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BANGALORE, June 24 : Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk said taking a strong stance against Russia’s invasion of her country had sharpened her sense of purpose on the tour, with the online backlash she receives deepening her resolve to keep speaking out.

Kostyuk has been one of the most outspoken players on the war that began in 2022, repeatedly urging stronger recognition of the conflict while rejecting the idea of neutrality, saying players must stand by their values even while competing.

The 23-year-old brought the same intensity to her media appearances as her tennis in a spectacular run to the French Open semi-finals this month, speaking with directness on a sensitive topic that has resonated beyond the sport.

“Well, I think at this point it has strengthened my sense of purpose, because what I find fascinating is how many bots always attack my social media,” Kostyuk told Reuters following a break ahead of Wimbledon.

“There’s nothing better than this because it means I touch important topics people don’t want to hear.”

“Before, it used to be frustrating and difficult for me to endure even though I knew that the majority of it was bots, not real people. But now I’m really fuelling up with it, because I know these are the things I have to talk about,” she added.

TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT

“I hope the war isn’t going to last my whole career and … I’m going to raise other issues.

“At this moment in my life, war is one of the most important things that happens to me every day so I have to talk about it.”

Players from Russia and its ally Belarus have been allowed to compete as neutrals on the tour since the invasion, without national flags or official country representation.

“We’re talking about players who play without a flag, but they still represent their countries, everyone knows they’re Russians and Belarusians,” Kostyuk added.

“I’m never saying these players, with what they’re going to say are going to stop the war, or they started the war with what they were saying. But the point is, what do you stand for in your life and what are your human values?”

ENCOURAGING PROGRESS

Away from the spotlight on her off-court stance, world number 13 Kostyuk said she was encouraged by the progress she had made during her Roland Garros run, which followed a solid claycourt swing with triumphs in Rouen and Madrid.

Kostyuk heads to Wimbledon with tempered expectations after an off-court ankle injury forced her to skip grasscourt tune-ups ahead of the Grand Slam that begins on Monday.

“The biggest thing I’ve improved is my mental part, but not in the sense that I’ve become a different person. I feel like I just got more control over my thoughts, my state,” she added.

“I don’t spend too much extra energy on things I cannot control. This helps me to stay longer in these tournaments. I don’t get burnt out and don’t get tired a lot. This helps me obviously to keep the level higher.

“There are players who have made the semi-finals of Grand Slams but never made it further, or never reached another semi-final of a Grand Slam. So it’s really difficult to talk about how I think I’m going to play.

“I wish I would feel like, ‘oh yes, Wimbledon or the U.S. Open is mine’ or whatever, but I don’t think you feel this way ever. You go into every tournament playing match by match and see how it goes.”

June 24 : Francesco Bagnaia will leave Ducati at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season after an eight-year stint with the Italian manufacturer, the team said on Wednesday.

Bagnaia joined Ducati as a rookie in 2019 and ended a 15-year wait for a riders’ title by securing the 2022 championship, the team’s first since that of Casey Stoner in 2007. He is now Ducati’s most successful rider, with 31 victories, 62 podiums and 28 pole positions.

On Tuesday seven-time world champion Marc Marquez extended his contract with Ducati through 2028.

Known as “Pecco”, Bagnaia’s final appearance for the team will be at the Valencia Grand Prix, scheduled from November 27 to 29.

“Sporting results tell only part of Pecco’s value: his clean and elegant riding style (I like to call him ‘Il Pinturicchio’ — the little painter) together with his great fairness on track — combined with remarkable determination when overtaking — made Ducatisti fall in love with him,” Ducati Motor Holding CEO Claudio Domenicali said in a statement.

“On top of that, he is a great professional and a great person away from racing.”

Bagnaia will arrive at this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix after claiming his first win of the season in the Czech Grand Prix sprint last week. He was unable to secure a double, however, as he was overtaken late in Sunday’s race by Marquez and pole-sitter Ai Ogura, eventually finishing third after leading for several laps.

He heads into the next round trailing championship leader Marco Bezzecchi by 53 points.

GUADALAJARA: Daniel Munoz fired Colombia into the World Cup Round of 32 on Tuesday (Jun 23), sealing a 1-0 win over DR Congo in Group K after goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had threatened to turn the match into a night of frustration.

Munoz struck the winner from the right side of the penalty area in the 76th minute, finally beating Mpasi who had repeatedly denied Colombia with an inspired performance.

Colombia, who opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan, commanded possession and created numerous chances.

James Rodriguez, making his 10th World Cup appearance to equal the Colombian record jointly held by Freddy Rincon and Carlos Valderrama, forced Mpasi into action with a powerful strike in the 11th minute.

