U.S./World Sports category, Page 11

Duke’s Khaman Maluach anchored the interior for an elite defensive team that reached the Final Four. Maryland’s Derik Queen was the offensive focal point for a team that reached the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend. Those freshmen are the headliners among big men in the upcoming NBA Draft. While there’s a...

CHICAGO — The shade — under the roof and the upper deck, in every dugout and tunnel — was a popular place at Wrigley Field on Sunday. The sunny seats, not so much. Several major league teams played through a second straight day of muggy conditions as dangerously hot temperatures...

OKLAHOMA CITY — At 4-foot-11, Kristin Chenoweth is still making it to the NBA Finals. The award-winning actress, singer, Oklahoma native, Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee and unabashed Thunder fan is performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 7 of the title series between the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers on...

The Houston Rockets are acquiring 15-time All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster deal struck Sunday, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The Rockets are giving up Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and six future picks — including...

MIAMI — As kickoff approached it was clear — the fans weren’t coming. The Club World Cup, soccer’s shiny, new competition, has been billed as the event to breathe new life into the world’s most popular sport. It began a week ago in the United States, where sports stadiums of...

OKLAHOMA CITY — It started with 30 teams, most of them fairly optimistic about their chances when the season began eight months and 1,320 games and 35,543 3-pointers and 299,608 points ago. Only two teams remain. For one game. Game 7. The NBA season ends Sunday night when the Indiana...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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,...

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...

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....