Robin Roberts’ interview with Victor Wembanyama — the NBA’s most-hyped prospect since LeBron James — airs Thursday night on ABC as part of its NBA Draft broadcast.

Separate broadcasts of Thursday’s first round will air on ABC and ESPN, a model that Disney has used for the past five years with its NFL Draft coverage. While ESPN’s NBA Draft broadcast will provide more team-fit and player analysis, ABC’s coverage will focus on storytelling and interviews with players and their families. 

“If I wasn’t a basketball player I think my second passion would be drawing,” the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama told Roberts. “When I got nothing to do, the first thing my mind thinks about is to grab a pencil and a sheet of paper. I [also] love reading before sleep.” 

“You’re a Renaissance Man, meaning that you can play your sport, but you also have this really sensitive soul,” Roberts said to Wembanyana at a cafe in France. 

“SportsCenter” anchor Kevin Negandhi will host ABC’s broadcast alongside Stephen A. Smith, which begins at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN’s broadcast will be helmed by Malika Andrews with contributions from analysts Jay Bilas and JJ Redick, reporters Andraya Carter and Monica McNutt, and insiders Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks.

Adding to this year’s draft intrigue are a bevy of expected trades — Damian Lillard and Paul George are among the stars rumored to be shopped — as well as the proliferation of top picks from the G League Ignite (Scoot Henderson, Leonard Miller), Overtime Elite (twins Amen and Ausar Thompson), and IMG Academy (Jarace Walker, Keyonte George, and Jett Howard).

The Qatar Investment Authority purchased a roughly 5% stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, becoming the first sovereign wealth fund to invest in a major U.S. professional sports team. 

Monumental owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Capitals, as well as the WNBA’s Mystics. Qatar’s investment values Monumental at around $4 billion, Front Office Sports confirmed.

The investment was first reported by Sportico.

Qatar’s biggest sports investment to date came in 2012, when it purchased majority ownership of Paris Saint-Germain, the French soccer powerhouse valued at $4.2 billion. In a similar vein, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has invested in LIV Golf and pro soccer. 

Monumental’s assets include Capital One Arena and Monumental Sports Network, which was recently rebranded after MSE acquired full control of NBC Sports Washington last year.

The Wizards and Capitals have a combined estimated valuation of $3.7 billion. 

Over the last year, the NBA and NHL opened up rules for private equity. Each league has a 20% cap for capital investment in a team by a single firm, and franchises in those two sports can have no more than 30% private equity ownership overall. 

“The NBA Board is currently reviewing a potential investment by QIA in Monumental Sports & Entertainment,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said.

Beyond being the managing partner for Monumental, Ted Leonsis has shown interest in acquiring the Washington Nationals. His $2 billion offer wasn’t accepted for the team last year.

Bill Hancock was the prime mover in making the College Football Playoff a major event after decades of infighting within the sport. 

Now, the 72-year-old says he will retire from the CFP on Feb. 1, 2025, when his current contract expires, and will shift to a consultant role next year to facilitate the transition.

Appointed in 2012 shortly after the CFP’s creation, the longtime college sports administrator played a central role in building the playoff into one of the most-watched events in American sports — even amid a recent decline in title game ratings. He then led a historic expansion of the CFP into a 12-team format beginning with the 2024-25 season. 

“He’s a legend in college sports,” said Mark Keenum, Mississippi State University president and chair of the CFP’s Board of Managers.

Hancock’s successor will play a huge role in determining how the CFP capitalizes on its expansion era.

Key issues to be discussed include how the CFP will distribute its media rights in the expanded format, and whether the CFP ultimately expands beyond 12 teams. In that light, it’s possible the next CFP executive director will have an extensive media background, following a growing trend within college sports.

Several names from within college sports leadership have already been posited as potential candidates for the position, including retiring Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick, former Big 12 Conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby, and Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith.