Paul Allen (Photo Courtesy: Sporting News/Twitter)
Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and the owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, died Monday at the age of 65 due to complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
He purchased the Trail Blazers in 1988 and then the Seahawks in 1996.
Athletes and other sports figures shared their prayers and condolences on social media upon hearing of Allen’s passing.
So sad to hear about the passing of @Seahawks owner Paul Allen. In my 4 years in Sea he treated me, my teammates & the coaches w/great honor & respect. The Hawks treat their players as well or better than any organization because of him. My prayers go out to his family.
RIP to the man in charge of it all, Mr. Paul Allen. I hope we sent you out with high praises with our victory yesterday in London. You with the most high now, no more pain required.
Paul Allen will never be forgotten. He was a great owner, an amazing leader and a truly wonderful person. I'm forever grateful that we got to share so many great moments together. His passion and dedication will be deeply missed. My heart goes out to his family and friends.
Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton celebrates, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
In just the franchise’s second year of existence, the Golden State Valkyries captured the WNBA title on Saturday night in San Francisco after a hard-fought, back-and-forth 68-63 victory against the Atlanta Dream in Game 7. It was the first seven-game series in WNBA Finals history.
Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton left her mark on the game from beginning to end. She hit a step-back mid-range jumper just before the shot clock expired to open the scoring, and she buried two clutch free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining to extend Golden State’s lead to five. They would be the last points of the contest.
Burton finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a block in the winner-take-all Game 7. She also led her team with 39 minutes played as her team overcame a six-point halftime deficit.
The 5-foot-9 point guard anchored Golden State throughout their 13-game postseason run. She led the team in assists per game (3.8), tied for second in rebounds (4.9), and was third in points (9.2).
“Hands down, I think she’s the best point guard right now in the league,” Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told The Athletic last week. “… It’s that grittiness. It’s that leadership. It is that toughness. It’s diving on the floor, getting knocked down, getting back up.”
Burton is a leader and defensive stopper on her team, and in many ways the heart and soul of it. And now, she’s carried Golden State to a title. It’s a story no one would have thought possible just a few years ago, perhaps not even her.
Burton’s WNBA career began with promise, as the Massachusetts native was drafted No. 7 overall by the Dallas Wings in 2022 after a decorated college career at Northwestern. Yet after two seasons of limited playing time and limited success in Dallas, the Wings waived her in May 2024. She eventually signed with the Connecticut Sun for the remainder of the 2024 campaign, yet again didn’t see the floor much.
Burton’s breakthrough came when Golden State picked her from Connecticut’s roster in the December 2024 expansion draft and she instantly became a critical piece of the new team. She started all 44 games in 2025 and thrived in that role, averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.4 minutes of game action. Golden State became the first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in its first year, and Burton was named the league’s Most Improved Player. She was also named to the All-Defensive second team.
Burton was again named to the All-Defensive second team in 2026 and guided the Valkyries back to the playoffs as the No. 2 overall seed with a 32-12 regular-season record. She averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals.
Throughout her rise to the top of the WNBA, Burton has consistently given glory to God, both on social media and in interviews. She was found reading the Book of James after being waived by Dallas, and in a 2023 appearance on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, she explained why it’s so important to her to thank God.
“The one thing that I try and thank Him for every day is just the opportunities that He’s presented for me,” she said. “I’ve been able to experience a lot of great things, and things have worked out in my favor, and a lot of that has to do with Him and the grace that He has for me.”
Although Burton grew up in a family that emphasized faith, it was at Northwestern that God truly began to work in her heart to draw her to Himself.
“I realized that the more I centered my life around faith and my relationship with the Lord, the more steady I found myself and the more at peace I found myself,” she said on the podcast. “That’s where I saw a shift in who I was and what I really prioritized.”
“My faith is the most important thing to me,” the 26-year-old said. “Just wrapping my identity around who Christ says I am rather than a sport, a career.”
In a video later in the series, Burton shared why her daily practice of doing devotionals and spending time in God’s Word is so important.
“I wanted to know Him for myself and I wanted to have a genuine relationship for myself,” she said, “because I believe that’s the best part about Christianity is having a relationship.”
Burton praised God amid the depths of doubt and uncertainty after she was waived two years ago. Now, at last, she can praise Him as a WNBA champion.
San Antonio Spurs center Tarris Reed Jr. (10), Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
It’s been quite the week for Tarris Reed Jr.
Last Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs rookie center fulfilled a lifelong dream when he made his NBA debut in a 116-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, logging one minute of game action. He received a DNP on Friday, but on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks, he played seven minutes, grabbed three rebounds and scored the first two points of his career as his team won, 122-106.
However, basketball milestones weren’t the only things on Reed’s plate. The morning following his first bucket, the 23-year-old underwent the sacrament of baptism at Community Bible Church in San Antonio. Reed shared the joyous news with the world by posting a video on Instagram.
“It’s been on my heart for a while now to be baptized,” Reed captioned his post in part. “I wanted to publicly signify my union with Christ and what it means to walk in His grace, mercy, and NEWNESS OF LIFE!
