Even a quarter of Stephen Curry is a high cost for the Golden State Warriors these days.

The Warriors star exited Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons early with right knee soreness, finishing with a team-high 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting (4 of 10 from 3-point range). After the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he didn’t believe Curry’s knee injury was “anything major,” but the team will know more on Saturday.

Curry went to the locker room near the end of the third quarter, grimacing and limping slightly after some awkward contact on an and-1. He remained in the locker room at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and the Warriors soon ruled him out for the rest of the game.

The Warriors managed to hang around despite Curry’s injury, cutting the deficit to three points midway through the fourth quarter, but ended up losing 131-124 to the East-leading Pistons.

Curry had been dealing with a knee issue over the course of this week. He reportedly first felt something in his knee on Saturday and was listed as questionable with right knee soreness for Sunday’s game, but still played that day. However, he did miss Monday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the second leg of a back-to-back.

He went on to play 28 minutes against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday and didn’t carry an injury designation going into Friday’s game, but clearly the injury resurfaced.

As usual, a significant Curry injury would be the last thing the Warriors need right now. The team is still learning how to navigate life without Jimmy Butler, who was knocked out for the season by a torn ACL last week. 

Friday’s loss means Golden State is now 2-4 since Butler’s injury, with losses to the Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks. For now, they remain in eighth place in the Western Conference at 27-33, with a 3.5-game cushion to avoid the second play-in game.

Veteran MLB reliever David Robertson announced his retirement Friday, ending a playing career that saw him appear with eight different teams over the course of 18 years.

Nine of those years were spent with the New York Yankees, who selected him in the 17th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He reached the majors two years later and, in his second season, won his only World Series ring with the Yankees’ 2009 champion team.

Robertson was the only active player remaining from that 2009 team, and that creates quite the historical fact as we head into the 2026 season.

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With no Robertson in the majors, there will not be a single active player in MLB who has won a World Series ring with the Yankees. How rare is that? It’s been true for only one other MLB season since the Yankees’ first World Series title in 1922, a span of 104 years.

That season is 1995. And now 2026 is set to join it, as well as potentially 2027, and 2028, and so on.

You don’t need a baseball historian to tell you the Yankees regularly won the World Series from the 1920s to the early 1960s. Obviously, MLB had players with Yankees World Series rings throughout that time. Most of them were still playing for the Yankees, thanks to the reserve clause.

Over the course of Yankees history, the team has had three notable World Series droughts: from 1962 to 1977, from 1978 to 1996 and 2009 to present. To find a player whose career spanned the first drought, you can look up Al Downing, who received light work with the 1961 and 1962 Yankees but lasted in MLB until his retirement with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977.

For 1978 to 1996, the closest any player comes is Hall of Famer Rich “Goose” Gossage, who was an All-Star on the 1978 Yankees and kept playing until 1994, his age-42 season. He did spend a season out of MLB in 1990 while playing for Japan’s Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, but that gap is covered by former teammate Willie Randolph, who played until 1992, and assorted others.

There was the mini-drought from 2000 to 2009, obviously covered by Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite and more, and then this one.

To be clear, this is just a fun little fact. The Yankees are not panicking because David Robertson retired. Still, it underscores how far the Yankees have drifted from their history over the past couple decades.

The club had a chance to break the drought in 2024, but ran into a Dodgers team that has now usurped its status as MLB’s Big Bad. The pressure is going to keep building with every year that passes without a new set of players with Yankees rings.

The Washington Wizards likely would’ve preferred for Luka Dončić to sit out Friday’s game to give his sore left ankle a rest. 

Instead, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star played against the Wizards after being listed as questionable earlier in the day on the NBA’s injury report due to left ankle soreness. And he was explosive from the game’s opening tip of a 142-111 win. 

Dončić scored 11 of the Lakers’ first 20 points and assisted on two Deandre Ayton baskets on his way to finishing the first quarter with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists as the Lakers scored 41 points in the opening 12 minutes. 

By halftime, he already had a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists as the Lakers went to the locker room with a 77-48 lead. Oh, and he only played 19 minutes in the first half.

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Demonstrating that it was simply his night, Dončić posed after making a lob pass to Jaxson Hayes (before Hayes even finished the dunk) and banked in a 3-pointer for the Lakers’ final score of the second quarter. Lakers coach JJ Redick wasn’t too impressed by the bank shot during his halftime interview, however.

