The NBA Draft Lottery is less than a week away. The Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets each have the highest odds — 14% — in the lottery to land the No. 1 pick in what is expected to be a loaded draft. Recent years also have seen a number of teams jump bottom of the lottery into the top three of the draft, including the Dallas Mavericks, who won the lottery last year and earned the right to take the future Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg.

The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who had the best record for the second season in a row, could even win the lottery. They own the Los Angeles Clippers’ pick courtesy of the Paul George trade.

This figures to be the final NBA Draft Lottery in its current format before the league likely puts a new system in place for next season in an effort to reduce teams tanking for better odds. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 including, the top prospects.

NBA mock drafts: 3.0 • 2.0 • 1.0 | NBA Draft combine participants

When and what time is the NBA Draft Lottery?

The lottery is at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, May 10. It will be at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center and coincides with the draft combine.

Where is the NBA Draft Lottery streaming?

It will be on ABC, ahead of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.

NBA Draft Lottery odds to land the No. 1 pick

The 14 teams that didn’t make the playoffs have a chance to land the No. 1 pick. The teams that finished with the three-worst records — Washington, Indiana and Brooklyn — each have the highest odds (14%) at winning the No. 1 pick.

Here are the odds for every team in the draft lottery, based on team records at the end of the regular season. Teams that finished the season with identical records had their draft order determined by a random drawing.

1. Washington Wizards

Record: 17-65
Odds for No. 1 pick: 14%

2. Indiana Pacers

Record: 19-63
Odds for No. 1 pick: 14%

Due to the Ivica Zubac trade with the Clippers, if the Pacers’ pick lands between the 5-9 spots on lotto night, it will go to L.A.

3. Brooklyn Nets

Record: 20-62
Odds for No. 1 pick: 14%

4. Utah Jazz

Record: 22-60
Odds for No. 1 pick: 11.5%

5. Sacramento Kings

Record: 22-60
Odds for No. 1 pick: 11.5%

6. Memphis Grizzlies

Record: 25-57
Odds for No. 1 pick: 9%

7. New Orleans Pelicans (Atlanta Hawks)

Record: 26-56
Odds for No. 1 pick: 6.8%

The Pelicans owe their unprotected first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks as part of their 2025 draft-night trade.

8. Dallas Mavericks

Record: 26-56
Odds for No. 1 pick: 6.7%

9. Chicago Bulls

Record: 31-51
Odds for No. 1 pick: 4.5%

10. Milwaukee Bucks

Record: 32-50
Odds for No. 1 pick: 3%

11. Golden State Warriors

Record: 37-45
Odds for No. 1 pick: 2%

12. Los Angeles Clippers (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Record: 42-40
Odds for No. 1 pick: 1.5%

The Clippers owe their 2026 first-round pick to the Thunder as part of the 2019 Paul George trade.

13. Miami Heat

Record: 43-39
Odds for No. 1 pick: 1%

14. Charlotte Hornets

Record: 44-38
Odds for No. 1 pick: 0.5%

How the NBA Draft Lottery works

The draft lottery determines the order of the first 14 picks. It takes place in a private room with NBA officials, representatives of participating teams, select media and the accounting firm Ernst & Young, which oversees the drawings, in attendance.

For the drawings, 14 ping-pong balls (numbered 1 through 14) are dropped in a lottery machine. Before the lottery, 1,000 of a possible 1,001 combinations are assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams. A league representative randomly selects four balls, revealing a four-number combination.

From the NBA:

The drawing process occurs in the following manner: All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks.

If the same team comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is selected. Also, if the one unassigned combination is drawn, the result is discarded and the balls are drawn again.

After the first four picks are determined, the remaining picks are based on regular-season records, in reverse order.

Rest of 2026 NBA Draft order

FIRST ROUND NOS. 15-30

15. Portland (to Chicago)

16. Phoenix (to Memphis)

17. Philadelphia (to Oklahoma City)

18. Orlando (to Charlotte)

19. Toronto

20. Atlanta (to San Antonio)

21. Minnesota (to Detroit)

22. Houston (to Philadelphia)

23. Cleveland (to Atlanta)

24. New York

25. Los Angeles Lakers

26. Denver

27. Boston

28. Detroit (to Minnesota)

29. San Antonio (to Cleveland)

30. Oklahoma City (to Dallas)

Best prospects in 2026 NBA Draft

AJ Dybantsa

Dybantsa could become one of the NBA’s most unstoppable shot-creators. At 6-foot-9, he has a special blend of athletic tools with the way he bends, shifts, and explodes with the ball in his hands. Dybantsa led the nation with 25.5 points per game while breaking Danny Ainge’s 48-year-old BYU freshman scoring record with a 43-point eruption. He gets to the rim at will, cooks in the midrange, draws fouls at a high rate, and displays point-forward potential. What will determine his upside is whether he can become a knockdown 3-point shooter, as well as a more impactful defender to take full advantage of his physical tools. But the native of Brockton, Massachusetts, has a tremendously high floor with his scoring skill alone. — Kevin O’Connor