“The Lord has placed me in a unique position to help others come to know Christ and experience His life changing power. To think that I went from wanting nothing to do with the Lord to now desiring to live for Him is something I never could have imagined. I never would have thought my life would look like this.
“I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy, and for placing me in a position where I can share the Gospel, reach others, and hopefully make an eternal impact on their lives. All glory to God!”
He frequently praises God in posts on Instagram, where he writes “Through Christ alone” in his bio. One such post came in the aftermath of losing the college basketball national championship game to Michigan as a member of the UConn Huskies last April. On the flight back to Storrs, Connecticut, Reed was inspired to speak at an Athletes in Action campus ministry meeting less than 24 hours after the final buzzer sounded in Indianapolis.
And not only did Reed speak about the pain of losing the title game, he also shared his testimony of faith in Jesus. It began as many do. He was introduced to Christ at a young age and frequently attended church, yet he lacked a deep personal relationship with Jesus. His passion was basketball, not the glory of God.
The St. Louis native drifted from the faith as a freshman at Michigan in 2022-23, the very same program that would defeat him on the biggest stage three years later. But a convicting conversation with his strength and conditioning coach led him to truly and intentionally begin reading the Bible, starting with the Book of Matthew.
“It was my first time really learning about Jesus — who He was, how He walked, how He taught, who He helped,” Reed said in his speech. “… From there, that fire was lit. I started to understand who Jesus was and really build a relationship. It put everything into perspective — not making basketball an idol, but seeing it as worship.”
Reed also played the 2023-24 season at Michigan before transferring to UConn, where he blossomed, winning Big East Sixth Man of the Year in 2025 and being named first-team All-Big East in 2026. He was selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets and immediately traded to the Spurs.
Reed has continued to testify to his faith in Christ on social media and elsewhere during his short time in the NBA, a practice he began while still in college. Amid the pain and disappointment of losing the national championship game, Reed praised the Lord during his postgame press conference.
“I’m filled with gratitude just looking around, just so thankful for it all,” he said on the podcast. “It’s crazy how I’m at my last year, going into my last semester, and now I’m realizing, ‘Wow, look at the Lord. Look what the Lord has blessed me with.’ I wish I could have known this in my freshman year. … Be grateful for it, man, because this is it for me.”
Later in the podcast, he talked about being born again in Christ.
“Jesus just wiped my eyes clean,” he said. “I got to see the world through a whole new lens. That’s really where my journey began. That’s where the seed — my whole life — just grew and it started to blossom from there.”
Reed is now baptized, playing with gratitude for who Jesus is, and worshiping Him with his basketball abilities. Secure in his union with Christ, Reed will continue to try to carve out minutes for himself and help the Spurs in their quest to return to the NBA Finals.
Next up, San Antonio hosts the Sacramento Kings (0-3) on Tuesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Falcons rookie LB Kendal Daniels returns his interception, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
The San Francisco 49ers fell from the dwindling ranks of unbeaten NFL teams on Sunday when they were clipped in Atlanta by the previously 2-4 Falcons, 29-20.
What makes the story even more notable is that Kendal Daniels, the Falcons rookie linebacker who helped seal the win with an interception of Niners QB Brock Purdy late in the fourth quarter, was lying motionless on a stretcher just one week ago.
With Atlanta leading by six and the 49ers near midfield with just under three minutes to go in the game, Purdy fired a pass over the middle. Daniels rose up, deflected the pass, caught the ball, and scampered 29 yards the other way.
@AtlantaFalcons rookie Kendal Daniels gets his first career interception in the clutch
Following the interception, Atlanta would tack on a field goal to go ahead by two scores. On the ensuing possession, San Francisco fumbled in Falcons territory and Daniels hopped on the ball. Daniels’ interception was the first of his young NFL career, as was his fumble recovery. The 23-year-old also recorded a team-leading and career-high 11 combined tackles on the day.
All the while, Daniels wore the green dot on his helmet, given to the player receiving communications from the defensive coordinator and responsible for relaying the play calls to his teammates. That’s typically veteran linebacker Divine Deablo’s job, but he was out with an injury, so the tall task went to Daniels. The Falcons defense held San Fransisco, the league’s No. 1 scoring team, to a season-low 20 points.
Daniels — who has started all seven games of his NFL career, including on Sunday — looked no worse for the wear after his frightening injury seven days before.
In last week’s 31-23 loss to the Chicago Bears, Daniels stayed down after making an awkward tackle in the third quarter. As both teams gathered around him, he was loaded on a stretcher, carted off the field, and taken to a nearby hospital. Positive reports began to emerge about Daniels’ condition later in the day, and by the evening he was back with his team.
“That’s remarkable, truly,” Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said Sunday in his postgame press conference. “What a great kid. We just gave him a game ball, and he deserves it, because what a week. What a seven days that was. Seven days ago, we’re in here talking about him being at the hospital and talking to his family and all the emotional stuff that he went through.
