Good afternoon, here’s what we’re following at SBJ Today:
- Silver lauds new draft lottery as ‘a world we’ve never seen before’
- Paul Liberman is DraftKings’ builder and problem-solver
- NBA still hoping to honor the late commissioner David Stern
- Plus: Gotham FC hires a new president; no guarantees on NBA expansion; Brand Velocity Group acquires NFL Flag operator; and more.
Start your morning with Buzzcast with Abe Madkour: Adam Silver meets the press; Gordon Gee points the finger at himself and a transformative project breaks ground in Chicago. Listen >>
THE BIG STORY
Opens in new windowSilver lauds new draft lottery as ‘a world we’ve never seen before’
Days after the NBA greenlit a “3-2-1” draft lottery process that actually penalizes the three worst teams in the league, Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that next season will be “a world we’ve never seen before — where all 30 teams have an incentive to win all of their games."
Designed to eliminate tanking — which Silver said reached new heights this season due partly to the perception of a deep 2026 draft class — the new rule gives teams finishing fourth through 10th three lottery ping-pong balls, as opposed to just two balls for the bottom three teams. The No. 9 and No. 10 play-in seeds will also receive two balls, while the losers of the 7 seed vs. 8 seed play-in games will get one lottery ball.
It is a stark contrast to this past season, SBJ’s Tom Friend writes, when the three worst teams had a 14% chance to win the lottery and the Wizards (the last place team) did, in fact, earn the No. 1 overall pick.
5 STORIES WE’RE WATCHING
1. Paul Liberman is DraftKings’ builder and problem-solver: Since co-founding the company, Paul Liberman has worn many hats to help the betting platform grow.
2. NBA still hoping to honor the late commissioner David Stern: The NBA is continuing to ideate ways to name an award after the late Commissioner David Stern, with current Commissioner Adam Silver saying “so many of the proposals of the league office honestly haven’t felt big enough.”
3. Gotham FC tap former Florida Panthers exec Zarthar as president: Gotham FC have hired former Florida Panthers executive Mark Zarthar as team president as the NWSL club looks to parlay championship success into commercial growth in the country’s largest media market.
4. Silver still won’t guarantee expansion, decision to come by end of 2026: The NBA will add up to two or potentially zero expansion teams, Adam Silver reiterated Wednesday, with an assurance that the league will let candidates Las Vegas and Seattle know by the end of this calendar year.
5. Brand Velocity Group acquires NFL Flag operator RCX Sports: Investment firm Brand Velocity Group has acquired RCX Sports, which operates league-licensed youth sports properties including NFL Flag, Jr. NBA and NHL Street.
ON THE MOVE
- Tepper Sports & Entertainment named former Yankees Exec Dir/Sales, Services & Business Strategies Rose Barre as VP/Ticket Sales, Service, and Operations (SBJ).
- The 49ers named Kwesi Adofo-Mennsah as VP/Personnel and Strategy. Adofo-Mensah returns to the team after spending the previous four seasons as the GM for the Vikings (49ers).
- The Lions have hired former Dolphins GM Chris Grier “as a personnel executive,” according to sources cited by ESPN’s Adam Schefter (ESPN.com).
NAMES IN THE NEWS
- Late Baseball HOFer Ryne Sandberg’s children are suing his widow “over alleged violations of his trust.” In a lawsuit filed in Lake County court, Sandberg’s children from his first marriage -- son Justin and daughter Lindsey -- accuse his second wife, Margaret Sandberg, of “trying to shift control of his name, image and likeness to his stepson and the family financial adviser shortly before he died” (Chicago Sun-Times).
- Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley’s U.S. Senate campaign’s social media accounts “posted a photo of an artificially generated image of a hockey player” from the Hurricanes to cheer on the team in the Stanley Cup Final. The image “appeared to be a mashup of several players into one” (Raleigh News & Observer).
- NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” cast member Marcello Hernández will host the 2026 ESPYs at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on July 15 on ABC (Deadline).
HOT READS
USA TODAY went with the header, “Brendan Sorsby trampled NCAA gambling rules. He can’t play college football again.” Sorsby, the Texas Tech QB, “admits” he bet on sports repeatedly, including college football, violating NCAA gambling rules. Now, he is “asking a judge to grant him an injunction that would allow him to play quarterback at Texas Tech this season.”
Also:
- Fixing in sport: How Asian and European organized crime groups are working together to target football.
- ‘A huge disaster’: Inside Football Australia’s smoke-and-mirrors AGM.
- Why Stephen Curry’s Li-Ning deal is a global move.