NEW YORK -- ON THE 28TH FLOOR of a five-star hotel in midtown Manhattan, Rob Dillingham sat at a table near a window that overlooked Madison Avenue, which for years has turned athletes into pitchmen. It was the day before the 2024 NBA draft.

He smiled, nervously.

He leaned forward and tapped his leg.

Dillingham, 19, who spent his lone college season at Kentucky, went to three high schools, all conveyor belts for basketball players, in four years. He moved cross country to attend his second high school, Donda Academy, which was founded by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. Donda closed at the start of his senior season because of the fallout from Ye's antisemitic comments.

"I would say the experience boosted me because ... it gives you a little bit of adversity," Dillingham said of his path.

His voice trembled as he spoke.

"People that don't go through adversity, that touch adversity and their first time touching it is later, it's harder to handle," he said. "I would say it just built me to be more mentally strong way quicker, and it gave me confidence to be me earlier."

Before Donda, Dillingham started at a training academy turned prep school 20 minutes from his North Carolina hometown. And after Donda, he finished at Overtime Elite, a league for basketball players in Atlanta. In between, he was a basketball influencer and SLAM Magazine cover star.

Dillingham, the young man, navigated the intersection of celebrity, exposure and opportunity. Dillingham, the basketball player, has a different challenge: earning minutes in the NBA. On draft night in Brooklyn, New York, he was taken eighth overall by the San Antonio Spurs, who immediately traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves, last season's Western Conference runner-up.

Dillingham's journey is a lens through which to examine modern-day American youth basketball, which increasingly eschews incremental development for brand growth. It was a means to his draft night end. But as a pro, Dillingham realized he had to start from the beginning, despite being a product of a system that purported to help him avoid just that.

Before he got to July's Las Vegas summer league, Dillingham called Mike Conley, Minnesota's starting point guard who was heading into his 18th year.

"I have a question," Dillingham asked Conley, "about pick-and-roll defense."

IN MAY 2019, months before Dillingham started high school, former NBA commissioner David Stern arrived at a happy hour in Brooklyn. He was there for a showcase of the top high school boys' and girls' hoop players in the country hosted by Overtime, which offered basketball content through high-production video and social media. Before he passed away in January 2020, Stern was one of Overtime's early investors. He held court about the prospect-to-pro pipeline.

"And the parents [of the prospects] were there complaining about the existing ecosystem," said Farzeen Ghorashy, then-Overtime's chief strategy and financial officer and now its president.

It was clear there was a problem.

By September, Overtime hired the manager of player programs and team services from the Philadelphia 76ers, Le'Sheala Dawson, and asked her to talk to parents of basketball prospects and synthesize their concerns. She spoke to 75 sets of parents during the pandemic.

"And she came back with this master spreadsheet," Ghorashy said. "And it was a very consistent theme of things, right?"

Parents vented about spending time and money -- "they could have bought a house with the money they had invested," Dawson remembered being told -- but not getting results. Prospects worked with individual trainers and were on high school teams that, in some cases, played national schedules. And they competed in AAU, one of the United States' main vessels for young players. Dawson kept hearing the same refrain: The players were supposed to be getting better at skills that would set them up for specific roles in the pro game, but it wasn't happening.

"And so we said to ourselves, 'Why don't we just reverse engineer something for them that works?'" Ghorashy said.

Overtime Elite was born in 2021 and had the tenets of a basketball academy (the players lived near and trained at NBA-level facilities), where they could enter at 16 and stay until they left for college or the pros. But it was also an actual basketball league, and groups of scouts would visit on a regular basis. There's also an Overtime YouTube page that now has more than 3.5 million subscribers, giving the kids a worldwide audience.

"The notion of paying an athlete, putting professional resources around them at a very young age is not something that you really see in high school basketball or football," Ghorashy said. "But you cross a body of water into Europe, and Luka Doncic and all these players are getting that sort of environment since a really young age.

"You look at all the sports, especially soccer. That's basically the model that is being replicated."

That model had fans among the game's best teachers. At a conference in 2017, legendary Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma talked about winning -- the attitude it required and the sacrifice it demanded. Auriemma's anecdote about his time coaching his son's AAU team went viral. In the U.S., he said, there are six games and one practice per week. The schedule is the opposite in Europe, where players honed their craft.