Cameron Boozer

He’s a do-it-all offensive talent who can post up, run pick-and-rolls, set screens, spot up and crash the boards. He doesn’t need to rely on bully ball to make an impact as a scorer or passer. Defensively, some of the questions about Boozer popped up in Duke’s Elite Eight loss to UConn: He wasn’t big enough to defend Tarris Reed, and he got smoked by Alex Karaban on a key 3-pointer on the perimeter. But he plays hard and has improved at every weakness in his game so far. — O’Connor

Darryn Peterson

He can pull up from anywhere and get to his spots. Plus he’s 6-6 and plays with a fluidity that just screams superstar. Not to mention he’s a defensive playmaker with the tools to guard multiple positions and the approach to impact the game even if he’s not scoring. Between the cramping saga, the missed time, the lack of apparent athletic pop, and the stretches where he played heavy minutes but struggled to produce offensively, there’s a lot to be concerned about. But the pre-draft period could answer any questions. — O’Connor

Caleb Wilson

Wilson is the most gifted athlete in the draft class. He’s 6-10 with springs for legs. When he’s flying above the rim, finishing through contact, and chasing down every shot in his area code, he looks like a future franchise cornerstone. But the conversation changes when you watch his jumper because he hasn’t shown any consistency as a shooter at any level. Still, even without the jumper, he has star upside. — O’Connor

Darius Acuff Jr.

Acuff is not the biggest guard or the most explosive athlete, but he reads defenses like someone who’s been in the league for a decade. He emerged as a freshman as a skilled, low-turnover playmaker. And that’s not even what he’s best at. Acuff is a wiry scorer who can get a bucket from anywhere on the floor with a quick trigger, slippery handle, and a feel for manipulating defenses. He has a knack for clutch moments too. The question that follows every undersized guard into the draft is whether the brilliance survives contact with bigger, longer, faster defenders. — O’Connor

When and where is the 2026 NBA Draft?

The 2026 NBA Draft will again be two days: Tuesday, June 23 for the first round; and Wednesday, June 24 for the second round. Both rounds are in Brooklyn, New York.

ABC/ESPN will broadcast the first round, and the second round will be on ESPN.

Is the NBA Draft Lottery changing?

Almost certainly. NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants to curb the wide-spread tanking teams engaged in ahead of this season’s draft.

The league reportedly will put forth a new 3-2-1 format for a vote by team owners on May 28. The new format will create a system where each team gets a certain number of ping-pong balls to win the No. 1 pick. Here’s how it looks in reverse order of the standings and then play-in game participants:

• No. 1-3: two ping-pong balls (5.4%)

• No. 4-10: three ping-pong balls (8.1%)

• Teams in 9-10 play-in games: two ping-pong balls (5.4%)

• Losers of 7-8 play-in games: one ping-pong ball (2.7%)

The league hopes non-playoff teams will be incentivized to stay competitive late in the season. It also provides the No. 8 seeds in the East and West at least one shot at the top pick.

In addition, the league will not allow teams to win the top pick in back-to-back seasons or win a top-five pick in three consecutive seasons.

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Centerville baseball took the Greater Western Ohio Conference title outright and Centerville boys lacrosse secured at least a split of the conference title with wins on Monday, May 4.

Starter Luke Maciejewski went the distance, striking out nine to lead Centerville baseball in a 3-2 win against Beavercreek. Lucas Clark added three hits with one RBI and Ryan Muchmore batted in another run.

The win moved the Elks to 17-2 overall and 12-0 in conference play.

In boys lacrosse Centerville handed Beavercreek its first conference loss with an 18-8 victory and the Elks can claim the GWOC title outright with a win against Northmont next week.

In softball Centerville moved a step closer to the GWOC title with an 11-7 win against Beavercreek. Caitlyn Belcher doubled and homered on a four-hit day, driving in five runs while Lillie Hopf had three hits and two RBI to lead the way.

The victory bumped the Elks to 18-6 overall, 11-1 in the conference and sets up a two-game series with Springboro that will help decide the conference champion. The Elks are scheduled to play at Springboro on Wednesday, May 6 and host them on Friday, May 8.

In boys tennis Centerville secured a split of the GWOC title already but can take it outright with a win at Springboro on Tuesday, May 5.

In boys volleyball Centerville holds a 6-0 record in GWOC play with two conference games left, vs. Northmont on Tuesday, May 5 and at Beavercreek on Thursday, May 7.

Centerville trails Springboro in the girls lacrosse standings but is still in the hunt with two conference games to play.

