Photo: Shane Smith-Getty The McDonald’s All-American Game. The premier showcase for the country’s best high school basketball players since 1978. Hall of Famers, generational superstars, high school legends and highly touted prospects who never quite reached expectations have all earned the honor. There's a good chance your favorite player once stepped onto this stage. Traditionally divided into East and West rosters, the event gives the nation’s most celebrated prospects one

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 7/13/2026 Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC 4Max Holloway vs 4Jack Della Maddelena Matt Hylen - Unfortunately, there is not much to say about the performance of Max Holloway other than the fact that the fight as a whole was extremely anticlimactic. However, in his post-fight interviews, it seemed to me like Max Holloway wanted to see what he could do in the Welterweight division. Since he was not able to see that in this

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/12/2026 Photo Credits to Eric Hartline via Imagn Images 40. Cooper DeJean Eagles Defensive Back Last Year's Rank: N/A DeJean is one of the new school DB's that are all the rage now because of their versatility. DeJean could be a lockdown, boundary corner one play and a soul taking, Box Safety the next in the blink of an eye and the way he showed improvement from his rookie season to his sophomore makes me really excited for his 3rd. DeJean is

Photo: Bo Butler-BostonGlobe This year's free agency period has been one for the books—teams are changing the entire direction of their franchise in one fell swoop. As we know, one smart signing can fix a glaring weakness. One bold trade can turn a playoff hopeful into a legitimate threat. And one perfect offseason can convince the rest of the league that last season’s version of your team was a fluke. So far, these eight teams have absolutely nailed it. Whether it was adding

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/10/2026 Last night we saw France beat Norway and become the first team to make the 2026 World Cup Sem-Finals. With one more game today and two more on Saturday, we are getting very close to seeing how the final act of this play plays out. Photo Credits to Florencia Tan Jun via Getty Images Spain v Belgium Today's game is between Spain and Belgium at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles. The winner will be moving on to face France on Tuesday, July 14th

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 7/9/2026 Photo Credits to Steve Marcus via Getty Images In our FN Fiziev vs Torres Predictions, which you can find here: Zak went 5-1 in picks with 3 methods for 8 points. Matt went 3-3 in picks with 2 methods right for 5 points. Points To Date: Zak: 124 (83-46) Matt: 116 (76-53) All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 7/10 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Conor McGregor vs 4Max Holloway (Holloway -210) Zak Drapeau - It'

Photo: Luka Hales-Getty This is it for LeBron James. After 23 unprecedented seasons, countless records and more mileage than any superstar in NBA history has ever endured, the four-time champion has reached what is almost certainly the FINAL stop of his legendary career. James will turn 42 in December, meaning time is of the essence—no more long term situations, rebuilding teams, or a sentimental reunion that can't realistically compete. His next decision will be made with on

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 7/7/2026 Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC UFC Male Fighter of the Year Current: Justin Gaethje Honorable Mention: Sean Strickland Zak Drapeau - Fighter of the Year is awarded for a number of reasons that are subjective to every voter and usually have to do with the number of wins, number of title wins, and the way you win. Justin Gaethje has checked all of those boxes. In his first fight of the year, Gaethje had arguably

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/5/2026 Photo Credits to Mitchell Leff via Getty Images 50. Saquon Barkley Eagles Running Back Last Year's Rank: 2 After Barkley was debatably snubbed for the 2024 MVP award due to his 2,000-yard rushing season and Super Bowl winning season, we all thought Barkley and the Eagles were the best rushers in the league. With their 2025 season looking to be their Championship run part 2, both the team and the superstar fell well short of expectatio

Photo: Robert Bukaty-AP Are we witnessing the G.O.A.T. offseason? At this point, the offseason might be more entertaining the actual NBA season. Every summer brings its share of blockbuster trades and signings, but this year feels different. It's as though all bets are off. Every team is trying to find a different concoction that works. Superstars are changing addresses, contenders are aggressively loading up and teams with no regard for symmetry, and once considered untoucha