But in the U.S., there are handlers, managers and sneaker representatives.

"People [in the U.S.] have other incentives," Ghorashy said. "It's a lot cleaner abroad because the people around [the players] aren't so focused on the intermediary steps. They know they want to get to the NBA, and it's all about development."

STOP NO. 1: HOMETOWN

"WE PRIDE OURSELVES on resembling the European academy model," said Jonah Baize, one of Combine Academy's co-founders, along with eight-year NBA veteran Trevor Booker. Dillingham played there during his freshman and sophomore years in high school.

In Dillingham's case, his older brother, Denzel, saw a future for him as a Division I prospect and knew that he needed exposure. Dillingham landed in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) in middle school.

"But we knew that prep schools were becoming a thing," Denzel said.

From his time playing AAU basketball, Dillingham's brother had a relationship with Jeff McInnis -- a former North Carolina Tar Heel and 11-year NBA veteran -- who was the coach at Combine in Lincolnton, North Carolina, a city of about 11,000, 20 miles from Dillingham's hometown of Hickory and 40 miles northwest of Charlotte.

"I didn't really want to stay in my hometown," Dillingham said. "Even if you do super well, it's not like you'll get a bunch of recognition because you haven't really played a lot of people. So, it's like, why not go to the school where you can play against better players?"

Combine started as a training facility in 2012 before transitioning into an accredited school the following year. During Dillingham's time there, he blossomed into five-star recruit. Several high major schools were after him. He had a support system at Combine. His brother, a mentor and basketball tutor, helped the school with player development. And his sister, Pai Tailele, worked in the school's executive office. But Dillingham outgrew it.

Baize said that Dillingham came to the school's leadership and explained he had an opportunity to leave Combine and transfer to Donda Academy, leaving the North Carolina countryside for Southern California. As former basketball players, Baize and Booker supported Dillingham. They knew he was grounded and appreciated Combine's role in his development. Dillingham could thrive on the change and the challenges -- of moving cross-country, of standing out amid a sea of brand names, of setting himself up for future success when none is guaranteed -- that would make him stronger.

But for some kids Dillingham's age, it could be what damages them permanently.

"I feel for the parents just because there're so many people pulling at the top players," Booker said. "And it's hard to know who to trust out here. So that's why you see a lot of these kids changing schools. They're being promised something.

"And then they get to the school, and it doesn't become fulfilled."

DONALD DILLINGHAM WROTE a 369-word Facebook post in October 2021.

"As Rob's dad, I was not informed about the offer to attend Donda Academy," he wrote the same month his son transferred.

"Neither Rob's mother, brother or sister have communicated Rob's whereabouts to me. I have not seen or talked to him for 3 weeks. I have seen the trio in North Carolina, so I know that Robert is alone in Los Angeles, California."

In the post, Dillingham's father claimed Ye "contacted" his son and asked him to decide immediately about attending Donda.

"Of course Rob with his sixteen-year-old mind, would say 'yes,'" the father wrote. According to Dillingham, the decision to go to Donda was approved by his mother, Valaaulia "Lia" Tailele. Shayla Scott, who was the chief operating officer of Donda Sports, said that she wasn't privy to how players' families arrived at their decisions. When asked about his father's influence on the decision, Dillingham responded: "No influence." When asked before the draft to characterize the father-son relationship, he said: "Kind of good."

Dillingham's father also claimed the school was unaccredited and that Dillingham was traveling "with a known convicted felon who has created a wedge between my son and myself, which has given the felon the opportunity to influence and manipulate Rob and his family with the promise of money."

In a December 2022 story from Sportico, Dillingham's father named his son's alleged influence and identified him as "a basketball promoter who was sentenced to three years on federal drug conspiracy charges in 2013." Dillingham's parents declined interviews with ESPN, and the man identified in the Sportico story could not be reached for comment.

"It's just a miscommunication," Dillingham's brother Denzel, said of the family disagreement. "And I think that, when somebody takes a risk, of course people are going to feel hesitant, but it's with the best interest of that individual at heart. I think it comes from a concerned and caring place, more so than just trying to do anything to potentially harm that person."

