New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday. By TonyTheTiger (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday celebrated his daughter’s first birthday with an Instagram post. In the caption, he mentioned the past year being one of the toughest challenges he’s faced as a husband and father.
“My 🌎 is 1 year today!!! To think that last year was the scariest, most stressful time of my life and a year later My ❤️+ 🌎 are healthy and happy!! God is real, he is merciful, but most of all he is loving! He has blessed me with more than I could ever imagine. Happy Birthday Sweet girl!! Daddy Loves You!”
The smiles were replaced by fright last year as Holiday’s wife, Lauren Holiday, suffered a major health scare while she was pregnant.
“My wife was, I think, four or five months pregnant, and all of a sudden she found out she had a tumor,” Holiday said to ESPN. “Because she has another person in her, obviously there are things she couldn’t do for them to know what type of tumor it was or how serious it was.”
Holiday’s wife, formerly known as Lauren Cheney, an ex-United States women’s national team soccer player, had surgery last October to remove a benign tumor from her brain a month after their daughter was born.
Holiday tended to his wife for three months and missed 12 regular-season games before Lauren gave Jrue her blessing to return to the court.
“It was really just to see where my wife was in her recovery,” Holiday said to ESPN. “And since she’s doing so well, and since my daughter’s getting bigger, and since my family and her family are there to help her out with anything … I just feel comfortable being back and being able to leave them, if it’s on a road trip or whatever it is.”
In Holiday’s first game back, he scored 21 points and helped the Pelicans reel off four consecutive victories, after they started out 2-10 in his absence. The Pelicans would finish the season 34-48, missing the postseason.
In the offseason, Holiday signed a 5-year, $126 million deal to remain with the Pelicans. New Orleans opens preseason play against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 3.
Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston brings the ball up the court, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Sunday’s 102-83 victory over the Dallas Wings means the Indiana Fever are one win away from entering the WNBA’s All-Star or Olympic break with a winning record for the first time since 2012. With superstar Caitlin Clark missing almost half the season through injury, it has fallen on the team’s other All-Star starter, third-year center Aliyah Boston, to help make up for Clark’s absence.
Boston is third on the team in scoring (a career-high 16.2 points per game) and leads the Fever in field goal percentage (a career-best 58.3%), rebounding (7.9) and blocks (1.1). Boston, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier and three-time MVP A’ja Wilson are the only three players averaging at least 16 points and more than 7.8 rebounds per game.
Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Boston and her sister moved to Massachusetts to live with their aunt so they could further their academic and basketball careers. The Fever took Boston with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, following a stellar college career at the University of South Carolina.
Her accomplishments were honored Monday at the Massachusetts State House in Boston, where the Fever will face the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday at TD Garden, home of the NBA’s Boston Celtics. Governor Maura Healey and City Councilor Brian Worrell declared it “Aliyah Boston Day” in the city of Boston. She was a three-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year while at Worcester Academy, an hour west of Boston, becoming a five-star recruit before joining South Carolina.
“Don’t let anyone determine your worth or let anyone tell you what you can or can’t be in life because you’re more than that and everyone’s path is different,” Boston said during a ceremony. “So don’t compare your path to the person to your left or the person to your right, because it’s never going to be the same. So just embrace your journey and do the best that you can and dream big.”
“Born in Saint Thomas, raised with deep roots in the Caribbean, she came to Massachusetts with a dream and work ethic that wouldn’t quit and a purpose bigger than basketball.”
yesterday, the City of Boston proclaimed July 14, 2025 as “Aliyah Boston Day” at the Massachusetts… pic.twitter.com/uiaTVR8ngN
Following Tuesday’s game, the Fever will face the Liberty in New York on Wednesday, then Boston will return to Indianapolis to play in the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday. She was the third-leading All-Star vote-getter behind Clark and Collier and was Clark’s first pick in the All-Star draft. It is Boston’s third All-Star selection in as many years and her second time being voted a starter.
This one carries an added significance with Indianapolis hosting the game. Boston and Clark have become the cornerstones of Indiana’s rebuilding effort that led to the franchise’s first playoff appearance in eight years last season.
“I had that dream on my heart, and I feel like that’s why I’m in the position that I am now, because I trusted God’s plan for me but also, I put in the work,” Boston said in a WNBA video last year. “There’s just so many opportunities and doors I’ve been blessed to walk through.”
Boston’s confidence on the court comes from the trust she has in the Lord. She goes into every game knowing God has prepared her for whatever she is going to face.
“Before the starting lineups [are announced], I always take a moment and pray,” she said. “I always tell myself, like, ‘I’m equipped.’ God has prepared me for everything, and that just brings me peace because I know that whatever happens on the court, I’m ready for it.”
Though she is one of the WNBA’s most popular players, Boston wants to be known as a follower of God first and a basketball player second.
“I think we get confused sometimes that just because we play a sport and that’s what we do as our profession, that that’s just who we are,” she said. “I think that’s one of the biggest things for me, is just being able to see God through me. It’s my faith, it’s my family, that makes me me.”