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/3/2026 Photo Credits to Vincent Carchietta via Reuters Kylian Mbappe France ST Mbappe came into this World Cup with sky high expectations for him and his country and is already surpassing them. In 4 games, Mbappe has scored 3 braces (2 goals in 1 game), and tallied 2 assists in the other. As the Captain of the French squad who has pulled away as tournament favorites, Mbappe has not only led his team in scoring but has led his whole team to pla

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 7/2/2026 Coined "America's Pastime", baseball is a sport Americans have rallied around for centuries. It's a game where kids grew up playing with sticks and broomsticks; where pitchers completed games, and people crowded around radios, anticipating greatness. Baseball, at times, has represented not just a game, but defined a nation. As America celebrates 250 years of independence this Fourth of July, let's take a look at eight moments in wh

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/2/2026 Photo Credits to Martin Meissner via Associated Press The United States had another brush with the 2026 World Cup last night and ended up victorious again against Bosnia and Herzegovina. By a score of 2-0, the United States won the game with very little space besides the score line separating the teams. The USA definitely had more chances and more time spent in their opponents' box but were actually outshot by Bosnia who had 2 more tota

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 7/1/2026 Photo Credits to AFP via Getty Images The Boston Celtics have traded superstar Guard Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for veteran Paul George, Philly's 2028 1st-round pick, Philly's 2031 1st-round pick and two 2nd-round picks in 2028 and 2030. Brown has been publicly shopped around the league over the past few weeks by the Celtics over a reported contract dispute from the Celtics' side. Brown is owed $182 Million over the next 3 s

Photo: Deron Ronald-Getty Another day, another draft retrospective. We now have three years of retrospective on the 2023 NBA Draft, giving us enough time to move beyond projections, scouting reports and begin evaluating whether or not each lottery pick has lived up to the hype. This class entered the league with enormous expectations, headlined by Victor Wembanyama, quite possibly the most anticipate prospects in basketball history. Behind him came an wide array of future sta

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/29/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC via Getty Images 11Rafael Fiziev vs 9Dan Hooker Zak Drapeau - Fiziev is definitely a better fighter when in front of his home country of Azerbaijan because he looked phenomenal this weekend. His leg kicks were razor-sharp and set up the knockout spinning head kick beautifully. I don't think this win automatically brings him back to a path to the title, but it definitely keeps him

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/28/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Roberson via Associated Press 60. Caleb Downs Cowboys Safety Last Year's Rank: N/A In my 3rd season of making my Top-100 players list, no rookie has even come close to being in the Top-60 but Caleb Downs is nowhere near a normal rookie. Not only was he the best pound-for-pound player to come out of the 2026 draft class but he went to the Dallas Cowboys where he will have the best opportunity to make the best of h

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/26/2026 Graphic Credits to UFC via sports.yahoo.com In our FN Kape v Horiguchi, which you can find here: Zak went 6-0 in picks with 5 method for 11 points. Matt went 4-2 in picks with 3 method right for 7 points. Points To Date: Zak: 116 (78-45) Matt: 111 (73-50) All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 6/25 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11Rafael Fiziev vs 15Manuel Torres (Pick 'Em) Zak Drapeau - What a war we have i

Photo: Ben Martens-AP If there was one word to describe the 2026 NBA Draft, it would be unpredictable. From the opening selections to the final picks of the night, consensus rankings were thrown out the window as teams reached for prospects they believed in, passed on "highly regarded talent" and made decisions that immediately divided fans and analysts. Some players were picked up much earlier than expected, and others had a fall few could have predicted. As we know: polariz

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation-6/22/2026 Photo Credits to Denis Poroy/Getty Images With the MLB trade deadline just six weeks away, front offices around the league are beginning to decide whether to go all-in on a postseason run or shift their focus toward the future. With one of the deepest and most competitive Wild Card races in recent memory, an unprecedented number of teams remain in contention, setting the stage for what could be one of the busiest and most entertaini