That risk came after the 2020-21 school year at Combine. Dillingham got a call from Dorell Wright, a 2006 NBA champion with the Miami Heat, who recruited -- before later becoming coach -- for the prospective Donda high school.

"Kanye's team got on the call," Wright told ESPN. "They said they wanted to do a school. I recruited kids and just let them know what the potential of the program could be -- not only for their basketball careers, but off the court as well. And Rob already was a well-known name, so it wasn't too hard for him to get that notoriety off the court."

Dillingham and his brother flew to California to meet Wright, who laid out his pitch in person. There was the pull of Ye, one of the most famous people in the world, and his teammates, some of the highest ranked players in the country. They met for 45 minutes with Ye. "A surreal feeling," Dillingham's brother said.

Ye watched players work out and described his vision for Donda, named after his late mother, a former English professor. Located about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, Donda's high school students wouldn't have a traditional school building like the ones where the prekindergarten through eighth graders attended. There would be online classes, and the basketball team would be set off on its own. Players would live with their teammates. They would be fed by Ye's chef. They would be known as the Doves.

Dillingham was all in -- even though the Doves technically didn't yet exist and Ye was a controversial figure. Among other incidents, Ye said on TMZ in 2018 that 400 years of slavery "sounds like a choice." He later apologized but the damage was done.

But Ye still had considerable influence.

After his sophomore year at Combine, Dillingham began playing AAU for Team CP3, fronted by future Hall-of-Fame point guard Chris Paul. His game, slick and stylish, was perfectly tailored for viral social media clips. He developed a following, leading to fans packing gyms and staking out hotels on the AAU circuit.

"I went from being kind of known to being really known," Dillingham said of what happened leading up to his transfer. "And it was like you're playing basketball; you're doing everything you love. Why not build your brand?"

STOP NO. 2: HOLLYWOOD

AT THE DSTRKT, a basketball complex about 30 miles northwest of downtown L.A., Ye blasted Donda, his album that had been released weeks prior. It was the fall of 2021, and Dillingham and his new teammates were at a team photo shoot, which more closely resembled a release party in the Hollywood Hills.

The players, who would be empowered to wear designer clothes on road trips instead of matching sweats, tried on eccentric gloves and face coverings, hamming for the camera.

"That s---," Scott said, "was a whole concert."

By January 2022, Dillingham and 10 teammates, including sought-after recruits Jalen Hooks, Zion Cruz, Javonte "JJ" Taylor and Jahki Howard, appeared on the cover of SLAM. Ye, in a black hoodie and sunglasses, was in the center of them all.

Dillingham moved to L.A. hoping to cash in on his name, image and likeness, payments for which were allowed in California -- but not North Carolina -- for high school players at the time.

He went from an all-boys school in North Carolina to dinner with Ye and an apartment in L.A. The players lived near The DSTRKT, where the Doves played and practiced in their first season.

"Every game you came to was sold out. Every game you came to was on Instagram or YouTube," Dillingham said. "We had every rapper at our games, and you're playing basketball. [And the Instagram edits] are way [better] than everybody's edits just because it's Donda Academy."

As Dillingham darted around defenders in his Donda jersey, he sported Ye's Yeezy 500s, previously worn for style rather than basketball, on his feet. As Dillingham's popularity grew on social media, so did the number of Yeezy 500s on youth basketball courts.

Eight months into his time at Donda, in June 2022, a 17-year-old Dillingham signed a representation contract with talent agency WME, according to Sportico. Dillingham then landed a partnership with KINLÒ, a skin care brand from tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, in August 2022. Sportico said that Dillingham's father wanted "to invalidate any contracts his son entered into as a minor." According to Sportico, which reviewed documents, Dillingham's mother cosigned the WME agreement and signed a guarantor agreement, recognizing her son was under 18. Dillingham's father did not sign.

Dillingham told ESPN that he didn't end up receiving any NIL money at Donda. "But then the stuff happened with my dad, so everyone thought I was getting paid," he said. "And so there was no reason to start NIL and actually get paid if everyone is already portraying this image. I didn't really want that."

But questions mounted as Donda's second basketball season approached. A September 2022 story in Rolling Stone asked: "What the hell is going on at Kanye West's mysterious new private school?" The magazine also reported that nondisclosure agreements were signed at Donda. That added to the conjecture: What were they teaching the students? Where was the building?