Baseball

Springboro 13, Wayne 1: Jacob Rhinehart went 2-for-4 with a double and five RBI, Dylan Brabston threw six innings to earn the win on the mound and Springboro improved to 15-4 overall.

Fairmont 8, Springfield 1: Joey Lanning struck out seven over five innings to earn the win, Jackson Furr legged out two triples to go with three RBI and Skyler Slifer tallied three hits and two RBI to pace Fairmont.

Troy 12, Greenville 2: Aidan Gorman, Logan Akers and Jake Reinhardt knocked in a pair of runs apiece and Cole Oswalt picked up the win on the hill. The win marked nine straight for Troy, which improved to 17-1 overall and 14-1 in MVL play.

Butler 28, Piqua 0: Koby Dues doubled twice and drove in five runs, Carson Heis had four hits and four RBI and Butler improved to 17-2 overall and 12-1 in the MVL.

Xenia 2, West Carrollton 0: Braylon Williamson tossed a complete game shutout on an efficient 63 pitches to help Xenia clinch at least a share of the MVL Valley division title.

Ben Logan 2, Indian Lake 0: Jacob Hawley tossed seven shutout innings with six strikeouts to earn the win and Xavier Allen came around to score both runs for Ben Logan.

Badin 10, McNicholas 0: Caleb Driessen tossed six shutout innings, Keegan Sawyer had a 3-for-3 day with a double and one RBI and Badin secured at least a split of the GCLC title after handing McNicholas its first league loss. The Rams can win it outright with a win at home on Wednesday, May 6.

Bellbrook 7, Edgewood 2: It took 12 innings but Bellbrook broke through with five runs to take the win and with it the SWBL Southwestern title. The Eagles improved to 17-2 overall and 8-0 in league play.

Oakwood 11, Dayton Christian 4: The win strengthened Oakwood’s lead in the SWBL Buckeye, improving to 14-6 overall and 10-3 in league play.

Arcanum 17, Franklin Monroe 1: Kolton Quigney drove in four runs on 4-for-4 day and Arcanum secured at least a split of the WOAC title, improving to 10-0 in conference play.

Mechanicsburg 11, Madison Plains 0: Conner Eyink punched out 10 over five shutout innings, Liam O’Laughlin knocked a home run and Mechanicsburg moved to 16-0 overall and 12-0 in the OHC.

Triad 4, Catholic Central 3: Jayden Blackburn tallied two RBI, J.J. Roberts picked up the complete game win and Triad improved to 5-12 with a fourth win in its last five games.

Greeneview 23, Northeastern 2: Trent Webb had a two-homer day to lead Greeneview.

New Miami 11, SBEP 0: With the win New Miami captured the MVC White division title, its first conference title since 2017.

Anna 3, Botkins 1: Cale Wannemacher allowed one run on one hit in a complete game and Anna won a seventh straight to move to 14-3 overall.

Coldwater 10, St. Marys 6: The win bumped Coldwater to 16-1 overall.

Softball

Springboro 11, Wayne 1: Bella Breen struck out eight to earn the win in the circle, Riley Lucas swatted two doubles and a home run and Springboro improved to 10-2 in GWOC play with a pivotal two-game series with Centerville up next.

Lakota East 15, Middletown 0: Sophia Brown knocked a pair of doubles out of the leadoff spot, Abrie Schulte and Maddie Offner each brought in three runs and Lakota East improved to 18-4 overall and 13-1 in the GMC.

Hamilton 12, Princeton 1: Emili Schappacher notched her 10th win of the season and Rishyia Brown tripled and drove in five runs to pace Hamilton.

Kenton Ridge 17, Jonathan Alder 1: Brenna Fyffe, Kendall Glass and Jayden Davis each swatted a home run, Ivee Rastatter picked up the victory in the circle and Kenton Ridge improved to 23-0 with its 55th consecutive victory.

Springfield Shawnee 9, Graham 1: Kelty Hannan improved to 8-0 on the year with the complete-game win, Lily Wilson homered and Shawnee improved to 22-2 overall.

Urbana 5, Tecumseh 4: Morgan Boyd blasted a home run and Isla Wooten picked up the complete-game win for Urbana.

Greenville 6, Troy 0: Ella Oswalt pitched her tenth shutout of the season, striking out nine in a complete game one-hitter to help Greenville clinch at least a share of the MVL Miami division title. Lily Brubaker and Leah Force tacked on two RBI apiece and Greenville improved to 22-1 overall.

Fairborn 6, Sidney 4: The win, the 12th straight for Fairborn, clinched at least a share of the MVL Valley division title for the Skyhawks.

Xenia 6, West Carrollton 4: Tessa Salyers pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts to go with a 2-for-3 day at the plate with two RBI for Xenia.

