Eleven college football players who started their careers as five-star recruits — viewed by experts as the best high schoolers in the country — were picked in the first round of this year's NFL Draft.
The big picture: 29% of the five-star recruits drafted between 2015-2022 were first-round picks, according to an Axios analysis of the 247Sports composite rankings.
The Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury on Friday said that they have struck a new distribution deal that puts all of their live games on over-the-air broadcast channels, leaving no games left to air on cable.
Why it matters: MoreU.S. households are leaning into free, over-the-air broadcast networks for their live TV content, as streaming subscriptions continue to eat into their cable budgets.
In February, two Black quarterbacks started in a Super Bowl for the first time. On Thursday, three Black QBs were selected in the top 10 of the National Football League draft for the first time.
Bryce Young went No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers, becoming Alabama's first No. 1 overall pick in the common draft era (since 1967). From blue-chip recruit to national champ to Heisman winner to top pick, it's been a storybook ride.
The Portland Trail Blazers will begin operating a G League team this fall, leaving the Suns as the only National Basketball Association team without a minor league affiliate.
State of play: Affiliates usually take 18-24 months before they're ready to start playing, but Portland is fast-tracking the as-yet-unnamed team because operating without one has meant outsourcing prospects to rival G League outfits.