The goalkeeper stood firm, repelling efforts from Jhon Arias and winger Luis Diaz, who came close to breaking the deadlock in the 18th minute, controlling a chipped pass inside the penalty area, turning smartly, and firing a shot goalwards, only for Mpasi to save with his foot.

The African side, buoyed by their opening 1-1 draw with Portugal, threatened sporadically through Edo Kayembe, Cedric Bakambu and Yoane Wissa but lacked a clinical finish.

By halftime, Colombia had registered 15 shots, including six on target, with nine of their 10 outfield players attempting efforts.

In the stands, DR Congo had support from Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, the team’s famous “living statue” fan, who made his World Cup debut after missing the opener against Portugal because of Ebola quarantine requirements.

Colombia resumed on the front foot after the break, Diaz forcing another fine save from Mpasi in the 51st minute before Arias dragged the rebound wide.

Wissa almost snatched the lead for DR Congo in the 73rd minute when his shot from Simon Banza’s assist was blocked, but Colombia struck shortly after through Munoz. 

“Just because I scored the goal doesn’t mean I’m the hero. I belong to everyone; we’re all in this together. We secured the three points as a team, as Colombia; here, we’re one family,” Munoz told Colombian TV.

Diaz later thought he had doubled the advantage with a finish into the top corner, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

“Against a team like that, you have to find the spaces between the lines; if you play too predictably, they press you and hit you on the counter-attack,” Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo said.

Colombia moved to six points from two matches and guaranteed their progress to the knockout stage ahead of their final group game against Portugal, who beat Uzbekistan 5-0 earlier on Tuesday. 

DR Congo remained on one point and will need a result against Uzbekistan to keep their qualification hopes alive.

The Chicago Bulls got a new face of the team’s latest rebuild, landing North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in Tuesday’s NBA draft.

The Bulls also strengthened their backcourt, using the No. 15 pick on Texas guard Dailyn Swain.

Wilson, a 6-foot-9 forward, averaged 19.8 points on 58% shooting and 9.4 rebounds this season in college and is considered perhaps the best athlete with one of the highest upsides in this year’s draft class.

Wilson becomes the third Bulls player selected in the top 10 from North Carolina, joining Coby White in 2019 (seventh) and Michael Jordan in 1984 (third).

“I want to be the greatest player of all time,” Wilson said during a video call with reporters on Tuesday night. “Y’all got one of the GOATs in your history right now. It’s time for another one. I’m hungry to be the greatest, that’s me.”

Wilson was one of the consensus top four players in this year’s draft class, but he did not have the same body of work as the three players selected ahead of him after he broke a thumb in early March and missed the NCAA tournament.

Nevertheless, his leap in productivity at North Carolina, along with his quickness on the floor and strong motor, made him a strong bet to be a high-impact NBA player and made this selection an easy one for Chicago, which has a guard-heavy roster and need for an impact player in the front court.

“I feel like it’s a great fit,” Wilson said. “You only get one chance to make a first impression. It’s time for me to make my impression at summer league and keep going. I’m really happy I got drafted, but it’s time to hoop. I’m excited for the opportunity, and it’s time to go to work.”

The Bulls got some franchise-changing luck when they moved up into the top four during the draft lottery in May, cashing in on just 20.3% odds to land the No. 4 pick. Chicago was widely expected to take whoever remained from the stacked top four players in this year’s class — BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and Wilson — although the Bulls worked out a variety of players in Chicago ahead of this selection.

Wilson becomes the first draft pick of new vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, who was hired after the season as the new lead executive to run the front office. Graham has a chance to leave his imprint on the Bulls right away this summer. He hired former Portland Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter as head coach, added center Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal on Monday night and then drafted Wilson and Swain in the first round Tuesday.

Swain, a 6-foot-7 guard from Texas, is known for his ability to attack downhill and get into the paint and has solid defensive upside, even though his jump shot still needs some refining.

Six years ago, the Bulls were in an almost identical situation. They had just hired a new head of basketball operations and a new head coach and moved up in the draft lottery to the No. 4 selection.

But Chicago is hoping to have better results than it did in the Arturas Karnisovas era, which produced one playoff appearance in six seasons and which began with the team selecting Patrick Williams at No. 4 in 2020. Williams showed flashes early in his career of being a solid role player, but he never lived up to the franchise-changing expectations his draft position warranted, a mistake that was only exacerbated by a five-year, $90 million extension awarded to Williams in 2024.

Less than six hours after the Dallas Mavericks officially announced Dusty May as their new head coach Tuesday, they drafted one of May’s former players with their first pick of the NBA draft.

The Mavericks picked Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 pick, with Johnson reuniting with May and somewhat surprisingly becoming the first of three Wolverines players off the board in the lottery. Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara were selected at No. 11 and No. 12, respectively.

