LA Sparks rookie Cameron Brink tears ACL in left knee

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FILE–Cameron Brink #22 of the Los Angeles Sparks reacts during the game Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on June 11, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. Steph Chambers/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Steph Chambers / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

UNCASVILLE, Connecticut— Los Angeles rookie Cameron Brink tore the ACL in her left knee, the Sparks announced Wednesday.

The rookie forward had to be helped off the court after suffering the injury in the first quarter of the Sparks’ 79-70 loss to Connecticut on Tuesday night in the WNBA. Brink played under four minutes and committed one foul before getting hurt.

Once over to the sideline, the No. 2 pick in the draft hobbled toward the locker room, but was forced to stop as a result of the pain. A pair of Sparks personnel lifted Brink off her feet and carried her to the locker room.

“You never think it will happen to you. And despite all the hard work sometimes it does. This is hard to fathom but I know it will only make me stronger,” Brink wrote in a post to Instagram. “I will not be derailed and I will continue to love this life — I’m not defined by basketball, but it is something that I love deeply and I will work everyday to get back to it. It’s not goodbye basketball it’s just a see you later. I’m always so thankful for your thoughts and prayers.”

READ: Caitlin Clark, WNBA rookies draw near-record crowds for 1st month

The 22-year-old Brink came into the game averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in her first season for Los Angeles (4-11). She’s tied with A’ja Wilson for the second-most blocks in the WNBA.

“Except for the 2019 season I’ve lost a starter to injury every single year I’ve been a head coach in this league,” Curt Miller said. “You just have to have the mentality of next person up and rally around it.”

Brink is on the U.S. 3×3 team for the Paris Olympics and a replacement will have to be named for her.

“Our thoughts are with Cameron as we wish her a speedy recovery. As a result of Cam’s injury, USA Basketball will begin the process of selecting an athlete to join the 2024 USA 3×3 Women’s National Team,” USA Basketball said in a statement. “We hope to see Cam back on the court and representing the red, white and blue soon.”

It’s the second consecutive Olympics that the U.S. team will have to replace one of its original players. Katie Lou Samuelson missed the 2021 Tokyo Games after she caught COVID right before the Olympics. She was replaced by Jackie Young, who helped the team go on to win a gold medal.

The Sparks head to New York to play two games against the Liberty on Thursday and Saturday.



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Detroit Pistons fire coach Monty Williams after one season

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FILE – Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Friday, March 29, 2024, in Washington. The Detroit Pistons have fired coach Monty Williams after just one season. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

The Detroit Pistons fired coach Monty Williams on Wednesday after just one season that ended with an NBA-worst 14-68 record.

“Decisions like these are difficult to make, and I want to thank Monty for his hard work and dedication,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “Coaching has many dynamic challenges that emerge during a season and Monty always handled those with grace. However, after reviewing our performance carefully and assessing our current position as an organization, we will chart a new course moving forward.”

Last season was the first in what was a six-year, $78.5 million contract for Williams — one that, at the time, was the richest ever given to an NBA coach. The team started a front office rebuild when the season ended, including the hiring of Trajan Langdon as president of basketball operations, the departure of general manager Troy Weaver and now a vacancy at head coach.

READ: NBA: Pistons’ Monty Williams not backing down after missed call

The firing continues a wildly strange run for Williams. In 2021, as coach of the Suns, he went to the NBA Finals, where Phoenix led 2-0 before falling in six games to Milwaukee. In 2022, he was the NBA’s coach of the year in runaway voting. In 2023, the Suns fired him and now, in 2024, the Pistons have done the same.

The record for total value of a coaching contract has since been eclipsed; Miami gave Erik Spoelstra an eight-year extension worth $120 million earlier this year.

This was, by any measure, a disaster of a season for the Pistons. They started 2-1 and didn’t win another game for the next two months.

A 28-game losing streak, the longest ever in a single season in NBA history and tied for the longest ever when factoring in multiple seasons, turned the season into a debacle. The Pistons’ longest winning streak was two games (done on three occasions) and the roster was constantly in flux. Detroit used 31 different players over the course of the season and 36 different starting lineups and lost 39 times by double digits.

