Rumors

The Brooklyn Nets star was asked about the Yankees securing Aaron Judge’s services with a nine-year, $360 million contract after their team’s win over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. Safe to say he had other things on his mind. “I’m a Nationals fan. I really don’t care about Aaron Judge at all,” said Kevin Durant with a deadpan expression on his face.

Clutch Points

Billionaire Jeff Skoll is buying into Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the parent of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals. An architect of eBay’s early business and its eventual IPO, Skoll joining the entity controlled by chairman Ted Leonsis. MSE’s investors include billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs, BET co-founder Sheila Johnson, and Nationals owner Mark Lerner.

Sportico

A group led by Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics owner Ted Leonsis is emerging as the clear front-runner to buy the Washington Nationals from the Lerner family, according to sources within the organization and Major League Baseball who were not authorized to speak publicly on the subject.

The Athletic

Ted Leonsis, the owner of Washington’s NBA, NHL and WNBA franchises, has emerged as a suitor for the Washington Nationals, multiple people familiar with the process said on Tuesday. Leonsis, whose Monumental Sports & Entertainment owns the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics, is among the would-be buyers granted access to the Nationals’ financial data, a key step in preparing a bid for the District’s MLB franchise.

Washington Post

Asked in an interview Tuesday about his family’s interest in the Nationals, Zachary Leonsis — Monumental’s president of media and new enterprises and Ted’s son — said it was “not appropriate to comment.” It’s unclear whether Ted Leonsis would be able to purchase the Nationals — valued by Forbes at $2 billion, the 12th-highest figure among the 30 MLB teams — on his own, or whether he has enlisted outside investors. Mark Lerner, the Nationals’ managing principal owner and son of family patriarch Ted Lerner, is a minority partner in Monumental.

Washington Post

He is set to train with the Nationals this Saturday at Meralco gym in Pasig City. “Awesome [to be back],” said Clarkson in an ambush interview with reporters. When asked about his expectations for the upcoming Fiba qualifying window, Clarkson said: “Just win. Let’s get it.” Clarkson last represented the Philippines in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Inquirer.net

Defenders of sports engagement with crypto point to a difference between backing a specific coin versus the exchanges like FTX and crypto.com that have spent vast sums thus far. Coinbase signed a deal in October to become the official cryptocurrency exchange of the NBA, WNBA and G League. And Cuban wrote in an email, “Unless a team has Terra as a sponsor, it’s a non-event.” Terra is the crypto the Nats promote and which crashed dramatically last week.

The Athletic

The Washington Wizards and Washington Nationals both unveiled new uniforms inspired by D.C.'s iconic cherry blossoms. The 2022-23 Wizards NBA City Edition uniform emphasizes the colors of the cherry blossoms and has pink as the base color of the jersey. The new jersey features silhouettes of cherry blossoms on the side and has white accents throughout the uniform.

Fox 5

Former Maryland men's basketball All-American and No. 1 overall NBA Draft selection John Lucas is set to be inducted into the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame at Nationals Park Sunday, Sept. 5, before the Nationals play the Mets.

UMTerps.com

Becca Wintert: Wizards rookie Deni Avdija throwing the first pitch at the Washington Nationals game tonight! #NATITUDE #DCAboveAll

Twitter

They were joined by several team owners, such as Joe Lacob from the Golden State Warriors, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jeffrey Vinik, and Lerner Enterprises, the family firm behind the Washington Nationals.

Bloomberg

Chase Hughes: Some Wizards news: Deni Avdija will throw out the first pitch at Thursday's Nationals game. Hopefully it goes better than John Wall's lol.

Twitter

Michael Brice-Sandler: NEWS: D.C. has approved waivers to host fans at Capital One Arena for Wizards and Capitals games, effective immediately. Additionally, the Nationals and D.C. United will now be able to host fans at 25% capacity at Nats Park and Audi Field. Story tk.

Twitter

Steph Curry is in good company. The Warriors point guard cracked the top five of Dr. Anthony Fauci's list of his favorite athletes. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy and Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle came in ahead of Curry, while Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer and two-time World Cup winner Mia Hamm were just behind the two-time NBA MVP.

Yahoo! Sports