YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

At least one party in one of the long-standing beefs in the NBA is looking to make amends. Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton opened up about his strained relationship with Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, dating back to intense battles during Lillard’s days with the Milwaukee Bucks. Speaking in an episode of “The Zach Lowe Show” that published Thursday, Oct. 8, Haliburton addressed the origin of the rift, which came during the 2025 in-season tournament, which has since been rebranded to the NBA Cup. It was then that Haliburton hit a big 3-pointer late in a game against the Bucks and then mocked Lillard’s long-time “Dame Time” celebration, by looking at his wrist, mimicking looking at a watch. “Do I regret it? No, because it was obviously a lot of fun for our organization, and the run we went on in the in-season tournament was a lot of fun,” Haliburton told Lowe. “It just added to it, so it was fun. “I think what I do regret more than anything is what me and Dame's relationship has become. Because he was a guy who checked on me a lot, early in my career, especially when I got traded. We talked a lot, and I got his permission to be announced as the letter O, because that's his thing." Haliburton, the No. 12 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft to the Kings, was traded midway through his second season when Sacramento shipped him to the Pacers. The two players have shared several links; both ruptured their Achilles tendons during the 2025 NBA Playoffs and both missed the entire 2025-26 NBA seasons. And both have battled throughout their careers, most notably during Lillard’s two seasons in Milwaukee, from 2023-25. The Pacers and Bucks, who are Central Division rivals, produced several fiery games in which tempers flared; the Pacers eliminated Milwaukee in consecutive postseasons while Lillard was there. "I would love to have a conversation, because I just think it became more than it ever needed to be," Haliburton added, referencing the "Dame Time" celebration. "A miscommunication. Put it on me. I was young. In the moment, I was having fun with it, but it was probably a little much, and whatever happened from there happened. "But he's a guy who I have looked up to the majority of my life," Haliburton said. "Part of the reason I wear (jersey number) 0 is Damian Lillard. He's a guy I would love to at least be more cordial with again, but it's love, for sure." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyrese Haliburton hopes to squash Damian Lillard beef over signature celebration

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

YouTube video by Portland Trail Blazers

Notre Dame saw two defensive starters leave Sunday's season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field early, as safety Brauntae Johnson and defensive tackle Jason Onye both exited the neutral-site gam

A Heisman preseason favorite hasn't won the award in more than a decade as Week 1 kicks off

Holtz, who died in March, won 100 games and a national championship with Notre Dame over 11 seasons

Anybody else in Dub Nation get tired of Portland smacking the Golden State Warriors around last year? The Warriors spent most of last season fighting for their lives in the Western Conference standings, and somehow a Trail Blazers team that wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the top of their list of problems kept showing up and punching them in the mouth. Welcome to the next stop on our tour through the Northwest Division. Unfortunately for Warriors fans, this is a team in the group that showed a ton of confidence in their matchups with the Dubs last season. Portland dropped 139 on Golden State on opening week, and beat Golden State two more times before the Warriors finally got one back at Chase Center in January. Portland had the Warriors’ number and that was true even in a season where Portland was still figuring itself out. And then the Blazers went and made the playoffs for the first time since 2022. They clawed into the No. 7 seed by beating the Suns in the play-in, and then this summer they went out and made the biggest move of anybody in this division. Portland traded Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, and cash to Memphis for Ja Morant who still has two years left on his deal. I’m in love with this squad bro Most underrated team in the NBA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SSRY0tO7li— 𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘𝐘𝐘🌹 (@shaesharpeshow) August 31, 2026 His trade value has taken real hits from the injuries the last couple years, but this is still a former All-Star walking into a backcourt that already had a healing Damian Lillard back in the fold, Scoot Henderson on the rise, and Jrue Holiday’s tenacious leadership. That’s a lot of guards! But good players are always valuable regardless of position and ESPN applauds the talent: Portland has seven players who project to be at least slightly positive, which is the fourth most in the league. None of those players projects to be significantly positive, though, and the top two are Lillard and Morant, who both missed a lot of time in recent seasons. The Blazers are built to withstand some injuries and be solid to good but are not built for going deep into the playoffs, at least not without luck restoring Lillard and Morant to their past heights, which were formidable.  They also took care of their own, re-signing Robert Williams III to a three-year, $44 million deal, giving Portland real insurance behind the behemoth Donovan Clingan. The only part of the offseason for Portland that was saddening if you’re a fan was Shaedon Sharpe tearing his meniscus, which is going to keep him out until March at the earliest. Losing a 20-plus-point scorer for basically half the season is no joke, which matters with what the backcourt looks like on paper: Not many players who averaged over 20 points per game last season are coming off the bench in 2026-27, but Sharpe is an exception. The team is integrating Lillard back into the fold after recovering from his torn Achilles and trading for Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. Sharpe is a better player when he starts, averaging 21.9 points per game last season compared to 15.4 when he came off the bench. He also had that with more minutes in the starting lineup compared to a reserve. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Sharpe is someone the Blazers will have to rely on this season. Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe sustained a torn meniscus in his knee and is expected to miss six months, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Gvhf84bNrc— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 24, 2026 So how good is this team supposed to be? I think you can pencil these cats in for about 45 wins. The Dubs will see them plenty this season. Hopefully the Warriors atone for last year by getting busy and wiping out the Blazers, no matter how any guards they throw at GSW.

Minnesota Lynx rookie point guard continues to pace the best team in the WNBA. Miles, who spent her college career between Notre Dame and TCU, orchestrates the Minnesota offense, flowing between facil