LeBron James will play basketball next season. But for whom?

The Los Angeles Lakers are the clear leaders. James picked up a $52.6 million player option over the weekend, which could have inspired little analysis if not for the cryptic statement that followed.

Now, an awkward situation would make anyone wonder — how would the league react if the best player of his generation, if not of any generation, became available? After all, this is the NBA, where it’s always worth monitoring two entities with diverging philosophies.

At 40 years old, James wants to win, and win now. Meanwhile, the Lakers just bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. They are still without a center and lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency. They have made it clear, both through their actions and their words, that they are building around the 26-year-old Luka Dončić. An organization that once revolved around James and only James now has other priorities.

And thus, a divide builds.

One side thinks more about the short term. The other considers years down the line.

“LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships,” James’ agent Rich Paul said to The Athletic and ESPN shortly after James picked up his option. “We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with (owner) Jeanie (Buss) and (general manager) Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”

So, if James is evaluating what’s best for himself at this stage of his career, if he wants to make every season he has left count, and if he decides the Lakers can’t help him accomplish that, what’s next?

Most obviously, he and the Lakers could work together on a trade. Let’s break down the options.

One reason James would pick up the option, even if he were uncertain about his future, is for the money. He will make $52.6 million next season. No one else could pay him that on the open market.

The other reason is for security. James is one of two players in the NBA, along with Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal, to wield a no-trade clause. If James were to get dealt, he could choose his destination.

Trading James would be a headache. Given the no-trade clause, the list of teams couldn’t be long.

The San Antonio Spurs could cobble together the salaries to make a deal for him, but they won only 34 games last season. It would be difficult for him to argue that squad would have a better chance at a 2026 title than the more veteran one that costars Dončić. The Denver Nuggets could build a trade around Jamal Murray, but is there a contender in existence that needs an offensive hub less than the one that already employs the greatest one in the NBA, three-time MVP Nikola Jokić?

The James saga could end any way: Most likely in him remaining with the Lakers at least through the end of this season, but also, if the situation goes sideways, in a trade. Maybe if James wants a new home, the Lakers choose to do right by him, buying him out of his contract and sending him into free agency. Of course, the only motivation the organization would have to do this is for the good karma. Usually, if you say goodbye to an all-timer, you want players and/or picks in return.

Whether James would even consider a buyout could come down to how many more seasons he wants to play. If he believes he has three more years in him, then he’ll need another contract in 2026. Signing a cheap deal after taking a buyout this summer would make paydays in ensuing seasons more unlikely. But if he felt retirement was on the way in a year, that wouldn’t matter.

For now, though, James is a Laker. He is not negotiating a buyout with the team. He has not demanded a trade, and maybe he never will.

However, if he does eventually ask out and the Lakers comply, there are various franchises that could enter the conversation. Just as an exercise, let’s run through five of them (listed in no particular order), outlining how those teams could make James trades happen.

Cleveland Cavaliers

There is no team more obvious to throw on this list — from both James’ perspective and that of the Cavaliers.

On one side would be the romance. James could finish his career in the place he began it. On the other side is a squad that just won 64 games last season and sits in a conference that is falling apart.

The Cavs could be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference already. Add James to the mix, and they would vault into a tier of their own.

But it’s not that simple.

A hypothetical James-to-Cleveland trade is impractical, if not impossible.

Forgetting about James’ and Cleveland’s wants, the math it would take to get James traded back to Ohio would leave Pelinka writing on windows. The Cavaliers, as currently constructed, are the one organization certain to be above the dreaded second apron, a payroll threshold that limits a team’s resources, hinders the types of transactions it can pull off and forces significant luxury-tax payments.

Because of this, there is no way for the Cavs to trade for James without losing two of their top players: starting center Jarrett Allen and All-Star point guard Darius Garland.

One of the second-apron rules that dings Cleveland is about “aggregation.” The Cavaliers cannot aggregate players together to trade more than one at a time — unless they find a way to dump salary. At the moment, Cleveland is $23 million above the second apron.

Let’s say the Cavs trade Allen, an essential contributor, and Dean Wade, who combine to make $26 million next season, without taking any salary back, dipping them below the second apron. (Already, this is an aggressive move to make just to acquire a soon-to-be 41-year-old.) There would still be issues.

Because they would remain above the first apron, they would not be allowed to take in more money than they send out in a trade. The Cavaliers would need to compile enough salary to surpass $52.6 million and then some. If they flip four or five players for James, they need to leave enough room below the second apron to fill out the rest of the roster, since a trade where they aggregate players would hard cap them there.

De’Andre Hunter, Max Strus and Lonzo Ball combine to make less money than James does. And thus, Cleveland would need to include more players than just those three, but its remaining ones make make either too little (remember, sending out minimum salaries is not helpful in this scenario because the Cavs would just have to sign other minimum guys to replace them) or are too good to part with: Garland, Donovan Mitchell or Evan Mobley.

And thus, the only way a James acquisition could make sense for Cleveland would be if he somehow became a free agent and could sign there for cheap.

Dallas Mavericks

If there is one activity the basketball world has mastered, it’s connecting dots. The relationships are already in Dallas.

There’s injured All-Star Kyrie Irving, who James teamed up with for a title in Cleveland and who he has tried to play with again since. There’s 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, who the Lakers flipped for Dončić only five months ago — and who James never hoped to see leave. Mavericks GM Nico Harrison is a former executive at Nike, where James has a lucrative shoe contract. As became front-page news after the Lakers acquired Dončić, the two guys who would negotiate this deal, Harrison and Pelinka, go back a long way.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks could make an offer of just role players — albeit, important ones.

Future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson along with versatile contributors Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington would get the deal done financially. Dallas could trade a future first-round pick, as well, though draft picks would become complicated in a trade for James. Teams wouldn’t be excited about giving up chunks of their future to acquire a 40-year-old, even if there has never before been a 40-year-old as good at basketball as James is now.

On the other side, Pelinka recently said that the Lakers are focused on creating significant cap space in the summer of 2027. Gafford just agreed to an extension that will stretch into 2029. If Los Angeles were picky enough about its cap situation that it lost an imperative role player, Finney-Smith, who signed a four-year deal with the Rockets, over long-term money, then it may not be so enthusiastic about taking on Gafford, even if he already has experience excelling alongside Dončić.

Golden State Warriors

Ease your brain. The mathematics in northern California are not nearly as strenuous.

James is close with two-time MVP Stephen Curry, with whom he finally played last summer, when the couple paired up at the Olympics. He and former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green share an agent. He played for head coach Steve Kerr with Team USA. And the Warriors have the lure of … well, the Warriors.

Golden State has one obvious offer for James: Jimmy Butler for the quadragenarian.

Butler makes a tad more than James does, marking the trade legal, though if it were constructed this way, it would hard cap the Lakers at the first apron, since they’d be absorbing more money than they send out in a deal. If the Lakers were fine with that, they could execute the one-for-one trade. However, they may want to maintain flexibility, which they could do somewhat easily.

Golden State and Los Angeles could find a third team willing to take on one of the Lakers’ minimum salaries (say, Jordan Goodwin’s) without giving any salary back. This way, the total money leaving the purple and gold is above Butler’s incoming salary.

Beyond Butler, Golden State wouldn’t have many options in a trade for James. It could combine Green with role players Buddy Hield and Moses Moody, but that package isn’t as enticing for the Lakers. Plus, Moody would present the same issue that Gafford would or Finney-Smith would have: He’s under contract beyond 2027.

The Warriors could try including talented 22-year-old Jonathan Kuminga, who is a restricted free agent at the moment. But signing and trading Kuminga comes with speed bumps. A deal like this would fall victim to a niche CBA quirk called “base year compensation,” which complicates any sign-and-trade involving a player who earns a raise of more than 20 percent, as Kuminga would. Essentially, Kuminga’s outgoing money for Golden State would be treated as a different number than his incoming money to Los Angeles, which creates even more obstacles.

LeBron and Steph together at last in the NBA? (Photo by Gregory Shamus  /Getty Images)

LA Clippers

Let’s get wild. James stays in Los Angeles — just not at Crypto.

The Clippers could toss together a trio of shooting guard Norman Powell, who was sneakily better than ever last season, bench scorer Bogdan Bogdanović and defensive stopper Derrick Jones Jr., who was a starter next to Dončić on Dallas’ 2024 finals team. However, doing so would eat into the depth that made them so dangerous a season go.