“Sometimes, he gets bored. So it did not surprise me,” Redick said on the Spectrum SportsNet broadcast. “He did not call it, though.” 

Dončić insisted after the game that he intended to bank the shot in, however. 

He hrottled down in the second half, sitting out the entire fourth quarter with the Lakers holding a big lead. Dončić finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists and 3 steals. The NBA’s leading scorer has tallied 30 points or more in seven of his past 10 games. 

By the end of the game, it was Bronny James who entertained the fans at Capital One Arena with a breakway dunk from a steal by Jake LaRivia. 

Prior to that, LeBron James gave the fans a highlight with a reverse dunk on a lob pass from Marcus Smart.

The elder James scored 20 points, while Bronny tallied four. Ayton added 28 points (his second-highest total of the season) with 13 rebounds, while Rui Hachimura provided 11 points off the bench. 

[Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed]

The Lakers have won of five of their past seven games and improved to 29-18 as they wrestle with the Phoenix Suns for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference. Los Angeles continues its eight-game road trip with a Sunday primetime matchup against the New York Knicks. 

For the Wizards (12-35), Malaki Branham scored a team-high 17 points. Alex Sarr followed with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington each scored 13 points. Washington next hosts the equally struggling Sacramento Kings (12-37) on Sunday. 

The line between college and pro sports has never been blurred more, and Amari Bailey is reportedly up for testing its obscurity.

The former UCLA guard, who was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft and then played 10 games on a two-way contract for the Hornets during the 2023-24 season, is seeking college eligibility.

No one has gone back to play in college after logging NBA minutes. His goal is to play one more season in the collegiate ranks, according to an ESPN report Friday.

“Right now I’d be a senior in college,” the soon-to-be-22-year-old Bailey told ESPN. “I’m not trying to be 27 years old playing college athletics. No shade to the guys that do; that’s their journey. But I went to go play professionally and learned a lot, went through a lot. So, like, why not me?”

Bailey has reportedly hired an agent and a lawyer and is prepared to challenge the NCAA in court. He explained to ESPN that he has some regrets about leaving UCLA after his freshman season, during which he averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 2022-23.

That season, the Bruins won 31 games and reached the Sweet 16. Bailey was the fourth-leading scorer on a squad that featured Miami Heat first-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr.

He arrived at UCLA as a five-star prospect from Sierra Canyon, where he teamed up with Bronny James and other high-profile prospects outside of Los Angeles. Bailey was the No. 12 overall recruit in the 2022 class, according to the Rivals industry ranking.

After his rookie season with the Hornets, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets but spent the 2024-25 season in the G League. He was cut this past summer, according to ESPN.

“It’s not a stunt,” Bailey said, per ESPN. “I’m really serious about going back. I just want to improve my game, change the perception of me and just show that I can win.”

Last month, in the wake of 2023 second-round pick James Nnaji joining Baylor, NCAA president Charlie Baker insisted that the NCAA “has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract).”

Nnaji, a 21-year-old and 7-foot center from Makurdi, Nigeria, never signed an NBA contract. Instead, he remained in the FC Barcelona organization, although he did play in NBA Summer League games for the Hornets and New York Knicks, as recently as last year for the Knicks.

Nnaji’s arrival at Baylor has been overshadowed recently by another 7-footer, Charles Bediako, and his return to Alabama. Bediako, 23, hadn’t played for the Crimson Tide since the 2022-23 campaign. He went undrafted after that season and ultimately embarked on a G League stint. He did, however, sign a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs in 2023. 

Last week, a judge granted a temporary restraining order to allow Bediako to return to Alabama and play for the Crimson Tide. 

Bailey heard his name called in the draft 10 picks after Nnaji, and he signed the same type of contract as Bediako. 

Bailey believes playing 65 NBA minutes shouldn’t differentiate him from those two players. He’s aiming to join a college team for next season, per ESPN, which reported that the potential team would have to petition the NCAA for a waiver to permit him to play.

If denied that waiver, Bailey and his legal team could file a lawsuit. 

The line between college and pro sports has never been blurred more, and Amari Bailey is up for testing its obscurity.