Johnson, a 6-foot-9 forward, started 40 games and helped lead Michigan to the national championship last season. He averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds as a sophomore after transferring from Illinois while also establishing himself as one of the linchpins of Michigan’s dominant defense.

Johnson was considered a late first-round pick throughout much of the predraft process but boosted his stock dramatically over the past couple of weeks.

Asked how it felt to be reunited with May, Johnson said he was surprised and thrilled.

“I was insanely shocked when I saw Dusty was going to be coach of the Mavs. I did not see it coming at all,” he said. “And now for him to be my coach again, I’m excited. It’s insane. We just won a national championship together. I can’t wait to get there and go to work with him again and ultimately win again.”

Johnson said he was also looking forward to team with last season’s Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg.

“I think it can get dangerous, us two on the court at the same time,” Johnson said. “I’ve been playing against Coop for a very long time. I’m very excited and happy that I’m on the same side as him.”

Two picks after Johnson was drafted, Lendeborg came off the board to the Golden State Warriors with the No. 11 pick.

Lendeborg, a versatile 6-foot-9 forward, was a consensus All-American and won Big Ten Player of the Year honors after averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. The New Jersey native began his career at Arizona Western at the junior college level before spending two seasons at UAB and ending his career at Michigan.

Lendeborg primarily played the center position at UAB, but after he withdrew from the 2025 NBA draft at the early-entry deadline, May brought him in to play small forward and helped him develop into a lottery pick in the process.

“Every emotion possible,” Lendeborg said on the ESPN broadcast. “I don’t deserve to be here right now. Didn’t have a traditional path. I can’t believe it.”

Lendeborg, whose mother was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, credited her with his success.

“That kid got here because of her,” Lendeborg told ESPN while sitting next to his mother. “She pushed a dream. Forced me to go out there and step into the world and become a man. I had no choice but to go out there and do the best I could.”

Right after Lendeborg’s selection, the Oklahoma City Thunder picked Mara at No. 12. The 7-foot-3 Spain native was arguably the most skilled center in the draft class, as well as one of the elite defensive players in college basketball last season.

Mara spent the first two seasons of his college career at UCLA before transferring to Michigan and breaking out as a junior. He averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors.

“Everything that I’ve done during my life since I was a kid, going to college, playing pro in Spain, all these things that really helped me to get where I’m at,” Mara said on the ESPN broadcast. “I’m really happy that I did it.”

Michigan became the third reigning champion to have three lottery picks since the lottery began in 1985, according to ESPN Research.

The Mavericks closed out the first round by taking Arizona forward Koa Peat with the 30th pick.

Karim Lopez was selected with the No. 21 pick Tuesday night, making him the first player born in Mexico to be taken in the first round of the NBA draft.

A 6-foot-8 forward, Lopez was selected by the Detroit Pistons, but his draft rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, it was announced.

“It means a lot to me,” Lopez said afterward. “It’s just a great opportunity for me and my country to have this platform and have this opportunity. So super blessed and definitely take it with a lot of pride.”

ESPN’s No. 14-ranked prospect spent the past two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL. He averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds and shot 49% from the field in 25.6 minutes per game last season.

Lopez, 19, was born in Hermosillo, Mexico, before moving to Spain at age 14 to join Spanish club Joventut Badalona. He signed on with the Breakers in 2024.

“A goal of mine is to hopefully reach young people in Mexico,” Lopez told ESPN in March, when he declared for the draft. “Trying to grow the sport and inspire athletes and people in general to follow their dreams. Show people that it doesn’t matter where you’re from.”

Eduardo Najera, who played 619 NBA games from 2000 to 2012, had been the only Mexican-born draftee. He was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 38th pick in 2000 then traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

“Eduardo Najera was definitely one of the pioneers,” Lopez told ESPN’s Andscape in 2024. “I feel like it will change over the coming years. It’s growing sport in Mexico, basketball.”

At the NBA combine in May, Lopez put up a 38-inch max vertical leap. He has a nearly 7-foot wingspan and a 8-foot-10 standing reach.

The Memphis Grizzlies took another step toward their next era Tuesday night with the selection of Duke forward Cameron Boozer at No. 3 in the NBA draft.

“I don’t even know how to describe it, honestly,” Boozer told ESPN’s Lisa Salters shortly after his selection. “It’s crazy. Instant happiness. Instant joy. Basically, my whole life in a couple of seconds, so it’s amazing for sure.”

The Grizzlies also entered the night with two more picks in the top 32 of the draft. They were slated to select at No. 16 but moved back to No. 17 and then No. 21, choosing Karim Lopez of the New Zealand Breakers and accumulating five future second-round picks in the process. They still hold the second pick of Wednesday night’s second round (No. 32 overall).

