Sports Express | Sep 15, 2026 Kawhi Leonard Trade Official, Returns to Raptors

1. Kawhi Leonard Trade Official as Raptors Welcome Back 2019 Champion

The long wait is over for Toronto Raptors fans. The Kawhi Leonard trade back to Toronto officially went through Monday afternoon, 76 days after it was agreed to in principle, 67 days after it was paused, and 12 days after the NBA wrapped up its investigation. General manager Bobby Webster said in a statement that the team was thrilled to welcome Leonard back to Toronto.

Under the deal as originally structured, Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft capital — unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a pick swap and two second-rounders — head to the Los Angeles Clippers, while Leonard returns to the team he led to the 2019 championship. The year-long investigation into alleged salary-cap circumvention ended with Leonard being fined just $700,000.

It has been a winding three months. The Raptors remained confident throughout, waiting after the league's ruling for the Clippers to accept their punishment and re-engage. The Clippers forfeited five first-round picks in the case, and their owner and president of basketball operations were suspended.

Source

2. Kenneth Walker Tops NFL Rushing as Broncos Adjust Rotation

Kansas City Chiefs newcomer Kenneth Walker made an instant impact in Monday night's season opener, finishing as the NFL's rushing-yards leader after his first game with the team and leading the Chiefs' offense. PFF's recap noted Walker sits atop the league in rushing yards.

The Denver Broncos, meanwhile, adjusted their offense. They trimmed last season's three-man backfield to a two-man rotation, with J.K. Dobbins as the early-down back and RJ Harvey handling third-down and two-minute work, leaving fourth-round pick Jonah Coleman out of the mix. Denver also traded a first-round pick for receiver Jaylen Waddle in the offseason.

Source

3. Yankees Clinch Playoff Berth for Third Straight Year as Judge Returns

Despite being without star slugger Aaron Judge for more than three months, the New York Yankees clinched a postseason berth for the third straight year. After the Blue Jays lost to the Tigers and New York beat the Twins the same day, the Yankees punched their ticket while seeking their first World Series title since 2009. The New York Mets were eliminated.

Judge went down with a stress fracture in his rib at the end of May and returned Sept. 8 against the Rockies; the Yankees went 45-39 in his absence. Ben Rice has hit 38 home runs (seventh in MLB), and trade-deadline pickup Luis Garcia Jr. added power. New York leads MLB with a 3.24 ERA, with AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler anchoring the staff.

Source

4. NFL Ties Week 1 Scoring Record for Super Bowl Era

Thanks to the Chiefs and Broncos combining for 41 points Monday night, the 2026 NFL season's opening week produced 791 total points, tying the 2012 record for the most Week 1 points in the Super Bowl era. Teams had averaged 50.0 combined points per game entering Monday's finale, which brought the average down to 49.4.

Offense exploded all weekend. Caleb Williams and the Bears dropped 59 points on the Panthers, who scored 37 in a 96-point game — the highest-scoring Week 1 game in league history. The Ravens scored 41 against the Colts, the Bills beat the Texans 36-31, and the Vikings scored 22 points in 2:46 of the fourth quarter in a 39-22 win over the Packers.

Source

5. Canadiens Extend Coach Martin St. Louis Through 2029-30

The Montreal Canadiens signed head coach Martin St. Louis to a multi-year contract extension Monday. Entering the final year of his deal, the 51-year-old from Laval, Que., is now under contract through the 2029-30 season, after guiding the team to consecutive playoff berths and last year's Eastern Conference final.

St. Louis was hired on an interim basis in February 2022 following Dominique Ducharme's dismissal, his first NHL head-coaching job. Captain Nick Suzuki called him "probably my favourite coach, ever." St. Louis is now the NHL's fourth-longest-tenured active coach, with a 163-155-47 record. He won the Hart and Art Ross trophies and a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2003-04.

Source

6. Oilers Rookies Beat Flames 6-1 in Battle of Alberta Opener

The Edmonton Oilers rookies routed the Calgary Flames rookies 6-1 in the first round of the Battle of Alberta prospects matchup. Quinn Hutson delivered an A-plus performance, contributing smart penalty-kill work and a power-play goal to lead the Oilers' attack.

Several Oilers prospects stood out: Tomas Cibulka impressed with his skating and puck-moving, Isaac Howard heated up and scored as the game progressed, and goaltenders Eemil Vinni and Samuel Jonsson made a series of key saves to protect the win.

Source

7. Calgary to Host 2027 Winter X Games

Calgary will host the first-ever Canadian X Games from Feb. 19 to 21, 2027, at WinSport Canada Olympic Park. It will be the second stop of the three-city debut of the MoonPay X Games League winter season, with top skiers and snowboarders competing in Big Air, Knuckle Huck, Slopestyle and Superpipe.

CEO Jeremy Bloom said more than 222 million people worldwide call themselves X Games fans. For the first time, athletes in these sports will receive salary, health-insurance stipends and paid travel, with $3.3 million going to athletes this year. Broadcaster Craig McMorris called it Calgary's biggest winter sports event since the 1988 Olympics.

Source

8. Senators Closing In on Eight-Year Extension with Drake Batherson

Multiple sources indicate the Ottawa Senators are closing in on an eight-year extension with 33-goal scorer Drake Batherson. The deal is believed to average between $10.5 million and $11 million per season, which would be the largest contract in franchise history.

The signing comes ahead of Tuesday night's CBA deadline. Under new rules, the maximum term for a team's own free agents drops from eight years to seven, and from seven to six for players signing elsewhere. Unresolved 2026-27 cases such as Adam Fantilli (Columbus) and Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim) could also be settled before the deadline.

Source

9. Travis Kelce Now Second All-Time in TE Receiving Yards

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reached a career milestone Monday night. His second catch of 2026 went 59 yards, his longest since 2021. With that reception, Kelce passed Jason Witten for second all-time in receiving yards by a tight end, at 13,067.

Tony Gonzalez holds the record with 15,127. Kelce's long catch moved the Chiefs to the 4-yard line, but Jahdae Barron prevented a touchdown, and Harrison Butker's 28-yard field goal gave Kansas City the points.

Source

10. Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer Accepts Penalties and Apologizes

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer released a statement Sunday night saying he and the team will comply with the NBA's penalties and will not pursue legal action. He apologized to Clippers fans, saying the fine has been paid and the organization is ready to move forward.

The league's year-long investigation found four instances of the Clippers using their leverage to arrange "no-show" endorsement contracts for Kawhi Leonard to circumvent the salary cap. The penalties include surrendering five first-round picks (2029 through 2033), a $30 million fine, and a one-year suspension for Ballmer. The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation, and the SEC has launched its own probe.

Source