The former UCLA guard, who was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft and then played 10 games on a two-way contract for the Hornets during the 2023-24 season, is seeking college eligibility.

No one has gone back to play in college after logging NBA minutes. His goal is to play one more season in the collegiate ranks, according to an ESPN report Friday.

“Right now I’d be a senior in college,” the soon-to-be-22-year-old Bailey told ESPN. “I’m not trying to be 27 years old playing college athletics. No shade to the guys that do; that’s their journey. But I went to go play professionally and learned a lot, went through a lot. So, like, why not me?”

Bailey has reportedly hired an agent and a lawyer and is prepared to challenge the NCAA in court. He explained to ESPN that he has some regrets about leaving UCLA after his freshman season, during which he averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 2022-23.

That season, the Bruins won 31 games and reached the Sweet 16. Bailey was the fourth-leading scorer on a squad that featured Miami Heat first-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr.

He arrived at UCLA as a five-star prospect from Sierra Canyon, where he teamed up with Bronny James and other high-profile prospects outside of Los Angeles. Bailey was the No. 12 overall recruit in 2022 class, according to the Rivals industry ranking.

After his rookie season with the Hornets, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets but spent the 2024-25 season in the G League. He was cut this past summer, according to ESPN.

“It’s not a stunt,” Bailey said, per ESPN. “I’m really serious about going back. I just want to improve my game, change the perception of me and just show that I can win.”

Last month, in the wake of 2023 second-round pick James Nnaji joining Baylor, NCAA president Charlie Baker insisted that the NCAA “has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract).”

Nnaji, a 21-year-old and 7-foot center from Makurdi, Nigeria, never signed an NBA contract. Instead, he remained in the FC Barcelona organization, although he did play in NBA Summer League games for the Hornets and New York Knicks, as recently as last year for the Knicks.

Nnaji’s arrival at Baylor has been overshadowed recently by another 7-footer, Charles Bediako, and his return to Alabama. Bediako, 23, hadn’t played for the Crimson Tide since the 2022-23 campaign. He went undrafted after that season and ultimately embarked on a G League stint. He did, however, sign a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs in 2023. 

Last week, a judge granted a temporary restraining order to allow Bediako to return to Alabama and play for the Crimson Tide. 

Bailey heard his name called in the draft 10 picks after Nnaji, and he signed the same type of contract as Bediako. 

Bailey believes playing 65 NBA minutes shouldn’t differentiate him from those two players. He’s aiming to join a college team for next season, per ESPN, which reported that the potential team would have to petition the NCAA for a waiver to permit him to play.

If denied that waiver, Bailey and his legal team could file a lawsuit. 

The line between college and pro sports has never been blurred more, and Amari Bailey is up for testing its obscurity.

The former UCLA guard, who was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft and then played 10 games on a two-way contract for the Hornets during the 2023-24 season, is seeking college eligibility.

No one has gone back to play in college after logging NBA minutes. His goal is to play one more season in the collegiate ranks, according to an ESPN report Friday.

“Right now I’d be a senior in college,” the soon-to-be-22-year-old Bailey told ESPN. “I’m not trying to be 27 years old playing college athletics. No shade to the guys that do; that’s their journey. But I went to go play professionally and learned a lot, went through a lot. So, like, why not me?”

Bailey has reportedly hired an agent and a lawyer and is prepared to challenge the NCAA in court. He explained to ESPN that he has some regrets about leaving UCLA after his freshman season, during which he averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 2022-23.

That season, the Bruins won 31 games and reached the Sweet 16. Bailey was the fourth-leading scorer on a squad that featured Miami Heat first-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr.

He arrived at UCLA as a five-star prospect from Sierra Canyon, where he teamed up with Bronny James and other high-profile prospects outside of Los Angeles. Bailey was the No. 12 overall recruit in 2022 class, according to the Rivals industry ranking.

After his rookie season with the Hornets, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets but spent the 2024-25 season in the G League. He was cut this past summer, according to ESPN.

“It’s not a stunt,” Bailey said, per ESPN. “I’m really serious about going back. I just want to improve my game, change the perception of me and just show that I can win.”

Last month, in the wake of 2023 second-round pick James Nnaji joining Baylor, NCAA president Charlie Baker insisted that the NCAA “has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract).”

