U.S./World Sports category, Page 13
Denny Hamlin celebrates new son with top spot for NASCAR race at PoconoVideo
LONG POND — Pocono Raceway paints its signature black rocks outside the garage in gold lettering with a last name and race car number highlighted to honor some of NASCAR’s greats. Jimmie Johnson has one. So does Richard Petty, among others. So where’s the celebratory boulder for Denny Hamlin, who...
Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Rutgers’ Ace Bailey headline NBA Draft’s available forwardsVideo
Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey were the first two names mentioned last summer when it came to college basketball’s top incoming freshmen. Now they’re the headliners among forwards in the NBA Draft. Flagg led Duke to the Final Four and became only the fourth freshman named Associated Press men’s national...
Rutgers’ Dylan Harper headlines bevy of 1-and-done guards set to go high in NBA DraftVideo
There’s a deep set of high-end guard prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft. Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper is positioned to be the first name called after projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, while Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, Texas’ Tre Johnson, Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears and Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis are possible top-10...
Pacers roll Thunder, send NBA Finals to deciding Game 7
INDIANAPOLIS — Obi Toppin scored 20 points, Andrew Nembhard added 17 and the resilient Indiana Pacers sent the NBA Finals to a winner-take-all Game 7 by rolling past the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-91, on Thursday night. Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, andTyrese Haliburton — playing...
After a whopping sale, the Los Angeles Lakers will no longer be the Buss family business
LOS ANGELES — The Buss family’s decision to sell a controlling stake in the Los Angeles Lakers at an eye-popping franchise valuation of $10 billion marks the end of nearly a half-century when one of the most valuable properties in the sports world was run by an eccentric father and...
2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova announces she will retire in September
LONDON — Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova plans to retire in a few months, the Czech player said Thursday. The announcement on social media came a day after Kvitova was granted a wild card for Wimbledon. “I am excited and very much looking forward to soak in the beauty of...
Game 6: Thunder look to clinch title, Pacers try to extend NBA Finals
INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA season could end on Thursday night. It’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals, with the Oklahoma City Thunder leading the Indiana Pacers 3-2 in the title series. Game 6 is in Indianapolis and Game 7, if necessary, will be Sunday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are...
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe hospitalized with gastroenteritis at the Club World Cup
MIAMI — Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been hospitalized with an acute case of gastroenteritis, the Spanish club said Thursday. World Cup winner Mbappe missed Madrid’s opening game at the Club World Cup against Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal in Miami on Wednesday because of a fever. Coach Xabi...
Buss family to sell controlling stake of Lakers to Mark Walter for $10B valuation
The Buss family has agreed to sell the controlling stake of the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO Mark Walter, doing so with a franchise valuation of $10 billion — the most ever for a professional sports franchise, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday. As part...
Olympic champion Noah Lyles calls off race with Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill
A race between Olympic 100-meter champion Noah Lyles and Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill that was never formally announced but supposedly taking place this weekend was called off by Lyles for “personal reasons.” Lyles announced the cancelation Tuesday at Stagwell’s Sport Beach event in Cannes, France. His news was captured...
Federal judge calls on NASCAR, teams to settle bitter antitrust battle
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A federal judge urged NASCAR and two of its teams, including one owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan, to settle their increasingly acrimonious legal fight that spilled over into tense arguments during a hearing on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of...
OKC’s Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enter NBA Finals lore with Game 5 scoring spree
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jerry West and Elgin Baylor did it often. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James did it a couple of times. Magic Johnson and Jamaal Wilkes were among those who did it once. And now, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have entered NBA lore. Game 5 of the NBA...
The rest that’s built into the NBA Finals can be a good thing, especially now
INDIANAPOLIS — Given the way Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton was limping on his way out of the postgame news conference after Game 5 of the NBA Finals, it’s safe to assume he’s a fan of the schedule right about now. Put simply, he could use a couple of days off....
Jalen Williams scores 40 as Thunder beat Pacers to move 1 win away from NBA title
OKLAHOMA CITY — Game 5 was starting to look like Game 1 all over again. Oklahoma City, at home, takes a huge lead. Indiana comes roaring back in the fourth quarter. Indiana won that one. This time, the Thunder crafted a different ending — and a 3-2 lead in the...
Joey ‘Jaws’ Chestnut to return to Coney Island hotdog eating contest after contract dispute
The champ is coming back to chomp. Competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut announced Monday he will return to compete in this year’s Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest after skipping last year’s gastronomic battle for the coveted Mustard Belt. “This event means the world to me,” Chestnut,...
NASCAR’s Mexico City race: How a historic event overcame skepticism and delaysVideo
Despite the handful of industry insiders too scared to leave their hotels in Mexico City, NASCAR’s first international Cup Series race of the modern era was a cultural experience that brought new fans to the series and provided its competitors with a chance to enjoy a new country. The event...
Van Gisbergen’s emotional win in Mexico City locks him into NASCAR playoffs
MEXICO CITY — Shane Van Gisbergen once again mastered a new track — this one the iconic Mexico City road course — to win NASCAR’s first Cup Series points-paying race outside the United States of the modern era. The New Zealander led 60 of 100 laps Sunday at Autódromo Hermanos...
Pacers, Thunder set for pivotal Game 5 in back-and-forth NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — The ratings are down for these NBA Finals, as was expected. Oklahoma City vs. Indiana is a small-market series and the numbers reflect that, with viewership down about 20% from last season and on pace for the poorest TV turnout since the pandemic “bubble” finals in 2020....
George Russell of Mercedes wins the Canadian Grand Prix for his first F1 victory of the seasonVideo
MONTREAL — George Russell won his first race of the Formula 1 season as the Mercedes driver held off defending race winner Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. It was the fourth victory of Russell’s career, and the race ended under yellow when McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri...
Magic are landing Bane in trade with Grizzlies for Anthony, Caldwell-Pope and picks, AP source says
The Orlando Magic wanted to find scoring and shooting this summer. Desmond Bane was their answer, and the first big move of the NBA summer — before the NBA summer even officially begins — has arrived. The Magic are completing a trade to acquire Bane from Memphis in a deal...
Triumph for Kubica as Ferrari wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans for third year in a row
LE MANS, France — Robert Kubica’s long road back from a crash which nearly ended his career culminated in victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday as Ferrari won for the third year running. Only a late surge from Porsche Penske Motorsport denied the Italian manufacturer a...
North Allegheny soccer star Sarah Schupansky enjoying ‘incredible’ spring
Cole Young isn’t the only North Allegheny graduate having a spring to remember. Former high school All-American Sarah Schupansky is enjoying a whirlwind spring that included her debut in the National Women’s Soccer League, her first professional goal, trips to California and Germany with the U-23 U.S. National team and...
Alex Bowman battles severe back pain to race in Mexico City after Michigan crashVideo
MEXICO CITY — Alex Bowman wasn’t sure he was going to make the trip to Mexico City because of lower back pain suffered in “the hardest hit of my career” at Michigan last week. As late as Wednesday — the day before he was scheduled to leave for NASCAR’s first...
He’s not Batman. He’s Alex Caruso. And he’s leading the Thunder in his own way in the NBA FinalsVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Alex Caruso got asked after Game 4 of the NBA Finals if he’s aware that he has achieved a level of superhero-type status among fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder during this playoff run. After all, having zero 20-point games in the regular season followed by two...
Reports: Pitt product Steven Adams agrees to a 3-year, $39M extension with RocketsVideo
HOUSTON — Center Steven Adams agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract extension to remain with the Houston Rockets, according to multiple reports Saturday. Adams, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent June 30, has been with the Rockets since a trade from Memphis in February 2024. He...
