U.S./World Sports category, Page 19
Sovereignty beats 3-1 favorite Journalism down stretch to win 151st Kentucky DerbyVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sovereignty gave trainer Bill Mott a second Kentucky Derby victory. This time there was no doubt about it and no asterisk. The 3-year-old colt outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Derby in the slop Saturday, snapping an 0-for-13 skid by owner Godolphin....
Austin Cindric all good week celebrating NASCAR Cup win
FORT WORTH, Texas — Austin Cindric will start on the second row for the NASCAR Cup race at Texas after a week of celebrating a win at Talladega and a lot of attention paid to an expletive-laden radio rant directed toward him by his own teammate during Team Penske’s first...
Burro racing wins over runners in backcountry ode to mining history
CERRILLOS, N.M. — Backcountry runners are embracing the physical and emotional challenge of racing with pack burros that don’t always move at their pace. Burro races honor Old West history and hinge on a delicate partnership between runner and beast of burden. Burros, a Spanish-derived word for donkeys and their...
Appreciation: Gregg Popovich’s vision changed Spurs and NBA
Gregg Popovich understood the world. That goes back long before the basketball world knew who he was. It probably can be traced to at least Popovich’s time at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he majored in Soviet studies and was on his way to becoming a spy. He became...
Cavaliers ready for fast-paced NBA playoffs series against Pacers
CLEVELAND — Kenny Atkinson has one simple message for his Cleveland Cavaliers going into their Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Indiana Pacers. Put your track shoes on. The top-seeded Cavaliers had the NBA’s top offense in the regular season, averaging 121.9 points. The fourth-seeded Pacers averaged 117.4 points (seventh-best)...
NBC’s coverage of Kentucky Derby has grown and evolved over 25 yearsVideo
When NBC carried the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 2001, the broadcast lasted only 90 minutes. On Saturday, when it carries the Run for the Roses for the 25th time, 90 minutes wouldn’t be enough for all the feature stories that will run leading up to post time....
Bucks’ Damian Lillard has surgery to repair torn Achilles tendon
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard had surgery Friday to repair the left Achilles tendon he tore Sunday in a playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks said Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery in Los Angeles, with consultation from team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Carole Vetter. Lillard was...
Donovan Mitchell uses Jazz’s playoff disappointment from 2021 to fuel Cavaliers’ runVideo
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Donovan Mitchell hasn’t allowed himself to enjoy leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. As the Cavaliers continued to surpass expectations and wrapped up the regular season with the NBA’s second-best record, the painful memories of what happened the last time he...
The 151st Kentucky Derby could be a mudder’s delight with rain in the forecastVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Derby is tough to win, with a huge field of stampeding horses and 150,000 screaming fans in the stands. Toss in a rainy forecast that could turn the Churchill Downs dirt strip into something resembling peanut butter, and it gets trickier. A field of 19...
Gregg Popovich, the NBA’s all-time wins leader, retires after 29 seasons as coach in San Antonio
Gregg Popovich stepped down as coach of the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, ending a three-decade run that saw him lead the team to five NBA championships, become the league’s all-time wins leader and earn induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. “While my love and passion for the game...
Brunson scores 40, Knicks top Pistons 116-113 in Game 6, advance to 2nd-round series with CelticsVideo
DETROIT — Jalen Brunson scored 40 points, Mikal Bridges had 25 points and OG Anunoby added 22 to lead the New York Knicks to a 116-113 win over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night and into the second round of the NBA playoffs. The third-seeded Knicks will face second-seeded Boston,...
LeBron: ‘I don’t have the answer’ to questions about his future after Lakers’ exit from NBA playoffsVideo
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James wasn’t ready to make any decisions about his future in the painful moments immediately after his 22nd NBA season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff exit. “I don’t have the answer to that,” James said Wednesday night when asked how long he will...
Ian Wilkes has helped train 2 Kentucky Derby winners, seeks first on his own with Burnham SquareVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ian Wilkes viewed the reporters outside his barn as a sign he must be doing something right. The veteran trainer is thoroughly embracing the attention that Burnham Square has brought him as a Kentucky Derby starter. Even better, he is the points leader heading into Saturday’s 151st...
‘Happy to be back’: Bob Baffert’s Kentucky Derby return includes 2 horses in the race
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The backstretch at Churchill Downs is a magical place during Kentucky Derby week. Big-name trainers talking to well-heeled owners, media haplessly standing around hoping to grab a quote or a quick stand-up interview. Yet the most important part of this annual carnival of horsedom is that one...
Once a teen phenom, NASCAR champ Kyle Busch turns 40
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Busch was hyped for NASCAR greatness long before he was a teenager by his Hall of Fame nominee brother, who vowed “if you think I’m good, wait until you see my little brother.” Busch’s debut in a NASCAR national series race was delayed, though, when he...
Giannis Antetokounmpo faced with big question: Stay or go?
Giannis Antetokounmpo had to have known the question was coming. “Do you think that you can still win that second championship here in Milwaukee after a third straight first-round exit?” The question came after the Bucks’ season ended Tuesday night in Indianapolis. Antetokounmpo is surely asking himself the same question...
WNBA’s 2026 free agency bonanza: ‘Everything can change’
NEW YORK — WNBA training camps just opened, and there already are so many eyes on the 2026 season when more than 100 players will be free agents. Nearly all of the league’s top players could be on the move, including 20 of last season’s All-Stars. “It’s a fact that...
What makes a Kentucky Derby champ? Big hearts, immense lungs and powerful legs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On a crisp, clear morning, a chestnut thoroughbred thundered down the dirt strip at Churchill Downs, his exercise rider leaning forward above the saddle. Other horse-and-rider pairs followed. Dr. Will Farmer looked down from a viewing point, admiring the speed and agility of the 1,000-pound animals. The...
Stephon Castle gives Spurs back-to-back rookies of the yearVideo
Stephon Castle made no secret about it: He wanted to be rookie of the year. And he got it done — by a wide margin. The San Antonio Spurs now have back-to-back winners of the award, with Victor Wembanyama last year and Castle this season. Castle was the fifth rookie...
Stronger Caitlin Clark gears up for 2nd WNBA season with IndianaVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark slapped the court with both hands and started gesturing in her side’s direction after forcing a 5-second call near the end of Tuesday’s practice. It was only Day 2 of training camp, yet this is what Clark has yearned for these past seven...
Team Penske turmoil at Talladega brings out defense of Cindric from ex Braves slugger Chipper JonesVideo
TALLADEGA, Ala. — If there’s beef between teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano — and none other than Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Chipper Jones is convinced there is — then Team Penske has some work to do to smooth things over. At the end of the second stage...
Austin Cindric gives Team Penske 1st win of NASCAR season
Austin Cindric gave Team Penske its first NASCAR victory of the season by holding off a huge pack of challengers over the closing lap in a rare drama-free day at Talladega Superspeedway. Well, there was a tiny bit of drama: Penske teammate Joey Logano was livid following the end of...
Party time at Anfield as Liverpool wins Premier League for record-equaling 20th top-flight titleVideo
LIVERPOOL, England — A selfie with Mohamed Salah. An impromptu sing-along with Arne Slot. And fireworks and flares. It was party time at Anfield on Sunday as Liverpool sealed the Premier League title in style. The 5-1 rout of Tottenham was almost a side issue as a record-equaling 20th English...
Streaking Journalism is 3-1 morning line favorite for 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill DownsVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Red-hot Journalism is the 3-1 morning line favorite for the 151st Kentucky Derby with a favorable No. 8 post position that has tied for the second-most victories in the horse racing’s marquee event. Sovereignty is the 5-1 second choice of 20 horses and will start from the...
Full-strength Wolves take series lead into Game 4 vs. Lakers, as health looms large in NBA playoffsVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves have the assets to repeat or even surpass their run last year to the Western Conference finals, with a go-to player who is one of the biggest stars, a couple of shutdown defenders and a productive and versatile bench, to name a few. They are...
