Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images Sydney Colson is the latest WNBA free agent to sign with the Fever. The Indiana Fever has crushed the WNBA offseason so far. They’ve retained their effective core of Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Caitlin Clark — and added Natasha Howard and DeWanna Bonner via free agency and Sophie Cunningham via trade. The team — which will be led by veteran head coach Stephanie White next season — is already poised to contend for a championship. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Alexa Phillippou reported that guard Sydney Colson has also joined Indiana — adding a two-time champion to a roster that went from having very limited playoff experience to several players with multiple titles (Howard, Bonner, and now, Colson). Breaking: 2x-time WNBA champion Sydney Colson is signing a one-year deal with the Indiana Fever, her agent, LIFT Sports’ Gina Paradiso, told ESPNColson, who spent the last 3 seasons in Las Vegas, brings veteran pedigree and experience in the backcourt to a surging Fever squad pic.twitter.com/8SwwsmKPF2— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) February 4, 2025 What Sydney Colson brings to Indiana Colson won’t make or break the Fever’s season on the court — for her career, she averages 2.8 points on 40.4% shooting in 10.5 minutes. But, she’s been described as a superb teammate and great locker room presence throughout her 13-year career. At 35, Colson is no longer in her prime. But, the 5’8 guard can still serve as a reliable backup, and she also brings with her the experiences and wisdom from the Las Vegas Aces’ two championship runs. Colson has played on four WNBA teams during her tenure and instantly becomes someone who can provide mentorship to the teams’ younger guards on or off the floor. Colson is also known as an elite basketball mind — and someone who’s enjoyed a long career despite being drafted in the second round (by the Connecticut Sun, who then traded her to the New York Liberty on draft night). Sydney Colson will benefit from the bright lights in Indiana The move is a win for Colson, who gets to contend for a championship on a team that should be now of the few with a legitimate shot at a title. It’s also a win for her given the fact that the number of eyes on Indiana is massive — Fever games were by far the most watched games last season, and the fame and excitement that Caitlin Clark brought with her to the WNBA raised the profile of nearly all of her teammates last season. Colson, who has a larger-than-life personality and a very humourous Twitter presence will become even more well-known among more casual basketball fans as she acclimates to Indiana next season. The move should provide her with a slew of off-court opportunities down the road as well — ones she was probably headed toward anyways, but nonetheless will be bolstered by playing on the most watched team in women’s basketball. M Many of Clark’s teammates have become more well-known (and beloved) in part as a result of being on the superstar’s team, with players like Lexie Hull and Kate Martin both demonstrating that phenomenon. Both players became fan favorites on their own accord and largely due to their impressive on-court play — but playing for Iowa and the Fever, respectively, simply ensured they’d be exposed to a much larger audience of potential supporters. Fans jokingly refer to Colson as the “face of the WNBA” and Colson has also been one of the most well-known players to play in Athletes Unlimited, a month-long professional women’s basketball league that takes place in the WNBA offseason. As such, the free agency signing is a win for both Colson and the Indiana Fever. The only ones it’s probably not a win for? The Las Vegas Aces, who enjoyed great locker room chemistry camaraderie throughout their past few seasons. Sydney Colson is a great friend of three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and was a locker-room staple throughout both of the Aces’ championship runs. The Aces have already shaken up last year’s roster quite a bit, most notably swapping Kelsey Plum for Jewell Loyd. But, this move eliminates yet another player from an Aces roster that saw great success.

