U.S./World Sports category, Page 22
NBA champ Celtics sold for record $6.1 billion to group led by private equity mogul Bill Chisholm
BOSTON — Private equity mogul William Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics on Thursday in a deal that values the NBA’s reigning champions and the most-decorated franchise in league history at a minimum of $6.1 billion — the largest price ever for American professional sports team. If the deal...
Skipping this year’s March Madness brackets? It’s not just you
WASHINGTON — In East Lansing, Michigan, college sports often dominate conversations — especially in March, when everyone seems to be filling out their NCAA brackets. Jessica Caruss would know; she has lived in the area for most of her life. She loves sports, and she’s a Michigan State fan, but...
Here are some non-traditional ways to fill in your March Madness bracket
You’ve spent the whole season glued to the scores and rankings. You’ve memorized players’ names and stats. Selection Sunday has come and gone, and now it’s time for March Madness — and you feel certain that your uber-informed NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament bracket will dominate the work poll....
Heat-Knicks game is delayed after Tracy Morgan gets sick at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK — Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan got sick in the second half of Monday night’s Heat-Knicks game, interrupting the action at Madison Square Garden. There was a pause in play with 6:09 left in the third quarter while workers cleaned up the area around Morgan’s seat. The delay...
In NASCAR antitrust fight, Michael Jordan’s manager goes from adviser to stock car series to targetVideo
LAS VEGAS — Long before the battle over the charter system led to the antitrust lawsuit now engulfing NASCAR, its executives found Michael Jordan and his small group of advisers a beneficial resource in discussing growth for the top racing series in the United States. They held meetings with Curtis...
UCLA and South Carolina headline AP Top 25 women’s poll and are top seeds in NCAA Tournament
UCLA remained No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 on Monday one day after the Bruins earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The Bruins head into March Madness with two losses, both coming to Southern Cal during...
Duke remains at No. 1 in AP Top 25 entering March Madness; St. John’s rises to No. 5
Duke remained atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll on Monday a day after the committee that selects the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament went with Auburn as the No. 1 overall seed. The Blue Devils (31-3) earned 49 of 59 first-place votes in the latest...
Josh Berry races to 1st NASCAR Cup Series win with Las Vegas score
LAS VEGAS — Josh Berry raced to the first Cup Series victory of his career, taking NASCAR’s oldest team to victory lane Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Berry, in his first season driving the famed No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing, had the first victory for a Ford team...
Christopher Bell wants another congrats text from Jimmie Johnson
LAS VEGAS — Christopher Bell sometimes can’t believe seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson even knows Bell exists. And when Bell’s phone lights up with a new text message from the Hall of Famer, he can’t stop himself from freaking out a little bit. But the texts have come three weeks...
Las Vegan Noah Gragson handles ‘smooth’ transition to new Cup Series team
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas native Noah Gragson is driving for his third team in his third season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Gragson is in his first season racing for Front Row Motorsports. His car number and race shop are different, but not everything is entirely new for Gragson....
Stephen Curry becomes 1st player in NBA history to make 4,000 3-pointers
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry’s shooting range and accuracy from way back have long stood alone — whether with a defender or two in his face or when letting it fly from the logo. Now, the NBA’s career leader in 3-pointers has reached new territory from beyond the arc: Golden...
Former reality TV star Jessie Holmes wins longest-ever Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska
NOME, Alaska — Jessie Holmes, a former reality television star, won the longest-ever Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday. Holmes was first to the finish line in the Gold Rush town of Nome, on the Bering Sea coast. The race began March 3 in Fairbanks after a lack of...
Christopher Bell takes a 3-race winning streak to Las Vegas with Adam Stevens in his cornerVideo
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Nothing seemed to be going right at the start of Christopher Bell’s relationship with crew chief Adam Stevens. They struggled to get the right setups and results. That concerned Bell, who was still early in his NASCAR Cup Series career, but Stevens wasn’t worried. He previously won...
Christopher Bell edges Denny Hamlin at Phoenix to win 3rd straight NASCAR Cup Series raceVideo
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Christopher Bell was just ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin after a late restart, in good position to win his third straight NASCAR Cup Series race. Another restart led to some tense moments — enough to make his team owner feel a bit queasy. Bell...
Rio Takeda of Japan shoots a blistering 8-under 64 in China to win her second LPGA title
SANYA, China — Rio Takeda shot a blistering 8-under 64 on Sunday to win the LPGA’s Blue Bay tournament by six shots ahead of Minjee Lee of Australia, the second LPGA title for the young Japanese. The 21-year-old Takeda finished on 17-under 271 for the four rounds on China’s southern...
Ayumu Hirano, Olympic champion snowboarder, has new, more important title: dad
ASPEN, Colo. — The biggest life-changer for snowboard champion Ayumu Hirano since he won an Olympic gold medal: He became a father. That, as much as triple corks or big airs, has been his focus over the last few months. It doesn’t figure to change much, even as he ramps...
Joey Logano returns to Phoenix after winning 2024 Cup Series title
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Joey Logano already had an affinity for Phoenix Raceway. The Team Penske driver had won on the mile oval three times, including the 2022 Cup Series title, and had 15 top-10 finishes in 31 races since 2009. Logano’s love affair for Phoenix took an even deeper turn...
Mark Cuban tells Dallas TV station he would have asked for more in return for Doncic
DALLAS — Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban said he wouldn’t have traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers without receiving much more in return. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has come under heavy criticism after sending Doncic to the Lakers in a shocking three-team deal Feb. 1...
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of ordering killings added to FBI’s Most Wanted list
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who allegedly became the head of a transnational drug organization and ordered numerous killings was added to the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list Thursday. Federal investigators announced at a news conference in Los Angeles that Ryan Wedding, who participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics...
TKO Group, which houses WWE and UFC, partners with Saudi entertainment authority on boxing league
NEW YORK — TKO Group, the company that houses WWE and UFC, entered a multiyear agreement with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority to create a new boxing promotion, it was announced Wednesday. Led by UFC president and CEO Dana White and WWE president and TKO board member Nick Khan, TKO...
Coldplay working with FIFA to produce first-ever World Cup final halftime show for 2026
DALLAS — Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin is working with FIFA to curate the first Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup final next year. The MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — to be known as New York New Jersey Stadium for the World Cup — will host the final...
NASCAR countersues 23XI and Front Row, as well as Michael Jordan’s agent, in dispute over charters
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR on Wednesday filed a counterclaim against Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports alleging they “willfully” violated antitrust laws by orchestrating anticompetitive collective conduct in connection with the most recent charter agreements. 23XI and Front Row were the only two teams out of 15 that...
Mavs star Kyrie Irving suffers torn ACL and is out for the season
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season, a person with knowledge of the injury told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Irving was injured in the first quarter of Dallas’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on...
LeBron James to become first to score 50,000 combined points in NBA regular season and playoffs
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James will soon become the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 combined points in the regular season and postseason. If James suits up Tuesday night, he’ll need just one point to set the mark during the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the New Orleans...
Katherine Legge to be the 1st woman in 7 years to compete in NASCAR Cup Series race
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Katherine Legge will become the first woman in a NASCAR Cup Series race since Danica Patrick in 2018 when the veteran makes her debut Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Legge will drive the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports. She becomes the first woman since Patrick made...
