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Donovan Mitchell said it's "comforting" being in Cleveland after dealing with racial issues as a member of the Utah Jazz, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape:

It's no secret there's a lot of stuff that I dealt with being in Utah off the floor. If I'm being honest with you, I never really said this, but it was draining. It was just draining on my energy just because you can't sit in your room and cheer for me and then do all these different things. I'm not saying specifically every fan, but I just feel like it was a lot of things.

Mitchell spent his first five NBA seasons with the Jazz, earning three All-Star selections before an offseason trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He noted that having a larger proportion of "people that look like me" in the crowds at Cavs games is a "blessing" after playing in front of predominantly white crowds in Utah. A census in 2021 estimated the white population in Salt Lake City at 72.5 percent, whereas Cleveland was said to have 47.4 percent Black or African American residents.

"I tried my best to make sure I invite young Black and brown kids to games, to be around the community," he said. "But just to not see us there, it was definitely tough. And being in Cleveland now, you see us courtside. It's just refreshing."

Mitchell said he experienced multiple off-court issues in Utah, including criticism from an Instagram post about Juneteenth and being called out by Utah Senate President Stuart Adams.

"As far as Utah, it became a lot to have to deal with on a nightly basis," Mitchell said. "I got pulled over once. I got an attitude from a cop until I gave him my ID. And that forever made me wonder what happens to the young Black kid in Utah that doesn't have that power to just be like, 'This is who I am.' And that was one of the things for me that I took to heart."

The 26-year-old, who originally hails from New York, has enjoyed his time with the Cavaliers and spending time in the community, noting he has attended a high school game (as he previously did in Utah) in addition to other sporting events.

Mitchell is also thriving on the court, averaging a career-best 29.3 points per game while helping Cleveland start the year with a 21-11 record.

On Jan. 10, he returns to Salt Lake City with the Cavaliers to take on the Jazz. Mitchell said he is "excited" to return: "You're there for five years. You lay roots there as far as relationships you build in the organization and with different people in the community. To come back again and play in front of the crowd will be dope."

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and All Elite Wrestling.

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Sasha Banks Headed to Japan Early

While it's the wrestling world's worst-kept secret that Sasha Banks will be making her New Japan debut at Wrestle Kingdom, she's apparently getting a jumpstart on her new career by heading over to Japan early.

Hiraki Sawa reported in a since-deleted tweet that Banks will head over to Japan this week in hopes of landing sponsorship deals with Japanese companies.

A Grand Slam champion during her tenure in WWE, it appears Banks is set for a full-scale world tour after abruptly leaving the company alongside Naomi in May. While there has been no confirmation she will step into the ring during her New Japan appearance, it's been suggested that Banks could go one-on-one with KAIRI for the IWGP women's championship.

There has also been buzz about Banks potentially joining AEW, likely as Saraya's mystery partner at the Jan. 11 edition of Dynamite in Los Angeles. It's noteworthy that no one within AEW has gone out of their way to tamp down the buzz, and the company rarely fails to deliver in these hyped-up moments.

At the very least, we'll all be getting Sasha Banks—or whatever her new moniker is—on our screens very soon and that's a win.

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Bronson Reed Makes Surprising WWE Return

Of all the possible endings to Monday's ladder match between The Miz and Dexter Loomis, no one predicted this one.

Bronson Reed made his shocking return to WWE as Loomis was preparing for victory, handing the victory to The Miz in exchange for a heaping pile of cash.

Reed was released by WWE last year as part of across-the-board cuts at the NXT brand, and he wasted no time flourishing after his departure. The Australian spent time in Impact but made his biggest impact (pun intended) in New Japan, where he defeated Kazuchika Okada in perhaps the most surprising result of this year's G1.

It didn't take any time for Wrestling Twitter to point out it's a bit of a downgrade going from winning against Okada to being The Miz's hired hand, but Reed clearly secured a hefty bag—both in kayfabe and real life—for his services.

Hopefully we'll get to see a more complete version of Reed during his second WWE run.

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Matt Cardona Praises Cody Rhodes

Since his 2020 WWE release, Matt Cardona has not been shy about putting his body on the line. His "king of the deathmatch" gimmick got him over big time in GCW and was one of the best heel storylines of 2021.

