U.S./World Sports category, Page 103
No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama arrives in San Antonio, with fans waiting hours to greet himVideo
SAN ANTONIO — The chants from hundreds of fans, some of whom waited outside for hours in nearly 100-degree heat, started at the moment Victor Wembanyama stepped out of the private plane that carried him to his new NBA home. “Wem-V-P!” “Wem-V-P!” “Wem-V-P!” And the NBA’s newest No. 1 draft...
Potential lottery prospects for 2024 NBA Draft again will take multiple paths to leagueVideo
This year’s draft class showed there are several ways to get to the NBA with top picks from Europe, the G League, Overtime Elite and the college ranks. Next year will be no different. The G League Ignite developmental program has a pair of top prospects in the 2024 NBA...
SEC powers Florida, LSU to match up in College World Series finalsVideo
OMAHA, Neb. — LSU coach Jay Johnson remembered scanning the 64-team NCAA Tournament field when it was announced almost a month ago, and he had a premonition Florida would be the opponent if his team reached the College World Series finals. “You look at the bracket, and you look on...
U.S. to host 2025 Club World Cup, an expanded soccer tournament with 32 teams
GENEVA — The United States will host the Club World Cup in 2025, the first time the FIFA tournament will have 32 teams. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea already earned places as recent Champions League winners for the expanded tournament lineup that is set to test stadiums and operations...
Lee-Anne Pace shoots 66 for 1st-round lead in Women’s PGA ChampionshipVideo
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Lee-Anne Pace isn’t playing a lot of competitive golf these days at 42 years old, and her practice habits have tailed off. She enjoys the game, and every once in a while, the South African really enjoys it. The first round of the Women’s PGA Championship at...
White’s homer in 11th sends LSU to College World Series finals with a win over No. 1 Wake ForestVideo
OMAHA, Neb. — Tommy White hit Camden Minacci’s first pitch into the left-field seats for a two-run homer in the 11th inning, giving LSU a 2-0 walk-off victory over No. 1 national seed Wake Forest on Thursday night and clinching a spot in the College World Series finals. The win...
Denny McCarthy shoots 60, Rory McIlroy has his first ace on PGA Tour in the Travelers ChampionshipVideo
CROMWELL, Conn. — Denny McCarthy came inches from shooting a 59, settling for a 10-under-par 60 on Thursday for the lowest round of his PGA Tour career, and Rory McIlroy made his first ace on tour on a day of low numbers at the Travelers Championship. Keegan Bradley and Adam...
Victor Wembanyama is the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, with expectations of stardom
NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama was the presumed No. 1 pick for months, the rare certainty in an NBA Draft process that’s often a guessing game. Yet as the clock above the stage he was facing ticked all the way down to zero, butterflies set in. “Longest five minutes of...
Chris Paul traded to Warriors, Jordan Poole sent to Wizards
Chris Paul’s pursuit of an NBA championship is taking him to the Golden State Warriors, after they agreed to the framework of a trade Thursday that will send Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards, according to multiple reports. The trade also includes a package of draft capital. ESPN first reported...
UConn’s Dan Hurley cashes in on national title with a new 6-year, $31.5M contract
STORRS, Conn. — UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has cashed in on the Huskies national championship, agreeing to a new six-year, $31.5 million contract, the school announced Thursday. The deal, which runs through 2029, will pay Hurley an average of $5.25 million per season and includes incentives that could...
Rose Zhang seeking to follow win in her pro debut with a major at the Women’s PGA Championship
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — After stunning women’s golf by winning in her first event as professional, Rose Zhang will try to take the next big step when she goes for her first major victory in the Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol. And it’s been just a month in the making for...
PGA Tour will appear before a Senate panel investigating its deal with Saudi backers of LIV
WASHINGTON — The PGA Tour said Wednesday that it would appear next month before a Senate subcommittee whose leader asked executives from the tour, Saudi golf interests and LIV Golf to testify as Congress investigates the business deal that upended the sport. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced that the Senate...