Scott, a former high school athletic director, sent her two children to Donda's lower school. She told ESPN that Donda was accredited as a high school through K12 Private Academy in Virginia, which Donda paid for use of its curriculum. A representative for K12 Private Academy confirmed there was a partnership for the 2021-2022 school year.

Amid increasing media interest, Scott said the lower school's building moved locations in L.A.'s northwest suburbs. Security increased, too. "And because people don't have the access to Ye that they wanted, it was, 'OK, we're going to make up our own narratives,'" Scott said. At that point in September 2022, Scott confirmed there were non-disclosure agreements presented to families of the lower school's children. The Doves also had moved from The DSTRKT to The Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks.

Then, in early October 2022, Ye was photographed in a White Lives Matter shirt. Shortly after, he made several antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media, saying in one post on what was then Twitter that he would go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE." He was suspended from Twitter and Instagram. Adidas severed its partnership, and several athletes left his sports agency.

Donda closed in late October 2022, which ESPN reported was Ye's decision. Dillingham and the basketball team remained, but opposing teams began dropping the Doves from their schedules -- and the season was eventually cancelled.

"It was definitely a disappointment," Dillingham said. "It was frustration, because obviously you didn't really want to leave."

Dillingham suddenly had nowhere to play his senior season.

Scott said she cried.

STOP NO.3: WELCOME TO ATLANTA

"COACH CAL WANTED me to go to Overtime," Dillingham said.

When Dillingham was in 10th grade, then-Kentucky coach John Calipari visited North Carolina to recruit him and developed a relationship with Dillingham's mother, who liked that Calipari said her son would have to earn his standing in Lexington. Dillingham chose NC State over Kentucky in December 2021 but decommitted three months later, signing with Calipari and the Wildcats three months after that.

Days after Donda's season was halted, Dillingham transferred to Overtime Elite. In May 2021, months ahead of OTE's launch, Calipari pitted himself against the startup, where players could receive a salary and benefits. "We are not just competing against other colleges; we are competing against that too," Calipari told reporters at the time.

Five-star twins Amen and Ausar Thompson, who Kentucky had pursued, chose OTE instead in 2021. They skipped their senior year of high school, finished at OTE and prepared to go from there to the NBA, where they would be chosen fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 2023 draft. In 2022, OTE started offering a scholarship option, which allowed players like Dillingham to maintain college eligibility. Calipari eventually came around on OTE. He toured its NBA-level facilities and realized that OTE's players would be prepared for elements of big-time college basketball at Kentucky.

Dillingham's route there showed how players often are guided in different directions; a path Calipari would not go down at one moment was one he recommended the next. "I was going to go to school early," Dillingham said. "It wasn't really my decision. [Coach Calipari wanted me] to develop, get bigger for sure."

Starting when he arrived at Kentucky, Dillingham said that he and his father "have a great relationship again." Under Calipari at Kentucky, Dillingham played in just one NCAA tournament game. It took place in Pittsburgh, to where Scott -- a former Pitt women's basketball player -- had moved after Donda shut down. She and her family attended, and Dillingham hugged her kids before it. She cherished the moment.

"What that year and a half-ish meant for me personally and, hopefully, the impression that it made on Rob," Scott said, "Rob is just impressionable ... in everything that he does. And I know that because of the way that my kids love Rob still."

In his last college game, Dillingham's Wildcats were beaten by 14th-seeded Oakland University. Jack Gohlke made 10 3-pointers, falling one short of a record.

Gohlke, a sixth-year graduate transfer, previously spent five seasons in Division II.

THREE WEEKS BEFORE the Timberwolves opened the regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers, Dillingham got into a defensive stance. He bended his arm as if bodying up to an opponent. His knees were bent, too, and he arched forward.

While doing so, Dillingham wasn't on the hardwood at The Target Center. Instead, he sat in a room off the Timberwolves' practice courts. He relayed what he learned from Conley in July.

"He was saying put my forearm into him and get into the ball," he said. "Don't really push him."

Dillingham eased back into the office chair.

"And then as he's coming off the screen, step around with my right leg instead of chasing," he continued.

At 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-1, respectively, Dillingham and Conley are small guards in a league of giants. Dillingham wanted to know how to survive. Though Conley had watched Dillingham from afar, starting on Instagram and then at Kentucky, he wasn't sure what to expect once he picked up that call over the summer.

"He said, 'Man, I need to know, what's your thought on triangular screens?'" Conley said of Dillingham's question. He smiled. "I said, 'We're going to be alright,'" Conley said, impressed with Dillingham.

But Conley's expectation for young players had been altered in recent seasons. He said that he had been around at least one player who came into the league and didn't know what a backdoor play was, players whose one-on-one talent usurped their ability to play within the team concept.

"There are a lot of things, not just with Rob, but just anybody that age," Conley said. "They come in and they'll ask you a question about something, and I'll go, 'Don't you know that? You should probably know that one. Because I knew that at 12 or 10. We ran lines if we didn't pass it two times before we shot it. Those little things were etched in our mind.

"I think the younger generation has a lot more attention, but a lot more distraction as well to where they're more worried about a lot of other things."

But there's another way to look at it, too: Dillingham entered the league prepared for the hardest part of NBA life, which is a blur of hellos and goodbyes. For some players, where they live and with whom -- and for whom -- they play can change annually. "The league is helter-skelter," Conley said. Dillingham got a taste of that life at an early age.

When asked how prepared Dillingham is to help right away, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly was noncommittal. But Connelly did describe his team's conundrum: Dillingham was drafted because he filled a need; Minnesota was in search of a dynamic perimeter player, other than star Anthony Edwards, who can get his own shot whenever he wants.

At media day Sept. 30, head coach Chris Finch said he had already noticed Dillingham's development, a process that used to culminate before a player donned an NBA jersey. "We'll try to help [young players] get better wherever we can," Finch said, "and we'll put you on the floor with lineups that can help protect you where you're weak and extenuate where you're strong."

Dillingham knew he could score against anyone since he was a kid. And that hasn't changed. "I definitely see someone who is confident," teammate Nickeil Alexander-Walker said.

On defense, it wasn't that he didn't know how to guard a pick-and-roll. He needed to learn how to do it against players with NBA size and speed.

"We're hopeful that as he gets more and more comfortable in the NBA, he can make an impact sooner rather than later," Connelly said.

STOP NO. 4: THE LEAGUE

ON OPENING NIGHT in Los Angeles on Oct. 22, Dillingham did not play.

He didn't play against the Sacramento Kings two nights later, either.

Or in home games against Toronto, Dallas and Denver.

Then, on Nov. 2, Dillingham recorded two assists in a loss to the Spurs. Two days later, he scored his first career points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets. He had his best game four days later, scoring seven points in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He has played exclusively after the games have been decided.

Inconsistent playing time was expected, and its explanations make sense: lottery picks normally land on bad teams which have no other choice but to play them; Dillingham is on a championship hopeful. He's a conscientious kid, who worked hard at all his stops. He'll do the same in Minnesota, where he just needs time. After all, not many 19-year-olds would call their mentor before that mentor could call them, not many would care about mastering minutiae.

But when considering Dillingham's future, it's hard not to fixate on his past, on how the United States raises its basketball children. It's hard not think about the past six NBA MVPs, none of whom are American born. It's hard not to think about the past two No. 1 overall picks, both from France.

There was no amount of time on an AAU circuit or at a prep academy or in any development model, no matter the country, which could truly land Dillingham in Minnesota's rotation right away. But perhaps there is a better way than the maze of AAU tournaments, sneaker alliances and content creation opportunities that define American youth basketball.

The hope is that by the time the Timberwolves -- who qualified for their first Western Conference finals in two decades last season -- are ready for another deep playoff run, Dillingham is, too -- the 82-game schedule, in Dillingham's case, doubling as development.

Does Dillingham view it the same way?

"Yeah, for sure," he said.

Then, he paused.

"But at the same time, I feel like I can perform and do whatever I can to help the team," he said. "And I want to help right away."

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Sabres coach Lindy Ruff ruled out leading scorer Tage Thompson and starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from playing in Buffalo's home game against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

Both remain listed day-to-day and in position to return Saturday, when the Sabres travel to play the Philadelphia Flyers.

Thompson, whose 11 goals entering the day are one off the NHL lead, has a lower-body injury he sustained in a 7-5 loss to Montreal on Monday. Luukkonen is dealing with what Ruff called a minor ailment.