While Cody Rhodes defeating Seth Rollins in Hell in a Cell didn't quite present the visual brutality of a deathmatch against Nick Gage, it was likely the most physical pain any wrestler has gone through during a match in 2022.

Cardona heaped praise on Rhodes, a longtime friend, and called the moment "iconic."

"He had to do that match," Cardona said on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. "Was it the smartest for his health? Maybe not, but it was such an iconic moment. And it really showed that he had the balls and passion for pro wrestling. I think he gained a lot of people's respect if he didn't have it already."

Rhodes has been out of action since the night after Hell in a Cell, though he should be primed for a return in the coming month or so.

Cardona could also be finding his way back to WWE sooner than later. While nothing has been confirmed, his wife, Chelsea Green, is reportedly on the precipice of returning to the company.

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said on his wife Kelly Stafford's podcast The Morning After that he is not retiring from the NFL.

Here it is from Matthew himself on retirement: pic.twitter.com/S3hUsHlArR

— HoldenCantor (@HoldenCantor) December 20, 2022

The Rams placed Stafford on injured reserve Dec. 3 because of a neck injury, and his status going forward was uncertain.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Nov. 27 that the Rams didn't know if Stafford would play again in 2022, noting he'd been in concussion protocol twice, had a strained neck and also experienced numbness in his legs.

The injuries have contributed to a lost year for Stafford, who has just 10 touchdown passes and eight interceptions in nine starts. His 87.4 passer rating is his lowest since 2014, while his 231.9 passing yards per game only beats his first two years in the NFL.

The numbers are a dramatic change from 2021 when he totaled 4,886 passing yards and 41 touchdowns, leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title in his first season in L.A.

Stafford underwent a procedure on his right elbow in the offseason and was limited in training camp as he recovered. Though he was back on the field in Week 1, he seemingly never returned to 100 percent.

The Rams have struggled with and without their starting quarterback, and they fell to 4-10 and were eliminated from playoff contention with Monday's loss to the Green Bay Packers. That makes it unnecessary for Stafford to return this season, but he wants to get back on the field in 2023.

The 34-year-old signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension in March, featuring $130 million in guaranteed money. If Los Angeles wanted to trade or release Stafford, it would cost the team at least $48 million in dead cap, per Spotrac.

Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, John Wolford and Bryce Perkins give the team options to finish out the year, although all three are set to enter free agency this offseason.

The Baltimore Orioles outperformed preseason predictions in 2022, finishing above .500 with a 83-79 record, and if their approach to this offseason is any indication, the club appears poised to lean heavier on the formula that got them there.

The O's are reportedly listening to trade offers for Jorge Mateo, the talented utility player with an ability to fill in at shortstop, second base or in the outfield, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Mondays are lame. Jorge Mateo’s defense is not.pic.twitter.com/pa6NbzLtxD

— Birds Watcher (@BirdsWatcherFS) December 19, 2022

His plate discipline was nearly nonexistent in 2022, when he struck out a staggering 147 times. What he does offer potential suitors is the athleticism that allowed him to tally a career-high 35 stolen bases this past season. That the 27-year-old is an above-average defender and really shined in that area only enhances his appeal to clubs.

Mateo is the latest in a long line of players the Orioles have brought on board for little, given a platform to showcase their ability and then entertain offers based on the potential shown in Baltimore.

Elsewhere in Major League Baseball's free-agency period, the Birds have remained fairly quiet. They signed versatile defender Adam Frazier, formerly of the Pirates, Padres and Mariners, and brought Mychal Givens back into the fold two years after trading him to Colorado.

After trading Mychal Givens in 2020, Mike Elias said the reliever would be "an Oriole for life."

Now Givens is back in orange and black. https://t.co/PyzgPRqLkg pic.twitter.com/Dx20Dvj59o

— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) December 20, 2022

Neither of those acquisitions broke the bank nor filled a hole on the team's roster. The Orioles resisted the urge to jump at any of the top-tier free agents available this offseason, with their only real link being to pitcher Carlos Rodón, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. That connection fell apart when it became clear that the eventual Yankee signee wanted a longer-term contract and would get a monster deal from one of the more prominent free-agency wheeler and dealers.

And why wouldn't they?