Presumably, they would not want to part with starting center Ivica Zubac, who made his first All-Defensive team in 2025-26 and who they reportedly would not entertain in conversations with the Suns about former MVP Kevin Durant only a couple of weeks ago.

There’s another way the Clippers could go about this too — and yes, it’s one that would happen only in fantasyland. They could trade their highest-paid player, two-time finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, for James.

As he showed at the end of this past season, Leonard can still annihilate teams on both sides of the court when healthy. But he is often hurt. The goal is to forget about the first 82 games, to make sure his body is in its best shape come April. In that sense, even an older James projects to hold up better throughout a season.

The swap could clean the Clippers’ books, too. Leonard’s contract expires in 2027. James’ expires next summer.

With James’ money coming off the roster in 2026, the Clippers would enter what could be a star-studded free agency with enough cap space to sign a max player and then some.

However, the Lakers might not want to absorb more than $50 million of 2026-27 money for an oft-injured player who will be 35 years old by then. Unless the Clippers sweetened the deal with draft picks, Los Angeles may rather hold onto James in this scenario.

The Lakers may have a difficult time extracting draft picks from anyone, too, considering front offices around the league are locked into Giannis Antetokounmpo’s situation with the Milwaukee Bucks — if Tuesday’s moves didn’t change things. Parting with picks while also giving up the salary slots it could take to acquire Antetokounmpo may not be worth it for some of these organizations who are waiting to pounce if the two-time MVP were to become available.

New York Knicks

This is another situation that combines basketball with cleaning up the finances.

Purely from a standpoint of matching salaries, the Knicks could construct various types of offers for James. The most chaotic deal would be flipping All-NBA big man Karl-Anthony Towns for James, straight up — two teams betting on the other’s star. Of course, this could leave the Knicks center-less, given Mitchell Robinson’s injury struggles.

They could pair a couple of wings, OG Anunoby and either Josh Hart or Mikal Bridges, in a trade for James. They could piece together a trio to offer for James: Anunoby, Robinson and point guard Miles “Deuce” McBride.

But Anunoby will make $45 million in 2027-28 and has a player option for the following season, which would eat into the Lakers’ possible cap space two summers from now. Meanwhile, the Knicks — or any other team — may not want to part with three key rotation pieces (and three of their four best defenders) for a 40-year-old.

The Knicks could justify Towns-for-James with a similar financial argument the Clippers could use in a Leonard-for-James one. New York owes Towns $110 million over the next two seasons. The five-time All-Star has a $61 million player option for 2027-28. Meanwhile, the Knicks are at risk of climbing into the second apron next season, a possibility that does not excite them but could be inevitable if they keep their current top five or six together.

Bridges, who is eligible for an extension now, can become a free agent in 2026. His new salary could drive the Knicks past that feared threshold.

James could double as a basketball fit, as well as a giant expiring contract to avoid the second apron in 2026-27 and maybe beyond. In Los Angeles, Towns and Dončić could destroy any defense they face.

But the Knicks are also made up of prime-aged contributors. This would make them older. Like in the other hypotheticals, a James trade to the Knicks, even in a world where both he and the Lakers agree it’s best for the two to part ways after seven years, isn’t likely. The Knicks didn’t get in on the hunt for Kevin Durant. Like so many others, they could be saving up salary and assets for a guy in Milwaukee. They may not handle this hypothetical much differently.

(Top illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photo: David Liam Kyle / NBAE via Getty Images)

Early in the school year, it was clear that Dartmouth men’s heavyweight rowing’s varsity eight had the makings of a special season.
 
“Having a good core group of guys returning — along with Billy [Bender] coming back from the Olympics and having a really good first-year group joining us — it felt like there was certainly potential,” said Wyatt Allen, Betsy and Mark Gates 1959 Head Coach of Men’s Heavyweight Rowing.
 
The Head of the Charles in October was an early reminder of that potential. The Big Green showed the speed to be one of the best crews in the country, finishing third overall in the Championship Eight as the second college finisher.
 
Success would follow in a big way. Flash forward to the end of the spring when the Big Green would finish second at the Eastern Sprints and third at the IRA National Championship, barely over a second behind national champion Washington. It was the heavyweight rowing program’s best finish since 1992.
 
