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CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have promoted Brandon Weems to general manager. It was one of five front office appointments announced by president of basketball operations Koby Altman on Friday.
Weems has been with the Cavaliers for 11 seasons, including the last four as assistant general manager. He began as a scout in 2015 and was promoted to director of scouting in 2017 before becoming senior director of player personnel in 2021.
The 40-year-old Weems was a high school teammate of LeBron James at Akron’s St.Vincent-St. Mary High School. James congratulated Weems via social media on Friday.
“Brandon has earned this opportunity through more than a decade of exceptional work with the Cavaliers and by consistently demonstrating elite judgment and the expertise required to help lead our basketball operations,” Altman said in a statement. “He has been instrumental in our player evaluation and roster-building processes, has a deep understanding of our culture, and has grown into a tremendous leader.”
Weems will take the lead on roster management and contract negotiations, oversight of global scouting and working closely with Altman leading up to the NBA draft.
The Cavaliers also announced Jon Nichols has been promoted to associate general manager and Brendon Yu and José Calderón to assistant general managers. Dashiell Flynn was hired as chief technology officer of basketball operations.
Mets’ Young has concussion symptoms
NEW YORK (AP) -- Mets first baseman Jared Young was carted off the field in the sixth inning of Thursday night’s 3-0 loss to Philadelphia after he was knocked out when struck on the head by pitcher Nolan McLean’s knee as the two converged on Justin Crawford’s slow grounder.
New York manager Andy Green said a CT scan at a hospital was negative. Young had concussion symptoms and full use of his extremities, according to Green.
“It was a terrifying moment on a baseball field,” Green said. “Took him a while to come to. It was a really scary collision.”
With the Phillies ahead 1-0, McLean broke to first on contact and Young initially moved back toward the bag. McLean briefly paused, at which point Young reached for the ball with his right hand as he tried to keep a foot on the base.
McLean resumed running, then collided with Young’s head, tripping over the first baseman as Crawford crossed the bag. Young fell face first to the ground and was motionless.
“It was scary to sit there and just know that he wasn’t with us in that moment,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “He was just somewhere else.”
Green and an athletic trainer immediately ran out from the dugout, and a cart was summoned.
McLean put his hands on his knees and bent down as all the Mets on the field gathered near Young. Catcher Francisco Alvarez appeared to be praying and members of both teams looked on from the dugouts. Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm took a knee next to third base.
When Young came to, Green said the first baseman asked: “What happened?”
Young was immobilized on the cart and flashed a thumbs up before the cart disappeared behind the left-center field fence.
“He’s had a CT scan. Results have come back negative,” Green said. “So in that sense it’s very positive. Still experiencing real concussion symptoms right now but has full use of his extremities and feels at this point in time like we’ve avoided the scariest outcomes.”
Aces' Young ties WNBA record with 22-point quarter
SEATTLE (AP) -- Jackie Young tied the WNBA record for points in a quarter with 22 in the first and finished with a career-high 35, and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Seattle Storm 114-77 on Thursday night in their first game after the FIBA World Cup break.
The Aces (28-13) are 1 1/2 games behind second-place Golden State, and a game in front of Atlanta, in the WNBA standings. The top four have home-court advantage in the best-of-three first round of the playoffs.
A’ja Wilson scored 29 points for the Aces. Las Vegas had its highest-scoring game since it set franchise’s record in a 118-95 win over Atlanta on July 4, 2021.
Young tied the quarter mark shared by Jewell Loyd, Brittney Sykes and Diana Taurasi. Picked No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft, Young was 8 of 9 from the field, 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 3 of 3 on free throws.
Flau’jae Johnson led Seattle with 25 points and Natisha Hiedeman added 12 points and seven assists. Stefanie Dolson scored 11 points and Dominique Malonga 10.
The WNBA-worst Storm (8-33) have lost five of six.
Two-time All-Pro DB Gilmore retires as Patriot
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Stephon Gilmore wasn’t known for being much of a talker during his 13 NFL seasons.
But one of the most dominant cornerbacks of his era is officially retiring with the team with whom he had the most success during his career.
The 35-year-old Gilmore is returning to New England on Friday to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Patriots, the team he won his lone Super Bowl with to cap the 2018 season.
Gilmore last played in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings and previously announced his retirement in April via an Instagram post.
Selected 10th in the 2012 draft by the Buffalo Bills, Gilmore established himself as one of the league’s premier players in the secondary over the next five seasons.
Gilmore was an instant standout in New England’s secondary after arriving as a free agent from Buffalo in 2017.
He earned the first of two straight AP All-Pro selections in his second season with the Patriots in 2018. He also had the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter of New England’s 13-3 Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams to cap that season.
In 2019 he became the first player in Patriots history to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league with a career-high six interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. In addition, he had a career-high 20 pass breakups in both 2018 and 2019.
He was traded to the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 season.
His career includes stints with the Bills (2012-16), Patriots (2017-20), Panthers (2021), Indianapolis Colts (2022), Dallas Cowboys (2023) and Vikings (2024).
The five-time Pro Bowl selection ends his career with 32 interceptions and 149 pass breakouts.