Badin 18, Fenwick 3: Badin strung together a 12-run first inning to take control early, finishing GCLC play with an 8-0 record. Kendall Ponatoski, Emily O’Brien and Mattilyn Canupp each knocked a home run in the game, with Ponatoski tallying five RBI.

Carlisle 12, Middletown Madison 0: Mya Howard became the career hits leader for Carlisle and the Indians moved to 10-1 in the SWBL. Allisa Shotwell homered and drove in four and Grace Holt struck out ten over five shutout innings for Carlisle.

Ross 10, Seton 0: Paige Baker pitched a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and Kam Commins doubled, homered and drove in five runs to pace Ross.

Oakwood 16, Dayton Christian 10: Julia Einhorn, Abigail Hyatt and Annabelle Neumeister recorded three RBI apiece and Oakwood picked up a senior day win.

Edgewood 7, Carroll 1: Jaycie Broshear scattered three hits and struck out eight in a complete game and Ellie Clemmons tripled and brought in two runs to lead Edgewood.

Eaton 9, Waynesville 5: Senior Madison Copper hit a home run to help Eaton get a senior night win.

Arcanum 25, Franklin Monroe 3: Emily Fox hit her first career home run in the rout for Arcanum.

Dixie 12, National Trail 2: Chelsea Lamb lifted two home runs, finishing with six RBI to pace Dixie.

Tri-County North 2, Mississinawa Valley 0: Alayna MtCastle rung up 12 batters in a complete game shutout as well as going 2-for-3 with one RBI to lead TCN.

Houston 14, Jackson Center 2: Olivia Maier got Arcanum off to a hot start with a first inning home run.

New Miami 11, Lockland 3: The win secured New Miami the MVC Gray division title, the program’s first since 2017.

Marion Local 9, Russia 3: Hannah Rindler, Emily Moeller, Mya Bruggeman and Kalyn Thobe each launched a home run for Marion Local.

Coldwater 4, St. Marys 3: Dana Zahn hit a home run and Coldwater scored twice in the top of the seventh for the rally win.

PREP RESULTS

Baseball

Monday’s Results

Anna 3, Botkins 1: A: Wannemacher W, Worthington 2-3 RBI, Noll RBI.

Arcanum 17, Franklin Monroe 1: A: Quigney 4-4 2B 4 RBI, Stephens 2-4 2B 3 RBI, Cartwright W 9 K.

Badin 10, McNicholas 0: B: Driessen W, Taylor 1-4 2 RBI, Clay 1-1 2 RBI.

Bellbrook 7, Edgewood 2

Ben Logan 2, Indian Lake 0: BL: Hawley W 6 K, Yelton 1-3 RBI.

Butler 28, Piqua 0: B: Dues 3-3 2 2B 5 RBI, Heis 4-5 4 RBI, White 2-3 3 RBI.

Celina 4, Marion Local 0

Centerville 3, Beavercreek 2: C: Clark 3-4 RBI, Muchmore 1-4 RBI, Maciejewski W 9 K.

Coldwater 10, St. Marys 6: C: Dillhoff W 1 K.

Fairbanks 11, Greenon 1

Fairmont 8, Springfield 1: F: Lanning W 7 K, Furr 2-3 2 3B 3 RBI, Slifer 3-4 3B 2 RBI.

Fenwick 5, Carroll 4: F: Kreke 3-4 2 2B RBI, Kauffman 2-4 2B 2 RBI, McCullough 1-2 RBI. C: Price 2-3 2B 2 RBI.

Fort Loramie 14, Fairlawn 0

Greeneview 23, Northeastern 2: G: Webb 4-5 2 HR 4 RBI, Phillips 3-6 4 RBI, Reynolds 2-4 4 RBI.

Jackson Center 4, Houston 3

Jonathan Alder 1, Kenton Ridge 0

Mason 10, Lakota West 2

Mechanicsburg 11, Madison Plains 0: Me: DeLong 2-2 3 RBI, O’Laughlin 1-2 HR 3 RBI, Eyink W 10 K.

National Trail 3, Ansonia 2

New Bremen 20, Union City (IN) 1

New Miami 11, SBEP 0

Oak Hills 11, Middletown 0

Oakwood 11, Dayton Christian 4

Princeton 5, Fairfield 4: F: Clemmons 2-4 RBI, Hembree 1-3 2B RBI.

Roger Bacon 8, Cin. Christian 7

Russia 8, Lima Shawnee 2

Sidney 4, Fairborn 3: S: Perry 1-2 RBI, Cotterman 1-2 RBI, Ferguson 1-3 RBI.

Springboro 13, Wayne 1: S: Brabston W 4 K, Rhinehart 2-4 2B 5 RBI, Hutchinson 2-4 2B 2 RBI.

Sycamore 9, Hamilton 8

Tippecanoe 14, Stebbins 4: T: Davis W.

