Aaron Donald buzz grows in Los Angeles
Sean McVay confirmed Tuesday that he remains in regular contact with Aaron Donald, who continues training at a high level — keeping alive one of the biggest storylines of the Rams’ summer.
Good morning! Aaron Donald is back in the headlines without throwing a single pass-rush move, and Sean McVay’s not exactly closing the door on it. Elsewhere, it was a rough night at Crypto.com Arena as the Sparks’ skid hit six, while the Aces came out of the All-Star break and made a statement in a sweep of Portland. On the diamond, the Astros beat the Angels for the second straight night and the Padres needed a ninth-inning walk-off to escape the Rockies. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 Donald buzz builds. Sean McVay says he’s in regular contact with Aaron Donald, who “is feeling good” and training hard — Arash Markazi at Rams camp.
🏀 Six in a row. The Sparks shot 60 percent and set a franchise assist record — and still lost, 113-109 to the Liberty — Rey Moralde has the recap.
🏀 Aces stay unbeaten vs. Portland. A’ja Wilson (28 points) led Las Vegas past the Fire, 98-83, completing the season sweep — Arion Armeniakos in Las Vegas.
⚾ Walk-off in San Diego. Fernando Tatis Jr. set a career high with five hits and Xander Bogaerts delivered the winning sac fly in an 8-7 win over Colorado — Eric Evelhoch at Petco Park.
🏈 Open competition in Vegas. The Raiders enter training camp with jobs up for grabs across the roster — Derek Hegna has the plan.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — TUESDAY
⚾ MLB: Astros 3, Angels 2 · Padres 8, Rockies 7 · Mariners 7, Dodgers 6
🏀 WNBA: Liberty 113, Sparks 109 · Aces 98, Fire 83
🏈 THE RAMS’ BIGGEST QUESTION WON’T GO AWAY
Aaron Donald’s NFL future remains one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Rams, and while Sean McVay stopped short of suggesting a return is imminent, his comments Tuesday did little to quiet the speculation. Speaking after the Rams’ third day of camp at Loyola Marymount University, McVay confirmed he has remained in regular contact with Donald and said the future Hall of Famer continues to train at a high level — “no new news on the front of any imminent decision on whether he’s going to play or not.” Asked whether Donald has been training at the Rams’ facility, McVay smiled and kept the mystery alive: “I’m not sure. There’s nobody at the Rams facility right now. Maybe TMZ knows the answer to that.” Donald’s name still comes up daily at camp, even with the Rams boasting one of the league’s deepest fronts after the blockbuster addition of Myles Garrett — veteran guard Kevin Dotson already has a nickname for what it would mean to face both: “AD protocol.”
GO DEEPER
› Arash Markazi: Aaron Donald return buzz grows after Sean McVay reveals ongoing conversations (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 SIX STRAIGHT FOR THE SPARKS, BUT NOT FOR LACK OF TRYING
Close again, but close doesn’t count in the standings. Los Angeles shot better than 60 percent, set a franchise record with 35 assists, and got six players in double figures — and still fell, 113-109, to a Liberty team led by Breanna Stewart’s 29 points. Rae Burrell tied a career high with 24 points and Nneka Ogwumike added 21 with nine assists, but New York’s 29-point bench game proved too much. “We had 30 points off of 18 turnovers… good offense beats good defense,” said coach Lynne Roberts. “We didn’t get the reward of the win but I’m proud of the team.” The Sparks are 10-17 and head into a three-game road trip opening in Portland, with the trade deadline looming.
GO DEEPER
› Rey Moralde: Sparks lose sixth straight after falling short to Liberty (The Sporting Tribune)
🏀 ACES ROLL PAST PORTLAND, COMPLETE THE SWEEP
Coming off the All-Star break and missing two frontcourt regulars, the defending champion Aces never trailed in a 98-83 win over the Fire, clinching the season sweep of Portland. A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 28 points and 14 rebounds, Jackie Young added 25, and Chelsea Gray notched 17 points and seven assists while becoming just the seventh player in franchise history to reach 4,500 career points. Las Vegas shot 76 percent from the field in an opening quarter that set the tone. “Everybody is just trying to get into a flow,” said coach Becky Hammon. “It’s hard to replicate game flow in one day of practice, but it was a good game to kind of get back into our groove.” The Aces improve to 19-8, winners of four of their last six.
GO DEEPER
› Arion Armeniakos: No Fire hazard in Vegas; Aces win secures season sweep of Portland (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — WEDNESDAY, JULY 29
⚾ MLB: Rockies at Padres — Padres TV — 1:10 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Astros at Angels — ABTV — 6:38 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Mariners at Dodgers — SNLA — 7:00 p.m. PT
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
⚾ Wed., July 29: Astros at Angels — Angel Stadium — $4
⚾ Wed., July 29: Rockies at Padres — Petco Park — $6
⚾ Wed., July 29: Mariners at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $56
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Aaron Donald retired after the 2024 season as one of the most decorated defenders in NFL history. How many times was he named NFL Defensive Player of the Year?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode digs into the Aaron Donald buzz out of Rams camp, the Sparks’ six-game skid, and the Aces’ statement win over Portland. Hear it on the radio across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii via Westwood One Sports, The Bet Las Vegas, Hawaii Sports Radio Network and KIRN in Los Angeles.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: Three times — 2017, 2018 and 2020.
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