{"id":120857,"date":"2026-05-18T13:01:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-repeats-as-mvp-aaron-rai-wins-pga-championship-aaron-rodgers-to-play-in-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T13:01:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T13:01:05","slug":"shai-gilgeous-alexander-repeats-as-mvp-aaron-rai-wins-pga-championship-aaron-rodgers-to-play-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basketball.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/18\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-repeats-as-mvp-aaron-rai-wins-pga-championship-aaron-rodgers-to-play-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander repeats as MVP; Aaron Rai wins PGA Championship; Aaron Rodgers to play in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. <\/em>You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n

\ud83c\udfc6 Five things to know Monday <\/h2>\n
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  1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the 2025-26 NBA MVP.<\/strong> With his second win in as many years, Gilgeous-Alexander became just the 14th player in league history to secure back-to-back MVP honors<\/a><\/span>. The Thunder<\/strong> star outdid Victor Wembanyama<\/strong> and Nikola Joki\u0107<\/strong> in voting thanks to his 31.1 points per game on the league’s best team. He undoubtedly hopes that this is not the only hardware he grabs this year, though. If Gilgeous-Alexander leads Oklahoma City past two more opponents and wins another championship, he will write another chapter in his growing legacy<\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\n
  2. Aaron Rodgers will play another season in Pittsburgh.<\/strong> The long-awaited decision is in. Following months of uncertainty over whether he would re-sign with the Steelers<\/strong> or call it a career, Rodgers agreed to a one-year deal<\/a><\/span> (worth $22 million guaranteed) to return to the Steel City. While a segment of the fanbase might be ready to move on and hand the keys to a younger option, Rodgers’ return might be for the best<\/a><\/span> as he keeps the Steelers in playoff contention while allowing the youngsters to develop at their own pace.<\/li>\n
  3. Aaron Rai became the first English player to win the PGA Championship in 107 years.<\/strong> A breakout performance at Aronimink Golf Club<\/a><\/span> also saw Rai snap a streak of 10 consecutive American winners.\u00a0Rai was an unlikely champion<\/a><\/span>\u00a0as he entered the tournament +75000 to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy, yet he finished three strokes clear of the pack to secure the first major victory of his career. The 31-year-old also secured himself a $3.69 million prize<\/a><\/span> with his underdog victory. Further down the leaderboard, it was not such a stellar showing for the game’s biggest stars. Scottie Scheffler<\/strong> made note of some “absurd” pin locations<\/a><\/span> during his T-14 finish while Bryson DeChambeau<\/strong> and Tommy Fleetwood<\/strong> headlined a laundry list of big names to miss the cut<\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\n
  4. Conor McGregor’s UFC return is set for July 11.<\/strong> After five years away from the Octagon, the MMA legend will fight Max Holloway<\/strong> in a rematch during the UFC’s International Fight Week<\/a><\/span>. The return of a transcendent fighter is another feather in the UFC’s cap in what is shaping up to be an absolutely massive summer for the promotion<\/a><\/span>. The odds put McGregor in uncharted waters as a considerable underdog<\/a><\/span>, and while he has quite the cross-division track record as a former featherweight and lightweight champion, our Brent Brookhouse does not foresee<\/a><\/span> the Irishman taking this welterweight bout.<\/li>\n
  5. Napoleon Solo won the 151st Preakness Stakes.\u00a0<\/strong>The horse and jockey Paco Lopez<\/strong> closed with the third-shortest odds despite missing out on the Kentucky Derby, and after taking the lead around the far turn, Napoleon Solo held on to give trainer Chad Summers<\/strong> a Triple Crown debut to remember<\/a><\/span>. Post-time favorite Taj Mahal, meanwhile, finished 13 lengths back in 10th place. A payday is in store for Gold Square LLC, Summers, and Lopez, who will share the $1.2 million first prize<\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \ud83c\udfc0 Do not miss this: NBA conference finals begin tonight <\/h2>\n

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    Only four teams remain in the hunt<\/a><\/span> for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The Thunder and Knicks<\/strong> took the weekend off and awaited their opponents, and following Game 6 in the Western Conference and Game 7 in the East, they now know what it will take to get to the NBA Finals. <\/p>\n

    The Spurs<\/strong> wrapped up their series with the Timberwolves<\/strong> (who once again fell just short of the conference’s elites<\/a><\/span>) on Saturday to set up a battle of MVP finalists in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama. Sunday night, the Cavaliers<\/strong> dispatched the Pistons<\/strong> in a Game 7 blowout<\/a> — with four players scoring at least 23 points — and made it clear that Cade Cunningham<\/strong> can’t do it all for Detroit<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n

    The Western Conference finals open Monday night with Game 1 in Oklahoma City. If you need a reason to tune in, here are two — Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander, two of the game’s brightest stars. Also, Brad Botkin identified five big questions<\/a><\/span> that will determine which of the conference’s top two seeds will clinch a spot in the Finals. <\/p>\n

    Botkin also happens to be a lone wolf in our staff picks<\/a><\/span>. He is the only one of six NBA writers to pick the Spurs, but he concedes that it will take seven games for them to pull it off. <\/p>\n