Triad 4, Catholic Central 3: T: Blackburn 1-3 2 RBI, Hayes 1-4 RBI, Roberts W 6 K.

Tri-County North 8, Mississinawa Valley 4: TCN: Heltsley W 4 K, Fannin 2 RBI.

Tri-Village 11, Preble Shawnee 6

Troy 12, Greenville 2: T: Oswalt W 5 K, Gorman 3-4 2B 3B 2 RBI, Akers 2-4 2B 2 RBI.

Urbana 11, Tecumseh 1: U: Roberts 1-1 2B 3 RBI, Houseman 2-3 2B 2 RBI, Endres W 10 K, 2-3 RBI.

West Jefferson 12, Southeastern 0

Wilmington 7, New Richmond 5: W: Tackett W.

Xenia 2, West Carrollton 0: X: Williamson W 4 K, Kingsolver 2B RBI, Scott RBI.

Sunday’s Results

Chaminade Julienne 8, Alter 3

Softball

Monday’s Results

Anna 4, Botkins 3

Arcanum 25, Franklin Monroe 3: A: J. Garbig 3-3 2B 5 RBI, Fox 3-5 HR 3 RBI, Flatter 3-3 2B 2 RBI.

Badin 18, Fenwick 3: B: Ponatoski 3-3 2 2B HR 5 RBI, Canupp 2-3 HR 3 RBI, O’Brien 2-3 HR 2 RBI.

Ben Logan 7, Indian Lake 4: BL: Gregg W 8 K, Kline 4-4 2B RBI, Norviel 1-4 2 RBI.

Carlisle 12, Middletown Madison 0: C: Holt W 10 K, Crowe 3-3 3 RBI, Shotwell 2-3 HR 4 RBI.

Centerville 11, Beavercreek 7: C: Belcher 4-4 2B HR 5 RBI, Carr 4-5 2B RBI, Hopf 3-4 2 RBI.

Celina 14, Fort Recovery 4: FR: Grisez HR 3 RBI.

Coldwater 4, St. Marys 3: C: Zahn 2B HR 2 RBI, Klingshirn W 7 K, 2B RBI.

Dixie 12, National Trail 2: D: Lamb 2-2 2 HR 6 RBI, McConnell W 3 K, 2-3 3 RBI, Himan 1-2 2B RBI.

Eaton 9, Waynesville 5

Edgewood 7, Carroll 1: E: Broshear W 8 K, Strunk 1-4 3 RBI, Clemmons 1-3 3B 2 RBI.

Fairbanks 12, Greenon 1

Fairborn 6, Sidney 4

Fort Loramie 13, Fairlawn 0

Greeneview 6, Northeastern 3: G: Burkett W 3 K, 2-4 RBI, Zink 1-2 RBI.

Greenville 6, Troy 0: G: Oswalt W 9 K, 1-4 RBI, Brubaker 2-2 2 RBI, Fourman 2-3 2B RBI.

Hamilton 12, Princeton 1: H: Schappacher W 6 K, 2-3 2B RBI, Brown 2-3 3B 5 RBI, Rupp 1-4 2B 2 RBI.

Houston 14, Jackson Center 2: H: Maier HR.

Kenton Ridge 17, Jonathan Alder 1: KR: Davis 3-5 2B 3B HR 3 RBI, C. Glass 4-4 2 2B 3 RBI, Fyffe 3-4 2 2B HR 3 RBI, K. Glass 1-2 HR 3 RBI.

Lakota East 15, Middletown 0: LE: Offner 1-2 3B 3 RBI, A. Schulte 2-2 2B 3 RBI, Brown 3-4 2 2B 2 RBI.

Marion Local 9, Russia 3: ML: Rindler HR, Moeller HR, Bruggeman HR, Thobe HR.

Mason 2, Oak Hills 1

Minster 12, St. Henry 2: M: Tyler HR 2 RBI, Knapke 2B 2 RBI.

Monroe 6, Chaminade Julienne 5

North Union 3, Northwestern 2

Norwood 19, McNicholas 2

Oakwood 16, Dayton Christian 10: O: Ferra W 7 K, Hyatt 2-6 3B 3 RBI, Neumeister 2-5 3 RBI.

Piqua 14, Butler 4

Ross 10, Seton 0: R: Baker W 11 K, 2-4 RBI, Commins 3-3 2B HR 5 RBI, Webb 2-4 2 RBI.

Springboro 11, Wayne 1: S: Breen W 8 K, Lucas HR.

Springfield Shawnee 9, Graham 1: SS: Hannan W 1 K, Wilson 1-3 HR 2 RBI, Dubie 3-3 2B 3B RBI.

Tri-County North 2, Mississinawa Valley 0: TCN: MtCastle W 12 K, 2-3 RBI.

