LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined indefinitely to begin the NBA season as he rehabilitates from inflammation in his right knee, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

The Clippers and Leonard are in the midst of a rehab process for the two-time NBA Finals MVP that is aimed to bring sustainability for him on the court through the season, and the franchise will be diligent and cautious to ensure his fitness long-term.

Leonard, 33, has neither played during the Clippers' entire preseason -- which concludes Thursday against the Sacramento Kings -- nor has he participated in any activity involving on-court contact during training camp.

"He has not been a part of what we've been doing on a daily basis," Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw said after Wednesday's practice. "I know the company line has been that we're going to be patient with him, so he's doing everything that he can to rehab it and strengthen that knee on his own with our medical staff. And we're just dealing with the guys that we have [available]."

In Leonard's absence, James Harden, who feels more comfortable this season after having a full training camp, will be relied upon to shoulder much of the offensive load and be the team leader. He joined the franchise last year during an early season trade from Philadelphia and had to adapt alongside Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

With George now in Philadelphia and Westbrook in Denver, Harden will try to be a playmaker for the likes of Ivica Zubac, Norman Powell and Terance Mann.

Harden has said that Leonard needs to take all the time he needs to return and be healthy for late in the season.

Leonard began to experience inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee following a win at Charlotte on March 31. He missed the final eight games of last regular season and was limited to two games in the six-game, first-round loss to Dallas in the postseason.

Leonard and the Clippers have gone through a variety of medical treatments to control the inflammation since the end of last season. Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations, said at the start of training camp that the inflammation had gone down significantly since last postseason, but that the team wanted to get the franchise star's knee to 100% and would take every precaution.

When asked if he could have to deal with the inflammation coming up for the rest of his career, Leonard said that is a possibility but that the medical staff has got a better handle on it and is trying to ensure that isn't the case.

Leonard, who sat out the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee, has missed 179 of a possible 435 games since joining the Clippers in 2019.

He played in 52 regular-season games in 2022-23. After he tore his right meniscus during the 2023 first-round playoff series against Phoenix, Leonard played in 68 regular-season games last season -- his most since the 2016-17 season -- and averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals while earning his sixth All-Star nod.

The Clippers play the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 23 in the Intuit Dome's first regular-season basketball game.

NEW YORK -- The Mets are lighting up Citi Field, even before their batters step up to the plate.

About 70 front office staffers scattered around the ballpark for more than five hours to install 3,500 strips of LED lights on each railing ahead of New York's first home postseason game.

When the games reach the late innings and the sky darkens, the Mets dim the stadium lights as the ribbon boards flicker in blue, and then they activate the rail lights that glimmer in the team's colors of royal blue and orange, and later red, white and blue for "God Bless America."

"It's a cool fan experience," Mets outfielder Harrison Bader said. "Obviously, this is entertainment, so I'm sure the fans enjoy it, which is obviously very important."

In-game light effects have been on the increase for a decade. The Yankees started blinking the lights atop their stadium to excite crowds during home run trots in 2016. Even historic venues such as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field have been upgraded for startling light shows.

After the 2023 season, Musco Sports Lighting replaced the halogen lamps installed for Citi Field's 2009 opening with LEDs. That enabled the Mets to implement dramatic entrances for closer Edwin Díaz. Fans started posting clips.

"I looked at TikTok because it's the best search engine these days," said Trisha Donlin, the Mets' vice president of brand marketing. "All the videos were of our light sequences, whether that be our pitching change, our Diaz entrance, home runs. These are all moments where we trigger the greatest lighting effects. And so I was like, OK, this is what everyone's talking about. This is where we need to double down."

When the Mets beat Milwaukee to win their wild-card series and ensure postseason home games, the team contacted PixMob, a Montreal-based company founded in 2006 that distributed ski caps with LEDs to fans for Bruno Mars' halftime show at the 2014 Super Bowl in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. PixMob has since worked with NFL, NBA and NHL teams and musicians including Coldplay, Bad Bunny and George Strait, often supplying light-up wristbands for the audience.

PixMob did a Citi Field walk-through on Oct. 4. Technicians installed 32 transmitters for the infrared signals on the upper deck, and Mets employees fastened the Nova Mini LED strips with zip ties on Oct. 7, a day before New York hosted Philadelphia in Game 3 of the division series.

