Good Morning, Stumpers!

We’ve got a nice assortment of sports to report on today. Not only did we have an NBA Double Header last night, but we also had some Neymar news, news that involves him returning home! We also take a look at the Rangers on the ice, and a song that will wake you up this Saturday morning! Make sure to take some breaths of fresh air today! Let’s STUMP!

Today’s Rundown

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

• 👑 The Prince of Santos has returned

• ⭐️ Stars shining all over the NBA last night

• 🏒 A homegrown star returns to New York

• 🎵 A Saturday morning song to get you running through a wall

On This Day

On This Day…

🏀 Stockton Dishes To The Top!

On This Day in 1995, we had a new leader in the All-Time ASSIST column! Utah Jazz guard John Stockton surpassed Magic Johnson’s all-time mark of 9,220 career assists in their 129-98 win over the Denver Nuggets in Salt Lake City.

Stockton ended his career with 15,806 assists, more than 3,500 assists than the next person on the list. This mark is sure to stand for awhile, as no active players are really all that close.

Trivia Time

🧠 Test your sports knowledge…

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: (C) Tiffany & Co. Since the first Super Bowl in 1967, the company has been making and distributing the coveted NFL Lombardi Trophy!

Before We Dive In…

👀 Here’s Yesterday’s MUST-See’s

• 🤯 CRAZY finish in Pelicans vs. Celtics

• 👽️ Wemby is just trying stuff man… and it’s WORKING

• 🏖️ Justin Thomas from the BUNKER!

• 🏀 Tyrese Maxey on Nikola Jokic!

The Hot Stove

A Homecoming Like No Other

👑 The Prince Has Returned

What to know: For weeks now, speculation has taken over the international soccer world as Neymar looked for his next club after terminating his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. It turns out, all roads lead back home.

Neymar grew up in Sao Paulo, where Santos soccer is everything. He grew up in the shadow of the king of Santos, legendary Brazilian and international soccer star Pele, who played 18 of his 21 professional seasons with the club. He was everything to Santos, and then Neymar arrived. A young Brazilian who was making shockwaves through the city since he was just a small boy, he was vaunted as the prodigal son, the Prince of Santos.

He played his first 5 years for the club that Pele built, the prince finally leading the club. He scored 107 goals in 177 appearances, both career highs for Neymar. Now, he’ll return to the club that he grew up around, likely to finish his career. This week, he signed a six month, the prince has returned.

Neymar, who wore number 11 during his first tenure with the club, will now wear the iconic number 10, the number Pele won during his long career with the club. A celebration took place last night in Estadio Urbano Caldeira, the home of Santos football club, to welcome back their hero. It was a moment for Neymar, but also his family, the fans, the club, and his country.

Now, the question remains, can Neymar lead his club back to glory? Or will this just be one last trip under the sun? Either way, it’ll be a beautiful moment seeing the boyhood legend step onto the pitch donning the legendary jersey once again.

NHL Trade Deadline

🏒 Rangers Bring Back Miller ; Prep for Playoff Push

What to know: The Rangers, an early season favorite to win the Stanley Cup, saw themselves fall out of playoff contention in this season’s first half. Now, New York sits just five points back of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. To fuel a playoff run, the Rangers went out yesterday and made a massive blockbuster move to bring back forward JT Miller from the Vancouver Canucks.

Miller, who was a first-round pick by the Rangers in 2011, spent the first six seasons of his career in the Big Apple. Miller joined the Canucks ahead of the 2019-2020 season and inked a massive seven-year contract extension prior to the 2023 season. Now, the former Ranger will look to aid in the push to the playoffs.

Miller had been the subject of trade talks for basically the whole season, so some sort of relief must be coming to his camp now that he is finally on the move. Miller was the second-leading scorer in Vancouver this season with nine goals and 35 points. The Rangers sent back forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victo Mancini, and a 2025 first-round draft pick.

The Rangers expect Miller to be in the starting lineup today against the Bruins, a quick turnaround for a familiar face.

NBA

🏀 Coast to Coast ESPN Doubleheader

What to know: There was lots of star power to show off in last nights ESPN Doubleheader, who showed up and who didn’t?

Nuggets @ Sixers: Two teams who are at different points in their seasons battled last night in Philly. The Sixers are in the midst of a six-game homestand, while Denver is on the tail end of a five-game east coast road trip.

The Nuggets had lost three straight heading into last night, but an all-around effort from Denver gave them the edge. Denver had 5 different players with 15 or more points, including two of which came off the bench. A late Nikola Jokic three ball put the Nuggets up three, and the Nuggets wouldn’t give up the lead again.

The Sixers continue to impress without Paul George and Joel Embiid, as Kelly Oubre Jr. and Guerschon Yabusele continue to prove themselves as big time offensive producers. Yabusele especially played above the mark last night, putting in 28 points on 64% shooting. Maxey, once again, put on an offensive masterclass with 42 points. Nuggets 137, Sixers 134.

Suns @ Warriors: Two days after their big win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors welcomed in to town the Phoenix Suns. Both teams are a couple notches lower than where they would like to be in the West, but the Suns have been building some momentum winning 8 of their last 11.

Despite GSW’s recent STUMPSET, they were not able to stop the red hot Suns! Booker (31), Durant (19), and Beal (21), combined for 71 points for Phoenix. Newly acquired Center Nick Richards has been a monster for them as well hauling in 16 rebounds to go with his 14 points.

Despite the 8th Seed, the Suns are slowly putting something together before the All-Star break. The Suns got the win, 130-105.

With the trade deadline coming up, both teams have been in talks of making a move. Could that be Jimmy Butler? Who knows! But with all-time greats on both teams, these are teams you wouldn’t want to line up again in the postseason.

Quick Hitters

• 🤕 Dejounte Murray suffers season-ending season for Pelicans

• 🏈 Cowboys add Arizona OL coach as new OC

• 🏆️ Tennis legends’ trophies returned amid wildfire theft

• 🏈 Jets hire former Lions staffer to be their offensive play caller

What We’re Watching

🏀 Saturday NBA Slate!

• Primetime ABC Showdown, Lakers @ Knicks (8:30 PM ET)! The Knicks try and keep their four-game home win streak alive against the suddenly 5-Seed in the West!

• More Action: Kings @ Thunder (8:00 PM ET), Heat @ Spurs (8:30 PM ET), Suns @ Trail Blazers (10:00 PM ET)

🏒 Early Primetime NHL Double Header!

• Blackhawks @ Panthers (1:00 PM ET), Rangers @ Bruins (3:30 PM ET), both on ABC before the Lakers-Knicks game! What a day for ABC!

🏀 College Basketball ranked action:

• Men’s: (5) Florida @ (8) Tennessee (12:00 PM ET), (20) Missouri @ (14) Miss St (1:00 PM ET), (1) Auburn @ (23) Ole Miss (2:00 PM ET), UNC @ (2) Duke (6:30 PM ET), (25) UConn @ (9) Marquette (8:00 PM ET),

• Women’s: (24) Oklahoma St. @ (21) West Virginia (12:00 PM ET)

⛳️ AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM

• Here is the leaderboard after 2 days! It’s MOVING DAY! Can’t believe that golf is all the way back!

⚽️ What’s Cooking Across The Pond?

• Premier League: Newcastle vs Fulham (10:00 AM ET), Everton vs Leicester City (10:00 AM ET), AFC Bournemouth vs Liverpool (10:00 AM ET)

• La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs Mallorca (12:30 PM ET), Espanyol vs Real Madrid (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 🌴