LeBron James’ latest return to Cleveland proved to be an emotional one.

James was honored with a tribute video during the Cavaliers’ 129-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, and it appeared to bring him to tears.

The four-time MVP was clearly emotional while on the bench as Cleveland showed the video on the screens at Rocket Arena. Among the highlights shown during the video was his playoff game against the Detroit Pistons in 2007, when he scored 25 straight points.

“… Obviously, with the moment they put up there with the Detroit game and looking up in the rafters and seeing our championship banner, it was a lot of reflecting for sure,” James said during his postgame media availability.

James finished the game with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds in 27 minutes of play. He shot 3-for-10 from the field and was 0-for-3 from the 3-point line. He also had six turnovers.

While he largely struggled, the game still had plenty of highlights for James. One of them was having his mother, Gloria, in attendance for the game.

“My mom got to watch her son and her grandson play in the NBA at the same time,” James said.

James’ son, Bronny James, also plays for the Lakers and he finished the game with eight points in eight minutes of play and had a highlight dunk late in the game. He went 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from the 3-point line.

The New York Jets are evidently leaving no stone unturned as they look to revamp their coaching staff ahead of Aaron Glenn’s second season with the team.

The Jets ‘reached out’ to Jon Gruden about potentially joining Glenn’s staff for the 2026 NFL season, according to The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt. However, Gruden ‘wasn’t interested in the job.’

It wasn’t immediately clear what type of role the Jets had offered Gruden. That said, it’s worth noting the team parted ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand on Jan. 27 after just one season.

Gruden hasn’t held an NFL coaching job since the 2021 season, when he resigned from his head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders after emails he sent containing racist, homophobic and misogynistic remarks during his time at ESPN were leaked to the media.

During the 2023 season, Gruden consulted in an unofficial capacity for the New Orleans Saints, and has more recently taken on a role producing content for Barstool Sports.

Despite his absence, Gruden’s name has been bandied about in the rumor mill over the years. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero mentioned teams had done ‘extensive homework’ on the Super Bowl-winning coach prior to the 2025 NFL coaching cycle.

The Jets’ reported curiosity indicates there is still interest in Gruden. But for now, the 62-year-old will remain out of the NFL.

Meanwhile, the Jets will turn their attention to another veteran coach to help organize their offense. New York is expected to hire Frank Reich to take over as the team’s primary play-caller, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes.

Bill Belichick isn’t getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame unless he buys a ticket.

The legendary New England Patriots head coach failed to gain the necessary votes to be part of the Hall of Fame class of 2026, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. reported Jan. 27. It was Belichick’s first year of eligibility, failed to receive 40 of the 50 necessary votes from the committee.

Considered to be the greatest coach in NFL history, Belichick has a long list of accomplishments to back that up. He is an eight-time Super Bowl champion and has 333 career wins, ranking second behind only Don Shula, who is in the Hall of Fame.

One of the faces of the Patriots’ dynasty, Belichick’s omission certainly caught everyone off guard. Reaction has been pouring in fast and furious, with none of it being optimistic.

Here’s a look at how the NFL world and social media are taking the news:

Hall of Fame voters react to Belichick snub

Deion Sanders on Bill Belichick snub

The U.S. women’s national team finished off a sweep of its two January friendlies with a 5-0 win over Chile in Santa Barbara, California, on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Emma Hayes trotted out a completely rotated lineup from the one that defeated Paraguay on Saturday, Jan. 24. Despite those changes, the side didn’t miss a beat, taking care of business with ease at Harder Stadium.

It was a night of firsts as Croix Bethune, Jameese Joseph, and Emily Sams all opened their international accounts in the opening 45 minutes to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead going into halftime.

Emma Sears and second-half substitute Trinity Rodman added to the goal count after the break as the Americans cruised to the finish line.

Let’s take a look back at how the USWNT players fared another one-sided friendly victory.

GK: Claudia Dickey – 6

Two matches, zero shots on goal allowed for the team. Another night of inactivity between the posts for an American goalkeeper.

LB: Kate Wiesner – 6

There wasn’t as much emphasis on flank play and overlaps for the team in this one, so Wiesner didn’t get involved nearly as much as Saturday’s starter Izzy Rodriguez. Couple that with nothing to do on the other end of the field and it was a quiet night for the Spirit defender.

CB: Emily Sams – 8

On a night with little to do defensively, Sams got bored and decided to get involved on the scoresheet. She notched her first international goal by staying in the box after a set piece and finishing off a Emma Sears pass in front of goal.

She was also credited with an assist for a long ball down the right flank that Sears turned into a magnificent solo goal.

CB: Hal Hershfelt – 6.5

One center back enjoyed all the fun on the night, while the other had very little to do. Playing deeper than her usual midfield role, Hershfelt still offered up three defensive contributions despite the ball barely finding her half of the field.