Nick Taylor celebrates after making a birdie on the first playoff hole at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open. | Photo by Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Defending champion Nick Taylor feels as cool, calm, and collected as ever in Phoenix. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There is nothing Nick Taylor wanted to do more than represent his home country at the Presidents Cup last fall. He had never played for the International Team before, so playing for Mike Weir at Royal Montreal would have been a dream come true. And given what transpired last year at TPC Scottsdale, where Taylor knocked off Charley Hoffman in a playoff, his spot on the team seemed all but guaranteed. He flexed his clutch genes down the stretch, making five birdies over his last six holes — two being in the playoff — which helped him leap up to 28th in the Official World Golf Rankings and among the top 10 in the FedEx Cup. His path to the Presidents Cup was clear. He had all of Canada cheering him on too. Eight months before his win at The People’s Open in Scottsdale, Taylor became a Canadian hero. He defeated Tommy Fleetwood by making a 72-footer for eagle to win the 2023 RBC Canadian Open on the fourth extra hole, becoming the first Canadian to win this event in 69 years. It was cause for a national extravaganza, so much so that tournament officials permanently changed the logo to represent Taylor’s silhouette of his celebration. All this is to say that Taylor felt an insurmountable amount of pressure after his win in Phoenix in 2024. He kept looking ahead to both the Presidents Cup and the Olympics, worrying about what it would look like if he did not make either team. “In golf, that’s not a great thing,” Taylor said Tuesday. With his future weighing on him throughout the spring and summer, Taylor struggled, barely looking like the player who willed his way to victory in Toronto and Scottsdale. He missed the cut at Augusta National, then proceeded to miss the cut at both the PGA Championship and RBC Canadian Open. More missed cuts followed at the U.S. Open and The Open Championship at Royal Troon, and suddenly, Taylor found himself outside of the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings. “I think the months leading up to [the Presidents Cup], there was just probably too much pressure putting on myself to try to prove myself to be on that team, even though I was obviously in the standings high enough where I had the potential to have a pick,” Taylor said. His form was terrible, and Weir decided to pass Taylor by. “Memphis was disappointing because I did not make the top 50, and then right after that, I did not get a pick [for the International Team]; that was a couple of gut punches, so then I reassessed. I didn’t think I needed to reinvent the wheel with my golf game; I just felt like there was some outside stuff — I felt like the whole thing last year was trying to qualify for things,” Taylor explained Tuesday. “I just worked a little harder on the mental side, tried to tweak up a few things mechanically in my golf swing, and it’s never a guarantee for success when you come out, but to have a hot start has obviously been nice.” Those improvements have since helped Taylor immensely. Just last month, he began his 2025 season with a vengeance, winning the Sony Open in Hawaii in — yep, you guessed it — another playoff. He miraculously chipped in for eagle on the 18th hole to finish at 16-under, tying Nico Echavarria to force extra holes. Then, on the second playoff hole, Taylor made a terrific up-and-down for birdie from 46 yards out while Echavarria three-putted for par, thus giving the Canadian his fifth career PGA Tour victory. “We’re excited to have a year where I was just playing a normal PGA Tour schedule,” Taylor explained. “I’m not trying to qualify for the Olympics. I’m not trying to qualify for the Presidents Cup team and have that be in the back of my mind. It’s just let’s go play as good as I can and stick to what I know is best for my game and my results.” That mentality has paid dividends so far. His win at Waialae secured his schedule for the rest of the year, as Taylor will now play in every Signature Event. “For me, when I play golf, if I’m trying to protect against bad things or protect a lead, it’s not great for me,” Taylor added. “I’m better when I’m actually trying to chase things down. I think that’s what I settled into last year, the last few months, of trying to protect the spot I was in on the team or trying not to play bad, which is never a good thing. I’ve tried to learn as much as I can from it and hopefully not kind of settle back into that ever again.” Whenever defending champions at a tournament speak during their press conference, they often feel tense or pressured to play well in their defense. Regardless of the tournament, the limelight shines brighter on them, adding stress to their week. That’s just the reality. They’re often placed in featured groups, too, which applies to Taylor this week. He will play alongside Hideki Matsuyama and Jordan Spieth over the first two days. But Taylor looked as cool, calm, and collected as ever during his press conference in the media center below the TPC Scottsdale clubhouse. He looked relaxed, answered every question honestly, and even had a hilarious back-and-forth about the NFL towards the end of the session. “In the past, when I’ve struggled, if I have a poor start, I try to script ‘I’ve got to birdie this hole,’ or ‘I gotta par this or do that,’ and I try to leave that open and let things come. I think it’s helped with the acceptance part of golf, which you definitely need to be high level,” Taylor said. “A lot of stuff I feel like on the golf course I try to work on is with the mental side, having an open look of the future of essentially in that round, anything is possible.” Anything is possible — look no further than Taylor’s victories in Toronto, Scottsdale, and Honolulu over the past three years. But this is golf, a sport where everything can come crashing down all at once, which happened to Taylor as the 2024 season progressed. Now that he has experienced all of this, learned from it, and applied his strategies to his overall approach, Taylor feels zero pressure this week in the desert. That makes him a dangerous threat, almost as dangerous as his putter in a playoff. Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.

