Great Britain: Tosan Evbuomwan impresses as GB cruise past Switzerland in EuroBasket pre-qualifier

Published

2 hours ago

August 27, 2026

Great Britain started their pre-qualifying campaign for 2029 EuroBasket with a convincing 110-75 win over Switzerland in Fribourg.

Boston Celtics centre Amari Williams and Barcelona forward Tosan Evbuomwan both made their debuts for Great Britain’s senior side in the victory to put GB top of Group E.

Evbuomwan, who spent three years in the NBA, making 50 appearances prior to his move to Barcelona earlier this summer, contributed 21points in 25 minutes.

His added NBA quality alongside Williams, who has just finished his first season with the Celtics, allowed GB to claim an impressive win.

Williams posted eight points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes, while Josh Uduje top scored with 24 points for the visitors.

Marc Steutel’s side were comfortable from the off in their first competitive match since missing out on qualifying for the 2027 Fiba World Cup.

Great Britain won each of the four quarters, taking the opening two by six points each.

Ranked 45th in the world with their opponents 16 places below them, Great Britain cemented their dominance after half-time to lead 79-51 at the end of the third quarter.

With one eye on Sunday’s match against Slovakia in Newcastle, Evbuomwan and Williams were among those afforded some rest time in the fourth quarter.

Their remaining two fixtures are a home match against Switzerland on November 29, before travelling to Slovakia on February 25, 2027.

The winner of each pre-qualifying group will reach full qualifying, taking place in 2028 and 2029. Should Great Britain finish not finish top, they will enter a third round of pre-qualifying in 2027.

How to watch Mystics vs. Mercury: TV channel and streaming options for August 27

Published

6 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

qasimgillani

Aug. 27, 2026 Updated 4:49 pm EDT

The Phoenix Mercury (13-25) will host the Washington Mystics (23-15) after losing four home games in a row. The contest begins at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

How to watch Washington Mystics vs. Phoenix Mercury

Washington vs. Phoenix odds

Spread: Washington -4.5 (-105), Phoenix +4.5 (-115)
Favorite Moneyline: Washington -179
Underdog Moneyline: Phoenix +145
Total: 166.5
Total Over Odds: -110
Total Under Odds: -110

Injury reports

Mystics

No injuries listed

Mercury

Kelsey Plum: Questionable (Leg),

Marta Suarez: Out (Concussion Protocol)

Stats to know

The Mystics score 82.9 points per game, 5.0 fewer points than the 87.9 the Mercury give up.
Phoenix scores just 0.8 more points per game (84.0) than Washington gives up to opponents (83.2).
Kiki Iriafen posts 15.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest, while shooting 50.6% from the field.
Alyssa Thomas posts 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, while shooting 51.8% from the floor (ninth in league).

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Julio Aguilar, Ethan Miller, Steph Chambers / Getty Images

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Pope Leo poses with White Sox ‘Pope Hat’ in Vatican

Published

12 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

qasimgillani

Pope Leo XIV smiles while wearing a Chicago White Sox cap as he meets newly-wedded couples at the Vatican in 2025.

Pope Leo XIV wore a White Sox cap at the Vatican in 2025. Filippo Monteforte / AFP via Getty Images

Aug. 27, 2026 2:54 pm EDT Updated

Pope Leo XIV wasn’t at Rate Field when the Chicago White Sox unveiled the “Pope Hat” as a giveaway two weeks ago.

But the team made sure the hat made its way into the pontiff’s hands.

Pope Leo posed with the “Pope Hat” in a picture posted to X by the White Sox’s team account Thursday morning.

“The White Sox Pope Hat has officially landed at the Vatican,” the White Sox tweeted.

The White Sox Pope Hat has officially landed at the Vatican 🤝 pic.twitter.com/vcWoF9lzg9

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 27, 2026

In the photo, Pope Leo — born Robert Prevost, a diehard White Sox fan from south suburban Dolton, Ill. — was holding the hat and smiling while standing with Father Tom McCarthy, also from Chicago.

The hat was a hit when the White Sox gave away almost 40,000 of the mitre hats emblazoned with their logo and lappets on the back on Aug. 11. The giveaway drew an announced crowd of 38,113.

The White Sox haven’t been bashful about boasting their connection to Pope Leo, who was elected leader of the Catholic Church last year. They put up a mural of him in the ballpark and held a Mass there in his honor.

The pope’s connection comes during a surprisingly prosperous season for the White Sox, who have stunned many to go 70-63 and sit atop the American League Central.

In June, former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski presented Pope Leo with the baseball from the final out in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. The Pope had attended that game, and the White Sox went on to sweep the Houston Astros for the South Side’s first title since 1917. Former White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko had previously gifted the pontiff a signed jersey with “Pope Leo” written on the back.

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Reds’ Eugenio Suárez and TJ Friedl clear waivers, will join team in Chicago

Published

19 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

qasimgillani

Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Eugenio Suárez and outfielder TJ Friedl cleared outright waivers Thursday and will still be with the team when it starts its series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday.

The fact that the front office was willing to part with two players who have appeared in a combined 1,556 games for the Reds indicates that the team is looking toward the future with a month left in the season.

For the Reds, the advantage of either player getting picked up would have been purely economic — a team that claimed either player would be responsible for the remainder of the money left on their contract, roughly $3 million for Suárez and $700,000 for Friedl. While both players will now remain with the team through the end of the season, their respective tenures in Cincinnati will almost certainly not extend beyond that.

In February, the Reds signed Suárez to a one-year deal worth $15 million, with a $16 million mutual option for 2027 with no buyout. Placing Suárez on waivers indicates the team isn’t planning to exercise the option.

Friedl on the deeper meaning of his painted cleats

C. Trent Rosecrans

Suárez going unclaimed on waivers provides further evidence that there was little market for him at the trade deadline. Suárez, 35, is hitting .208/.295/.410 with 19 home runs in 103 games after missing nearly a month beginning in late April with an oblique injury.

Friedl signed a one-year deal worth $3.8 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility, but because of the steep dropoff in his production, he is a non-tender candidate entering his second year of arbitration.

After starting the season atop the team’s lineup and in center field, Friedl is hitting just .158/.242/.234 in 76 games. The Reds optioned the 31-year-old to Triple-A Louisville in June, and he is hitting just 1 for 34 since the All-Star break.

The act of putting players on waivers near the end of August is hardly an unusual cost-saving move for teams who are out of the playoff picture, allowing competitive teams to add postseason-eligible players to their roster before the Sept. 1 deadline. The lack of outside interest in either player, especially Suárez, who was a pivotal part of the Seattle Mariners’ run to the ALCS last season, indicates how other clubs view their ability to help a roster at this point.

The Reds are 63-71 after Wednesday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants, 19.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers and nine games out of wild-card position. Their next 25 games are against teams in playoff position before they end the season with three games against last year’s American League champions, the Toronto Blue Jays.