RB: Ayo Oke – 7

Oke made an impact just 18 minutes into her international career. She recorded an assist on the game’s opening goal with a very nice centered pass into the feet of Bethune. Other than the goal, she had nothing to do on the defensive end of things and didn’t get forward all too often in her 45 minutes on the field.

CM: Sam Meza – 6.5

A solid showing to help control midfield. Credited with one key pass, five recoveries, and three defensive contributions, she did a little bit of everything without standing out.

CM: Riley Jackson – 7

It was much of the same for Meza’s midfield partner, however an assist on Rodman’s great goal will boost up her performance meter just a bit. Otherwise, it was a perfectly fine showing, if not spectacular for the debutant.

CAM: Croix Bethune – 8

After getting her first international goal stolen away by an official scorer decision at the weekend, Bethune left no doubt in opening her account in this one. She did very well to control a pass from Oke, got away from her marker with some strength, and finished clinically.

Other than the goal, she helped run the attack through that advanced midfield spot, often roaming around the field making it difficult for Chile to keep track of her.

LW: Emma Sears – 8.5

It was another fine showing for Sears, who easily could’ve had her second career international hat trick with a little luck. After hitting the post twice in the first half, she bagged her goal with a sensational solo effort and finish just after halftime.

She was also dynamic on the wing, setting up another goal. Every time Sears steps on the field something good happens. More important minutes for this team could be in her future.

FW: Jameese Joseph – 8.5

Joseph put up possibly the best performance of these two friendlies with a great showing after getting the start up top. Her turn to set up her first international goal was something special.

In addition to that lovely piece of skill, she caused havoc for Chile’s back line with some dynamic runs in behind and dangerous service into the box on more than one occasion. Joseph may have improved her stock the most of anyone in this camp.

RW: Yazmeen Ryan – 6.5

Probably the quietest of the attackers on the night, though she was credited with an assist on Joseph’s beautiful goal. However, it wasn’t a noticeably impactful performance otherwise.

Sub: Jordyn Bugg – 6.5

Came in and helped continue the team’s dominance in her 45 minutes. She completed 90% of her passes, while going a perfect 13 for 13 in long balls. It was a positive showing for the youngest player on the roster.

Sub: Trinity Rodman – 7.5

Yes, she scored an amazing goal right after coming onto the field. Blah, blah, blah. More importantly, she got Emma Hayes to celebrate with her.

Sub: Ally Sentnor – 6

Sentnor showed some solid hold-up play as the team’s focal point up top after coming on. But the level of dynamic movement in the final third dropped a little bit after Joseph was removed.

Sub: Claire Hutton – 6

Didn’t get involved much in her 25 minutes. There are surely better days ahead for the youngster.

Sub: Maddie Dahlien – 5.5

Struggled a bit keeping possession and completing passes, ending the match with only six successful passes in 13 attempts.

Sub: Olivia Moultrie – 6

Really didn’t get involved much in her cameo, but did have one key pass to set up a chance.

Jessica Pegula keeps getting better with age.

The 31-year-old Buffalo native made history while beating Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (1) on Wednesday, Jan. 28 in the Australian Open quarterfinals at Melbourne.

Pegula became the first woman in Open Era (since 1968) to reach her first three major semifinals after turning 30.

Pegula, the event’s sixth seed, will oppose fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina in the semifinals on Thursday, Jan. 29. Rybakina took advantage of an error-filled effort by second-seeded Iga Swiatek and rolled to a 7-5, 6-1 quarterfinal win.

After Pegula cruised through the first set against Anisimova, a 24-year-old New Jersey native who was seeded fourth, neither player broke serve through the first seven games of the second set.

Anisimova got the break to go up 5-3, but she couldn’t serve out the set as Pegula broke back. After another break by Pegula for a 6-5 edge, Anisimova responded in kind to force a tiebreaker.

Anisimova won the opening point of the tiebreaker before Pegula reeled off seven straight points to advance.

Pegula and Rybakina have split six career matches, with the Kazakhstani player having taken their latest clash in WTA Finals last fall.

A win by Pegula on Thursday would send her to her second career major final. She lost to Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 U.S. Open title match.

Swiatek, a 24-year-old Polish player who has six Grand Slam championships, committed 25 unforced errors on Wednesday while hitting just 10 winners. Rybakina, 26, had a steadier ground game with 25 winners and 19 unforced errors.

‘I’m really pleased with the win,’ Rybakina said in her on-court interview. ‘We know each other pretty well, and I was just trying to stay aggressive. In the first set, the first serve wasn’t working for both of us, so we were trying to step in on the second serve and put pressure on each other. In the second set, I just started to play more free, serve better, and I’m really happy with the win.’

Rybakina is through to a major semifinal for the first time since she reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2024. She has made two career Grand Slam finals, prevailing at Wimbledon in 2022 and losing the Australian Open title match in 2023.

After Swiatek and Rybakina exchanged service breaks in the opening two games, Rybakina saved three break points at 1-1, then broke serve in the 12th game to take the set.

Rybakina won the first three games of the second set and cruised to the finish, never facing a break point in the set.