The Fever-Sun game tips off on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, with the Indiana-New York game at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday on CBS Sports Network, and the All-Star Game at 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.
From Tulsa to Mizzou, hooping'is fun again. I Off the court, l've got a few hidden talents -Rubik's cubes included. And if I'm turning on a movie? Interstellar is the go-to every time. & Check out my interview!@MizzouAthletics@MizzouHoops#MIZ#ETTBpic.twitter.com/pFPpIB708V
Philadelphia 76ers draft pick VJ Edgecombe, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
From the shores of Bimini in the Bahamas to the bright lights of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday, the journey to the NBA has always been about more than basketball for VJ Edgecombe.
He was selected No. 3 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, making him the highest-drafted player to come from Baylor University. Like many players on draft night, Edgecombe was overcome with emotion while shaking hands with Commissioner Adam Silver, and again when joined by his mother and brother while being interviewed by ESPN.
In fact, he first spoke for his mother, who was asked about her emotions but couldn’t find the words.
“Super excited. We came from nothing. We’re truly blessed just to be in this position,” Edgecombe said. “I know the emotions are high right now … but we came from nothing. So that’s why the emotions are so high right now. … I’m blessed to be the third pick. This is a dream come true.”
Later, in an interview with NBA TV, Edgecomebe said that his family lived off a generator for seven years, and he was brought to tears recalling how hard his mom worked to feed him and his siblings. He was then asked what advice he’d give to young kids who might be in similar situations and want to accomplish a dream like he had.
“Don’t stop working. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t,” he said. “I heard that a lot growing up; me and my cousins, we all heard that a lot, that ‘you can’t do it, you can’t do it.’ Man, I’m telling you, if you have confidence in yourself, if you have faith in yourself and in the Lord, I promise you, you’re going to be just fine.”
Edgecombe, who says he’s a “Christ Follower” in his Instagram bio, isn’t shy about how his faith in Jesus has been central to his story from the beginning, shaping not just his identity, but the way he approaches the game of basketball.
Born and raised in Bimini, Edgecombe grew up with little but learned early on that with faith and hard work, anything was possible. He came to the U.S. in ninth grade to pursue basketball, playing at Victory International Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, New York, where he was named a McDonald’s High School All-American in 2024.
He then spent his lone season of college basketball at Baylor, where he averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He finished with 68 total steals — the most ever by a Baylor freshman — and was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
“You’re going to grow spiritually here. I feel like that’s what drew me to Baylor — to grow as a man,” Edgecombe said following Baylor’s loss to Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. “I promise you, basketball is going to stop. How I’m going to approach life after that, I just want to be the best man I can be. I just want to stay connected to God, and if you want to stay connected to God, come to Baylor.”
VJ Edgecombe recaps his season at Baylor👇
"I wouldn't trade the experience for nothing in the world … I promise you, basketball gonna stop … I just want to be the best man I can be. I want to stay connected to God, and if you want to stay connected to God, come to Baylor." pic.twitter.com/TGS5qfSVZr
From a basketball perspective, he joins a Sixers team with a crop of young talent, including guards Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, to go with veterans Joel Embiid and Paul George. The Sixers missed the playoffs this past season after seven consecutive appearances (including five trips to the Eastern Conference Finals), and are hoping Edgecombe’s athleticism and skillset can move the needle back in a positive direction.
During his pre-draft workout with the team, Edgecombe was excited about the idea of him landing in Philadelphia.
“I feel like I fit in,” he said. “They’re great players. Embiid’s an MVP of the league. Paul George was the front-runner before, so I just feel like I fit in well with them. Even Coach (Nick) Nurse, he’s a defensive-minded coach, and I feel like I play a lot of defense.”
President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey shared similar excitement after the pick was official.
“We’re super excited about VJ and what he can bring to the team,” Morey said. “He brings a dynamic athlete. Potential All-Star two-way player. Really helped his team. He’s got all these winning qualities that we think really fit. Great teammate.
“His story and what he’s done to get to this point is really unbelievable, and we think he’s on a great trajectory to take where he’s come from and continue to improve through Baylor and a very long and promising NBA career, and we’re excited it’s here with the 76ers.”
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING JACIE HOYT
Jacie Hoyt is the women’s basketball head coach at Oklahoma State University, a role she took over in March 2022 after serving as the head coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2017 to 2022. In 2024-25, Hoyt led the Cowgirls to 25 wins and their second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons.
Today on the podcast, Jacie Hoyt returns to the show to share about her experiences of leading a team with a strong sense of community and faith, her personal struggles with infertility, and the joy of returning to coaching shortly after giving birth. The discussion also touches on the evolving landscape of college basketball, including the impact of NIL and the transfer portal, and how she navigates these changes while maintaining her commitment to her players and their development.
Grateful for an administration who believes in me, and thankful for the players and coaching staff who bought into the vision and put in the work to make it all possible! Being a part of @OSUAthletics and this community is an honor! Loyal & True…let’s keep climbing 🧡🤠 https://t.co/v07nWfDJ8z
