{"id":691962,"date":"2026-04-01T14:04:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/691962\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T14:04:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:04:34","slug":"the-nbas-tanking-epidemic-has-essentially-split-the-league-in-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/691962\/","title":{"rendered":"The NBA’s tanking epidemic has essentially split the league in two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yahoo Sports AM<\/a> is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here<\/a> to get it every weekday morning.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udea8 Headlines<\/p>\n

\u26f3\ufe0f Tiger to seek treatment: Tiger Woods announced Tuesday that he’s stepping away<\/a> “for a period of time to seek treatment” after his rollover crash last week<\/a>. “I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” wrote Woods<\/a>, who entered a plea of not guilty<\/a> in his DUI case.<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\udfc8\u00a0Champs on “Hard Knocks”: The Seahawks will be on this summer’s edition<\/a> of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” marking the first time since the show’s inaugural season in 2001 that it will feature the defending Super Bowl champions. The runner-up Patriots will appear on next year’s edition.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0\u00a0Class of 2026: Doc Rivers, Amar’e Stoudemire, Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne are reportedly<\/a> among those who will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 this summer. The official announcement and full class will be revealed on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u26be\ufe0f Top prospect extended: The Mariners have signed minor league SS Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $95 million extension<\/a>, locking up their top prospect (No. 7 in MLB) with the largest contract ever given to a player before making his MLB debut. Who else could get a long-term deal this spring?<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0\u00a0Lakers milestones: In L.A.’s win over the Cavs, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most wins in NBA history<\/a>, including playoffs (1,229), and Luka Don\u010di\u0107 became the third-youngest player ever to reach 15,000 career points, trailing only James and Kevin Durant.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0 The NBA’s two leagues\"(Henry<\/p>\n

(Henry Russell\/Yahoo Sports)<\/p>\n

A new phenomenon has taken over the NBA: the league has split off into two leagues like never before \u2014 one trying to win and one trying to lose.<\/p>\n

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Tom Haberstroh, Yahoo Sports:<\/p>\n

Playing without Trae Young and Anthony Davis, the Washington Wizards were on the verge of a breakthrough.<\/p>\n

On Friday night, the 17-55 team entered the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors with a two-point lead. For Alex Sarr and the youthful Wizards, it stood as an impressive showing on the road against a Steve Kerr squad with playoff aspirations.<\/p>\n

Now the hard part, the Wizards had to close it out with their stars in street clothes. But a weird thing happened. Wizards head coach Brian Keefe never put his key starters into the game when it mattered most. Washington fumbled the lead and lost by five.<\/p>\n

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It showed in plain sight one of the most bizarre developments in NBA history. In that game, one team was trying to win and the other team was trying to lose.<\/p>\n

This happens every year. What’s different this season is the sheer quantity of teams doing it and how early they started doing it. With so many of these games these days, it’s time to look at the league through an entire different prism.<\/p>\n

Yes, the NBA prides itself on being the top competitive basketball league in the world. But if you pay close attention, you’ll notice a new phenomenon: the league has broken into two separate leagues of competition.<\/p>\n

One league, comprising 21 teams, is competing to\u00a0win. Call it the A-League. The other league \u2014 the B-League \u2014 is nine teams competing to\u00a0lose.<\/p>\n

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They’re certainly competing, just in opposite directions. And it’s warped the league in ways the league stakeholders didn’t foresee.<\/p>\n

\"(Grant<\/p>\n

(Grant Thomas\/Yahoo Sports)<\/p>\n

Head-to-head: Here’s a summary of the B-League teams in recent “competition” against A-League teams:<\/p>\n

Washington is 0-20 in its last 20<\/p>\n

Brooklyn is 1-29 in its last 30<\/p>\n

Sacramento is 1-23 in its last 24<\/p>\n

Indiana is 2-12 in its last 14<\/p>\n

Utah is 1-14 in its last 15<\/p>\n

Memphis is 1-17 in its last 18<\/p>\n

Dallas is 2-23 in its last 25<\/p>\n

Milwaukee is 1-12 in its last 13<\/p>\n

Chicago is 3-17 in its last 20<\/p>\n

Haberstroh:<\/p>\n

Aggregate those utterly sad win-loss figures and you’ll find B-League teams have posted a dastardly 12-167 record against A-League teams across those varying chunks of games. 12 wins and 167 losses. That’s almost 15 losses for every win.<\/p>\n