And now, they will have one last opportunity to row together, at the Henley Royal Regatta which runs from July 1-6 in Henley-on-Thames, England. Racing for the Big Green kicks off on Friday.

How it Happened
Getting to this point has been months in the making. Senior Julian Thomas was optimistic entering the season.
 
“We realized we had the opportunity to medal and compete for a national championship after the Charles,” he said. “It validated that we had a talented group and motivated us to continue pushing hard through the winter seasons, when generally motivation is low.”
 
A strong winter and spring training camp led to a historic start to the spring at Yale, as the Big Green captured the Olympic Axe for the first time in the Axe’s 21-year history.
 
The varsity eight’s resiliency was on full display. In less-than-ideal conditions (rain and wind), the Big Green defeated the Bulldogs.
 
“The Yale result was another big step forward for them in terms of believing,” said Allen.
 
Keep the word resiliency in mind.

Check out the end of the varsity eight’s win today to claim the Olympic Axe for the first time in its 21-year history!#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/r9Y3HNfQKv

— Dartmouth Men’s Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) April 5, 2025

Resilience wasn’t only on full display against the Bulldogs, but also has been for the entirety of these student-athletes’ careers.
 
“Julian (Thomas), Munroe (Robinson), Sammy (Houdaigui), Miles (Hudgins) — guys who came out of the varsity last year — were really disappointed with the way things ended,” said Allen. “It would have been really easy to not fully invest in this year the way they did.”
 
The Big Green varsity eight finished 11th in the nation in 2024 and were determined to improve in 2025.
 
“They continued to trust the training and our program, as well as me and our staff,” said Allen. “It is a resilient group, and they came back this fall with an ‘all-in’ approach. Their approach and hard work were converted to belief and momentum through big early-season results.”
 
After Yale, the Big Green varsity defeated Boston University for the Bill Cup, then hosted the Lake Morey Invitational where they beat Syracuse, Wisconsin and Columbia over the course of two days. A win over Northeastern wrapped up an undefeated dual season.
 
The Eastern Sprints led to a true moment of resilience. Despite a tough start during the grand final, the Big Green roared back to earn silver, 1.3 seconds behind Harvard. Below are the final results.

1. Harvard – 5:33.895
2. Dartmouth – 5:35.577
3. Princeton – 5:37.575
4. Yale – 5:38.275
5. Brown – 5:38.783
6. Penn – 5:39.133
 
“For them to be in sixth place coming through the 500 and be able to stick together, trust their base speed and row themselves back into silver-medal position, that was a huge moment,” said Allen.
 
First-year Lucas Maroney explained the resilience the crew had to show.
 
“It’s so easy to just give up on a race when you’re down six seats off the first couple strokes, but it really showed a lot staying together through that and rowing through such a competitive field,” he said. “That was an awesome experience and a good show of what we can do together.
 
“We definitely carried a lot of momentum out of that.”
 
In the end, a negative (slow start to the race) turned into a positive (further belief in their speed).
 
“I believe the easiest thing to fix in terms of race execution, is getting better out of the blocks,” said Allen. “They did that between Sprints and IRAs.”  

Full coverage from a strong showing at Eastern Sprints on Sunday, featuring medals in our 1V, 2V and 4V.

| https://t.co/3MkofT0LzJ#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/MVz5dUDGWI

— Dartmouth Men’s Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) May 19, 2025

 At the national championship, the Big Green took care of business in their heat and a challenging semifinal. That set the stage for the grand final, which Dartmouth hadn’t qualified for in the varsity eight since 2004.
 
The feeling entering the grand final was, as Thomas said, one of “immense gratitude.”
 
“There was also excitement that the work we’d put in throughout the year had given us the opportunity to compete for a national championship with the best in the country,” he said. “There definitely were nerves as well. Everybody went out with the intent to give it their all.”
 
A tight race was expected and saw the Big Green finish in third place with a time of 5:30.90, just 0.15 seconds behind Harvard and only 1.12 seconds behind Washington in first. Dartmouth was 1.3 seconds ahead of fourth-place Princeton.
 
“To be going against the top collegiate crews and racing against teams like Washington and Harvard was really cool,” said Maroney. “I remember growing up and watching these races.”