Devon Levi is expected to start against the Blues, with James Reimer to serve as the backup, a day after being claimed off waivers after being released by Anaheim.

Manchester United are confident new head coach Rúben Amorim will receive his work permit well ahead of his first game in charge against Ipswich Town, a source has told ESPN.

Amorim has been appointed as Erik ten Hag's successor at Old Trafford, but the 39-year-old is waiting for a visa which will allow him to formally start work.

A United source said the process is "proceeding positively" and the club do not anticipate any issues which would prevent Amorim from being on the touchline at Portman Road on Nov. 24.

United are also waiting for visas for Amorim's staff before officially announcing the make-up of his backroom team.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, caretaker boss for the last four games following Ten Hag's dismissal, left the club on Monday.

Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar and Pieter Morel have also departed, but Darren Fletcher is set to stay on.

Amorim arrived in Manchester on Monday and was immediately driven to Carrington where he was met by CEO Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.

On Tuesday, he met a group of players undergoing rehabilitation work at Carrington including Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount. The majority of the squad are either on international duty or on holiday and are not due to report back until early next week.

The Portuguse coach was given a tour of Old Trafford on Thursday.

A source has told ESPN that Amorim will not take part in a formal unveiling news conference and instead will face the media for the first time ahead of the trip to Ipswich. He is due to speak to the club's in-house television channel MUTV before then in his first interview as United's new head coach.

After taking charge against Ipswich, Amorin's first game at Old Trafford is set to be the visit of Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Nov. 28.

DALLAS -- Jake Paul is very cognizant of his role in his upcoming fight with Mike Tyson.

Paul, 27, will step into a boxing ring Friday in a sanctioned fight against the former world heavyweight champion and one of the most iconic sports figures of all time. If Wednesday's news conference is any indication, it is very clear who the fan favorite is, and it is certainly not Paul.

And he is OK with that.

Paul has proved to be a polarizing figure in the sport once the former YouTuber decided to try his hand at boxing just over four years ago. He has achieved box office success and amassed a record of 10-1 with 7 KOs but has also dealt with a fair share of criticism for his opponent choices that range from fellow YouTubers to MMA fighters. Facing a 58-year-old Tyson who hasn't competed in a professional boxing match in nearly 20 years won't quiet the skeptics.

"I don't care about their opinions, because I've seen what people cheer for," Paul said to a room of reporters. "I kept trying to show people that I'm a good person and look at all this good I'm doing in the world. And no one was buying it. And then one day I was like, f--- it. I can go heel and haven't looked back since."

Paul has embraced the hate and isn't surprised by the number of people who hope to see him lose to Tyson. At the conclusion of Wednesday's news conference, nine of the 12 undercard fighters picked Tyson to beat Paul, and "El Gallo" challenged those who picked against him to put their money where their mouth is with a friendly wager.

It's safe to say that Paul is embracing the role of the villain.

"I kept trying to show people that I'm a good person and look at all this good I'm doing in the world. And no one was buying it. And then one day I was like, f--- it. I can go heel and haven't looked back since." Jake Paul

"Yeah, it is exactly what I wanted and brought into my career," Paul said. "I tell people I'm purposely pissing them off and then they still hate me, and some of them don't realize that they're feeding into my game. It's great, and I don't disagree with them. That's why this is such a big event. It's the ultimate hero and the ultimate heel, and that's the perfect recipe for success."

To further fan the flames, Paul has promised that the fight won't go the distance.

"I fear no man," Paul said. "I want him to be that old savage Mike. He says he's going to kill me. I'm ready. I want that killer. I want the hardest match possible Friday night, and I want there to be no excuses from everyone at home when I knock him out."

Diamond Sports Group, the largest regional sports network operator in the United States, emerged from bankruptcy Thursday, on the 20-month anniversary of it filing for Chapter 11. Judge Christopher Lopez, presiding in the Southern District of Texas, approved the company's reorganization plan in court, saying it is "compliant with every provision under the law."

Diamond will emerge with 27 MLB, NBA and NHL teams under its portfolio, all of which can be watched through linear cable or streamed online.

