U.S./World Sports category, Page 42
With Sarr, Risacher in mix for the No. 1 pick, NBA draft could be ‘special’ night for France
NEW YORK — Alex Sarr was born in France and spent last season playing in Australia. Zaccharie Risacher was born in Spain and is coming off a breakout season in France. The next step in their global basketball journey is the NBA, with one of them potentially heading to Atlanta...
Chase Briscoe named to replace outgoing Martin Truex Jr. at Joe Gibbs Racing
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed that the NASCAR driver will replace the retiring Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Toyota for the 2025 Cup Series season, days after driver Christopher Bell accidentally spoiled the surprise at a news conference. Bell was asked an innocuous...
Lawmakers in a New York county pass transgender athlete ban after earlier ban is thrown out in court
MINEOLA, N.Y. — A county legislature outside New York City has voted to bar transgender female athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s teams at county-owned facilities after a bid to restrict trans athletes by executive order was thrown out in court. The Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature voted 12-5 on...
Tennessee beats Texas A&M to win 1st College World Series title
Christian Moore hit a leadoff homer, Dylan Dreiling went deep for the third time in three games, and Tennessee won its first national championship in baseball with a 6-5 victory over Texas A&M on Monday night in Game 3 of the College World Series finals. The Volunteers bounced back from...
New Lakers coach JJ Redick hopes to create more great content with LeBron James
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — JJ Redick says his extraordinary hiring as the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach means the end of his podcast with LeBron James. Redick hopes they’ll be able to produce much more compelling content next season in a new incarnation of their partnership, chasing a championship together...
Luka Modric becomes oldest to score at European Championship
LEIPZIG, Germany — A standing ovation, a man-of-the-match award and a record. But Croatia star Luka Modric was in no mood to celebrate, regardless of the accolades, after what could have been his last appearance at a major tournament. Modric scored against Italy on Monday to become the oldest goal-scorer...
Raptors and Scottie Barnes agree on $225M extension, which could grow to about $270M
Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors have agreed to terms on a max extension, one that will be worth about $225 million over five years and could reach about $270 million if he meets supermax criteria, a person with knowledge of the deal said Monday. Barnes intends to sign the...
Christopher Bell emerges as a NASCAR championship contender
LOUDON, N.H. — Joe Gibbs has fielded Cup cars for Denny Hamlin since 2005, got a decade out of Tony Stewart and is about to replace Martin Truex Jr., who has driven for the team for the last six years of a 21-year career. The Hall of Fame football coach...
Cavaliers reportedly hiring Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson as coach
CLEVELAND — Just days ahead of the NBA Draft, the Cavaliers picked their coach. Kenny Atkinson, an assistant with Golden State who helped Brooklyn rebuild before a puzzling departure, will be Cleveland’s new coach, a person familiar with decision told the Associated Press on Monday. The Cavs have been looking...
Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark deliver with stars on hand in latest matchup between Sky, Fever
CHICAGO — Angel Reese had just pulled off the best performance of her young career to help the Chicago Sky rally past the Indiana Fever and old college rival Caitlin Clark on Sunday. There was one more thing to do before leaving the court. She shared an embrace with Naismith...
NASCAR masters art of racing on wet-weather tires at New Hampshire
LOUDON, N.H. — After decades of races shortened or delayed by sprinkles or severe storms, NASCAR finally may have mastered the art of racing in the rain. Well, at least on a damp track. Christopher Bell drove the final 86 laps Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to become the...
Christopher Bell wins on rain tires to take checkered flag in Cup race at New Hampshire
LOUDON, N.H. — Christopher Bell mastered the NASCAR Cup Series’ first race ever that ended with cars running on rain tires and pulled away after a 2-hour, 15-minute weather delay to beat darkness and the field and win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Bell won his third Cup race...
Christian Pulisic scores, assists on Balogun goal to lead U.S. over Bolivia in Copa America openerVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Christian Pulisic scored in the third minute and assisted on Folarin Balogun’s goal in the 44th as the United States cruised past Bolivia 2-0 in their Copa America opener on Sunday night. Among six invited guests to South America’s championship, the U.S. is expected to advance from...
NASCAR driver, Mexican native Daniel Suarez celebrates becoming American citizen
LOUDON, N.H. — Daniel Suarez took an oath this week and became a United States citizen, then had a surprise confession from his mother: The Monterrey, Mexico native learned he almost was American at birth. Suarez’s parents flirted with the idea of heading to America ahead of his 1992 birth...
Christopher Bell spoils surprise that Chase Briscoe is headed to JGR
LOUDON, N.H. — Christopher Bell knew the instant he spilled the tea — without even the courtesy of a spoiler alert — that he would catch grief for prematurely disclosing Chase Briscoe was headed to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025. Bell’s goof was the talk of NASCAR — well, for...
Local coach, Franklin Regional grad help Team USA win gold at Pan Am karate championships
USA Kumite head coach Dustin Baldis, chief instructor at the Pennsylvania Shotokan Karate Club in Level Green, took part in dozens of international competitions during his days as an athlete. He sometimes finds coaching to be harder. “It tends to be a little stressful based on wanting each and every...
New women’s gymnastics league presents athletes with chance to extend careers
Luisa Blanco knows her gymnastics career has an expiration date. The funny thing is, the older the recent Alabama graduate gets, the more it seems to keep getting pushed back. For a long time, the 22-year-old Blanco figured her final season with the Crimson Tide this spring would be it....
Lakers hiring JJ Redick as new head coach
LOS ANGELES — JJ Redick is being hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, a person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the Lakers hadn’t yet publicly announced the decision to hire the former guard...
Upper St. Clair grad Josh Matheny earns berth to Paris Olympics
Josh Matheny showed Pennsylvania swim fans what he could do in a pool during his years at Upper St. Clair. Now he will get a chance to showcase his talent for the world. The Indiana University standout finished second in the 200-meter breaststroke Wednesday night at the U.S. Olympic Trials...
Caitlin Clark, WNBA getting attention for far more than basketball
NEW YORK — Oh, you thought going to a WNBA basketball game might be an escape from the arguments and polarization that are so common in American life these days? Ha, good one. Some of the atmosphere in the public and media that has swirled around the professional women’s league...
LA Sparks rookie Cameron Brink tears ACL in left kneeVideo
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Los Angeles rookie Cameron Brink tore the ACL in her left knee, the Sparks announced Wednesday. The rookie forward had to be helped off the court after suffering the injury in the first quarter of the Sparks’ 79-70 loss to Connecticut on Tuesday night. Brink played under...
Pistons fire coach Monty Williams after 1 season
The Detroit Pistons have fired coach Monty Williams after just one season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not made any announcement. ESPN first reported the firing. The Pistons...
Celtics have short to-do list as they look to become 1st repeat NBA champion since 2018Video
BOSTON — It took more than a decade, savvy front office and draft moves and some free agency luck for the Celtics to ultimately build the roster that brought an end to their 16-year championship drought. But with NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown already locked up long-term and fellow All-Star...
Celtics win 18th NBA championship with Game 5 blowout over Dallas MavericksVideo
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics again stand alone among NBA champions. Jayson Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds as the Celtics topped the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the franchise’s 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in...
Analysis: Penske rebounds from IndyCar cheating scandal with a hot streak that stretches to NASCARVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you come for The Captain, you better not miss your shot. Under fire at a level perhaps never seen before in his 87 years, Roger Penske has rebounded with a truly remarkable display of strength and determination. His IndyCar team in April was found to have...