The outright futility is so pervasive that it’s worth wondering if more than a third of the league has essentially split off and morphed into a G League division. Seriously, if the South Bay Lakers, who went 26-10 in the G League this season, played 179 games against A-League competition, could they eke out 12 wins over that span? It’s not out of the realm of possibility, and that’s what’s so unnerving about the state of the league.<\/p>\n

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Big picture: The fact that bad teams are losing to good teams isn’t the story here. It’s how many of them threw in the towel so early in the season. The question is whether this is a one-year blip or a sign of things to come.<\/p>\n

Keep reading.<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Photos across America\"(Jared<\/p>\n

(Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Atlanta \u2014 The USMNT wrapped up its critical March training camp with another dud, falling 2-0 to Portugal in Tuesday’s friendly that saw many of the same problems resurface<\/a> from Saturday’s 5-2 defeat against Belgium.<\/p>\n

What they’re saying: “I am more positive now than before, because seeing the team compete, we are not far away,” said manager Mauricio Pochettino, grasping for optimism. “We did a lot of great things,” added Christian Pulisic, who’s gone 14 matches without a goal for club and country. “It’s just the same story, but I feel we’re really close and I feel like we’re in a good place, so I’m going to stay positive.”<\/p>\n

\"(Randy<\/p>\n

(Randy Litzinger\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Washington, D.C. \u2014 Alex Ovechkin scored twice in Tuesday’s win over the Flyers, giving the Capitals legend 30 goals in a season for the 20th time in his career<\/a>. That’s three more such seasons than any other player in NHL history<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Almost perfect: The only time Ovechkin has ever failed to reach the 30-goal mark was the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. And he only just barely missed it, scoring 24 goals in 45 games played for a pace of well over 30 goals in a full season.<\/p>\n

\"(Ryan<\/p>\n

(Ryan Sirius Sun\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Los Angeles \u2014 Shohei Ohtani’s first pitching start of the season<\/a> was, what else, incredibly impressive. The two-way star struck out six and allowed just one hit across six scoreless innings, earning the win in the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory over the Guardians.<\/p>\n

Wild stat: Ohtani now has both the longest active on-base streak<\/a> in MLB (36 games) and the longest active scoreless innings streak (22 2\/3 IP). He’s simply not human.<\/p>\n

\u26bd\ufe0f More heartbreak for Italy\"Another<\/p>\n

Another cycle goes by for the Italians without a World Cup. (Armin Durgut\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n

One of the most successful nations in the history of the beautiful game will, yet again, watch the World Cup from home.<\/p>\n

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Heartbreak for Italy: Bosnia and Herzegovina outlasted Italy in penalties on Tuesday to clinch a spot in this summer’s World Cup<\/a>. With the loss, the Azzurri have now failed to qualify for three straight editions of a tournament they once dominated.<\/p>\n

The Italians have won four World Cups (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), tied with Germany for the second-most behind Brazil’s five. Prior to 2018, they’d made 14 consecutive appearances on the sport’s grandest stage.<\/p>\n

Now, they’re guaranteed to go a minimum of 16 years between trips \u2014 a drought made all the more stunning by the fact that a record 48 teams made this year’s expanded field (up from 32).<\/p>\n

\""Everyone<\/p>\n

“Everyone out!” reads the front page of Italy’s daily Tuttosport newspaper. (Tuttosport)<\/p>\n

Tickets punched: The field is now set<\/a> for the 2026 World Cup, with Bosnia joined by five other nations that earned the final six spots with victories on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\udde6\u00a0Bosnia 1, Italy 1 (4-1 Pens): They’ll join Group B alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddff\u00a0Czechia 2, Denmark 2 (3-1 Pens): Group A, alongside Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf7\u00a0Turkey 1, Kosovo 0: Group D, alongside the USA, Paraguay and Australia.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddea\u00a0Sweden 3, Poland 2: Group F, alongside Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf6\u00a0Iraq 2, Bolivia 1: Group I, alongside France, Senegal and Norway.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde9\u00a0DR Congo 1, Jamaica 0: Group K, alongside Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia.<\/p>\n

The final countdown: Just 71 days left until the tournament kicks off on June 11.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcb5 Dolphins, Raiders sell stakes\"Dolphins<\/p>\n