Nnaji, a 21-year-old and 7-foot center from Makurdi, Nigeria, never signed an NBA contract. Instead, he remained in the FC Barcelona organization, although he did play in NBA Summer League games for the Hornets and New York Knicks, as recently as last year for the Knicks.

Nnaji’s arrival at Baylor has been overshadowed recently by another 7-footer, Charles Bediako, and his return to Alabama. Bediako, 23, hadn’t played for the Crimson Tide since the 2022-23 campaign. He went undrafted after that season and ultimately embarked on a G League stint. He did, however, sign a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs in 2023. 

Last week, a judge granted a temporary restraining order to allow Bediako to return to Alabama and play for the Crimson Tide. 

Bailey heard his name called in the draft 10 picks after Nnaji, and he signed the same type of contract as Bediako. 

Bailey believes playing 65 NBA minutes shouldn’t differentiate him from those two players. He’s aiming to join a college team for next season, per ESPN, which reported that the potential team would have to petition the NCAA for a waiver to permit him to play.

If denied that waiver, Bailey and his legal team could file a lawsuit. 

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks will go up for sale after the team’s appearance in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, ESPN reported Friday night.

Citing unnamed sources, ESPN said talks between Seahawks ownership and the NFL have been going on over the past week.

The estate of late Seahawks owner Paul Allen, however, is denying the report, according to a statement released to The Associated Press and other outlets.

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale,” a spokesperson for the Paul Allen Estate said. “We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but there is no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”

The Seahawks — who’ll try for their second Super Bowl title when they play the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California — have been in the Allen family since 1997, when Paul bought the Seahawks for $194 million from then-owner Ken Behring.

An NFL spokesman said the league had no comment.

Since Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, died in 2018 from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 65, the Seahawks and NBA’s Trail Blazers have been owned by his sister, Jody. The estate agreed in September to sell the Trail Blazers to an investment group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon.

In 2022, Jody Allen acknowledged the Seahawks would one day go up for sale, according to the wishes of her late brother.

“The time will come when that changes given Paul’s plans to dedicate the vast majority of his wealth to philanthropy,” read a statement she released in July of 2022. “But estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no preordained timeline by which the teams must be sold.”

Before Friday’s practice, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald discussed Jody Allen’s involvement and noted that they speak after each game.

“The thing that sticks out to me about Jody was her enthusiasm about where she wanted our team to be, our franchise to be as a vision of the Seattle Seahawks and that was during our interview process,” Macdonald said. “Honestly, that’s really where I was like, ‘OK, this is something I feel really strongly about, that I think that I could help create that.’ So everything, I think, has been through that lens, and it’s very clear of what type of team she wants and she’s been incredibly supportive.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks will go up for sale after the team’s appearance in the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, ESPN reported Friday night.

Citing unnamed sources, ESPN said talks between Seahawks ownership and the NFL have been going on over the past week.

The estate of late Seahawks owner Paul Allen, however, is denying the report, according to a statement released to The Associated Press and other outlets.

“We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale,” a spokesperson for the Paul Allen Estate said. “We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but there is no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months.”

The Seahawks — who’ll try for their second Super Bowl title when they play the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California — have been in the Allen family since 1997, when Paul bought the Seahawks for $194 million from then-owner Ken Behring.

An NFL spokesman said the league had no comment.

Since Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, died in 2018 from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 65, the Seahawks and NBA’s Trail Blazers have been owned by his sister, Jody. The estate agreed in September to sell the Trail Blazers to an investment group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon.

In 2022, Jody Allen acknowledged the Seahawks would one day go up for sale, according to the wishes of her late brother.

“The time will come when that changes given Paul’s plans to dedicate the vast majority of his wealth to philanthropy,” read a statement she released in July of 2022. “But estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no preordained timeline by which the teams must be sold.”

Before Friday’s practice, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald discussed Jody Allen’s involvement and noted that they speak after each game.

“The thing that sticks out to me about Jody was her enthusiasm about where she wanted our team to be, our franchise to be as a vision of the Seattle Seahawks and that was during our interview process,” Macdonald said. “Honestly, that’s really where I was like, ‘OK, this is something I feel really strongly about, that I think that I could help create that.’ So everything, I think, has been through that lens, and it’s very clear of what type of team she wants and she’s been incredibly supportive.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl