Good Morning, Stumpers!

As we still digest possibly the biggest trade in NBA History (check yesterday’s STUMP), the rest of the sports world continues to move on! Yesterday we had Rory win at Pebble Beach, another big trade in the NBA, and did the Pro Bowl happen in the NFL? Yes. Yes, it did! We’ll cover it all along with a great Song of the Day! STUMPPP!

Today’s Rundown

Everything you’ll get from today’s edition, and more:

• 🥰 A masterclass from our favorite: Rory McIlroy

• ❓️ What’s next for the Pro Bowl, karaoke? Wait a second..

• 🤯 Another MASSIVE deal sends shockwaves through the NBA

• 🎵 We went with a classic for today’s Song of the Day

On This Day

On This Day…

⛵️ The Industrial Revolution Goes Sailing

I’m not talking about the first industrial revolution in the United States, I’m talking the second one! On this day in 1894, the first US steel sailing vessel hit the open water.

Launched in Bath, Math, the lady Dirigo, is launched into the waters of the Atlantic! It was a four-mast boat and set the precedent for years of boating ingenuity to come.

Trivia Time

🧠 Test your sports knowledge…

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: Who won the trade? Lakers or Mavs? I mean it has to be the Lakers right?!? The Mavs just made it to the NBA Finals last year! And now they say they can’t win with Luka?! Crazy!

Before We Dive In…

👀 Here’s Yesterday’s MUST-See’s

• ❄️ Punxsutawney Phil: shadow or no?

• 🏈 2025 NFL Pro Bowl highlights

• 🍀 Boston with a 26-point comeback

• ⛸️ Jonathan Quick breaking records for the Rangers last night

The Hot Stove

Golf

⛳️ Rory Shines on Sunday

What to know: There’s only one person who moves the needle in the PGA more than Tiger Woods, and that’s Rory McIlroy. When he plays, fans watch. The health of the PGA Tour is, whether you like it or not, intertwined with the success of Rory. When Rory is at the top of the leaderboard, people watch.

The first month of the golf season was good, but it was missing something, their stars. The PGA needed McIlroy and others to deliver good golf this weekend, and they did. At one of golf’s most impressive courses, Pebble Beach in beautiful sunny California, good, enticing golf was played.

Rory really shined on Saturday when the wind, rain, and cold forced others down the leaderboard. He started six shots off the pace Saturday morning, but a bogey-free 65 put him just one off the leader and into the final group on Sunday. He looked like a guy who’s from the wet, cold, and windy. Oh wait, he is.

Historically, there are not many places where Rory has struggled in his career. California is one of them. He hadn’t won there since 2015. Yesterday, it was his day.

Rory tied the second best round of the day with a -6 to win by two shots over fellow Irishman Shane Lowry. He had that confident Rory strut all day long. Hitting fairways, making putts, scrambling out of the rough when he had to, good irons, big drives, a classic Rory performance.

When Rory wins, we all win.

NFL

🏈 The Pro Bowl Was Yesterday?

What to know: Like most professional leagues, the NFL has a Pro Bowl problem. It’s had it for a while, but every year I get reminded at how bad it is. I only tuned in for a few minutes, like most I’m sure. For me, flag football with NFL stars just really doesn’t get me all fired up.

If you really wanted to know, the NFC defeated the AFC. But did you really want to know? I don’t have all the answers, and neither does the NFL. But what could the NFL do instead? Let’s brainstorm…

Karaoke: Okay, I may sound crazy, but hear me out. You ever watched Hard Knocks and they make the rookies do the talent shows where they sing songs in front of their teammates and coaches and staff? If you haven’t, go watch. It’s hilarious. Some of the most iconic moments of the show come from that. Aidan Hutchinson singing Michael Jackson? Electric! I’d watch.

American Ninja Warrior: NFL players doing American Ninja Warrior would be unreal! It’s not a high injury risk, not any less than flag football. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s exciting. Plus, it shows how great the athletes are in the league. Maybe I just like seeing great athletes do things they’re not specialized in, but I think this could be cool.

3v3 Basketball: Yeah, yeah, yeah, “they’re gonna get hurt”. They’re playing flag football instead! It’s the same thing! I want dunks, I want trash talk, I want lineman backing down lineman. It would be electric. They all play basketball in the offseason anyway, at least this is under control and under the purview of the NFL.

If the NFL keeps extending the season, they may want to consider some sort of “All-Star Break”, just 2 weeks off in the middle of the season. Would they be able to put some sort of game together that would actually mean something in the grand scheme of things? I don’t know. That was just my brain going for a second there. Let us know if you have any cool ideas!

NBA

🏀 Fox To The Spurs & More News From Around The Association!

What to know: We had another massive trade yesterday, this one was a little more expected. On top of that, we also had a 26-point comeback in Philly!

Last week it became apparent the Sacramento Kings were looking to trade De’Aaron Fox. This Kings team has been complicated these last few years. A team that should have been a perennial playoff team with the roster they have, could not really put it all together. They had one great year 3 seasons ago when they were the 3 seed. They were unfortunately matched up with the Warriors in the first round in a series that went to Game 7 (The infamous Steph 50-point showcase)!

They have now shipped off their 27-year-old point guard to the San Antonio Spurs in a 3-team trade…

Spurs Get: De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin

Kings Get: Zach Lavine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks, three second-round picks

Bulls Get: Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter

The Spurs now will have the duo of Fox and Wemby to lead them into this new Wemby era! With CP3 and Stephon Castle as well, this team could make a late play-in push!

Boston Celtics come back from down 26! Yesterday on Primetime TV we got to see the Maxed-led 76ers host the Boston Celtics. This game looked all but over in the third quarter when the 76ers were up 26! Maxey had 30 points through 3, Yabusele had 21 of his own, and things were humming. What happened in the fourth quarter was unexplainable! The Celtics outscored the Sixers 38-16! Maxey was held to just 4 free throws and Tatum, Brown, and White could not miss! The Celtics pulled off the biggest comeback of the NBA Season so far and got the win, 118-110!

Quick Hitters

• 👋 Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State, will join Raiders as OC

• 👏 Iowa stuns No. 4 USC on same day as Caitlin Clark jersey retirement

• 🏈 Alabama hires a new OC with NFL experience

• 🏆️ A Lim Kim holds off Nelly Korda to win LPGA opener

What We’re Watching

🏀 NBA Monday! Nothing on Primetime TV but we’ve got some great cross-conference matchups across the Association!

• Rockets @ Knicks (7:30 PM ET), Bucks @ Thunder (8:00 PM ET), Magic @ Warriors (10:00 PM ET)

🏒 Solo Dolo Game in the NHL!

• We’ve got a bit of a gritfest! Senators @ Preds (7:30 PM ET)

🏀 College Basketball ranked action:

• Men’s: (3) Iowa State @ (11) Kansas (9:00 PM ET)

• Women’s: (10) Duke @ (17) N.C. State (7:00 PM ET)

⚽️ Fútbol!

• Premier League: Chelsea vs West Ham United (3:00 PM ET)

The Moment You’ve Been Waiting For

Can’t thank you enough for sticking to the end of this thing we call The Daily Stump. If you know anybody who might want this bit of daily juice in their life, send them this link, it would go a long way. Appreciate the hell out of you all!

Trees may get chopped. Stumps hold strong 🌴