Bronze medal for the varsity eight at the IRA National Championship!

Check out the final strokes of a very tight final #GoBigGreen | #TheWoods pic.twitter.com/bVmgvKCbwp

— Dartmouth Men’s Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) June 1, 2025

 Maroney was not only a relatively recent addition to the varsity eight, but it also marked his first time ever rowing in an eight.
 
“I’ve been at some big competitions, but this was my first year actually learning to sweep row,” he said. “That was a pretty steep learning curve, but it was really fun.”
 
Maroney’s growth over the course of the year is a testament to not only his talent, but also the coaching — led by Allen and assistant coaches Sabrina Bohrer and Jack Smith. Allen was recently named the IRCA National Coach of the Year.
 
Thomas touched on the belief Allen has instilled into the Big Green.
 
“Wyatt has taken this program from the bottom of the Ivy League to competing for a national championship in a very short time,” said Thomas. “Year after year, he has inspired this belief that we can compete with anybody on any given day. And this was the year when it all came to fruition.”
 
Reasons for the success were both tangible and intangible.
 
“Rowing is a very hard sport; it’s not fun all the time,” said Thomas. “You go out early in the morning, it’s cold, it’s wet at times and the work’s very hard, but we have a group of guys who manage to find fun within the process — whether it’s joking with each other or playing pranks on each other throughout the year.
 
“That has really kept it light-hearted when perhaps people are down or when you forget why you’re doing it,” Thomas continued. “On top of it, we all are very competitive, and we’ve all kept the goals we set at the start of the year in mind — beating crews that we hadn’t historically beaten.”
 
How did that happen? 
 
“The capacity and ability of the guys, and the depth of the team — not limited to the nine guys in the top boat — was obviously a big factor,” said Allen. “Having someone like Billy in the stroke seat, having his experience and his rhythm, was a big piece of it. Having the senior leadership leading that group throughout the year was another big piece of it as well. Lastly, the way the personalities fit in the crew and the respect they have for one another was a big contributor to the success of the crew over a long season.”

Recap from a thrilling end of the season for the varsity eight and the Big Green!

| https://t.co/5myRFBs8Cr#GoBigGreen | #TheWoods

— Dartmouth Men’s Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) June 1, 2025

Looking Ahead to the Henley
The Big Green are aiming to continue the chemistry at the Henley Royal Regatta. Dartmouth’s eight will be competing in the Ladies’ Challenge Plate, which includes a mix of international and United States crews, one of which is Harvard.
 
“It’s always a matter of perspective, but I would say the Olympics are the biggest stage in our sport, and it’s arguable that Henley is the second biggest stage for our sport internationally,” said Allen. “To have a Dartmouth crew representing the boathouse and the college is pretty incredible. Having that exposure for international recruiting is huge as well.”
 
“We were obviously thrilled with the result at the IRA and the Eastern Sprints, but I definitely feel like there was some unfinished business,” said Thomas. “We definitely have more in us, and we’re very grateful for the opportunity. I’d like to thank the donors who gave us the opportunity to go race at Henley.”
 
The regatta gives the five seniors in the boat one last opportunity to represent the college they love. It also gives one junior and three first-years more valuable experience they can draw from heading into next season.
 
“This has been a big bucket list race of mine for a long time,” said Maroney. “I’m really excited to once again prove ourselves one more time with this crew.”
 
Allen called the Henley “icing on the cake” after Sprints and the IRA.
 
“I’m proud of them, and psyched that they were able to win medals, both at Sprints and the IRA and earn this opportunity,” said Allen.
 
“One of the best things about coaching at Dartmouth, and coaching in our boathouse, is the incredible alumni support,” Allen continued. “The fact that we had several key individuals step up right away and make this trip possible for the guys is incredible and something none of us take for granted.”

The Catholic Star Herald highlights the Diocese’s student athletes who stood out during the month of June.

Claire Magee

Paul VI High School, Haddonfield

Track and Field

Claire Magee keeps seeing her school records get broken – by Claire Magee.

The Paul VI High School junior has made the 400 meter run her signature event as she continues to improve the school record in the single-lap event. Magee first claimed the Eagles’ school record last year, toppling Aliya Rae Garozzo’s mark of 56.88, which was set in 2019.

