A 2027 five-star center has put Kentucky in his top six schools

Mark Pope is looking to land another five-star in the 2027 class.Andrew Stefaniak|

Sunnyslope Vikings center Darius Wabbington (21) looks to pass the ball against the Basha Bears during their semifinal game at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale on March 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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With the 2026 recruiting class wrapped up, Mark Pope and his coaching staff have moved on to the 2027 class. The Wildcats have already landed a player as five-star Ryan Hampton picked the Wildcats, and Mo Williams played a large role in this get. This addition gave Big Blue Nation some confidence in Coach Pope, which is very exciting for the future, as recruiting has been an issue.

The Wildcats are in the hunt for another elite player in the 2027 class, and that is five-star center Darius Wabbington. The 6’11 245-pound center is ranked as the #15 player in the 247Sports composite rankings. The Phoenix, Arizona, native just put out his list of top six schools, which included Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana, Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina.

Five-star prospect Darius Wabbington has cut his to six schools and has scheduled three official visits, @KayserHoops reports.

Wabbington is having a big summer for the @Compton_Magic 👀 https://t.co/OVWKUBYs3Y pic.twitter.com/V1ODWXiRDA
— League Ready (@LeagueRDY) June 30, 2026

The five-star Wabbington has three visits set up right now to Louisville, Arizona, and Texas, so Kentucky is going to have to work to get this elite player on campus. When watching the film on Wabbington, what stands out is how well he can handle the basketball. He can get the ball in his hands far away from the basket and get the rim like a guard, yet he is 6’11.

He is capable of making a jump shot, which means opponents would have to respect it, but his footwork around the rim was very impressive. One of the most impressive parts about his game to me was how he could speed up real quick to blow by a slower defender. He is 6’11 245 pounds, but he is very fast, and this is quite impressive. You don’t often see a player the size of Wabbington moving the way that he does.

Sunnyslope Vikings teammates Darius Wabbington (21) and Rider Portela (15) celebrate a defensive stop in the final seconds of their 58-53 win over the Millennium Tigers during their Open Division boys basketball state semifinals game at Chaparral High School in Phoenix on March 5, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Passing is something that is very important for bigs in the Pope offense, and I have seen some film of him tossing some dimes to his teammates for assists. Knowing that Wabbington can handle the basketball, pass, and is quick makes it sound like he would be the perfect point center for Coach Pope.

Now the goal for Pope and the staff will be to get Wabbington on campus for a visit, as they are behind in that aspect. If they can get this done, then things will start to heat up for the five-star center. This is a name for BBN to pay attention to as Pope gets rolling in the 2027 class.

Published 6 minutes ago

ANDREW STEFANIAK

Andrew Stefaniak is the publisher of Kentucky Wildcats On SI and host of the Wildcats Today Podcast.

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Red Wings And Blackhawks Could Struggle In NHL Free Agency

Red Wings And Blackhawks Could Struggle In NHL Free Agency

The Hockey NewsTue, June 30, 2026 at 10:52 PM UTC

The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings have been two of the most successful NHL teams in modern memory, but their lengthy playoff droughts could make it very difficult to attract needle-moving talent.

NFL Insider Gives Update on Baker Mayfield's Contract Talks With Buccaneers

Have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield made any progress? River Wells|

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield have done good work during their three-year partnership so far. Mayfield has thrown for 13,108 yards and 103 touchdowns with the Buccaneers so far, and he's looking for a new deal as he enters the last year of the $33 million APY contract he signed in 2024.

Mayfield has given the Buccaneers until training camp to negotiate with him, and he recently told reporters at a football camp in Oklahoma that he and Tampa Bay would like to get the extension done. The Bucs clearly want him back, but when will they begin picking up negotiations again as training camp draws closer?

NFL insider Jeremy Fowler recently spoke on NFL Live, and he gave an update on where Mayfield's talks with the Buccaneers are — and when they might start really picking up.

Buccaneers and Mayfield to Resume Talks Soon?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) warms up before a game against the Carolina Panthers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I’m told that the Bucs and Baker Mayfield have not made any progress on a new deal since he made those original comments in [June] that he wants a deal,” Fowler said on NFL Live, per JoeBucsFan. “And he needs it before training camp. “But neither side is worried, I’m told, because they got five weeks here to hash this out. I expect some movement closer to mid- to late-July when players are about to report."