“The group of young players that we already have, coupled with having as many first-round assets as nearly anyone in the league, it’s going to speak for itself soon,” general manager Zach Kleiman said in the lead-up to the draft.

Memphis needs Boozer’s play to resonate loudly this upcoming season as the Grizzlies continue yet another personnel reset that began in earnest back in 2025, when the club fired longtime coach Taylor Jenkins less than a month before the start of the playoffs. The addition of Boozer alongside young up-and-comers Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey could accelerate the club’s rebuild faster than expected.

“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year,” Boozer said.

Boozer’s selection marked the second time that Memphis made the third pick in the NBA draft. The club selected Shareef Abdur-Rahim at No. 3 in 1996.

Memphis made moves Tuesday night by sending the draft rights to Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz at No. 16 to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rights to Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie at No. 17 and two second-round picks. The Grizzlies then flipped Okorie’s rights to the Detroit Pistons for Lopez at No. 21 and three more second-rounders.

Boozer is widely considered the most NBA-ready player of this year’s draft class, having led college basketball in his lone season at Duke with a 17.1 box plus-minus score. He shot 39.1% from 3, averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals as a dominant, versatile force for the Blue Devils. Boozer, who will turn 19 in July, almost instantly improves Memphis’ spacing while providing a secondary option to Coward as a facilitator.

The son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer and the consensus player of the year in college basketball, Boozer could pair with Edey to form a bruising frontcourt, provided the latter is healthy after undergoing another surgery in March on his left ankle. Boozer already possesses a reliable deep shot that will be an asset on the perimeter in the unconventional offense of coach Tuomas Iisalo, and he also has a natural feel for the game that should transfer well in the NBA, as well as the ability to serve as an offensive hub.

On the defensive end, Boozer lacks ideal size, mobility and verticality, but the physicality and leadership ability traits are there. Boozer appears to be an ideal fit for the culture Memphis is looking to build as it attempts to move on from star guard Ja Morant, whose next chapter remains uncertain.

The Grizzlies likely won’t be able to trade Morant until later in the summer after free agency.

Boozer might be the future for Memphis, but he pointed to his father’s advice to “stay present.”

“Every day is an opportunity to get better and attack the day,” Boozer said. “A lot of times you look forward, 10 years, five years down the line, but capitalize on today and you’re probably better off than if you were looking forward.”

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Tuesday night that All-Star forward Jaylen Brown remains “valued” by the organization.

Stevens’ comments came a day after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Celtics offered Brown and two first-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a trade package for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. That proposal didn’t materialize, and the Bucks agreed to send Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat instead.

Stevens didn’t specifically address that trade when he met with reporters after Boston picked Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. with its first-round selection in the NBA draft Tuesday night. But he did speak about the Celtics’ current relationship with Brown, their first-round pick 10 years ago.

“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us,” Stevens said. “I’m never going to predict the future. Every indication, everything I think about, over the last few years, has been building around those guys. You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he’s always been. He’s been amazing. He’s been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around.”

Stevens added that he and Brown had multiple one-on-one meetings this offseason — as they usually do — and that he has remained in contact with Brown’s agent.

“With all the rumor mill and all that stuff, and his name being splashed all over the place, that’s not easy,” Stevens said. “We certainly wanted to be as proactive and up-front with that as possible. I thought we had really good, candid conversations. … I’ll always keep our conversations private. I think it’s appropriate regardless of what the content of those conversations is like.

“What I said is really true: I don’t love the fact any time it’s a big, public thing. We try to keep things as close to the vest and as quiet as possible. The rumor mill is the rumor mill, and there’s going to be a lot of noise out there.”

Brown, 29, is coming off career season in which he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists to finish sixth in NBA MVP voting and earn All-NBA second-team honors. But the Celtics lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers, marking the first time they failed to advance since 2021.

Yet, ever after that early exit, Brown called the 2025-26 campaign his “favorite year of my basketball career.”

During his decade with the Celtics, Brown has earned five All-Star selections, made nine playoff appearances, advanced to the Eastern Conference finals six times and reached the NBA Finals twice. When Boston won the title in 2024, its first since 2008, he was named NBA Finals MVP and Eastern Conference finals MVP. Since making his postseason debut in 2017, Brown leads the NBA with 83 playoff wins.

Still, his future in Boston remains uncertain.

Sources told Charania earlier Tuesday that even after the Bucks agreed to the trade with the Heat, the Celtics were listening to trade offers from other teams for Brown.

“Whether [Brown’s run in Boston] ends 10 years from now when he retires or before, there’s a lot to celebrate,” Stevens said. “We have a great relationship and an open relationship where we talk about everything. But I don’t want to predict the future.”

Brown has three years remaining on a five-year, $285.4 million extension he signed in 2023. He’s eligible to sign a two-year, $141.9 million extension on July 26.

After losing nearly 200 games over the past three seasons, the Washington Wizards ushered in a new era by drafting BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Tuesday night.

The Wizards selected Dybantsa over Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson to help turn around the franchise. Entering the draft, Dybantsa and Peterson were widely considered to be the top two prospects.

“Being the No. 1 pick meant a lot to me,” said Dybantsa, who in a tribute to his father was called by his full name, Anicet Dybantsa Jr. “Obviously me being No. 1 throughout all my high school career, I definitely wanted to be a staple to be No. 1 in the NBA draft and be in the same conversation with LeBron James and Cooper Flagg, Allen Iverson and guys like that.”

For the franchise and the city of Washington, D.C., the selection of Dybantsa is a significant moment. The Wizards haven’t made the playoffs since 2021 and have not been past the second round since 1979, when the then-Bullets lost in the NBA Finals.

Dybantsa joins John Wall (2010) and Kwame Brown (2001) as Washington’s only No. 1 picks.

“I just know they’re super hungry,” Dybantsa said of D.C.’s love for basketball in a conference call with reporters shortly after his selection. “Obviously they have a great young core, and the potential is there, obviously. So them adding me, I think I can help them a little bit. Them re-signing Trae Young, them having A.D. [Anthony Davis] and having good vets along with our young core, I think [the Wizards] can do big things.”

After finishing 17-65 last season — their third straight season with 64 or more losses — the Wizards enter a new stage of the four-phase plan that Michael Winger, president of Monumental Basketball, and general manager Will Dawkins created to reshape the franchise.

The deconstruction phase is over, and Washington is working on the second and third phases, simultaneously laying the foundation and building it. The Wizards accelerated their rebuild by trading for Young and Davis last season to enhance a young core of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly.

Young intends to sign a four-year deal worth approximately $212 million to stay with the Wizards, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday. Davis is eligible to sign a four-year extension Aug. 6.

Adding the versatile Dybantsa is expected to help Washington become a playoff contender.

“We’re on the plan that we articulated,” Wizards owner Ted Leonsis told ESPN last month after winning the draft lottery. “We actually are a year ahead of the plan because I thought it would take four to five years and this really was the third offseason where we were developing young players, deconstructing, looking to add for the go forward.

“I feel that we can now live the plan.”

A major feature of the plan is drafting Dybantsa as a pillar. The 6-foot-9 BYU standout averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 51% from the field in his lone college season. He is the first player to lead Division I in scoring and go first in the draft since Glenn Robinson came out of Purdue in 1994.

“You get a guy like AJ Dybantsa, he is like a young Tracy McGrady to me,” Wall told ESPN last month when he represented the Wizards at the draft lottery. “Got the hesi-pull, super athletic, got all the tools. Do you take AJ and move him to the 3 and then you put Kyshawn [George] at the 2? Now you got a tall-ass lineup to help with Trae Young being a small guard, and Kyshawn’s 6-8, AJ’s 6-9 — that might be one of the tallest lineups in the league.”

Dybantsa said he wanted to do whatever was needed, learn from Young and Davis, and fit in alongside Washington’s several young wings. Washington’s management has already emphasized defense for the new franchise pick.

“I bring versatility,” Dybantsa said. “I can just fit in as like an off-ball guy that can score in different ways, score in transition, score off the catch, score off the dribble. But also they challenged me when they talked to me, ‘If we pick you, we want you to play defense 94 feet and pick up.’ So I definitely bring that too.”

Washington hasn’t won 50 games in a season since 1978-79, the season it lost in the Finals a year after winning the franchise’s lone NBA championship. Since the most recent playoff appearance, the Wizards have gone 120-290 (.293), the worst record in the NBA in that span. They have lost at least 16 straight games four separate times since 2023-24, as many as the rest of the league combined over that stretch, according to ESPN Research.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Leonsis said last month. “We still have to make sure that we have the chemistry of the team correctly and the hierarchy develops the right way and that we’re coachable and whatever system will work for the players that we have. And I know I’ve always wanted to build a team that’s as good as the fanbase. And if there’s one thing that I do feel comfortable now is that I think we have the tools to do that.”

Peterson didn’t have to wait long before he was selected No. 2 by the Utah Jazz. Cameron Boozer, the college player of the year in his one season at Duke, was taken at No. 3 by the Memphis Grizzlies. North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, the other consensus top-four pick, went to the Chicago Bulls with the next selection.

The uncertainty was expected to begin at No. 5. The LA Clippers used the pick on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. The host Brooklyn Nets then went with Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr.

Darius Acuff Jr. to the Sacramento Kings at No. 7 and Kingston Flemings to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 8 continued the run of scoring guards — and freshmen. The eight straight college freshmen taken to begin the draft matched the record set last year.

The Dallas Mavericks ended that run and went for a big — creating a reunion in the process — by taking Morez Johnson Jr. from national champion Michigan at No. 9. Dusty May left the Wolverines to coach the Mavericks on the eve of the draft.

Johnson was congratulated by Michigan teammates Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, who were also in the green room and went to the Golden State Warriors at No. 11 and Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 12, respectively.

The Milwaukee Bucks, who traded two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, picked up two rookies. They took Arizona guard Brayden Burries with the No. 10 pick and acquired the rights to Tennessee forward Nate Ament, who was selected at No. 13 by the Heat but is part of the package Miami is sending to Milwaukee in the trade for Antetokounmpo that was agreed to Monday.

The top pick in the draft was going to celebrate for one night and then get back in the gym Wednesday.

“I know I have a lot of work to do,” Dybantsa said. “Obviously this night is just a celebration of all the hard work I’ve done in the past, and so now I’m going to celebrate. But I have to get on a plane, and I’ll probably work out tomorrow, if I can, if they let me.”

Round 1 of the 2026 NBA draft wrapped Tuesday night, and the race for the No. 1 pick was decided with the Washington Wizards selecting AJ Dybantsa first, and then the Utah Jazz taking Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 pick.

As always, draft night is full of surprises, as there were seven trades involving NBA teams.

The night wrapped with the Phoenix Suns acquiring Koa Peat at No. 30 after the New York Knicks traded their No. 25 pick, Sergio De Larrea, to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 30 and then traded that pick to the Suns.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, Bobby Marks and Ben Golliver break down the biggest winners, questions and their favorite picks from Round 1.

Round 2 is Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) — follow along on our live Draftcast.

More NBA draft coverage:
Wizards take Dybantsa | Utah picks Peterson
Round 2 mock draft | Best available prospects
Trade tracker | Top 100 rankings | Draft

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Woo: Biggest winners of Round 1

Utah Jazz
The pick: Darryn Peterson, PG/SG (No. 2)

Peterson was my No. 1 player in the draft, and he was available one pick later than that slot. To me, that’s simple logic. I could certainly be proved wrong by history — AJ Dybantsa is very good — but I think much of the perceived risk around Peterson simply won’t matter in the long run. The Jazz will walk away with a franchise-changing player and didn’t have to win the lottery to do it.

Peterson was arguably the best fit for Utah out of the top four prospects: the Jazz needed another shooter and more size in the backcourt, and in Peterson, they get both. They will have to figure out how he balances alongside another scoring guard in Keyonte George, but Peterson, being a taller guard and frankly, an underrated defender, also helps. The way this worked out will age very well for Utah.

Memphis Grizzlies
The picks: Cameron Boozer, PF/C (No. 3), Karim Lopez (No. 21)

The Grizzlies had a very good night, landing the third No. 1-caliber prospect in the class at No. 3 in Boozer, while also making two deals to maneuver down the board from No. 16 to No. 17 to No. 21 and select Lopez. The Boozer pick is pretty self-explanatory: He’s going to be an excellent NBA player and a long-term cornerstone.

The other part of this is more nuanced: tip of the cap to the Grizzlies and top exec Zach Kleiman, who correctly read what was a very strong class for point guards starting at their second pick and extracted value from the two deals by netting five future second-round picks. What those picks end up being is anyone’s guess, but Memphis also landed a player it liked in Lopez and was able to get him a bit later than he was expected off the board.

Other teams thought the Grizzlies were dialed in on guards, and they ended up not taking one. This was a good reading of what figured to be — and was, as many teams expected — a busy time for trades between picks 16 and 30, and a good night for Memphis.

Woo: Biggest surprises of Round 1

Dallas Mavericks
The pick: Morez Johnson Jr., PF/C (No. 9)

This was an interesting pick purely due to the Dusty May factor, with the now-former Michigan coach taking over in Dallas, having his pick of three Wolverines in the lottery, and selecting Johnson. Johnson, Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg could have conceivably gone in any order — Mara was generally expected to be first off the board — but the Mavericks’ preference here tells you something about what they value.

Johnson rose up the board during the predraft process, marrying a winning college season, strong rebounding, and versatile defense with his elite intangibles and a good process at the combine, where he measured and tested well. He’s physically ready for the NBA and could be a day one starter who matches Cooper Flagg well from an intensity standpoint for the Mavericks. This can be read as more of a culture-setting pick for Dallas, rather than taking a big talent swing, but the fit makes sense overall. It was, however, the spot where my mock draft first went wrong.

Chicago Bulls
The pick: Dailyn Swain, SG/SF (No. 15)

Swain was another one of the more interesting first-round curveballs, going a bit higher than I expected, but in a way that made sense. The Bulls were planning to go best available player at this slot and were drawn to Swain’s mix of physical tools, downhill scoring, rebounding and defense. Though it’s not the player I necessarily would have picked, you can see the vision for Chicago’s new-look roster taking shape, and it’s an intriguing one.

Adding Swain and Caleb Wilson to a group that includes Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Noa Essengue gives the Bulls a young group that should be able to play fast, defend and run in transition. The shooting and spacing component is another question — one that they will eventually have to address — but this is square one of a full rebuild. Though this was a slightly surprising choice, it makes sense from a roster-building and style perspective.

What was the best pick of the night?

Golliver: Cameron Boozer to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3. Boozer’s impressive statistical body of work as a Duke freshman (22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds) and his track record of driving wins throughout his high school and college careers make him a perfect prospect for the rebuilding Grizzlies.

Though the 18-year-old son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer didn’t generate much buzz as a contender for the No. 1 pick over the past month, he has a good chance of emerging as this talented class’s best player. He’s big, mobile, smart, good with the ball and comfortable shooting from beyond the arc.

Memphis smartly looked past the questions about his athleticism and made a no-brainer selection once AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson were off the board.

Marks: Labaron Philon Jr. to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 22. I ranked the Alabama guard as the 13th-best prospect in the draft. What stood out for me is how Philon took the constructive criticism from the 2025 draft combine and applied it this past season. He improved his 3-point shooting from 32% to 40%.

The biggest takeaway is that NBA teams wanted to see Philon as a primary playmaker — he averaged 5.1 assists as a sophomore at Alabama. With the 76ers, Philon will join an explosive backcourt with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

Woo: Darryn Peterson the Utah Jazz at No. 2. See above.

Which title contender helped itself the most on Tuesday night?

Golliver: Sam Presti’s Thunder have the draft process down to a science. With a payroll set to balloon this summer, Presti added Michigan center Aday Mara (No. 12) and Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (No. 16) to address clear positional needs.

The 7-foot-3 Mara can look forward to countless battles with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama over the next half-decade, and Stirtz’s reliable 3-point shooting and disruptive defense could make him a fan favorite. Though the Thunder traded Aaron Wiggins earlier this week and are bracing for painful roster decisions over the next month, they added two keepers while most of the other top title contenders were nonfactors in Round 1.

Marks: How about the New York Knicks, who didn’t actually come away from Round 1 with a prospect? They made three trades down the board, adding five second-round picks and cash considerations. They enter the offseason pressed against the second apron and every dollar matters if the goal is to remain under or slightly above.

New York faces key decisions with free agents Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado. Alvarado has until June 29 to opt in to his $4.5 million contract for next season. The Knicks agreed to a new contract with Mohamed Diawara, last year’s second-round pick, for a projected $14 million below the second apron. They are allowed to exceed the threshold and bring back their own free agents.

Woo: The San Antonio Spurs. They were very pronounced about how they tackled their biggest need, which was to become bigger and more physical up front. We saw Wembanyama get beaten up a bit in the Finals. A healthy Jayden Quaintance and NBA-ready Tarris Reed Jr. should give him some cover as San Antonio prepares for physical playoff battles to come.

Outside of the top four picks, who would be your choice to win Rookie of the Year?

Golliver: Darius Acuff Jr. The Sacramento Kings will cast Acuff, the No. 7 pick out of Arkansas, as their latest point guard of the future after trading former lottery picks De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton in recent years.

Sacramento endured a truly demoralizing 2025-26 season in part because coach Doug Christie relied too heavily on his veterans. Hopefully, the Kings course-correct next season by empowering Acuff, who led the SEC in scoring and assists as a freshman. If Sacramento turns him loose, the 19-year-old has a chance to follow in the footsteps of another John Calipari-coached guard who won Rookie of the Year with the Kings: Tyreke Evans.

Woo: Yaxel Lendeborg. He probably won’t win, but he’s going to play a lot and have to have a significant role for the Golden State Warriors to have a good season.

They picked him at No. 11 with urgency in mind. If he can earn the trust of coach Steve Kerr — who was thought to have a degree of influence over this pick — he’ll have the minutes necessary to make a case on a team that needs him.

What’s your favorite prospect-team fit outside of the lottery?

Golliver: Jayden Quaintance to the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio came out of Wembanyama’s first playoff run knowing it needed to add more size and physicality to its frontcourt. By the end of the NBA Finals, Knicks forward OG Anunoby was handily winning his matchup and veterans Luke Kornet and Keldon Johnson were struggling to contribute in their minutes.

Quaintance, 19, fell to the No. 20 pick because he sat out most of last season recovering from an ACL injury. The Spurs are betting that his defensive versatility and strength will help address their shortcomings once he’s back to full strength. Fast-forward a few years, and the best-case scenario could be terrifying for opposing offenses. How will anyone score on lineups featuring Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Carter Bryant and Quaintance?