The company recently agreed to a new naming-rights deal with FanDuel, as well as a commercial agreement with Amazon that will eventually allow subscribers to watch Diamond's RSNs locally through Prime Video. Those deals -- along with agreements with the company's largest distributors, most notably Comcast -- helped get Diamond past the finish line. Until last month, Diamond's broadcasts operated under the name Bally Sports.

One of the clearest signs that Diamond would emerge arrived Wednesday afternoon, when Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves withdrew their objection. MLB has had a testy relationship with Diamond over the past couple of years, annoyed by missed payments and skeptical of the company's financial sustainability. A tipping point arrived in early October, when Diamond submitted a reorganization plan that called for it to shed every MLB contract except that of the Braves.

But Diamond has since agreed to revised deals with the Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays, all of which include direct-to-consumer streaming rights. A revised deal with the Braves, that also includes streaming rights, followed, prompting MLB and the Braves to withdraw their objection. The company maintains the rights to 13 NBA teams and eight NHL teams through at least the 2024-25 seasons.

The lone objection remaining Thursday revolved around the U.S. Trustee, which oversees bankruptcy cases, questioning legal releases in the reorganization plan. Judge Lopez ultimately ruled that he is OK with the releases, triggering Diamond's emergence.

Sinclair, which previously installed Diamond Sports Group as a subsidiary, originally purchased 21 regional channels from Fox for $10.6 billion in 2019 but took on $8 billion in debt in order to do so. That debt, coupled by accelerated cord-cutting amid an ever-changing media landscape, prompted Diamond to fall into bankruptcy.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees' nearby spring training ballpark amid uncertainty about the future of hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, Rays executives told The Associated Press.

Stuart Sternberg, the Rays' principal owner, said in an interview that Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is the best fit for the team and its fanbase. At about 11,000 seats, it's also the largest spring training site in Florida.

"It is singularly the best opportunity for our fans to experience 81 games of major league Rays baseball," Sternberg said. "As difficult as it is to get any of these stadiums up to major league standards, it was the least difficult. You're going to see Major League Baseball in a small environment."

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said the Rays-Yankees deal is good for the sport and the Tampa Bay region.

"This outcome meets Major League Baseball's goals that Rays fans will see their team play next season in their home market and that their players can remain home without disruption to their families," Manfred said in a news release.

The Rays' home since 1998, the domed Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, was hit hard by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, with most of its fabric roof shredded and water damage inside. The city of St. Petersburg, which owns the Trop, released an assessment of the damage and repair needs that estimated the cost at $55.7 million if it is to be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

The work would have to be approved by the city council, which earlier this year voted for a new $1.3 billion, 30,000-seat stadium to replace Tropicana Field beginning in 2028. The new stadium is part of a much larger urban revitalization project known as the Historic Gas Plant District -- named for the Black community that once occupied the 86 acres that includes retail, office and hotel space; a Black history museum; and restaurants and bars.

Amid all the uncertainty, the Rays know one thing: they will play 2025 in a smallish, outdoor ballpark operated by one of their main American League East division rivals. A ballpark with a facade mimicking that of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and festooned with plaques of Yankee players whose numbers have been retired.

Brian Auld, the Rays co-president, said in an interview that Tampa Bay has to be ready for a regular-season MLB game March 27 against the Colorado Rockies, just three days after the Yankees break training camp.

"There will be a ton of work toward putting in our brand," Auld said. "The term we like to use for that is "Rayful' into Steinbrenner Field."

It will also come with some weather challenges in the hot, rainy Florida summer climate the Rays didn't worry about in their domed ballpark. The Rays averaged about 16,500 fans per game during the 2024 season.

The Yankees will receive about $15 million in revenue for hosting the Rays, a person familiar with the arrangement told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced. The money won't come from Tampa Bay but from other sources, such as insurance.

Once known as Legends Field, Steinbrenner Field opened in 1996 on Tampa's north side. It is named for longtime Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who ran a shipbuilding company in Tampa and died at his home there in 2010. One of his sons, Yankees executive Hal Steinbrenner, was instrumental in getting the deal done with the Rays, Sternberg said.

"This is a heavy lift for the Yankees. This is a huge ask by us and baseball of the Yankees," Sternberg said. "(Hal Steinbrenner) did not waver for one second. I couldn't have been more grateful."