“And then, oh by the way, go play in a game against (49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy and put the green dot on and call the defense. That’s unbelievable to just do that. And then, to make a play at the end? Man, really proud of that kid.”
In an on-field interview with a Falcons team reporter moments after Sunday’s game, Daniels said he was “blessed to be able to come back a week after a scary fall. Just all thanks, glory to God. He put me back out here, so all the plays I made today was Him.”
Later, he was asked what went into forcing his two game-clinching turnovers.
“God,” he said. “He put me in a position to make the plays.”
Daniels starred for Oklahoma State from 2021-24 before transferring to Oklahoma ahead of the 2025 campaign. Following a season in which he moved from safety to linebacker, Daniels was drafted in the fourth round by the Falcons in April’s NFL Draft.
The Beggs, Oklahoma, native continued to praise God in the locker room after Sunday’s victory.
“I’m blessed, man,” he told the media. “I just thanked God all week. … I was just sore all week, but I’ve played through worse pain than that. So, I knew God was telling me that I needed to play. He guided me to play this week and helped me and guided me to play well for my team.”
Later, Daniels thanked all those who prayed for him.
“The power of prayer is strong,” he said, “and I felt like the Atlanta Falcons fan base really took care of me and prayed for me.”
Daniels writes “Give It To God” with a praying hands emoji in his Instagram bio, and the young father has been known to express his gratitude to God in posts on the social media site.
In a week that Daniels described as “the craziest week of my life,” he saw like never before the protective power of God on full display.
Daniels and the Falcons are now just a half-game out of first place in the NFC South with another divisional matchup up next. They will travel to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Ohio State football players (L-R) T.J. Alford, Luke Montgomery and Epi Sitanilei at the "Fall Kickoff" event, Oct. 19, 2026. (Photo by Lucas Cochran/@lucascochranmedia)
Fresh off of Saturday’s win over defending national champion Indiana, members of the Ohio State football team were back on campus Monday to spread the Gospel and participate in what has become an annual campus-wide worship night. “Fall Kickoff: an Invitation to Jesus” is now in its third year hosted by Ohio State players, and included worship, athletes sharing their testimonies, and ended with a mass baptism.
Nearly 1,000 people were in attendance and 35 baptisms took place, according to Mairin O’Brien, a former OSU swimmer who helped organize this year’s event.
Current football players Beau Atkinson, T.J. Alford, Epi Sitanilei and Carson Hinzman were four of the six student-athletes who shared their testimonies, as field hockey player Katie Fichtner and dance team member Chloe Cerreto also spoke. Numerous athletes wore “Jesus Won” T-shirts.
Former football players Gee Scott Jr., Master Teague and Kamryn Babb also spoke and have been leaders in keeping the event going since helping plan the inaugural event in 2024. That night drew nearly 2,000 people, and since then each subsequent event has brought a spotlight on Jesus around campus and the sports world at large.
Other former players like wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson, defensive back Caleb Downs and linebacker Sonny Styles have participated in previous years, but currently are busy with their respective NFL teams.
“Just for two hours, three hours, however [long] we’re here for, just put [all stressors] to the side,” Babb said, according to The Lantern, Ohio State’s independent student newspaper. “And I promise you, He wants to meet you. So if you just give Him your heart, you’ll be so surprised on what He can do.”
Hinzman, a fifth-year center, shared his testimony of growing up in rural western Wisconsin, where he regularly attended church with his family but couldn’t quite discern God’s meaning for his life. He didn’t play a snap as a freshman and started to contemplate if he should transfer elsewhere.
His father encouraged him to pray about it.
“I just cried and praised the Lord,” Hinzman told the crowd. “[I thought,] ‘I don’t know what to do anymore, I have no other way to go. I feel like I’m just an embarrassment. I feel like I can’t do this right.'”
Looking back, he can see how he was putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on himself thinking about people back home who he wanted to “do good for.”
“I felt that my validation came through what I did in my sport,” he said.
He eventually went on to earn a starting role and help lead the Buckeyes to the 2024-25 national championship, and he now has a more mature and tested faith to share with others. One student told The Lantern that it was the faith of the Ohio State football players that led her to attend school there.
Ohio State’s 2024 event sparked a wave of similar events on college campuses across the country. Last month, nearly 400 people showed up to an athlete-led worship event at the University of Toledo, where 50 people were baptized. Last year at the University of Pittsburgh, athletes hosted an event called “Pitt for Jesus” that featured baptisms, live worship music, prayer and athlete testimonies. They hosted another event this year.
Current NFL stars like C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who regularly proclaim their faith in Christ, were eternally impacted while at Ohio State. That was largely because of teammates like Babb, Scott and Teague, who continue to pour into the athletes in Columbus, Ohio.
“Over the last couple years we’ve really seen the Lord start a revival on our team,” Egbuka said in 2024. That revival continues.
On the football field, Ohio State is 5-1 and ranked No. 3 in the most recent AP top-25 poll after beating Indiana. The Buckeyes have a bye this week and will play again Oct. 31 on the road against USC.