"We can do effects, like a chase around the stadium or up and down," PixMob account manager Phil Belanger-Bishinga said. "We program in Montreal in our warehouse and then our light operator on site can trigger those effects from his console board."

Brendan McKeon, the Mets' executive director of in-game operations, operates the ribbon boards and LEDs, as Jon Barron, the manager of in-game operations, prompts the PixMob team on site to coordinate timing and colors.

NLDS home games started shortly after 5 p.m., when daylight remained. There is more extensive use at the NLCS night games, with the strips and fans' cellphone lights creating a sparkling effect.

PixMob supplied LED wristbands for the 2019 World Series, 2023 World Baseball Classic and this year's opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego in Seoul, South Korea, as well as the All-Star Home Run Derby in Texas, part of initiatives by Caylor Escalante, MLB's senior manager of global event experience and game presentation.

"We're always looking at trying to find new creative enhancements to what we do from a ballpark entertainment standpoint," said Brian O'Gara, MLB's vice president of global events and game presentation. "This is a pretty seamless way to add another effect that the fans can be very involved in. and since they're so customizable -- the guy's literally reacting to game situations or home runs or big plays or the closer coming in."

Three of the teams in this year's league championship series are expected to be major players in the Juan Soto free agent sweepstakes this winter: his current team, the New York Yankees, the crosstown rival New York Mets and the West Coast behemoth Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cleveland Guardians are ... also playing in the LCS. (Hey, you never know.)

With MLB's final four on center stage this week, we figured we'd give them the chance to make a preemptive pitch to this offseason's soon-to-be most sought-after superstar. For each team -- including the Guardians -- we've tagged one of ESPN's MLB experts to present the case for why Soto should sign there. Additionally, Judge Jeff Passan has put on his robe and will bang his virtual gavel to rate each pitch.

Here we go.

New York Yankees

Jorge Castillo: Throughout his season in the Bronx, Soto has pointed to this franchise's history and how winning a World Series title would cement his place in it. Now imagine what winning multiple championships would do. Imagine multiple parades through the Canyon of Heroes and Soto's No. 22 entering Monument Park alongside all those legendary numbers. Imagine returning to Yankee Stadium in 20, 30, 40 years for Old Timers' Day to reminisce with teammates, to receive the perpetual adulation from one of the most intense fan bases in this sport.

In one year, Soto seamlessly fit into the clubhouse and teamed with Aaron Judge to become the modern Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The Yankees won the AL East and are still competing for a World Series title. But it could be just the beginning. The Yankees have the money to sustain a winner and the brand to attract talent. Soto has had a one-year opportunity to feel the warmth from the crowd every night. With every jog out to the outfield. During the roll call. The Dominican flags. The "Re-sign So-to!" chants. The back-and-forth with the Bleacher Creatures. Soto relished the stage. It was obvious. Now he can make it forever.

Judge Jeff's verdict: That's a pretty good case. It's not just that the Yankees and their fans love Soto. He reciprocates it. Certainly the trajectory of New York's season will have bearing on his ultimate decision, as well as the teams' willingness to chase Soto as his price tag jumps into the $500 million-plus range. Which, to be clear, is warranted, because between Soto's production (.288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs) and age (26 next season), he is squarely in his prime. Winning their 28th World Series would almost force the Yankees to re-sign Soto. Even if they don't, the need for a Paul to Judge's John is acute.

New York Mets

Kiley McDaniel: The Yankees can try to sell Soto a winning tradition in the biggest market, but the Mets have actually been to a World Series more recently than their New York rivals. The Mets also have about $191 million coming off the books after this season, and Steve Cohen is going to approve spending all of that money -- with arguably the best president of baseball operations in the sport overseeing the decisions in David Stearns.

Soto simply signing with the Mets -- let alone leading them to their first World Series title since 1986, if they don't win one this year -- would electrify the fan base. He could end up the most beloved Met of all time. Soto won't take Judge's spot as the most iconic or popular current Yankee, much less pass Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle or DiMaggio. Does he want to be just another great slugger for a team or the face of a franchise for decades to come?