PGA Tour’s top golfers travel across the country for $20M purse at Travelers ChampionshipVideo
CROMWELL, Conn. — Nathan Grube, the tournament director of the Travelers Championship, used to worry about the years when the U.S. Open took place on the West Coast. Many of the world’s top golfers would make a decision to take a break the week after the major or head to...
With Victor Wembanyama a player like few others, there’s no debate at the top of this NBA draft
NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama walked into his first NBA news conference Wednesday morning, took his seat and looked out at a maze of cameras and microphones that have been awaiting him for years. And then he smiled. “What’s up, everyone?” the French teen said. Seeming poised and completely ready...
Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson set to be taken in top-10 of NBA DraftVideo
For all the things the Thompson Twins share — middle name, appetite for burgers, dynamic basketball skill sets — matching suits on draft night won’t be one of them. Amen and Ausar Thompson are dressing for success in their own unique style as they prepare to go in their own...
Paris 2024 Olympics HQ searched in third consecutive Summer Games scandalVideo
PARIS — French police searched the Paris Olympic organizers’ headquarters on Tuesday as part of corruption investigations into contracts linked to the Games, according to prosecutors, the third straight time graft allegations have dogged a Summer Olympics. The Paris organizing committee said in a statement that a search was carried...
Lionel Messi expected to make Inter Miami debut July 21Video
MIAMI — Lionel Messi is expected to make his Major League Soccer debut with Inter Miami at a July 21 home game, the team confirmed Tuesday. Owner Jorge Mas told selected outlets Monday that his club and Messi have agreed to terms and are finalizing paperwork and a visa. The...
Column: Rory McIlroy is going on 9 years without a major and the questions won’t stop
LOS ANGELES — The only thing worse for players than getting asked about winning their first major are endless questions about when they will win another one. That’s what Rory McIlroy is facing. The scrutiny no longer is limited to the spring, with Augusta National on the horizon and the...
French policeman left in a coma by German hooligans at 1998 World Cup to attend match
BERLIN — The French policeman who was left in a coma following a brutal beating from German soccer hooligans during the 1998 World Cup is to attend a friendly between the two nations in September. Daniel Nivel accepted an invitation to attend the match in Dortmund on Sept. 12, the...
Soccer faces wave of racial and offensive abuse incidents amid FIFA pledge to stop games
GENEVA — Two international soccer games stopped because of racial abuse between players. A United States-Mexico game cut short amid homophobic chants by fans. An advisor to Brazil player Vinícius Júnior racially harassed by a steward at a stadium in Spain. All these incidents in the past week are evidence...
Wyndham Clark’s U.S. Open win on Father’s Day is also a tribute to his late momVideo
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Open wrapped up, as it always does, on Father’s Day. Golf’s newest champion would be the first to tell people he always has been a mama’s boy. Wyndham Clark’s victory Sunday will be remembered for how a 29-year-old newcomer to the big time held off...
With punctured hole repaired, U.S. boat returns to sea in around-the-world Ocean Race
The American sailboat in the Ocean Race had the hole in its hull repaired and set off for Italy in an attempt to rejoin the around-the-world competition before it is over. The 11th Hour Racing Team left The Hague, Netherlands, on Sunday, less than 72 hours after it was T-boned...
Rory McIlroy gets big break at U.S. Open but ice-cold putter costs him the title
LOS ANGELES — Rory McIlroy got the sort of break most players need to win a U.S. Open. If only he could’ve made a putt or two to go with it. The golf gods, to say nothing of the golf rulebook, gave McIlroy a chance to save par after his...
Rickie Fowler fades in final round after bounce-back U.S. Open
LOS ANGELES — From his electric opening-round 62 to his neon-orange Sunday ensemble, Rickie Fowler showed off just about everything during the 123rd U.S. Open that once made him one of the most compelling figures in golf. Unfortunately, that also included another painful fade from title contention after he took...
Nick Kyrgios out of Halle Open with knee injury shortly after comeback
HALLE, Germany — Last year’s Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the Halle Open on Monday in his latest setback as he tries to recover from a long-running knee injury. “I tried everything here in Halle the last couple of days, but then I had to make the decision to...