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross (R) and Patriots owner Robert Kraft chat on the field before a game last season. (Barry Chin\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Never let it be said that owning an NFL team isn’t a lucrative business, writes<\/a> Yahoo Sports’ Jack Baer.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Pieces of the pie: NFL owners approved the sale of minority stakes in the Dolphins and Raiders on Tuesday, with both deals valuing the franchises at well north of $10 billion.<\/p>\n

Dolphins: Owner Stephen Ross sold a 1% stake<\/a> in not just the team, but also Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Grand Prix and part of the Miami Open at a $12.5 billion valuation* to Bin Lin, co-founder of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi.<\/p>\n

Raiders: Owner Mark Davis sold a 7% stake to Egon Durban, co-CEO of the Silver Lake investment firm, and Michael Meldman, founder and chairman of Discovery Land Co., at an $11.1 billion valuation,\u00a0per CNBC<\/a>. That works out to a $777 million purchase price.<\/p>\n

*Quick math: That’s $125 million for 1% of an NFL team, its stadium, a Formula 1 race and even less of a tennis tournament.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Watchlist: Wednesday, April 1\"(Ronald<\/p>\n

(Ronald Cortes\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc0\u00a0NBA Doubleheader<\/p>\n

The No. 2 seeds in the East and West both hit the road tonight against play-in teams, with the Celtics visiting the Heat (7:30pm ET, ESPN) and the Spurs visiting the Warriors (10pm, ESPN).<\/p>\n

Wemby gone wild: Victor Wembanyama’s latest feat of statistical absurdity came on Monday, when he recorded a double-double in under nine minutes (!!!) and finished with 41 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks in San Antonio’s 25th win in their past 27 games.<\/p>\n

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\u26f3\ufe0f Augusta National Women’s Amateur<\/p>\n

The seventh edition of this 54-hole stroke play event<\/a> tees off today (8am, Peacock; 1:30, Golf) at Champions Retreat Golf Club (near Augusta), where 72 of the world’s top amateurs<\/a> will compete for a chance to play in Saturday’s final round at Augusta National.<\/p>\n

What’s at stake? Everyone gets to play a practice round on Friday at Augusta, but only the 30 who make the cut will play for the championship, where the winner earns a spot in four of this year’s five majors (U.S. Women’s Open, Women’s Open, Evian Championship, Chevron Championship).<\/p>\n

More to watch:<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfd2\u00a0NHL: Ducks at Sharks (9pm, TNT) \u2026 Sharks center Macklin Celebrini just became the sixth teenager in NHL history<\/a> to record 100 points in a season.<\/p>\n

\u26bd\ufe0f Women’s Champions League: Bayern Munich (3-2) vs. Manchester United (12:45pm, CBSSN); Chelsea (1-3) vs. Arsenal (3pm, CBSSN) \u2026 Quarterfinals, second leg.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Got plans tonight?\u00a0Gametime\u00a0is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city.\u00a0Get tickets now!<\/a><\/p>\n

\u270d\ufe0f Trivia: An update<\/p>\n

We have made the difficult decision to end our long-running trivia section.<\/p>\n

More info at the bottom.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf8 Picture Day\"(Mark<\/p>\n

(Mark Peterman\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n

The annual NFL head coaches photo was taken on Monday at the league meeting in Phoenix.<\/p>\n

Missing: Rams head coach Sean McVay and new Browns coach Todd Monken, who apparently missed the photo because he was getting his haircut<\/a>\u2026 for the photo.<\/p>\n

Trivia answer: April Fools! Everybody loves trivia. Back with more tomorrow.<\/p>\n

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM<\/a>, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here<\/a> to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":691963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[8732,2888,7,10630,46,18992,2931,47108,13196,938,300,185,60948,12950,6,4815,5443,87316,30372],"class_list":{"0":"post-691962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-alex-ovechkin","9":"tag-arsenal","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-candace-parker","12":"tag-celtics","13":"tag-chelsea","14":"tag-dodgers","15":"tag-elena-delle-donne","16":"tag-inaugural-season","17":"tag-kevin-durant","18":"tag-lakers","19":"tag-lebron-james","20":"tag-macklin-celebrini","21":"tag-manchester-united","22":"tag-nba","23":"tag-nba-history","24":"tag-shohei-ohtani","25":"tag-the-seahawks","26":"tag-tiger-woods"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116329834925476468","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}