READ: NBA: Pistons hire Trajan Langdon as basketball operations president

The vacancy in Detroit is the third active one in the NBA, with Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers still seeking coaches. The Pistons’ move comes a week before the start of the NBA draft, with Detroit set to make the fifth overall pick on June 26 — someone that should be able to further enhance a young core led by Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren.

Those players, all 22 or younger, were the only three Pistons to start at least 60 games this past season.



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“We are unwavering in our commitment to bring a championship-caliber team to Detroit,” Gores said. “We will be diligent and swift in our search for a new head coach to lead our exciting young core of players and will continue our vision towards building a best-in-class front office that will help us achieve sustainable success.”

PVL: Choco Mucho acquires Dindin Santiago-Manabat from Akari

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FILE–Dindin Santiago Manabat is now with Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the PVL. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Dindin Santiago-Manabat is taking her act to Choco Mucho after her release from Akari ahead of the PVL Reinforced Conference in July.

Multiple sources on Thursday bared to Inquirer Sports that the Flying Titans have acquired Manabat after her switch from Akari to Nxled didn’t push through.

The source, who requested anonymity, didn’t divulge why Manabat requested a release.

READ: PVL: Dindin Manabat all praise for coach, bro-in-law Taka Minowa

Manabat, along with Bang Pineda, Trisha Genesis, and Jaja Maraguinot as well as Roselle Baliton, who is now signed with Galeries Tower, were sent to Nxled, while Akari received Ivy Lacsina, Kamille Cal, Cams Victoria, and Dani Ravena a month ago.

In an attempt to fill in each other’s needs, the sister teams also switched coaches with Taka Minowa now handling the Chargers

After Manabat’s release request was granted, she found her new home at Choco Mucho which will miss former MVP Sisi Rondina and middle blocker Cherry Nunag due to their duties with Alas Pilipinas.

The 30-year-old wing spiker is already training with the Flying Titans, who settled for back-to-back runner-up finishes in the past two All-Filipino Conferences.

Manabat, who has experience playing in Japan and Thailand, has joined her third PVL team as her stay with Akari lasted for more than a year since signing in 2023, ending her seven-year stay with Chery Tiggo, which she led to a breakthrough pro championship in the 2021 bubble with her sister Jaja Santiago.

READ: PVL: Choco Mucho, Alinsunurin hope to overcome stars’ absence

Inquirer sought Akari team manager Mozzy Ravena and Choco Mucho coach Dante Alinsunurin for comments but both have yet to respond as of posting time.

In the Collegiate Press Corps awards on Monday evening, Alinsunurin bared the team was eyeing free agents and rookies to fill in the void left by Rondina and Nunag and as Des Cheng and Kat Tolentino continue to recover, but he didn’t disclose names.

Manabat, a former National University star, was the top 11 scorer in the All-Filipino Conference with a total of 112 points as the Chargers couldn’t make it to the semifinals for the past in her four-conference stay but they improved to seventh place in the past two tournaments.

Akari, which hasn’t released a statement about its trade, already played an exhibition game with their new players Lacsina and Cal and returnees Victoria and Ravena. Nxled will bank on Pineda, Genesis, Lycha Ebon, Chiara Permentilla, Jho Maraguinot, and her sister Jaja.



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Nxled holds the fifth pick, followed by Akari, while Choco Mucho will select second to the last from the 47 rookie aspirants, who will have a two-day Draft Combine from June 25 to 26 at Gameville Ballpark in Sheridan, Mandaluyong.

Brown, Tatum answer critics while leading Celtics to title

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Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (0) hugs Jaylen Brown during the second half in Game 5 of the NBA Basketball Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Monday, June 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

BOSTON — In 2008, the Celtics ended a 22-year NBA championship drought led by a Big 3.

Sixteen years later, they did it again following the play of a dynamic duo.

When Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were drafted third overall in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017, they were almost instantly branded with the hopes of a franchise that was desperately chasing its elusive 18th championship.

Along the way they’ve endured criticism about their individual play and questions about whether two players with similar skill sets could co-exist.