The Orioles bounced back from one of their worst seasons ever in 2021 in one year, thanks to the emergence of 2019 draft picks Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson.

Your Most Valuable Oriole is of course...Adley Rutschman

The former #1 pick has wasted no time becoming the savior of the franchise. After not debuting until May 21, he still leads the team in both walks and doubles. The O's are 59-47 when he starts and 23-31 when he doesn't. pic.twitter.com/jgXAfzZwpL

— Rose Mountkatzle (@NaturallyKatz11) October 4, 2022

Cedric Mullins, a 2015 draft pick by the organization, went on to win the Silver Slugger Award in 2021 and gained a spot on the AL All-Star squad. He finished ninth in MVP voting.

Rougned Odor followed a different path to Baltimore, having played the majority of his career in Texas before a stop with the Yankees. He enjoyed his best batting average (.207) since 2018 last season.

Manager Brandon Hyde has put his players in a position to play winning baseball, and the front office resisted the urge to take a risk on a high-priced free agent and potentially ruin the chemistry that made the O's one of the most intriguing watches of the year.

Whether they can replicate the magic of last season in a division with a Yankees team that appears much improved and a dangerous Toronto Blue Jays squad remains to be seen.

The team knows what it is, understands what it wants to be and does not appear to be interested in jeopardizing that, even with "big fish" free agents available. If 2022 taught Hyde and general manager Mike Elias anything, they are heading in the right direction.

Wally Szczerbiak did not hold back when it came to Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Haliburton missed a potential go-ahead jumper in the final seconds of Sunday's 109-106 loss to the New York Knicks. Szczerbiak, who works for the Knicks' television broadcasts, called Haliburton "mister supposed wannabe fake All-Star" before suggesting New York players are more deserving of making this season's All-Star Game (h/t Basket News).

"He's a very good player; he's not going to make the All-Star team," he said. "Guys like Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson will make it over Tyrese Haliburton, and tonight we saw why."

Haliburton finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 assists, although he was just 5-of-16 from the field.

Still, he is very much in All-Star contention with averages of 19.5 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals for a Pacers team that is in position to make the play-in tournament at 15-16.

The 22-year-old has not achieved that honor yet but could be in line to make far more All-Star Games during his career than the one that Szczerbiak did during a 10-season career that included stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The betting odds have shifted in favor of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to win NFL MVP at the end of the 2022 season. That's because an injury has occurred to the previous front-runner.

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is dealing with a right shoulder sprain that could prevent him from playing in Week 16 against the Chicago Bears, according to ESPN's Tim McManus. The ailment is "not considered a long-term injury," per McManus, but it could impact Hurts' chances of winning NFL MVP.

It's highly likely that the award will be going to a quarterback, unless something major happens over the final three weeks of the regular season to change that. Mahomes and Hurts are the top betting favorites, but the Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen and the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow are also in the conversation.

Here's a look at the latest NFL MVP odds, followed by predictions for how the award race will shake out at the end of the regular season.

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Latest NFL MVP Odds

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: -350 (bet $350 to win $100)

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: +550 (bet $100 to win $550)

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen: +550

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow: +600

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa: +10000

Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson: +10000

Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert: +13000

Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill: +20000

Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: +20000

San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey: +25000

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

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Predictions

If Hurts ends up playing 16 games this season (or perhaps 17, if he ends up being able to suit up this week), there's still a good chance he'll win NFL MVP. The 24-year-old is having a tremendous season and has been instrumental to the Eagles going 13-1 thus far.

However, it doesn't seem likely Hurts will play that much, even if the injury isn't a long-term issue for him.

Philadelphia has already clinched a playoff berth, and it has a three-game lead over the second-place Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. The Eagles should clinch the division title soon. And they also have a two-game advantage for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Assuming that Philadelphia can clinch that top spot before Week 18, there may be no reason to play Hurts in the finale, especially if he isn't at 100 percent. It may prevent him from earning his first NFL MVP honor, but the Eagles' goal is to win the Super Bowl, and they need Hurts healthy in order to have a chance to do that.

So that's why Mahomes has emerged as the clear favorite to win MVP for the second time in his six-year NFL career. The Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West, but they're 11-3, just like the Bills. Those two teams may be competing for the No. 1 seed (and the first-round bye that comes with it) all the way through Week 18.

