Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has accepted the men’s basketball general manager role at Sacramento State.

O’Neal will be joining in a voluntary role with the program, where his son, Shaqir, recently transferred from Florida A&M following the hiring of former NBA point guard Mike Bibby as head coach.

O’Neal is the latest high-profile athlete to take on a college general manager position following Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who was named as an assistant general manager at his alma mater, Davidson.

Sacramento State went 7-25 under interim head coach Michael Czepol during the 2024-25 season following a combined 28-42 record under former head coach David Patrick, who took the associate head coach position at LSU last year.

It may not have been as close as last year’s photo finish Kentucky Derby, but the 151st running on Saturday evening still produced plenty of drama down the stretch. Sovereignty was able to edge out the favorite, Journalism, to take the first leg of the Triple Crown. 

It ends up being the second derby win for trainer Bill Mott, who also won the 2019 Derby with Country House.

Conditions were extremely muddy and sloppy due to heavy rains throughout the day at Churchill Downs, severely impacting the conditions. But for as sloppy as the conditions were, they did not slow down Sovereignty as it was able to power through with a frantic finish.

Sovereignty entered the day with 7-1 odds to win.

Journalism was the favorite at 3-1. 

With the New York Yankees rotation struggling with the worst ERA in the majors right now, it is clear that general manager Brian Cashman needs to go out and get some help.

Pablo Lopez is a possible solution.

The 29-year-old Twins right-hander is currently sidelined with a minor hamstring issue, but he’s expected to return well before the trade deadline. And if Minnesota doesn’t get out of its slow start to the season, Lopez could instantly become one of the top starters on the market. He was an All-Star in 2023.

If Lopez returns from injury and regains his form, the Twins may ask for a big name talent to headline a deal. With Gerrit Cole out for the year and the rest of the rotation showing serious cracks, New York might be unable to afford not to make a deal, no matter how high the cost.