The Buccaneers and Mayfield would certainly like to get things done on this front before training camp, as it would allow Mayfield to purely focus on football and allow Tampa Bay to feel secure at the quarterback position for years to come. Based on Fowler's comments, talks could heat up fairly soon with training camp set to kick off on July 28.

Recent estimates put Mayfield's impending deal over the $50 million mark. There are 12 quarterbacks currently making that much money in the NFL, and Mayfield certainly feels as if he's worthy of being among those quarterbacks.

His target will likely fall around the $53 million APY mark. Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff and San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy both make that on their current deals, and it would make sense that Mayfield — with his highs in mind — could get a comparable deal.

Mayfield has taken a lot of sacks and has fumbled the ball quite often as a Buccaneer, and the back stretch of his 2025 campaign has caused some concern. He played through injuries during that back half of the year, though, and his supporting cast was injured as well, so he could have a big year in 2026 if everyone stays healthy.

It's clear that the Bucs and Mayfield want to keep a good thing going, and based on NFL chatter, his extension could be coming very soon.

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Published 45 minutes ago

RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.

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Home/Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

Kawhi Leonard trade: The Raptors are taking a risk that paid off once before. Why not again?

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Ben RohrbachSenior writerTue, June 30, 2026 at 10:19 PM UTC·4 min read

Everyone loves a good reunion, and Kawhi Leonard is returning to the Toronto Raptors.

When last we saw Leonard sporting dinosaurs, in his lone season in Toronto, he led the Raptors on a magical run to the 2019 NBA championship, the franchise's first title.

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It had cost them DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round draft pick (Keldon Johnson), and it was worth every penny, because they won. But Leonard did immediately leave Toronto at the altar in 2019 free agency, choosing instead to team with Paul George on their hometown Los Angeles Clippers, where controversy ensued over seven years.

Leonard, in coordination with the Clippers, remains under investigation by the NBA for allegedly circumventing the salary cap. A Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by Pablo Torre uncovered an alleged no-show job that earned Leonard an additional $50 million.

Leonard received $291.7 million from the Clippers, and allegedly more, over seven years. He is owed $50.3 million this coming season and presumably wants much more. As Chris Haynes reported, Leonard is already working on a two-year contract extension in Toronto.

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Beyond the controversy, though, there is plenty of injury concern about Leonard. He left the San Antonio Spurs in 2019 with what was termed as right quadriceps tendinopathy, a chronic condition in his leg. But the Raptors gambled and managed the then-27-year-old, who delivered 60 games in the regular season and 24 even better ones in the playoffs.

Leonard was phenomenal in the 2019 postseason, averaging a 31-9-4 on 49/38/88 shooting splits, defeating Joel Embiid's Philadelphia 76ers (thanks to a buzzer-beating Game 7 winner from Leonard), Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks and Stephen Curry's dynastic (albeit injury-plagued) Golden State Warriors en route to his second Finals MVP award. (He also took home the honor in 2014, when his Spurs won the title.)

Was that lightning in a bottle? Due to injury, Leonard missed 40% of the Clippers' regular-season games and 30% of their playoff games in his seven seasons, including their only trip to a conference finals in 2021, when his right ACL required season-ending surgery. He missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season and has dealt with inflammation in the knee ever since — concerns that cost him the end of the 2023 and 2024 postseasons, too.

After appearing in just 37 games of the 2024-25 season, Leonard enjoyed a bounce-back campaign at the age of 34 this past year, averaging a 28-6-4 on 51/39/89 shooting splits over 65 games. It was arguably the best statistical season of his career. He earned MVP and All-NBA First Team consideration, despite the controversy ever-swirling around him.

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It is not controversy that should concern the Raptors. It is injury. How could they possibly put their faith into Leonard's right leg seven years removed from a miracle season, and one season removed from another? It does feel like every game Leonard plays is a gift.

But that's the thing. When he plays, man, is he good. He is a gift to the basketball gods, a two-way menace on par with anyone in his generation at his peak, and he gives Toronto a chance to win. With All-Star forward Scottie Barnes and a ton of talent around them, including RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Collin Murray-Boyles, they can compete in an open Eastern Conference. The Raptors limped to a Game 7 in the first round without Leonard.

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Now, they enter the summer with the chance to further bolster the roster, having landed Leonard in the hours before free agency opened. Might more moves be on the horizon?

