LAS VEGAS — Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he had a long conversation with star Bryce Harper recently but wouldn’t go into specifics about what the two discussed. The talk came after recent comments by Dombrowski seemed to irk Harper whose .844 OPS last season was his lowest since 2016.

“I’ve spoken to him,” Dombrowski said at baseball’s general manager meetings Tuesday. “We had a nice conversation. Everything went well.”

After the Phillies were ousted by the Dodgers in the National League Division Series in October, Dombrowski openly wondered if Harper could return to the best version of himself. Harper had a good season in 2025, but it wasn’t close to a career year and it included a 3-for-15 performance in the postseason.

“He’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star-caliber player,” Dombrowski said last month. “He didn’t have an elite season like he’s had in the past. I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good.”

Harper said he was “hurt” by the comments.

“It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team,” Harper told The Athletic. “Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.”

It prompted the recent conversation between Dombrowski and Harper, characterized as a “productive” one by the Phillies’ boss.

“We had a good conversation,” Dombrowski said. “We talked for quite a while. And really, conversations between Bryce and myself are between us.”

Harper is in the middle of a 13-year, $330 million contract with Philadelphia, signed before the 2019 season. He finished sixth in MVP voting in 2024 after winning the award with the Phillies in 2021.

Second-year Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards had a breakout game off the bench in the team’s 102-100 win on Tuesday night, but received a scolding from his mother.

Edwards scored 22 points on 8-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-6 from downtown, in 27 minutes. He added three rebounds, three assists and a steal to his stat line. He led the 76ers in scoring, just ahead of Tyrese Maxey’s 21 points. Andre Drummond added 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

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Sixers’ Justin Edwards goes up to shoot against Boston Celtics’ Derrick White on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Edwards was asked in the team’s postgame media availability what he yelled after his 3-pointer put the 76ers ahead with 4:43 left in the fourth quarter. He had to think about it, but his mother chimed in.

“I know what he said. He’s gonna get a beating,” Ebony Twiggs said, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

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Edwards was a bit red-faced.

“Well, she knows,” he said with a sheepish smile, adding that he said, “Let’s freaking go.”

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points. Boston failed to hold onto an eight-point lead with six minutes left to play.

The 76ers added Edwards last season as he went undrafted despite playing with the Kentucky Wildcats in college. He played 44 games for Philadelphia in the 2024-25 season, averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

In nine games this season, Edwards is averaging 6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards reacts after his three pointer against the Boston Celtics at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Nov. 11, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

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Philadelphia moved to 7-4 with the win. Boston fell to 5-7.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bill Belichick did his best to cool rumors of his alleged interest in the New York Giants’ head-coaching job as the North Carolina Tar Heels’ season heads into the final stretch.

The rumor mill linked Belichick’s name to the coaching vacancy almost immediately as the team dismissed Brian Daboll earlier this week. He was asked about the job during his media availability on Tuesday afternoon.

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He said his focus was on Wake Forest.

“I mean, I’ve been asked about it from time to time,” he told reporters. “Look, I’ve been down this road before. I’m focused on Wake Forest. That’s it. And that’s my commitment to this team. And next week it’ll be to our next opponent and so forth. But I’m here to do the best I can for this team.”

Belichick is considered to be one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time. He won six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as the defensive coordinator of the Giants under Bill Parcells.

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North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick smiles as he walks the sidelines before the Stanford game, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

NFL writer Gary Myers, the author of “Once a Giant” and “Brady vs. Belichick: The Dynasty Debate,” had previously suggested that Belichick would go to great lengths to get the Giants job.

“… He’d walk from Chapel Hill to East Rutherford for this job, I really believe that,” Myers said, via OutKick.

“I think [Belichick] desperately wants the 15 victories to pass [Don] Shula [as the winningest coach of all time] and he desperately wants to win a Super Bowl without [Tom] Brady.”

Still, the Giants should have plenty of suitors to choose from. The team has a highly touted quarterback in Jaxson Dart, a smashmouth running back in Cam Skattebo, a leading wide receiver in Malik Nabers and the NFL’s current sacks leader in Brian Burns.

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick greets a recruit on the sidelines before the Stanford game, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

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The ingredients are there for a winning roster. The right coach would need to put it all together.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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