標籤: accuses

Veteran sports journalist Jeff Pearlman has sharply criticized the WNBA media coverage following the selection of Ezzie Fudd by the Dallas Wings as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft.

In a TikTok video, Pearlman highlighted what he alleged was Fudd’s almost complete silence about Fudd’s long-term romantic relationship with teammate Paige Bueckers, the Wings’ star guard who will be drafted in 2025.

He described the reunion of the former UConn Huskies stars – both on the court and in their personal lives – as “the number one piece of this story”, arguing that drafting Fudd effectively created a starting backcourt of longtime partners.

He said, “Ezzie Fudd and Paige Bueckers are in a long-term relationship, and no one is mentioning it. And the WNBA has apparently asked people not to mention it. And that’s very confusing to me journalistically.”

“Like, it’s fascinating that these two guys who have been dating for a long time, dating since college, would be the starting backcourt for a team. To me, that’s really the number one piece of this story. It’s not that they drafted AZ Fudd, they drafted AZ Fudd to play with his longtime teammate, Paige Bueckers.”

@jeffpearlmanauthor Why isn’t the media covering the AZ fad and page buyers in a journalistic manner? #wnba #azzifudd #pagebueckers #dallaswings ♬ Original Sound – Jeff Pearlman

Perlman calls for journalistic “blackout” on Fudd-Bueckers romance after Dallas draft reunion

Pearlman presented the situation as an “amazing” story of young love and on-court chemistry, while acknowledging the risks of pairing romantic partners in a high-stakes professional environment.

The relationship between Bueckers and Fudd, who played together at UConn and publicly confirmed their romance in 2025, has received limited mainstream attention, despite Bueckers attending the draft to support Fudd. One outlet, People magazine, Did Reference it directly in its draft coverage. Even in the headline.

Pearlman said, “Either these players’ agents or the league itself are telling reporters, if you want access, don’t mention it. Don’t bring it up.”

“I really think it’s an unfair judgment about women, not to mention it. Like, why is this taboo? Why is two women in a relationship even remotely considered taboo in 2026? This should not be happening at all.”

Fudd was, by no stretch of the imagination, a guaranteed number-one pick in the WNBA Draft, leading one to wonder if the deciding factor for the Wings was making their star, Bueckers, happy.

Any media blackout is almost certainly not about the relationship. The WNBA and ESPN will be thrilled to highlight this pairing.

In fact, some critics say the fad selection has shades of the Los Angeles Lakers drafting Bronny James to cool the LeBron situation. Except that Fudd is a legitimate WNBA player, while Bronny is nowhere near NBA-caliber. And Dallas likely doesn’t want to share the embarrassment of being manipulated into a special draft pick like the Lakers.

Rusty Weis is a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dallas Cowboys and Xavier Musketeers. He has been writing professionally… More about Rusty Weiss

The planned rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has become the subject of controversy after conflicting statements regarding the nature of the bout. The fight was previously announced for 2026 on September 19 in Las Vegas and was billed as a professional contest.

However, recent comments from Mayweather have created uncertainty about whether the event will go ahead as planned. Pacquiao’s promotional team responded by pointing to signed agreements that define the fight as a professional match.

The situation has put both camps at odds, with each side maintaining a different position. As preparations continue, the status of the fight remains unclear, and further developments are expected in the coming weeks.

Manny Pacquiao Promotions CEO Jas Mathur said in an interview with ESPN that the agreements between the two fighters clearly define a professional fight. “Right now, the fight is still on. There is no termination of any kind, and he has signed for a professional fight.”

He said that many agreements were signed over time. “Floyd Mayweather signed not one, not two, but three separate agreements with two different parties on three different dates that ultimately intertwined in the month of January. The first was on October 24, the second was on November 6, the third was on December 14.”

Mathur said payments were made after each settlement. “He got money when he signed all three agreements. Not only that, but he also took an advance out of his own purse for his fight against Pacquiao.”

He also pointed to documentation supporting the claims. “We have the document proof as well as the wet signature along with his device ID, his IP address and everything in there.”

Mathur said Mayweather’s recent comments put him in violation. “Since the day he went out and said what he said he has been violating it.”

Floyd Mayweather describes fight as an exhibition

Mayweather gave a different account during an interview. “We don’t know the location of the battle. The Sphere is one of the locations they talked about. And it’s not really a battle. It’s an exhibition.”

His comments raised questions about whether the bout would be a sanctioned competition. The event was linked to The Sphere in Las Vegas, although Mayweather said the venue had not been confirmed.

Mathur responded directly to those comments, saying the agreements did not include conditions for the exhibition. He also said that no issue was raised earlier in this process.

“Nobody has raised anything in these last three months related to the venue or the fight not being a professional fight.”

Fighting situation remains unresolved ahead of September date

The disagreement has made the fighting situation uncertain. The match is scheduled for September 19, but both sides have not confirmed its format.

Mathur also issued a direct response to Mayweather’s stance. “If he does not want to put his record on the line in a professional boxing match, he should never have entered into any of these agreements.”

The two fighters last met in 2015, when Mayweather won via unanimous decision. That fight attracted global attention and set pay-per-view records.

At this stage, both camps stand firm on their positions. The promoter says the signed agreements require a professional fight, while Mayweather has publicly described it as an exhibition. Further updates are expected as discussions continue ahead of the scheduled date.

Dogley Wilberforce is a boxing writer for SportsNaught, covering fight news, fighter reactions and major bouts in the sport… More about Dogley Wilberforce

The Los Angeles Clippers showed plenty of promise during their 125-122 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, despite being on the wrong side of the result. And while Tyronn Lue was completely happy with his team’s efforts, he had clear issues with how the Lakers did it.

Lue accused his opponents of the night of committing fouls throughout the game and claimed that it was something his team went through in every game.

According to a post on the

Undoubtedly, the turning point of the game proved to be Leonard’s exit with an ankle injury, which came with about five minutes left in regulation. The Clippers stayed in the game despite the Lakers getting an explosive start to the game.

While Luka Doncic led from the front with 38 points and 11 assists, Austin Reeves contributed 29 points on 9-15 shooting, LeBron James also came up with a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.

This was only the 11th time in 55 games that the Lakers’ three superstars played together, something fans will hope will become the norm from now on. The Clippers’ response was mainly driven by Kawhi Leonard’s 31-point performance.

Whenever the Lakers threatened to take over the game, he seemed to inspire his team’s response. Benedict Mathurin scored 26 points off the bench on the night, while Brook Lopez returned with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Clippers even came back from a 15-point deficit at one point in the third quarter and things might have changed if Leonard had been able to log minutes toward the end.