Urbana 5, Tecumseh 4: U: Boyd 2-3 2B HR 2 RBI, Wooten W 7 K, 2-3 3B RBI, Packer 1-4 RBI.

West Jefferson 1, Southeastern 0

Wilmington 6, New Richmond 5

Xenia 6, West Carrollton 4: X: Salyers W 8 K, 2-3 2 RBI, Wright 3-3 2B RBI. WC: Seebach 2-3 2 RBI.

Boys Tennis

Monday’s Results

Badin 3, Hamilton 2

Cedarville 4, Legacy Christian 1

Dayton Christian 5, Beavercreek 0

Fairborn 3, Greenon 2

Fairmont 5, Northmont 0

Greenville 3, Chaminade Julienne 2

Lima Shawnee 4, St. Marys 1

Sidney 3, Lehman Catholic 2: Riley (S) d. Taylor, 6-2 6-3; Danklefsen (S) d. Lins, 6-2 6-0; Steenrod (S) d. Flood, 6-3 6-2. Cooper/Linson (LC) d. Longbrake/Payne, 6-4 2-6 11-9; Fitchpatrick/Goubeaux (LC) d. Sprowl/Barga, 6-2 6-3.

Stebbins 4, Stivers 1

Tecumseh 3, Northeastern 2

Wilmington 5, East Clinton 0

Boys Volleyball

Monday’s Results

Alter 3, Chaminade Julienne 1

Beavercreek 3, Middletown 0

Lebanon 3, Fairfield 0

Northmont 3, East Dayton Christian 1

Roger Bacon 3, Lakota West 1

Boys Lacrosse

Monday’s Results

Bellbrook 7, Mariemont 6

Centerville 18, Beavercreek 8

Clinton-Massie 20, Wilmington 1

Lakota East 9, Springboro 6

Little Miami 19, Oakwood 7

Northmont 13, Franklin 1

Girls Lacrosse

Monday’s Results

Chaminade Julienne 20, Tippecanoe 8

Lebanon 14, St. Ursula 11

Mason 15, Lakota West 11

McNicholas 19, Carroll 3

REPORTING RESULTS

Contact Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News with scores and results as soon as possible after varsity high school athletic contests by email only at COPSports@coxincn.com. Please include any details from your contest that you would like published along with a contact name and phone number.

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Centerville leaped ahead of Springboro and Beavercreek in the newest Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association state poll this week.

The Elks are now No. 3 in Division I and received two first place votes. Centerville (17-2) swept Beavercreek (14-5) on Monday and clinched the Greater Western Ohio Conference championship in the process. They will play Springboro (15-4) on Wednesday and Friday.

Beavercreek swept Springboro, the two-time defending league champs, and moved into the No. 4 ranking ahead of the No. 5 Panthers.

Troy (17-1) remained in the third spot in D-II. Butler (17-2), Kenton Ridge (17-3) and Badin (15-3) are still ranked first, second, and third, respectively, in the D-III poll. Tippecanoe (16-5) dropped nine spots to 17th and Bellbrook (17-2) four spots to 12th.

Urbana (14-5) entered the D-IV rankings in a tie for 18th. Coldwater (16-1) moved up one spot to No. 2 in D-V, and Anna (13-3) is up eight spots to No. 10. Versailles (15-6) moved out while Arcanum (16-2) enters at 18th.

In D-VI, St. Henry (14-2) remains third and Mechanicsburg (16-0) is up one spot to fifth. Fort Loramie (13-6) moved up to No. 8 in D-VII, while Minster (10-6) fell to 10th and Newton (13-3) to 15th.

The district tournament draw takes place Sunday for all seven divisions.

Division III through VII softball district tournament brackets

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Dax Hill has moved around the Cincinnati Bengals’ secondary three times already in his first four NFL seasons and still is willing to do “whatever is best for the team.”

But, in his mind, he is at his best on the outside, and that is where Hill would like to stay.

Cincinnati Bengals: Linebackers out to prove they’ll be better in 2026

Hill began as a free safety before moving to nickel in 2024, when eventually injuries at outside corner forced him into another shift. He was showing promise in that role before his own ACL tear sidelined him for the final 12 games of 2024, and Hill proved himself last year as one of the most consistent outside corners.

Now, with the Bengals drafting lengthy cornerback Tacario Davis in the third round, Hill’s position comes back into question.

“I want to be outside,” Hill said Tuesday as the team continued offseason workouts. “I feel like staying at one spot is ideal for development – and my mental health.”

Hill drew a laugh from the crowd of media interviewing him Tuesday when he added that last part following a pause. He’s been through the carousel of positions and answering the same questions about his position now for three straight offseasons since it was clear after 2023 that it wasn’t working out at safety.

The organization re-signed Jalen Davis and brought in Ja’Sir Taylor in free agency, but if Davis proves ready to start this season, the Bengals’ best bet to get all three of the top corners on the field together would be moving Hill back inside.