This year, Magee broke her own record by clocking 56.11 in a fifth-place finish in an incredibly talented field at the Non-Public A state championships.

On June 4, Magee eclipsed the 56-second mark and bested her own time by nearly a half second (55.69), finishing sixth in the state at the Meet of Champions.

Anna Marquardt

Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, Pennsauken

Lacrosse

Anna Marquardt became the first girls lacrosse player from Bishop Eustace Preparatory School to be named a USA Lacrosse All-American, which is awarded to student-athletes who exhibit superior skills, exceptional game knowledge and outstanding sportsmanship.

The recognition was well-earned as Marquardt led the Crusaders to a 13-6 record and an appearance in the Non-Public state quarterfinals. On the season, Marquardt scored a team-best 51 goals along with 21 assists and 123 draw controls. The Fairfield University signee accumulated four straight 40-goal seasons and finished her high school career with 189 tallies and 60 assists, in addition to 177 ground balls and 490 draw controls.

Mia Merlino

Holy Spirit High School, Absecon

Softball

Holy Spirit High School was the last softball team alive in the Diocese of Camden this season as the Spartans made another deep playoff run. It gave senior Mia Merlino more time to savor the moment and add to her already impressive resume, which included more than 100 career hits and 200 career strikeouts.

Merlino batted over .400 this season, and on May 3, she became the first Holy Spirit player to reach the 100-hit milestone in 13 years when she hit safely in a 2-0 loss to Oakcrest.

During Merlino’s time at Holy Spirit, the Spartans won 50 games and reached the semifinal round of the Non-Public B playoffs three times, including a sectional final appearance in 2024.

Merlino will attend the University of Delaware next year.

Julian Onesti

Saint Augustine Preparatory School, Richland

Track and Field

Before graduating, Julian Onesti proved he was one of the fastest runners in the state as the Saint Augustine Preparatory School sprinter turned in an incredible senior year on the track.

After clocking 10.58 seconds in the 100 meter dash in the Atlantic County Championships in May, Onesti shaved another two hundreds of a second off his personal record and placed third in the Non-Public A state championship.

Onesti went out with a bang, running 10.46 to take third place at the Meet of Champions on June 4. With a slight wind at his back, Onesti’s time was an Atlantic County record and the 12th-fastest time ever recorded at the Meet of Champions. He will run track next year at Rider University, Lawrence Township.

Jackson Smallets

Gloucester Catholic High School, Gloucester City

Baseball

Jackson Smallets ended his Gloucester Catholic High School career as a state champion, throwing 101 pitches in a 7-4 victory over Pope John XXIII Regional High School in the Non-Public B state final June 11 at Veterans Park. 

Smallets’ final outing represented another outstanding start, as he allowed just five hits in 6 1/3 innings. For the season, Smallets pitched 89 innings, allowed just 19 runs (1.21 ERA) and struck out 66 batters. Smallets’ 2025 resume included a 12-strikeout performance in a complete game win over Saint Augustine Preparatory School as well as a six inning one-hitter (nine strikeouts) in a 3-0 victory over Cherry Hill West.

Smallets will play at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina next year.

Ryan Wodazak

Saint Augustine Preparatory School, Richland

Lacrosse

Opposing defenders just couldn’t figure out how to stop Ryan Wodazak, especially in the most crucial time of the season.
The Saint Augustine Preparatory junior scored 43 goals this year, including nine hat tricks. Six of those hat tricks came in the Hermits’ final six games of the season. Wodazak’s fourth career four-goal game came in the Hermits’ opening round of the Non-Public state playoffs in a 9-4 win over Montclair Kimberley Academy. Wodazak helped Saint Augustine roll to a 16-4 record as the Hermits were regarded as one of the top teams in the state.
He is committed to play lacrosse at Penn State University after he graduates high school in 2026.

Featuring a host of players, including QB Aaron Rodgers, the Jets hosted a holiday shopping spree presented by Cash App and VISA at DICK’S Sporting Goods in East Hanover, NJ. The Jets players shopped with 25 students from Brooklyn Community Services’ Jets Academy, with each student receiving a $400 gift card provided co-funded by the Jets Foundation and Cash App.