That will give Mahomes more opportunities to rack up impressive numbers. Of course, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid believed his quarterback was the NFL MVP front-runner even before the news of Hurts' injury came out.

"If he's not the MVP in the league, I'm not sure what's wrong with them," Reid said following the Chiefs' win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.

Mahomes has been building a strong case. Through 14 games, the 27-year-old has thrown for 4,496 yards and 35 touchdowns, both NFL highs.

Kansas City closes out the regular season with games against the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, none of which have records above .500. So things are set up well for Mahomes and the Chiefs to have a strong finish.

Once that happens, it will be clear that Mahomes should be named NFL MVP, especially because Hurts' stats won't go up for however long he's sidelined.

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Damian Lillard is the greatest scorer in Portland Trail Blazers history.

The guard needed just 21 points during Monday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder to pass Clyde Drexler's franchise record of 18,040 points. He tied the record with a three-pointer in the third quarter and later secured it with a free throw.

"It's a great feeling to reach the top," Lillard said, per ESPN. "It's been a goal of mine, and the list has so many players, great history of our organization, so to finally be No. 1 is a special accomplishment that I'm proud of."

Unfortunately for Portland, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoiled its night with a buzzer-beater to give the Thunder the 123-121 win.

Still, much of the focus was on Lillard after he finished with 28 points, six assists and three rebounds on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 shooting from deep.

"No disrespect to Clyde—he's one of the all-time greats—but even if Dame didn't pass him, I feel like Dame is still the greatest Blazer ever," center Jusuf Nurkić said, per Jason Quick of The Athletic. "When you put everything together—the way he plays the game, what he does off the court, everything—he's a one of a kind player. Hopefully he retires here."

Lillard didn't shy from the record ahead of the contest.

"It means something to me in my heart," he told reporters. "To have something in the history books and record books, it will mean something."

Both Lillard and Drexler are members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, and the latter is a Hall of Famer with an NBA title he won with the Houston Rockets. Lillard is still working on that championship, but he will surely join his fellow Trail Blazers great in the Hall of Fame one day.

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have moved on to different teams, and the guard explained there is no lingering hatred between the former Utah Jazz teammates.

"Honestly, basketball just didn't work," he said, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. "We live in such a world where it has to be really negative. Basketball just didn't work. We didn't see eye to eye. We wanted to both win, but we wanted to do it two different ways. It didn't work. But as far as him and I go as people, I don't hate him, and he doesn't hate me."

Mitchell also said he will hug Gobert when they see each other, adding: "There's no hatred. There's no ill will towards any of that."

Still, there was no shortage of reports about tension between the two star players when they were together with the Jazz. Utah traded Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves this past offseason.

The pair played five seasons together and made the playoffs each time. However, the Jazz never made it past the second round during that stretch. It seemed like they finally would in 2020-21 when they finished with the best record in the NBA, but they lost to the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.

Mitchell's Cavaliers are 21-11, which is the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Perhaps he can make a conference final in his first season without Gobert.

Two straight victories against the 3-11 Chicago Bears and 4-10 Los Angeles Rams has Aaron Rodgers believing his 6-8 Green Bay Packers can make the playoffs.

"We've got two," he said after Monday's win over the Rams, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "Got two in the bag. I don't know. Look, before the Bears week, we knew we had a bye afterwards, and those of us who sometimes peek ahead knew that we had to win five and then have a lot of things go our way. So, we've won two and just about everything we needed to happen has gone our way. Just about, right? So, things are looking up."

He also said he thinks the team can win out even with more difficult games against the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions to finish the season.

"I do, yeah, I do, I do," Rodgers said. "Now we're going to play three better football teams, but I do. Definitely."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPzDUMziWe0

While the two-game winning streak can be partially attributed to the level of competition, Green Bay looks much better than the version of itself that lost five straight and seven of eight following a 3-1 start.

The Washington Commanders have the last wild-card spot at 7-6-1, and the 7-7 Lions and Seattle Seahawks are both ahead of the Packers as well.

Rodgers and Co. will likely have to win the rest of their games and finish 9-8, but one of the best quarterbacks of all time believes is within the team's grasp.