The unknown of the NBA Draft Lottery awaits, Oscar De La Hoya announces return to boxing, and other sports news

The NBA changed its draft lottery rules last season, and now it’s a little more buzz going into the event.

No one knows who will get the top pick. The top three teams — Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Cleveland Cavaliers — each have a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick. Prior to 2019, the team with the highest odds (25%) secured the No. 1 pick four years in a row. The event became predictable.

That was until last season when the rules changed and the New Orleans Pelicans got the No. 1 pick despite having just 6% odds. The Grizzlies also secured the No. 2 pick. Those two teams were projected to have the seventh and eighth selections in draft.

Year two of the new draft formula will help determine if last year was just an odd start or a true indicator of the wildness that’ll ensue in future draft lotteries. The lottery will be held on ESPN at 8:30 p.m.

Some teams will be hoping for good luck more than others. One of those teams is the New York Knicks. The Knicks have had a top-10 pick the last three years. RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina were the selected players. Of the three, only the rookie Barrett averaged double-digit points (14.3).

LaMelo Ball is one of the top projected players in the draft. The New York Post reported that the Knicks are a preferred destination for the point guard, but New York will have to be in position to select him. The Knicks have the sixth-best draft odds.

Seeing the Warriors tied for the best draft odds after five consecutive NBA Finals appearances is surprising, until you realize Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry were largely unavailable this season. Golden State is expected to jump right back into contention next season with a healthy core, and wherever their pick lands could be an important part to that puzzle.

The new draft format is adding more unknown. Even though everyone doesn’t like them, surprises always keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Golden Boy is back and ready to shine at 47 years old, announcing his return to the ring.

Oscar De La Hoya has joked and teased about a boxing return before, but now he’s serious. De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) last boxed against Manny Pacquiao in 2008.

“The rumors are true, and I’m going to start sparring in the next few weeks,” De La Hoya said to ESPN.

This isn’t like the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition fight. De La Hoya’s comeback is real.

During his prime, De La Hoya was one of the best pound-for-pound fighters. His charming personality and willingness to take on tough fights consistently made him one of the most marketable and biggest pay-per-view attractions. In a way, his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007 felt like a passing of the torch as boxing’s biggest attraction.

Now, the question is how long will De La Hoya keep this up? He’s not getting any younger. He spent his last years fighting welterweights, and that has become one of the toughest divisions in boxing.

Whenever De La Hoya steps in a ring, it’s going to be a big draw, no matter who he fights. Pacquiao was his last fight, but it wouldn’t be wise to step inside the ring with Pacman. He’s still an elite welterweight.

It’s hard to imagine a bigger fight than De La Hoya and Mayweather Jr. That fight sparked the nickname change from “Pretty Boy Floyd” to ”Money Mayweather.” Two of the best fighters of the early 2000s coming out of retirement would be a big sell on pay-per-view.

Joe Kelly received support from many people in baseball after his eight-game suspension for throwing at Astros hitters. His suspension was later reduced to five games, but that hasn’t stopped one of his biggest supporters.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer wanted to wear “free Joe Kelly” on his cleats, but Major League Baseball wasn’t going for it. According to ESPN, the league threatened to remove him from the game if he wore the cleats.

The league’s decision left Bauer confused since it wasn’t a political or offensive statement.

Cleats aside, Bauer still pitched a one-hit complete game over seven innings in the second game of a doubleheader. He’s 3-0 with an MLB-leading 0.68 ERA amongst starters.

The cleats would’ve added a little more commentary to the game, but Bauer usually does that himself. He even brought out the Conor McGregor shrug after a strikeout.