Asked about how challenging that has been, Hill said it was at first, but now he’s “kind of used to it.”

“I feel like now, I kind of know what I want, and I want to do what’s best for the team,” Hill said.

Hill said he hasn’t had any conversations with the coaching staff yet about his position.

“It’s what, three weeks into it now?” Hill said. “So, we’ll wait and see what that looks like.”

Cincinnati also needs to think about the long term. It seems unlikely the Bengals will extend both Hill and DJ Turner, who are both heading into the final season of their contracts. Hill, who is playing on a fifth-year option this season, confirmed his agent has talked about the future, but said there isn’t “too much” conversation going on about an extension.

As someone who has been willing to sacrifice for the team in the past, Hill feels more confident about being able to tell his coaches what he wants, but he did not say if he plans to have that conversation.

“I’ve had small conversations with my (position) coach throughout the year about, you know, certain things I was doing, you know, if I wanted to have like a blitz or something for a certain game, something like that,” Hill said. “I think it was to that point where I could speak up. My first two years, I didn’t really have that stripe. I didn’t have those stripes earned. So now I feel like I’ve been here, been one of the guys that’s been here, so I feel like I can’t speak up and it holds weight now.”

Hill credited defensive backs coach Charles Burks for his support over his career.

Burks helped him through his transitions at cornerback, and Hill believes he is capable of playing either spot because of that. However, outside corner just ended up being where he’s felt most comfortable and he feels like he’s spent too much time switching positions as it is.

“I mean, how well I transitioned to that spot, I feel like, once you feel like you’re growing and producing, I feel like that’s the sky’s the limit,” Hill said. “And you want to reach your potential whenever you’re young. I mean, it’s going on Year 5, and I don’t want to, you know, waste a whole lot of time. Just doing some introspection, like, I mean, time has already flown by, so I want to make the most out of it, because it’s not a whole lot of time left.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown $50,000 for public criticism of game officials following Boston’s first-round exit from the playoffs.

The fine was announced by NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations James Jones on Tuesday night, two days after Brown said in a livestream he hosts that game officials “clearly had an agenda” to call fouls against him for “pushing off” when he drove toward the basket while handling the ball.

“There’s some referees that need to be investigated,” Brown said on the livestream Sunday, a day after the Celtics’ 109-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

“Every good basketball player does this. What are y’all talking about? They clearly had an agenda,” Brown said.

Brown was previously fined $35,000 in January after a two-minute postgame rant about the officiating following Boston’s loss to San Antonio.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown $50,000 for public criticism of game officials following Boston’s first-round exit from the playoffs.

The fine was announced by NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations James Jones on Tuesday night, two days after Brown said in a livestream he hosts that game officials “clearly had an agenda” to call fouls against him for “pushing off” when he drove toward the basket while handling the ball.

“There’s some referees that need to be investigated,” Brown said on the livestream Sunday, a day after the Celtics’ 109-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

“Every good basketball player does this. What are y’all talking about? They clearly had an agenda,” Brown said.

Brown was previously fined $35,000 in January after a two-minute postgame rant about the officiating following Boston’s loss to San Antonio.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Most introductory press conferences for pro sports front-office officials barely make the news outside the local market.

The introductory press conference for Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka, however, ended up making international headlines, thanks in large part to questions from Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons. The longtime journalist opened the presser with a pointed question for Keith Pelley, the president and CEO of MLSE, about the new hire sitting next to him.

“You talk about the due diligence that you did on John prior to hiring him, and now hiring him. In the past three to four days, I have been in contact with about 20 people who work in the National Hockey League, many of whom are prominent names that we would all know. Of the 20 people I spoke to, one was supportive of his hiring, the other 19 thought it was a sham, to be perfectly honest,” said Simmons. “Words were used like ‘con artist,’ ‘liar,’ ‘salesman.’ “How did you come to a different conclusion than I was able to come to in a very short time?”

“I must’ve talked to different people,” dryly replied Pelley.

“That’s it?” asked Simmons. “Because the hockey world today is astounded by this announcement.”

“Okay,” offered a smiling Pelley.

“And your response to that?” asked Simmons.

“We’ve conducted due diligence, and it was deep due diligence,” Pelley replied. “It was a thorough process, and I am quite happy with where we’ve landed.”

Simmons was far from the only person to register disappointment over the hiring. But on Tuesday, he took to the Toronto Sports Rush podcast, joining E.J. Hradek to explain his tough questioning of the controversial hire.

“When you’ve been around as long as I have, you’re used to reactions and explosions and things like that. And yesterday was bigger than I think I could remember experiencing in a very long time,” said Simmons. “But because of the way I sort of tune out social media, I don’t really know that I’m trending, and I don’t really know who’s saying what or who’s saying anything, to be honest.