They answered those questions emphatically on Monday night, leading to Celtics to a 106-88 Game 5 NBA Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks to capture the franchise’s 18th championship, setting it alone among NBA champions.

READ: Celtics rout Mavericks to win record 18th NBA championship

“Getting drafted, that’s something that you dream about. But this is at the top of the mountain,” Tatum said afterward. “To be able to say we did it, that we came together and we won a championship. Banner No. 18 has been hanging over our head for so many years. To know that we’re going to be engraved in history, and it still hasn’t like registered. I’m just still trying to process it all.”

Tatum and Brown grasped their first Larry O’Brien Trophy after 107 playoff games together, the most for any duo before winning a title.

It took longer than expected, but Tatum said it was part of a process he didn’t fully understand until celebrating postgame.

“Coming up short and having failures makes this moment that much better,” he said. “Because you know what it feels like to lose. You know what it feels like to be on the other side of this and be in the locker room and hearing the other team celebrating, hearing them celebrate on your home floor. That was devastating.”

Tatum finished with 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in Monday’s win. It is the third-most points scored by a Celtics player in a Finals clincher behind only John Havlicek (40 vs. Lakers, 1968) and Tommy Heinsohn (37 vs. Hawks, 1957).

Brown had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. But he earned Finals MVP honor on the heels of a 30-point performance in Game 3 that gave the Celtics a 3-0 lead.

READ: Jaylen Brown is Finals MVP as Celtics clinch historic NBA title

“It could have gone to Jayson,” Brown said of the MVP award. “Jayson, I can’t talk enough about his selflessness. I can’t talk enough about his attitude. It’s just how he approached not just this series or the Finals but just the playoffs in general. And we did it together as a team, and that was the most important thing.”

Brown and Tatum’s journey has included five trips to at least the conference finals together, as well as a 2022 loss in the Finals to the Golden State Warriors in a series that saw Boston relinquish a 2-1 lead.

Still, Celtics ownership continued to build around them, even through shakeups that included failed free agency acquisitions of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, as well as changes to the core of the ’22 Finals teams that included trading longtime veteran Marcus Smart and former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon.

It only intensified the microscope under Brown and Tatum, said veteran Al Horford, who has played alongside them for six of his 17 years in the NBA.

READ: NBA: Jayson Tatum says past pain inspired Boston Celtics

He’s in awe of the maturity they’ve displayed at 27 and 26 years old, respectively.

“Those two guys continue to take steps forward. People all year criticizing them, all that expectation, all the pressure,” Horford said. “They did it. And they’ve done it at a young age. They led our group. I’m just very proud of those guys and to put everything aside and focus on winning.”

Brown said he’s most proud of how he and Tatum have grown together over the past seven seasons together.



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“We’ve been through a lot, the losses, the expectations,” Brown said. “The media have said all different types of things: We can’t play together, we are never going to win. We heard it all. But we just blocked it out, and we just kept going. I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together.”

Takahashi, Japan seek improvement after loss to Canada

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Japan during the VNL in Manila against Canada.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Ran Takahashi and Yuji Nishida vowed to bounce back after fan favorite Japan fell short against Canada in five sets in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Week 3 opener on Tuesday evening at Mall of Asia Arena. 

Energized by the roaring Philippine crowd, Japan fought back from a 1-2 match deficit but still yielded to Canada, 25-21, 20-25, 25-15, 20-25, 15-10, dropping to a 6-3 record still in sixth place.

Takahashi, who had 13 points to backstop team captain Yuki Ishikawa and Yuji Nishida, admitted they committed a lot of lapses.

READ: VNL 2024: Canada denies fan favorite Japan in five sets

“We have to improve our reception [and] we have our eyes on a solution. Canada has a really nice and higher block. I think we can do much better. We have our eyes on a solution but we have to improve our reception,” Takahashi told reporters.

After a bronze medal in last year’s VNL, Takahashi believes that the Japanese need to work on their chemistry as they seek to return to the Final Eight, which takes place in Poland.

“We joined immediately after three weeks [since the VNL] started. We had just one week or two weeks of practice. I think we are not perfect. Maybe we need more practice and we need more communication with each player. Then we have to create more [opportunities] for the team,” said the fan favorite, who is playing in his third VNL Manila stint.