Regardless, everything hinges on the health of Leonard. It cost them Brandon Ingram (a 28-year-old two-time All-Star), Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap and a pair of second-rounders, according to Charania. That was not much more than they gave up for him the first time around. It paid off before. Why not again? Well, does lightning in a bottle strike twice? Is this a good reunion? Only time will tell.

Outrage as California schools forced to comply with all-gender restroom rule

California schools must have all-gender restroom by July 1

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Outrage as California schools forced to comply with all-gender restroom rule

By Titus Wu Published June 30, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET

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California schools will be required to offer students access to at least one all-gender bathroom starting Wednesday under a new statewide mandate — a move that’s stoking anger from conservatives and concerned parents who say Sacramento is putting politics ahead of education.

The requirement, which takes effect July 1, stems from a 2023 law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of a package of legislation aimed at supporting the state’s LGBTQ community. Supporters said the measure would make schools more welcoming for transgender students.

“These measures will help protect vulnerable youth, promote acceptance, and create more supportive environments in our schools and communities,” Newsom said in September 2023.

An all-gender restroom sign at a school in Davis, California. Beth Bourne

School districts across the state have spent the past year preparing for the deadline, with several — including districts in Sacramento — saying they are already in compliance. The Chino Valley Unified School District, whose parental notification policies for transgender students helped spark the political battle that led to the law, told The California Post through a spokesperson that staff are working to ensure the district complies by Wednesday.

There is no state data on how many schools are in compliance. The California Department of Education told The Post it does not track statewide compliance data.

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Costs to install the restrooms have been mostly minimal, sources told The Post, but have reached $100,000 or more for larger districts. That’s because the law allows converting existing restrooms, such as single-stall ones, to comply with the law. The money typically comes from the state’s general funding to schools, according to legislative analysis.

Even so, critics say schools are once again being forced to divert time and money toward politically charged mandates.

Aerial view of a school campus with various buildings, a football stadium, baseball field, swimming pool, and solar panel covered parking lots. — The Chino Valley Unified School District told The California Post that staff are working to ensure the district complies. Chino Valley Unified School District

Sonja Shaw, President of the Chino Valley Unified School District, smiles while receiving a high five. — Chino Valley Unified School District President Sonja Shaw MediaNews Group via Getty Images

“This is another wasteful, politically driven mandate from Sacramento that ignores the real priorities of our schools,” Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District board, told The Post. “At a time when California students are struggling academically, lawmakers once again forced schools to spend time and resources implementing social policies that the majority of California families fundamentally disagree with.”

Shaw, who is running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, said while compliance may be easy for many districts, the law is a slippery slope.

“The greater concern is where this leads next. Parents have repeatedly warned against moving toward multi-stall all-gender facilities that eliminate sex-based privacy protections,” Shaw said. “Dismissing those concerns as political rhetoric is irresponsible.”

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UNBELIEVABLE. Who made the decision to sacrifice the safety of young females for a social experiment?

Why would any sane parent want their daughter to share a locked gender-neutral bathroom with a male student?

Holmes Junior High School in Davis, CA. This is insanity. @DJUSD… pic.twitter.com/IpXiGOjN8U
— Beth Bourne (@bourne_beth2345) August 28, 2025

Beth Bourne, a parent and activist in the Davis Joint Unified School District, told The Post she was shocked after discovering multiple all-gender bathrooms at district schools last year, including some with multiple stalls or menstrual products intended for non-binary students. The Post reached out to the district for comment.

“Why would any sane parent want their daughter to share a locked gender-neutral bathroom with a male student?” she said.

Greg Burt, vice president of the California Family Council, told The Post that many Californians are still unaware that the mandate officially takes effect this week. While single-occupancy all-gender bathrooms are unlikely to draw widespread opposition, he argued that larger shared facilities raise more significant concerns.

He pointed to California’s State Capitol, where two multi-stall restrooms have already been converted to all-gender facilities.

“Kids who are here on field trips of both sexes pour into the same bathrooms with adults of both sexes,” he said. “Can you imagine sending little girls into these bathrooms with grown men in there relieving themselves? I doubt most parents would approve.”

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An all-gender restroom sign at a school in Davis, California. Beth Bourne

The Chino Valley Unified School District told The California Post that staff are working to ensure the district complies. Chino Valley Unified School District