Hal Steinbrenner said in a news release that the Yankees are "happy to extend our hand to the Rays" and noted that the team and his family have "deep roots" in the Tampa Bay area.

"In times like these, rivalry and competition take a back seat to doing what's right for our community, which is continuing to help families and businesses rebound from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton," he said.

The Tampa Tarpons, one of the Yankees minor league teams, play their home games at Steinbrenner Field during the summer. They will use baseball diamonds elsewhere in the training complex this season.

It's not the first time a big league team will host regular season games in a spring training stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays played part of the 2021 season at their facility in Dunedin because of Canadian government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taylor Fritz boosted his hopes of reaching the last four of the ATP Finals with a comeback victory against Australia's Alex de Minaur.

De Minaur needed to defeat the American fifth seed in straight sets for any chance of progressing to the semi-finals in Turin, Italy.

However, his hopes were crushed when Fritz stole the second set against the run of play.

Fritz, who went on to win 5-7 6-4 6-3, will progress to the last four of the season-ending tournament if Jannik Sinner beats Daniil Medvedev later on Thursday.

If 2020 champion Medvedev wins in straight sets, the Russian will advance as group winner ahead of Italy's world number one Sinner, while Fritz will miss out.

"All of us are pretty beat up but if I'm in the semi-finals of the world tour finals then I've got energy to give," said Fritz.

Seventh seed De Minaur, although labouring through his opening service games, was the first to break when he ended a superb rally with a clever cross-court winner for a 4-3 lead.

Fritz was quick to respond, levelling in the next game before De Minaur broke again and served out the opening set as his opponent became increasingly frustrated, complaining to the umpire about flash photography in the arena.

The US Open runner-up had to fend off two break points in the second set, while De Minaur, in comparison, looked comfortable on serve with three love holds.

That was until Fritz increased his intensity and seized his opportunity at 5-4 to end De Minaur's season.

With his tournament essentially over, De Minaur continued to falter as Fritz surged and he wrapped up the victory with an ace after two hours and eight minutes.

"He was all over me. What I did a great job of was towards the end of the second set I started to find my serve, I started serving much better," Fritz said.

"It just gave me a little bit of comfort to stay in the match and not be under so much pressure. It was still incredibly tough."

Autumn Test: Scotland v Portugal

Venue: Murrayfield Date: Saturday, 16 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app

Back row Freddy Douglas could become the youngest debutant for Scotland's men's side for more than 60 years after being named as a replacement against Portugal in the third Autumn Test at Murrayfield on Saturday.

The 19-year-old represented Scotland's Under-18 side in the 2023 Six Nations Festival only 18 months ago but looks poised to be the youngest player to feature for the full national side since Donald White in 1963.

The forward is yet to play a senior game and has featured instead for Edinburgh A this season as well as representing Scotland in the Under-20 Six Nations and World Rugby Under-20 Trophy.

Douglas, who made the most tackles and breakdown steals in the Under-20 Six Nations, is likely to see some game time against Portugal given Scotland are expected to have control of the match.

His Edinburgh team-mate Ben Muncaster, who played for Scotland A against Chile on the 2022 summer tour, will definitely make his debut after being named in the back row alongside Bath's Josh Bayliss and Luke Crosbie of Edinburgh.

Glasgow lock Alex Samuel will also win his first Scotland cap and will be joined in the second row by Scarlets' Alex Craig.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend says Douglas' mentality and physicality during training sessions suggests he is ready to play international rugby.

"It was meant to be a non-contact day on Thursday and he was putting some big tackles in," the former fly-half said.

"He has got the mindset we believe is ready for Test rugby. He will go forward and attack in defence. And he's got a super strength, which is his ability to win turnovers.

"I remember Rory Darge coming in to train with us because he wasn't really training with Edinburgh, never mind getting a chance to play for Edinburgh. And he impressed us in training. I think his mindset was the one thing that stood out.

"That he was taking on the opposition no matter the fact they were seasoned Test players.

"But that is in our mind when we see Freddie. We saw it when we trained against the Under-20s last year and he was picking fights. He was tackling the big guys in our team.

"We've seen the ability for him to win the ball as well. It's tougher and tougher now to win those tackle turnovers. But he's got a brilliant technique and a bravery that he gets in those positions and he gets the ball back for his team."