READ: ‘Great expectations’ ahead for Japan in VNL Manila leg

Nishida, who led the way with 19 points, expressed his “major” respect for Canada, which he believed played at a high level to tighten its grip on seventh place with a 5-4 record. 

“Every single play is important. I think today was not our kind of game. Many times we didn’t have good plays. Kudos to Canada,” Nishida said. “I’m looking for more combinations and try not to make more mistakes and a little bit more [improvement] on the communication. They are points that I can [improve on] next game. Most importantly, on the communication, obviously on the passion.”

The Japanese, though, still accommodated the Filipino fans at the fan zone as they’ve been the most loved squad since the country started hosting the VNL in 2022.

Japan has two days of rest before seeking to regain its winning ways against the Netherlands on Friday.



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‘Yoyong,’ Olympian and PBA great, dies at 77

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Rosalio “Yoyong” Martires, one of the pioneer stars of the PBA and a member of the last Philippine basketball team to play in the Olympics has died at the age of 77. His family announced his passing on Wednesday, reportedly due to complications from pneumonia. Martires had been attending gatherings with fellow legends and was

Alinsunurin crafts draft plan but admits picking preferred name unlikely

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PVL coach Dante Alinsunurin of Choco Mucho receives his award from the Collegiate Press Coprs during its awards night on Monday. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Dante Alinsunurin may not be open as to who he plans to select in the coming Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Rookie Draft. But he was a little bit more forthcoming with his selection strategy, what with his Choco Mucho way down the picking order and with two vital holes to fill.

“We will also be looking at lesser desired players, whoever we can develop or what else we can do to solve the problem that we are having every time at the end of the season,” he said.

The Flying Titans will be missing middle blocker Cherry Nunag and foremost weapon outside hitter Sisi Rondina, who will be lent to Alas Pilipinas and, most probably, will be unavailable in July with the Nationals representing the country again in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenger Cup.

The UAAP champion coach knows what he’s losing in both standouts and will be looking to draft players who can supplant their contributions.

“We are hopeful to get a player that can help us in terms of our scoring and blockings to fill in what Sisi and Cherry have been doing inside the court,” Alinsunurin told the Inquirer in Filipino as he was hailed the UAAP men’s volleyball coach of the year by the Collegiate Press Corps on Monday night.

Manpower issues

But he was also realistic.

“Even though we know that the young ones performed well in the collegiate [ranks], it is still different once they are [in the PVL] so the adjustment can still be a problem,” he said.

Alinsunurin has previously said he has an idea who the team will be picking but prefers to keep those names in his back pocket since Choco Mucho will be on the block late in the draft and the chance of selecting highly desirable names remain slim.

The Flying Titans, who have yet to announce their import, finished with the silver in the last conference thus getting to pick a player near the end of round one just before champion team Creamline.

“Right now, we do have players in mind but we don’t know if we will have the chance to pick [them] because you and I know what our needs are and what are the needs of the other teams as well,” Alinsunurin said.

Choco Mucho encountered unfortunate manpower issues in the recent conferences with mainstays Des Cheng (outside hitter), Kat Tolentino (opposite) and Aduke Ogunsanya (middle blocker) suffering injuries.



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Bolts will now know feeling of playing as the hunted

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Meralco Bolts. Photo: PBA Images

Now that the long chase for a first-ever PBA championship has finally been fulfilled, the Meralco Bolts will come into the next season with a different role.

From hunters, the Bolts acknowledged that they’ll go into the league’s 49th season as the hunted.

“The next conference will test us as we will have a bull’s-eye on our chest,” coach Luigi Trillo said when asked by the Inquirer of the Bolts’ outlook going into the season-opening Governors’ Cup in August.

Meralco pulled off one of the most memorable title runs in recent history, defying previous heartbreaks to defeat San Miguel Beer and win the prestigious Philippine Cup title with Sunday’s 80-78 Game 6 win at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Under the combined stewardship of Trillo and active consultant Nenad Vucinic, the Bolts overcame the danger of missing a playoff berth to becoming just the third team outside of the Beermen, Barangay Ginebra and TNT Tropang Giga to win a title since the 2014-15 season.