And, if it matters, a majority of people in baseball think the Mets will offer Soto the most money this winter, enough to ensure the Yankees wouldn't be willing to match or even come close. Does Soto want to be able to appeal to his owner directly to add more talent when it matters most, or be told Hal Steinbrenner wants to manage his yearly profit and CBT status a certain way, so the team can't add another star?

Biggest market, equal or better team, biggest contract ... what else is Soto looking to get?

Judge Jeff's verdict: Not a bad sales job here, either, and the notion Soto could go down as the all-time Met -- a title currently held by Tom Seaver, with Mike Piazza, David Wright, Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez all in the running as the top position player -- is quite alluring. Pairing him with Francisco Lindor also doesn't hurt the Mets' case. One element not noted is the villainy that would accompany a crosstown move, particularly if the Yankees' season ends without a ring. No star has left the Yankees for the Mets while near his apex. Soto doing that would immediately make him the most polarizing player in the city's history, and as heroic as he'd be in Flushing, living as Public Enemy No. 1 in the Bronx is a cloak few, if any, would care to wear.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Alden Gonzalez: An amazing thing happens during summers in Los Angeles. It gets hot, but it also stays cool. You can feel the sun beating down on you and at the same time experience a crisp, subtle breeze -- faint enough to feel some warmth, strong enough to keep it from bogging you down. It's like the best of both worlds.

Oh, that reminds me: The Dodgers have a dude who can pitch and hit. Ever heard of him? His name is Shohei Ohtani, and he's the best baseball player in the world. Maybe ever. They also have Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and -- for one more year, at least -- Clayton Kershaw. They're as much a lock to win the division as there can possibly be in this highly unpredictable sport.

In L.A., Soto can star in a market that is enormous but also not suffocating. He can play alongside some of the best players in the world. He can carve out a legacy for a historic franchise. And he'll hardly break a sweat while doing so.

Judge Jeff's verdict: Sunny Los Angeles days do enchant even the most cynical people, and the prospect of turning the Dodgers' trio of Hall of Fame bats into a quartet has real appeal. But remember: Soto spent a year in San Diego, where the weather is better and the talent similar, and he didn't lament his trade from there to the Yankees. There are no direct flights from California to the Dominican Republic, either, and for a player as close with his family as Soto, that's the sort of impediment that can make a difference. Plenty of players shrug off whatever inconveniences West Coast teams provide, but for someone who can pick his destination such as Soto, these factors often are the differentiator in a close race.

Cleveland Guardians

Jesse Rogers: Cleveland might seem like a heavy underdog on this list, so let's get right to the point. Cleveland can offer one thing those other teams can't: The fame of being a superstar, but with the anonymity of living in a Midwest city. There will be pressure, but not the overwhelming kind experienced in New York -- and L.A. is really no different.

Soto can be a part of a winner in Cleveland, and just like on those other teams, he would be paired with another great player in the lineup. Jose Ramirez is beloved by Guardians fans in a way few other players are by any fan base, and the Soto/Ramirez pairing can be just as magical as the Soto/Judge pairing was in New York this season. And if this duo can lead the Guardians to a World Series title, the franchise and the entire city will always remember Soto in a way that just doesn't exist in a big market such as New York or L.A.

Sure, Cleveland's payroll pales in comparison with the rest of these teams', but that means there is room for a going-rate salary for a generational hitter, with the chance to use what has worked to get Cleveland this far to supplement the roster. And if you like competition, the AL Central is pretty darn fun these days.

Judge Jeff's verdict: An A for effort. But Soto already has been in a smaller market in San Diego, and the appeal of relative anonymity wasn't strong enough to compel him to consider an extension. Beyond that is the fact the largest free agent contract ever given out by Cleveland is the three-year, $60 million deal signed by Edwin Encarnacion, who was traded after his second season in Cleveland. Soto makes sense for Cleveland because Soto makes sense for every team, but it's no stretch to suggest that him signing with the Guardians is about as likely as the team reconsidering its nickname change and going back to the Indians. It's not happening.

New York gamblers bet more than $2 billion with the state's sportsbooks in October 2023. They'll have even more at stake this October, a month jammed with New York sports storylines. The Knicks are viewed as legitimate contenders entering the NBA season that tips off next week; the Rangers and Islanders are off to solid starts in the NHL, and the Jets and New York Giants are, well, trying hard.

But the Big Apple's betting eye is focused on baseball, where the Mets and Yankees are each in the league championship series for the first time in over two decades.

The Mets transformed from long shots to legitimate contenders over the summer and received betting support along the way. They were around 150-1 to win the World Series in early June, but became a popular bet in the second half of the season. Johnny Avello, sportsbook director for DraftKings, said the Mets are now the book's worst outcome if they were to win the World Series.

Even so, the Mets remain second fiddle to the Yankees, New York's favorite team to bet.

More money has been bet on the Yankees this season than any other team in any sport, both in New York and nationally, according to multiple sportsbooks. Baseball's 162-game schedule is the biggest reason -- otherwise, the Giants and Jets could qualify as the most popular teams to bet for New Yorkers -- but when it comes to the amount of overall money risked, the Yankees rule. Veteran bookmakers say it's been that way for a long time.

"It kills me to say, but New York is a Yankee town," Tom, a pseudonym for a former New York City bookmaker and Mets fan, told ESPN.

Before the internet in the 70s and 80s, New York City bookmakers operated out of rental properties, such as a spare room in a home in the Bronx or an apartment in Queens. They avoided Suffolk, Nassau and New Jersey, the jurisdictions with the toughest gambling penalties. Manhattan was prime real estate, where getting pinched for booking bets may only result in a $500 fine.

"Judges would be dealing with a murder, a drug lord and then see a betting case next," Tom recalled. "You'd be out within the day."

The bookies of those days sought landlords willing to look the other way and not ask questions about why the phones were always ringing. Almost all bets were placed over the phone, although some vintage coffee shops did take action over the counter, writing wagers on three-layer carbon-copy paper and putting the betting slip on a tray alongside a cup of cappuccino.

Bookmaking in New York City has evolved dramatically over the past three years since the state's legal online betting market launched. Now, roughly 90% of bets are placed online with licensed sportsbooks, some with offices on Park Avenue. While much has changed, one element of the NYC betting market hasn't wavered: New Yorkers still bet the Yankees.

Tom, a native New Yorker who grew up a 40-minute walk from Shea Stadium, began booking bets in the city around 1988 and lasted a little over a decade before moving his operations to Central America.

"Yankee fans don't give a s--- about Mets fans. They don't even think they exist," he said. "But Mets fans hate the Yankees."

Tom's bookmaking career added fuel to his Yankee hatred because practically every day during the summer he'd find himself with a financial stake in their opponent. That wasn't always the case with the Mets, he said.

"If the Vegas line was pick 'em on White Sox-Yankees, you were going to open the Yankees at minus-23 [-123]," he said. "Just because you weren't going to write a White Sox bet."

Today, betting support for the Yankees remains strong in New York and nationally. BetMGM said it has taken more than twice as many bets on the Yankees as the Mets this season from customers in New York. The Dodgers have attracted more bets than the Mets in New York.

But in the playoffs, the hometown support for the Mets is in full swing. The Mets attracted nearly 88% of the money wagered on Game 2 of the NLCS at ESPN BET in New York. Nationwide, the Mets had around 53% of the money wagered on the game with ESPN BET.

The final numbers on Game 3 at DraftKings also reflected hometown support for the Mets. Approximately 72% of the money bet on the game's winner with DraftKings in New York was on the Mets, compared to more of a 50/50 divide nationwide. The Dodgers won Game 3 8-0.

Betting action often varies from one sportsbook to the next, but it's typically heavy on the Yankees and almost always light on the Brooklyn Nets. Caesars Sportsbook broke down the betting by game and said the Giants, Jets, Buffalo Bills and Knicks were more popular with bettors than the Yankees and Mets with its New York customers.

Pikkit, an app that allows bettors to sync up their sportsbook accounts and archive their bets, tracked more than $48 million in money-line bets on the Yankees this season, the most of any team and nearly double the amount bet on the Mets. Last year, more money was bet on the Yankees with DraftKings in New York than any team in any sport. The Knicks were second, followed by the Mets and New York Rangers.

"When the Yankees are going well, we'll most likely need their opponent every night," Avello, a New York native and longtime Las Vegas bookmaker, said. "They say, 'Don't bet with your heart,' but we all do."

Six uncapped players will join head coach Emma Hayes' 26-player roster for the United States women's national team's first matches since winning the Olympic gold medal in women's soccer in August.

The training camp, which begins next week in Austin, Texas, will also mark the returns of midfielder Ashley Sanchez and forward Alyssa Thompson for the first time since late 2023.

Both players were part of the USWNT's 2023 World Cup squad but dropped from the Olympic picture.

Defender Alyssa Malonson and forwards Yazmeen Ryan and Emma Sears all earned their first call-ups to a senior USWNT camp.

"Our focus is forward, our focus is on our process, and we want to keep chasing new heights," Hayes said in a statement. "I love that we get to see most of our Olympic Team again after a few months, but I also love getting to work with some newer players and evaluate how they perform in our environment."

The USWNT will play Iceland, ranked No. 13 in the world, on Oct. 24 in Austin, Texas, and again on Oct. 27 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Americans, ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA, conclude the window against world No. 33 Argentina in Louisville, Kentucky, on Oct. 30.

The USWNT won a fourth Olympic gold medal on Aug. 10, defeating Brazil 1-0 in what was only Hayes' 10th game in charge.

The USWNT's collective bargaining agreement requires all available players from the Olympic team to be recalled for victory tour matches. This first international window following the Americans' gold medal win is considered the victory tour.

However, four of the 22 players (including the four alternates) from the 2024 Olympics are absent from this roster.

Forward Trinity Rodman will not join the USWNT for this camp. Rodman returned to the field for limited minutes with the Washington Spirit on Sunday after several weeks out due to a back injury.

Rodman will remain with the Spirit to rehab ahead of the National Women's Soccer League playoffs, which begin in early November.

Attacking midfielder Croix Bethune had her NWSL season end in late August after suffering a torn meniscus while throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game in late August.

Bethune's breakout rookie season for the Spirit up until that point -- she tied the NWSL single-season record of 10 assists in only 17 games -- earned her a spot as an alternate for the Olympics and, eventually, a rostered gold medalist.

Defender Tierna Davidson also suffered an injury over the weekend while playing for NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Crystal Dunn, who started all six games at fullback for the USWNT at the Olympics, "was not available for selection due to personal commitments," U.S. Soccer said.

Dunn has missed recent Gotham games with an excused absence. All three matches in the upcoming window are considered victory tour matches for the purpose of the team's CBA, meaning each player could make up to $18,000 per game, the most possible for a friendly.

The three upcoming matches are the last of the year on home soil for the USWNT. The Americans will end 2024 with a trip to Wembley Stadium in London to play England on Nov. 30, followed by a visit to the Netherlands on Dec. 3.

"Every 90 minutes of an international match is full of learning, for me and the players, and we're looking forward to three great games for our fans to end our home schedule before we go to Europe in November," Hayes said.

Fourteen of the 26 players on the roster have fewer than 20 caps. Among the uncapped players are defender Emily Sams and midfielder Hal Hershfelt, who traveled with the USWNT to the Olympics as alternates but did not play.

Sams earned a gold medal by making a game-day roster. Defender Hailie Mace, who plays for the Kansas City Current, is also back with the USWNT.

She last appeared for the squad in November 2022. Twenty-three players will be selected for each of the three upcoming matches' game-day roster.

U.S. Soccer confirmed that it will host a "Futures Camp" in January in the Los Angeles area that will include young and less experienced players training in a camp alongside the senior USWNT.

Roster by position (Club; Caps/Goals) - October friendlies 2024

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 8), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 19), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 112)

DEFENDERS (9): Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 57/1), Eva Gaetino (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 0/0), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave FC; 40/0), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit; 56/0), Hailie Mace (Kansas City Current; 8/0), Alyssa Malonson (Bay FC; 0/0), Jenna Nighswonger (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 15/2), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 0/0), Emily Sonnett (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 99/2)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 18/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 24/1), Hal Hershfelt (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 156/35), Rose Lavelle (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 106/24), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns FC; 4/2), Ashley Sanchez (North Carolina Courage; 27/3)

FORWARDS (7): Yazmeen Ryan (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 0/0), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville FC; 0/0), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave FC; 16/7), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 56/23), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars; 100/38), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 9/0), Lynn Williams (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 71/19)