San Antonio added even more size by trading for UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. before the night was over.

Marks: Christian Anderson to the Charlotte Hornets. When I met with him in April, he was confident that he was the best shooting guard in this draft. Considering that he shot 42% from 3 last season at Texas Tech, there is a case he could be right.

Shooting is not the only thing Anderson did well last season. He averaged 7.4 assists and was active on defense (1.5 steals). Anderson’s competitiveness stood out for the 2025 FIBA U-19 World Cup. He led the German national team to a silver medal while averaging 6.6 assists.

Woo: Aday Mara to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a pick I speculated about last month that actually came to fruition.

I’m simply fascinated by the idea of Mara as an offensive hub who can give the Thunder a unique look up front. Whether he can develop enough shooting to pull opponents out of the paint is a fair question, but I will tune in when the Thunder and Spurs play next to see how he handles inevitable matchups with Wembanyama.

There is no real counter for Wemby, but Mara has the size and attitude to match him physically, as well as the passing skills to make teammates better and make the Thunder a more dynamic offensive team. It’s a pretty cool concept.

Fill in the blank: The Bucks landing Brayden Burries and Nate Ament is __.
Golliver: A reminder that it will be a long road back after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee can claim it got good value with both picks: Burries (No. 10) and Ament (No. 13) were both projected by some analysts to go higher than where they landed. Burries, a two-way guard from Arizona, and Ament, a long forward from Tennessee, are both one-and-done prospects with the potential to blossom into solid NBA players.

Whether they pop as rookies in Milwaukee is a different question. Ideally, Burries would be cast as a tertiary offensive option alongside an established star-level playmaker. Could he get lost in the shuffle as new Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins reworks the offense without Antetokounmpo? And it’s probably best to remain patient with Ament, who must fill out physically and improve his scoring efficiency.

Marks: A strong foundation to life after Antetokounmpo.

Burries got out of the gates slowly but turned it on in Big 12 games, averaging 17.5 points while shooting 50.2% from the field and 38.2% from 3. He gives the Bucks a big guard who can bully smaller defenders. He also averaged 1.7 offensive rebounds.

Ament played hurt at the end of the season but still averaged 7.5 free throw attempts in his final 10 games. His size and play during the SEC showed that he has top-10 talent.

Keep in mind that before the trade, Antetokounmpo was the only player on the roster Milwaukee drafted in the first round.

Make one prediction for a first-round pick, for this season or his career.

Golliver: Darryn Peterson will have a chance to set a Utah Jazz franchise record for scoring in a season. Pete Maravich, Karl Malone and Adrian Dantley are the only players in Jazz history to average more than 30 points, and no player has hit that benchmark in Utah since Malone in 1989-90.

Could Peterson, an effortless scorer who averaged 40.7 points per 100 possessions during an injury-plagued freshman season at Kansas, eclipse Maravich’s franchise record of 31.1 points per game? Records are falling left and right in the modern NBA thanks to an offensive boom driven by 3-point shooting and a high pace of play. What’s more, Peterson has drawn pre-draft comparisons to Kobe Bryant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two scoring craftsmen who averaged more than 30 points multiple times in their careers

Which of the three Michigan first-rounders landed in the best spot?

Golliver: Morez Johnson Jr. to the Dallas Mavericks.

Maybe the real answer is all three. Aday Mara was a perfect fit for the Thunder, given their need for interior size and Yaxel Lendeborg made total sense for the Golden State Warriors because they’ve lacked size and athleticism at the forward spots since their 2022 championship.

But the physical and energetic Johnson will now get the chance to grow alongside 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg in a dynamic frontcourt. With Flagg drawing extra defensive attention, Johnson should feast on easy opportunities around the hoop. And as Dallas attempts to set a new culture after its disastrous Luka Doncic trade and its short-lived dalliance with Anthony Davis, Johnson’s nonstop motor will be a major plus.

Best of all, he gets to reunite with coach Dusty May, who left Michigan to join the Mavericks earlier this week.

What is your biggest regret from your final mock draft after seeing Day 1 play out?
Woo: I felt very good about my mock overall and more importantly, the logical throughline of the intel and team strategy, which in my mind is the best measure of quality. Things always go off the rails somewhere.

The final scenario I put together was thrown off by putting Karim Lopez at No. 13 (a selection the Bucks could have made). Teams thought he had a chance to fall, and he did, dropping to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 21.

Who are you most surprised to see still on the board heading into Round 2?
Woo: Henri Veesaar (North Carolina). Other bigs ended up jumping him in the 20s, but he’s not likely to be on the board long Wednesday. He’s my No. 28th overall prospect.