During that span, San Miguel won 10 titles, Ginebra claimed seven and TNT bagged three. Two teams had one each in Rain or Shine (2016 Commissioner’s Cup) and Magnolia (2018 Governors’ Cup).

San Miguel, Ginebra and Magnolia, which in the same period has appeared in five Finals only to fall short four times, are seen as among those figuring prominently in the title picture next season, while TNT will be aiming to get itself in the discussion after an otherwise underwhelming 2023-24 campaign that saw two quarterfinal exits.

Meanwhile, the Bolts have started savoring their well-deserved break, though the offseason is also a time to address the need to pick well in the July Rookie Draft and getting a dependable import.

The 2024-25 season will open in August with the Governors’ Cup, which will see teams tap imports that are 6-foot-6 and below coupled with a format that divides the 12 teams into two groups.

Return of AD?

Trillo bared that Meralco is looking at bringing back Allen Durham, who won three Best Imports awards after powering the Bolts to Finals appearances in the 2016, 2018 and 2019 Governors’ Cup but has been playing the past few seasons in Japan’s B.League.

Initial talks have been “good,” said Trillo, but Durham, who last played for the Ryukyu Golden Kings, is also attracting offers from other B.League teams.

“I’ve spoken with coach Nenad and [Meralco team manager and brother Paolo Trillo] and [we] would love to have AD join us. We have to come to terms with his agent,” said Trillo.

If negotiations with Durham don’t pan out, the Bolts may look at potential reinforcements elsewhere like in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Regardless of who they eventually sign, the Bolts hope that he turns out to be the guy who could put them in a position to once again march back into center court and lift another trophy.



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“We have to really lock in and have a good two weeks of preseason training before we get on the court again,” Trillo said.

Jia De Guzman ‘grateful’ as Alas Pilipinas adds more firepower

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Jia De Guzman and Alas Pilipinas during a VNL meet and greet at Mall of Asia Arena.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Alas Pilipinas team captain Jia De Guzman welcomed new additions Jema Galanza, Bella Belen, and Alyssa Solomon ahead of the FIVB Challenge Cup on July 4 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

De Guzman is elated to have more talented wing spikers, as well as Tots Carlos, who wasn’t in the Alas meet and greet on Wednesday, as they play a do-or-die game against AVC Challenge Cup champion Vietnam in the qualifier for the Volleyball Nations League (VNL).

“We’re grateful that we were reinforced with Jema, Bella, and Alyssa because we had a very good line-up in the AVC and we’re welcoming every help that we can get,” said De Guzman in Filipino after their meet and greet in the VNL on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

READ: NU stars, Jema Galanza join Alas Pilipinas training

“They are also bringing a great experience and we’re hoping for more additions to have a deeper bench in the long run.”

Also part of Alas coach Jorge Souza De Brito’s pool are Challenge Cup bronze medalists Angel Canino as well as Sisi Rondina, Eya Laure, Fifi Sharma, Thea Gagate, Dawn Macandili-Catindig, Cherry Nunag, Dell Palomata, Faith Nisperos, Jennifer Nierva, Arah Panique, Julia Coronel, and Vanie Gandler.

University of the East rookie Casiey Dongallo is also part of the training pool but she’s still recovering from a hand injury.

READ: Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza added to Alas Pilipinas pool

The Philippines and Vietnam collide in a knockout match with the winner advancing to the next round against the winner between Argentina and the Czech Republic.

“We’re doing our best to prepare well because we’re facing Vietnam so we’ve seen them play in person in AVC,” the eight-time PVL Best Setter said. “We’re taking it a day at a time, preparing, taking advantage of the longer preparation this time compared before in the AVC. So hopefully, we can get better results.”

Also vying for the lone VNL spot are Belgium, Sweden, Puerto Rico, and Kenya.

De Guzman was happy to meet their fans before the game between France and Germany at MOA Arena/

“We didn’t expect that many people and we wanted to meet more but we lack time. We’re grateful for their support to Alas Pilipinas both men’s and women’s teams,” she said.



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