing’ … I think AEW is in a great spot. I think AEW is focused on us. I think now more than ever, I think they’re trying to figure out ways to create new stories and drama and suspense while keeping it still sports-based.”

Ricochet explained that AEW’s end goal is to be able to create a product that they can be proud to showcase while delivering some of the best in-ring performances in the industry today. Although he believes that WWE’s goals may be similar, Ricochet feels that AEW takes the action to another level by always putting their bodies on the line and presenting crazier ideas.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Ariel Helwani Show” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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New Orleans Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars might have watched some Spider-Manthis offseason, at least if his advice for franchise player Zion Williamson is any indication.

“The main thing that I’ve talked to Zion about is just responsibility and accountability,” Dumars told reporters Monday. “What I’ve said to him is ‘with greatness comes responsibility. You don’t get to be great and not responsible.’ And so it’s just been a heavy emphasis on that. Just being accountable and responsible for what you do. It’s not enough just to be talented.”

Dumars certainly understands the accountability it takes to be great in the NBA, as he was a Hall of Fame player who won two championships and an NBA Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons.

There is no doubt Williamson has the talent to be a Hall of Famer himself, as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft can take over games with a combination of gravity-defying dunks, powerful low-post moves and timely rebounding.

Yet injuries have largely prevented him from fully living up to expectations.

He missed the entire 2021-22 campaign, played 24 games as a rookie in 2019-20, 29 games in 2022-23 and 30 games last season. He has never played more than 70 games in a single season, and questions about his conditioning have been a storyline at times in his career.

Any chance the Pelicans have at bouncing back from last season’s 21-61 effort and competing in the daunting Western Conference falls on Williamson’s shoulders. He is the clear-cut No. 1 option in the offense, and having him healthy and available is the most important thing for their season.

Dumars’ comments suggest he has made it a priority to make sure Williamson is ready to assume a leadership role within the organization.

Now it is up to the Duke product to take that to heart.

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