Yahoo Sports AM: Tragedy on the Potomac

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Headlines

Tucker faces six accusations: Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has been accused of sexual misconduct by six Baltimore-area massage therapists, who said he exposed his genitals during sessions from 2012-16. Tucker calls the allegations “unequivocally false.”

Rozier under investigation: Heat guard Terry Rozier is under federal investigation for his potential involvement in an illegal sports betting scheme while with the Hornets in 2023.

The 16th team: The NWSL has officially announced Denver as its 16th franchise. The team cost a women’s sports record $110 million expansion fee and will begin play in 2026.

WNBA expansion: Tennessee alumni Peyton Manning and Candace Parker are part of group that has submitted a bid to bring a WNBA team to Nashville; Pistons owner Tom Gores has submitted a bid for Detroit, which lost its former team to Dallas in 2010.

Mad Max to Toronto: Max Scherzer is joining the Blue Jays on a one-year, $15.5 million deal. This will be the 40-year-old’s fifth team in five seasons (Nationals, Dodgers, Mets, Rangers).

Tragedy over the Potomac

At least 67 people are believed to have died on Wednesday night when an incoming flight collided with a military helicopter above the Potomac River near Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport.

• The death toll includes several members of the figure skating community, who were returning from a national development camp in Wichita, Kansas.

• U.S. Figure Skating experienced a similar tragedy 64 years ago, when the entire national team died in a plane crash en route to the 1961 world championships.

Here’s Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel on this unimaginable tragedy through the lens of the figure skating world, “a tight-knit community, where everyone is like family.”

In the world of competitive athletics, figure skaters stand in their own category — underestimated and often misunderstood, but every bit, if not more, tenacious and tough as any 300-pound NFL lineman or 6-foot-10 basketball star.

This is a pursuit for only the most daring and dedicated, a collection of dreamers drawn to a sport where perfection is unattainable, where the boundaries of what’s possible are never met, where six or seven days a week, week after week, year after year, are required to just survive.

There are no shortcuts in figure skating — just painful falls that serve as stark lessons. You show up, lace them up and go after it with a focus that can seem maniacal. Out on the ice there are no coaches to call timeout, no teammates to spare you, just you and a massive sheet with no forgiveness. And ice, as they say, is slippery.

You miss a jump shot and it bounces off the rim. You miss a triple axel and you bounce off the ice.

The mental strength required to keep trying is immeasurable. The sacrifices are unyielding. Yet the spotlight is rare; perhaps every four years and only for the most elite of the elite who make the Olympics.

The rivalries between skaters pursuing a finite golden goal can be intense. Same with various powers around the globe — Russians, Canadians, South Koreans, Americans. Yet there is a community here that bridges all political borders, a shared respect for what got someone out onto that ice to compete.

As they climb, the challenges grow. More money. More time. More travel. There aren’t skating rinks, let alone elite coaching, in every city. Few schools have programs. This becomes a family undertaking, pinching pennies and driving through snowstorms.

It draws in idealists who think they can outwork the odds — or revel in the challenge of trying. There is little surprise when so many — champions or not — double as star students, some eventually populating Ivy League campuses.

That’s who these kids were. That’s always who these figure skaters are.

In other sad news… Two-time Olympic figure skating gold medalist and acclaimed broadcaster Dick Button died Thursday. He was 95 years old.

Revealed: Your 2025 NBA All-Star reserves

The NBA All-Star reserves were announced Thursday night, just over two weeks before the league’s biggest stars take the floor for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 16 in San Francisco.

West reserves: Victor Wembanyama is one of three first-time All-Stars out West, while Anthony Davis becomes the sixth active player (including fellow reserve James Harden) with at least 10 All-Star selections.

• James Harden, Clippers (11th): 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.5 steals

• Anthony Davis, Lakers (10th): 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 blocks

• Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves (3rd): 26.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 42.3% 3PT

• Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (1st): 24.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 4.1 blocks

• Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies (2nd): 22.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 blocks

• Alperen Şengün, Rockets (1st): 19.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.3 steals

West starters: LeBron James (Lakers), Kevin Durant (Suns), Nikola Jokić (Nuggets), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Stephen Curry (Warriors)

East reserves: There are three first-timers in the East, too, including Cade Cunningham — the first Pistons draft pick selected to the All-Star Game since Andre Drummond in 2018.