Tiger Woods and his mother Kultida Woods pose for a photo during the 2022 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction. | Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday that his mother Kultida had passed away. On Tuesday morning, Tiger Woods posted a somber note to his social media channels, announcing that his mother, Kultida, had passed away. She was 80 years old. Ever since Woods could first hold a club, his mother was right there by his side, supporting him every step of the way. At the highest of his highs and during the lowest of his lows, Kultida remained the stabilizing force for Tiger, shepherding him through life just as any mother would. She is also why Tiger wore red on Sundays, one of the defining characteristics that made him so great. You cannot visualize him winning without wearing red. It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning. My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was quick with the needle and a laugh. She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter,… pic.twitter.com/RoKd0fsM9J— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 4, 2025 “It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning,” Woods wrote on social media. “My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was quick with the needle and a laugh. She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible. She was loved by so many, but especially by her two grandchildren, Sam and Charlie. Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family. Love you Mom.” Kultida was by her son’s side all the way to the very end. She attended last week’s TGL match, in which Jupiter Links defeated Boston Common in overtime. Cameras even caught a hilarious interaction between Tiger and Kultida during pre-game warmups. Positive vibes only from @TigerWoods : ESPN/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/40dyRWRp4Q— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 28, 2025 “Hi, Mom!” Woods yelled. “Not gonna suck tonight! Okay?” One week later, the entire golf world paid their respects to Woods and his family, including the President of the United States. This is very sad. And is obviously sudden/unexpected. I had multiple interactions with Tida early in Tiger’s career. She LOVED her son. And I know it seems insignificant, but the last time she saw Tiger play “golf,” he won. Which meant something to her. https://t.co/zcWTt7ETzr— Matt Ginella (@MattGinella) February 4, 2025 Sorry to hear that @TigerWoods has lost his Mom. Anyone that’s been there understands that pain. Praying for her peaceful journey home. ️ https://t.co/40uwtseRrF— Donnie Simpson (@DonnieSimpson) February 4, 2025 Eloquent words from Tiger. RIP to his biggest fan and condolences to the Woods family. https://t.co/zNclqpoKgS— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGolf) February 4, 2025 Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images With officiating a big talking point ahead of Super Bowl 59, the NFL referee union blasted conspiracy theories as ‘insulting’ In the weeks leading up to Super Bowl LIX, NFL officiating has been a major storyline. As the Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC Championship Game, securing their spot in the Super Bowl by winning their 17th-consecutive one-score game, fans around the league called into question their streak of success and pointed to calls that went their way. Once such call was the spot on a fourth-down play involving Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the AFC Championship Game, as the Buffalo QB was ruled short on a quarterback sneak that ended a Bills’ drive. During his annual “State of the League” press conference on Monday ahead of Super Bowl LIX NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell blasted the theories about officiating as “ridiculous.” On Tuesday Scott Green, the Executive Director of the NFL Referees Association — the union representing NFL referees — went a step further, blasting such theories as “insulting and preposterous.” “Commissioner Goodell’s comments that it is ‘ridiculous’ to presume that NFL Officials are not doing everything possible to make the right call on every play is spot on,” began Green in a statement. “Officiating crews do not work the same team more than twice each regular season. It is insulting and preposterous to hear conspiracy theories that somehow 17 officiating crews consisting of 138 officials are colluding to assist one team.” “There are many things that fans can worry about over a 17-game season, such as coaching decisions, player injuries, the weather and, yes, even close called on incredible plays made by incredible athletes,” added Green. “But you can rest assured that on every single down, NFL Officials, both on the field and in the replay booth, are doing everything humanly possible to officiate every play correctly.” Ron Torbert is the referee for Super Bowl LIX, and this will be his second Super Bowl. His first came a few years ago in Super Bowl LVI, between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. Torbert is an attorney, and this will be his first Chiefs game this season. He was also part of the crew that worked the AFC Championship Game two years ago between the Bengals and the Chiefs, when Cincinnati defender Joseph Ossai was flagged for a late hit on Patrick Mahomes in the closing seconds. Mike Morton will be the umpire on this crew, and he will become the first NFL official to be part of a Super Bowl after playing in one himself, as Morton was a reserve linebacker for the 1999 Super Bowl XXXIV champion St. Louis Rams.

Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images The Mavericks got fleeced again in another surprising trade after Luka Doncic deal The Dallas Mavericks made another surprising trade just days after shocking the world by trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. The Mavericks traded Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. The second-round pick in the trade originally belonged to Philadelphia, and would currently be the No. 37 overall pick at the time of this trade. The Mavericks and Lakers were each expected to keep making moves ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. We’ve already pitched three trades the Lakers should make before the deadline. Mavs GM Nico Harrison said he made the Doncic trade in part because “defense wins championships,” and this deal is an extension of that philosophy once again. Let’s grade the Martin-for-Grimes swap for both the Sixers and Mavericks, and try to figure out both teams’ motivations for the deal. Mavericks trade grade for Quentin Grimes/Caleb Martin deal This quote is going to live in infamy if the Mavericks never win a championship with Anthony Davis. It’s also the logic that informs this latest move from Dallas: “I believe that defense wins championships,” Mavs GM Nico Harrison told ESPN regarding his motivation to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to… https://t.co/iPfQvA4str— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 2, 2025 Grimes has been a better offensive player than Martin this year. Grimes is five years younger. Martin still has a few things going for him here: he’s bigger, he’s a better defender, and he’s already signed to a long-term contract while Grimes will need a new contract this summer. Signing Martin to a four-year, $35 million contract away from the Miami Heat looked like a masterstroke for the 76ers this summer. Like just about everything in Sixers land this year, it turned out to be a big disappointment. Martin has had one of the worst years of his career amid a nightmare season for Philadelphia. The 29-year-old wing was always meant to help support superstars by doing the dirty work and spacing the floor, and Philly’s entire team has crumbled as Joel Embiid has been limited to only 13 games because of a knee injury. It was easy to imagine Martin’s tough-nosed defense being a wonderful addition to the nucleus of Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, but after Embiid’s injuries and George’s own physical downfall, maybe Martin never had a chance. Martin is shooting 37.9 percent from three at the time of the trade. He grades out as a positive defender in estimated plus/minus with a 72nd percentile ranking. At 6’5 with a strong frame and a 6’10 wingspan, he can matchup on bigger wing scorers as the Mavs rebuild their team around Davis and Kyrie Irving. Martin just isn’t a very good offensive player outside of his low volume shooting. His 53.1 true shooting is well below league-average, and he carries a low usage rate of only 14 percent. He can’t really do anything off the dribble, and he’s not going to create a shot for any of his teammates. The Mavericks really need shot creation after their ludicrous Doncic trade, and Grimes is the far better shot-creator. This move reeks of cheapness by the Mavs. The Doncic deal quietly got the team out of the luxury tax this year, and it seems likely they don’t want to increase payroll going forward if they were willing deal Grimes and a good second round pick for Martin. I doubt Grimes will command that much more than Martin on the open market this summer. He could get the mid-level exception, which is going to be about $14 million annually. Martin is making just under $10 million. Grimes is much more of a connective wing than a real shot creator, but you would think the Mavericks grimwould want some offensive upside out of their non-Kyrie guards after the Doncic trade. This trade is way, way, way lower stakes than the Lakers deal, but it’s still a head-scratcher for Dallas. Grade: C 76ers trade grade for Quentin Grimes acquisition Grimes has regained his status as a promising young player after a down year last season that saw him get traded from the New York Knicks to Detroit Pistons. Mavs GM Nico Harrison did well to pluck him away from Detroit by offering Tim Hardaway Jr.’s shooting in return. Last week, it was easy to figure Grimes would be a long-term piece for Dallas around Doncic. My how things have changed in just a few days. Philadelphia not only got the better and younger player in the deal, they also got a nice draft pick out of it. There have been plenty of success stories in the early second round in recent years, and the Sixers get another shot at finding a useful player in the draft by leveraging this pick out of Dallas. Grimes’ per-36 numbers are impressive this season: 16.1 points, six rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He’s shooting 39.8 percent from three 4.3 attempts per game. or 9.1 attempts per 100 possessions. He’s back to 60 percent true shooting just as he was during his promising second season with the Knicks. He’s a better and higher volume shooter than Martin, a more efficient overall scorer, and offers more dynamic offense off the dribble. Grimes ranks in the 49th percentile of defensive EPM this year, which isn’t too bad. I think he has an even higher ceiling as a defender than that, and he should fit in nicely around Maxey or in bench units when he’s resting. This trade isn’t going to change the Sixers’ miserable season, but it’s a very nice piece of work to add a quality young player. Philly has had the season from hell, but Daryl Morey always finds a way to make a good trade for his team. Sixers grade: A