A’ja Wilson Makes WNBA History With Fifth MVP

A’ja Wilson has made WNBA history, winning a record fifth MVP award and becoming the first player to claim the honor three consecutive seasons. The Las Vegas Aces star earned 65 of 74 first-place votes after leading the league with 26.2 points and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 52.7% from the field. Wilson joins NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who won it six times), Michael Jordan, and Bill Russell as five-time basketball MVPs, adding to her three WNBA championships.

Joe Rogan has renewed his multi-year partnership with Spotify, keeping his hit podcast on the platform while continuing to distribute episodes widely. Financial terms were not disclosed, but The Wall Street Journal reports the deal is worth about $250 million. The Joe Rogan Experience has 18 million Spotify followers and has been the most-listened-to podcast in the U.S. since 2019. Spotify and Rogan first partnered in 2020.

Microsoft and Amazon are launching new hardware as both tech giants push deeper into AI-powered personal computing. Microsoft’s $2,599 Surface Laptop Ultra, built with Nvidia chips, claims to run local AI models twice as fast and generate videos six times faster than Apple’s MacBook Pro M5. Amazon unveiled three Alexa+ tablets starting at $229, including a 12-inch Pro model with up to 16GB of RAM, Google Play access, and Alexa+ built into the core experience.

Cooper Flagg has unveiled his new signature logo with New Balance ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season. The “CF” mark, which will appear on Flagg’s New Balance merchandise, incorporates a pine tree into the “C” as a nod to his home state of Maine. Flagg signed with New Balance before playing at Duke and went on to average 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists as a rookie after the Dallas Mavericks selected him No. 1 overall in 2025.

MLB has proposed shortening the regular season from 162 to 154 games beginning in 2029 while expanding the Division Series to best-of-seven. The plan would add a weekly off day and give higher seeds the ability to choose their opponents in the Wild Card and Division rounds. The proposals are part of ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the MLBPA, which said the changes are contingent on players agreeing to a salary cap.

Apple TV has released the trailer for Season 2 of Stick, with Owen Wilson returning as golfer Pryce Cahill. The golf comedy debuted in June and quickly became one of Apple TV’s most-watched series, earning a second-season renewal just weeks after its premiere. Season 2 arrives Nov. 4 with two episodes, followed by weekly releases through Dec. 30. Rhea Seehorn joins the cast, with Wilson, Peter Dager, and Marc Maron returning.

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Taylor Swift will perform at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on Oct. 17, closing out the annual fundraiser. The sixth annual event will honor Charlize Theron, Colman Domingo, and filmmaker John Carpenter, who will receive the Icon, Vantage, and Luminary awards, respectively. Swift’s appearance comes as she remains in the Oscars conversation for “I Knew It, I Knew You,” the original song she wrote for Toy Story 5.

The NBA and FIBA are moving ahead with plans to launch a new 16-team European men’s basketball league in 2027, despite EuroLeague shareholders rejecting a proposed collaboration. NBA Europe director George Aivazoglou confirmed the league remains on track, with qualification expected to place greater emphasis on sporting merit. The NBA and FIBA said they remain open to working with EuroLeague, but EuroLeague is separately pursuing its own expansion, setting up potential competition between the leagues.

The NFL is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a legal battle over sports prediction markets, arguing the federal regulator overseeing the industry lacks the resources to protect game integrity. The league is backing New Jersey’s request to determine whether sports-event contracts offered by platforms such as Kalshi should be regulated as gambling by states. The NFL says prediction markets generated $3.3 billion in trading volume on the first Sunday of the 2026 season, with $1.8 billion tied to NFL games.

Bad Bunny, Lana Del Rey, and Morgan Wallen are among the stars joining the radio lineup for Grand Theft Auto 6. Bad Bunny and RaiNao will host Cocoteo FM, while Del Rey and Wallen will lead Back Country Radio, with Del Rey’s husband, Jeremy Dufrene, also appearing as a reporter. Robyn, Burna Boy, and members of Slayer will host additional stations spanning pop, African music, and heavy metal. GTA 6 arrives Nov. 19.

Joe Buck is trading the broadcast booth for the judges’ table on Dancing with the Stars. The ESPN Monday Night Football announcer will guest judge the show’s first-ever “Super Bowl Night” on Oct. 13, joining Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. The 11 remaining couples will perform routines set to songs from past Super Bowl halftime shows, ahead of Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles next February, airing on ABC and ESPN.

Anthropic has launched Claude Haiku 5.5, the latest addition to its 5.5 model family, promising stronger performance at lower cost. Anthropic President Daniela Amodei called the model particularly effective for repetitive, straightforward tasks. The release comes as the AI company prepares for a potential November IPO that could value it at up to $2 trillion, shortly after CEO Dario Amodei called for developers to slow the pace of frontier AI releases over safety concerns.

Xbox is launching XP, a new division dedicated to expanding its video game franchises into film and TV, consumer products, brand partnerships, and live experiences. Kayleen Walters, currently president of Minecraft developer Mojang, will lead the division after helping produce A Minecraft Movie, the highest-grossing film of 2025. XP will pursue adaptations and experiences around franchises including Call of Duty, Fallout, Diablo, Gears of War, Forza, and Halo, working with outside production partners.

AI podcasting platform Rebel Audio has raised a Series A round targeting $10 million at a $50 million post-money valuation, with DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish’s HardScope leading the investment. Founded by Jared Gutstadt, Rebel uses AI tools to help creators record, edit, translate, distribute, and monetize podcasts. The company, which launched from stealth in March, plans to use the funding to expand its AI infrastructure and accelerate creator acquisition and marketing.

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