• Damian Lillard, Bucks (9th): 25.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.2 steals

• Jaylen Brown, Celtics (4th): 23.2 points, 6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 steals

• Pascal Siakam, Pacers (3rd): 20.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 41.8% 3PT

• Darius Garland, Cavaliers (2nd): 21.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 42.4% 3PT

• Evan Mobley, Cavaliers (1st): 18.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 57.1% FG

• Cade Cunningham, Pistons (1st): 25 points, 6.4 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 0.9 steals

• Tyler Herro, Heat (1st): 24.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 40% 3PT

East starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Jalen Brunson (Knicks)

Just missed the cut: Trae Young, Domantas Sabonis, LaMelo Ball among the biggest snubs

Mikayla makes history

Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes scored 53 points on Thursday to break the NCAA single-game freshman scoring record and the SEC single-game scoring record (regardless of class).

By the numbers: Blakes’ 53 points (16-24 FG, 5-9 3PT, 16-18 FT) in the 99-86 win over Florida breaks the NCAA D1 freshman record of 51 set by USC’s JuJu Watkins last year.

• The previous SEC record was also 51, set by South Carolina’s Jocelyn Penn in 2003 and Tennessee’s Patricia Robert’s in 1976.

• Blakes also broke the Vanderbilt scoring record, which was set when her teammate Khamil Pierre scored 42 last month.

Hot streak: Blakes has been on fire for the No. 23 Commodores, who are ranked for the first time in 11 years. The No. 8 overall recruit has lived up to the hype, averaging 22.4 points (7th-most in the nation).

NFL Mock Draft 5.0

Travis Hunter sits at the top of our latest mock draft, followed by two QBs. Check out the full first round.

Watchlist: Duke vs. UNC

No. 2 Duke hosts rival UNC on Saturday (6:30pm ET, ESPN) as part of a stacked slate that features five ranked-on-ranked matchups.

Elsewhere: No. 5 Florida at No. 8 Tennessee (12pm, ESPN); No. 20 Missouri at No. 14 Mississippi State (1pm, SEC); No. 1 Auburn at No. 23 Ole Miss (2pm, ESPN); No. 22 Texas Tech at No. 6 Houston (6pm, ESPN2); No. 25 UConn at No. 9 Marquette (8pm, Fox).

More to watch:

• NBA: Nuggets at 76ers (Fri. 7:30pm, ESPN); Suns at Warriors (Fri. 10pm, ESPN); Lakers at Knicks (Sat. 8:30pm, ABC); Celtics at 76ers (Sun. 6pm, ESPN); Grizzlies at Bucks (Sun. 8:30pm, ESPN)

• NCAAW: No. 24 Oklahoma State at No. 21 West Virginia (Sat. 12pm, ESPNU); No. 3 Notre Dame at Louisville (Sun. 12pm, ESPN2); No. 4 USC at Iowa (Sun. 1:30pm, Fox); No. 12 Kentucky at No. 13 Oklahoma (Sun. 4pm, SEC)

• NHL: Predators at Sabres (Fri. 7pm, NHL); Blackhawks at Panthers (Sat. 1pm, ABC); Rangers at Bruins (Sat. 3:30pm, ABC); Jets at Capitals (Sat. 7pm, NHL)

• Pro Bowl: 7-on-7 Flag Football Game (Sun. 3pm, ESPN/ABC)

• NCAAF: Reese’s Senior Bowl (Sat. 2:30pm, NFL) … In Mobile, Alabama.

• PGA: Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Fri-Sun, Golf/CBS/ESPN+) … Russell Henley (-8) is the clubhouse leader.

• LPGA: Tournament of Champions (Fri-Sun, Golf/Peacock) … A Lim Kim (-7) is the clubhouse leader.

• Premier League: Bournemouth vs. Liverpool (Sat. 10am, USA); Arsenal vs. Manchester City (Sun. 11:30am, Peacock)

• Serie A: AC Milan vs. Inter Milan (Sun. 12pm, Paramount+) … The 242nd Derby della Madonnina.

Plus… Unrivaled Week 3 (Fri-Sat, TNT/truTV); the first six games of the Caribbean Series (Fri-Sun, MLB); NASCAR’s preseason opener (Sun. 8pm, Fox); Round 1 of the 131st edition of Six Nations rugby (Fri-Sun, Peacock).

MLB trivia

Max Scherzer, the newest member of the Blue Jays, is one of three active pitchers with three Cy Young awards.

Question: Can you name the other two?

Hint: One righty, one lefty.

Answer at the bottom.

Photo finish

Rory McIlroy couldn’t have started his first PGA Tour event of 2025 any better, sinking an ace on the fly at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

He dunked it! Straight in, no bounce on the 119-yard 15th hole at Spyglass Hill.

Trivia answer: Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw

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