“And I do my job and I do my work and I do my writing. And that’s what I focus on. And I let everybody else have their say. And I don’t respond very much to what they have to say. Although yesterday, most of the responses that I received, I can’t speak for anything online because I didn’t see it. But personally, either emails, texts, phone calls, I would say was about 90-10 in my favor of the question.”

Simmons added further context to the harsh comments he heard from other NHL figures, saying that many of them had reached out to him directly.

“I asked the question for a reason. Why did you settle on John Chayka?” said Simmons. “If your due diligence was anything like mine, you couldn’t possibly have settled on John Chayka. So that was the reason for the question.

“I didn’t know John Chayka. I didn’t know much about him, to be perfectly honest. You ask one person who knew him, then you ask another person, then you text another person. And then what was happening, strangely enough, is I was getting texts from people that I hadn’t reached out to who were saying, you know, this is what my experience with him was, or this is what happened with me, or this, you know, different things like that.

“These weren’t marginal people, EJ. These were people who have worked in prominent positions or still work in prominent positions in the NHL. And so we’re talking about hockey people whose names anybody who knows hockey would know. And I had a long list of people, and I think I talked to about 20 of them. And there was one person who gave John a glowing recommendation, and there were 19 who didn’t, or 20 who didn’t. I don’t know what the number is exactly, but it was incredibly one-sided.

“And that’s why when he said, ‘We did our due diligence,’ I’d like to know what his due diligence was that was so different from my due diligence. And that’s why I asked the question as I asked it. And I picked the words out, and I don’t like to break confidences in any way, but I picked the words out of emails or texts that I had received from people in the NHL who described him in different words, in different ways. And that’s why I asked the question the way I asked it.”

Simmons would go on to say that “NHL GMs… and major player agents” were among those he was texting with.

Hradek asked Simmons what he thinks of Pelley, who was named MLSE President & CEO in April 2024. While he feels as though they actually have a friendly relationship, Simmons wonders if he’s cut out for the job of overseeing a sizable portfolio of pro sports teams, including the NHL’s Maple Leafs, the NBA’s Raptors, the CFL’s Argonauts, and the MLS’s Toronto FC.

“I almost consider Keith Pelley to be a friend,” said Simmons. “We’ve known each other for so long and been around so many of the same events.

“Keith Pelley has a long history in television and a successful history of television. He is a great guy. I love him sort of as a friend and as a person to hang with, and as someone to have lunch with and someone to talk to. And he’s treated me extraordinarily well over the years. And I think most of the time I’ve treated him extraordinarily well over the years.

“But there comes points where… he has a job to do and I have questions to ask. And that’s where, you know, the uncomfortable nature of Monday came out. And, I just think in this instance, this job might be too big for him. This is a big job.”

There’s a lot riding on the Chayka hire, not just for Pelley but for the Maple Leafs as an organization. It’s going to be fascinating to watch how that goes, not to mention what happens at the next press conference that Simmons attends.

The post Steve Simmons explains reasoning around harsh John Chayka questions at Maple Leafs presser appeared first on Awful Announcing.

On the heels of his first-ever MVP, many are clamoring for Matthew Stafford to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he eventually retires. NFL pundit Bomani Jones is not one of the people who think that way, though.

The podcast host recently said the Stafford’s career compares more closely to Carson Palmer than any other quarterback, and no one is claiming Palmer should be in the Hall of Fame.

“The comp is Carson Palmer. It has always been the comp, right?,” Jones said on “The Dominique Foxworth Show.” “I’ve seen people get offended by that. But I think three-time Pro Bowler Carson Palmer and three-time Pro Bowler Matthew Stafford have a decent bit in common. If somehow Carson got himself a Super Bowl, we would have to talk about him the same way.”

The differences between Palmer and Stafford are more than just the Super Bowl, though. Stafford has the MVP award as well as one first-team All-Pro nod. Statistically, Stafford has Palmer beat in career completion percentage, passing yards per game and passing touchdowns per game (albeit barely).

But Palmer, like Stafford until he joined the Rams, didn’t play on a lot of playoff teams. He made the postseason just three times in 14 years and made the Super Bowl once (where he lost with the Arizona Cardinals to the Pittsburgh Steelers). Stafford made the playoffs just three times before he was traded to the Rams, but has now been to the postseason four times in five seasons and played in 10 playoff games (compared to his three with the Detroit Lions).

To say Stafford is the same as Palmer is a bit disingenuous considering how Stafford’s career has looked in the past five years. Yes, he was with the Rams during that time, but Palmer also turned his career around a bit when he joined the Cardinals in his 10th season and never looked as good as Stafford did in L.A.

This point will be moot, too, if Stafford wins another ring with the Rams.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Bomani Jones thinks Matthew Stafford resembles Carson Palmer