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Illinois lands former five-star recruit and son of former NBA star via transfer portal
Illinois has picked up a very interesting player via the transfer portal. Andrej Stojakovic, son of former NBA player Peja Stojakovic, has committed to head coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini.
This was announced by Stojakovic himself on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
— Andrej Stojaković (@AndrejSto2) April 28, 2025
This is a massive recruiting win for Underwood and Illinois. Not only does Stojakovic have NBA basketball in his blood, but he proved last season at California that he can get the job done.
Stojakovic averaged 17.9 points per game for the Golden Bears to go along with 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. He started in 28 of 29 games played for Cal, so he's bringing a ton of experience to Illinois with him, alongside two more years of eligibility remaining.
A former five-star recruit and McDonald's All-American, Stojakovic committed to Stanford out of high school. He played in 32 games as a freshman for the Cardinal and, like his dad, was good from three-point range. He made 34 that season, which ranked 10th in school history for threes made by a freshman.
As a sophomore at Cal, he scored 20-plus points in 13 games and notched a career-high 37 points in the ACC Tournament against his old school, Stanford. He was an All-ACC Team honorable mention at the end of the regular season and part of the ACC All-Tournament First Team.
Stojakovic projects to be a part of what Illinois wants to do next season, and he should ultimately find himself in the NBA once his college career is said and done.
More must-reads:
- The 25 greatest NCAA men's tournament upsets of the 21st century
- Paul Skenes' recent struggles open door for Phillies aces in NL Cy Young race
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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Who is the most important player on the 2025-26 Kentucky Basketball team?
Suppose a Kentucky fan was asked who they think the most important player on the 2025-26 basketball team was, most would say Otega Oweh. While this would likely be the universal answer, could it be wrong? There is no question that Oweh is the best player on this team, but sometimes best and most important can be different. Oweh has worked this offseason to improve his shooting, and if he does this, he very well could be a top-five player in college hoops. The player that should be looked at as the most important player on this Kentucky basketball team is Jaland Lowe. He averaged 16.8 points per game, but the knock on him that all fans know is his efficiency shooting the basketball. The goal is that in the Pope offense, Lowe is going to improve when it comes to his efficiency from the field and beyond the three-point line. Last season, Lowe was on a bad Pitt team, and he had to force up some ugly shots to give his team a chance to win ball games. Lowe shot the ball over 14 times per game, and this won't be the case this season at Kentucky. Lowe has turned heads so far during summer practice, and fans really do believe that he is going to improve his shooting splits this season in Lexington. The Wildcats' starting point guard has a real shot to average over 15 points again this season, but hopefully, he does it while being efficient. Fans already know what Oweh is going to bring to the table as a player this season for Kentucky. There is a world where he improves his points per game by a few points if he shoots the ball better from three, but mostly, fans know what they are getting in their star player. This is why Lowe is the x-factor for the Wildcats. He was solid last season at Pitt, and if he has a similar season in Lexington this year, the Wildcats are a top 15 team in the nation. If Lowe is able to take his game to the next level, that is when Kentucky could be considered the best team in college hoops. Lowe is a speedy point guard who helps on the glass and passes the ball well. He is the most important player on this team because if he is able to improve his efficiency, Kentucky will be unstoppable.
Jon Gruden 'looking forward to having the truth come out' amid lawsuit against NFL
Jon Gruden sent another warning shot toward the NFL after scoring a major win in court. On Tuesday, Gruden welcomed a ruling that will force the NFL to litigate the circumstances of his firing in court rather than closed-door arbitration. The former Las Vegas Raiders coach made it clear that he intends to continue his legal challenge to the NFL, ensuring that they are held accountable. “I’m looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. “The league’s actions disrupted the whole season. We were leading the division at the time and they completely blindsided me and the team.” The Raiders were 3-1 in 2021 when Gruden was forced to resign after offensive emails he had sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. Gruden has alleged that the NFL leaked the emails to force him out of a job after obtaining them during an investigation into the Washington Commanders. The NFL is set to appeal Monday’s ruling, but if that appeal fails, the league may be forced into public discovery. One alternative would be to offer Gruden a settlement, but he has not said whether or not he would be interested in such a resolution. Gruden has not held an NFL coaching job since the Raiders forced him out. He has recently spoken about possibly making a return to coaching at the college level.
Shohei Ohtani named in lawsuit regarding $240M real estate project
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has been named in a lawsuit that was filed in Hawaii on Friday. Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, are being sued by a real estate investor and a broker in Hawaii who have accused Ohtani and Balelo of sabotaging a $240M real estate deal for a development on the Big Island. According to court documents that were obtained by Jimmy Golen of The Associated Press, real estate developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto say Ohtani and Balelo deliberately had them removed from the project “for no reason other than their own financial self-interest.” The lawsuit claims Ohtani was brought into the deal for his promotional value and that he and his agent pushed the founders of the project out using “threats and baseless legal claims.” “Defendants must be held accountable for their actions, not shielded by fame or behind-the-scenes agents acting with impunity,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs bring this suit to expose Defendants’ misconduct and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair dealing, and accountability apply equally to all — celebrity or not.” Hayes and Matsumoto have also accused Ohtani and Balelo of trying to push them out of a similar neighboring development project. The $240M Big Island development is located along Hapuna Beach, which is rated one of the top beaches in the world. Matsumoto was supposed to be the listing agent for the properties, which average more than $17.3M each. A brochure for the project stated that Ohtani, who was called “Japan’s Babe Ruth” has committed to buying one of the 14 properties and acting as a “celebrity spokesperson” for the development. Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700M contract with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. The two-way star is having another monster year with a .284 average, 42 home runs, 78 RBI and a 1.013 OPS entering Tuesday. Ohtani has also returned to pitching this season and has a 2.37 ERA across 19 innings. Ohtani was also connected to a massive gambling scandal last year, though Major League Baseball determined that the 31-year-old was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
Perhaps Superman Paul Skenes has found his kryptonite
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