AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:16 a.m. EDT
Day 2 of free agency: LaVine, Nurkic decide to stay put
Zach LaVine is staying in Chicago. Same goes for Jusuf Nurkic in Portland. Day 2 of NBA free agency brought another max deal — this time, going to LaVine, who secured the richest contract in Bulls history when he agreed to a $215 million, five-year contract. Nurkic got by far the biggest payday of his career, agreeing to a four-year, $70 million contract with Portland. The center just completed his eighth NBA season, the last six of those coming with the Trail Blazers, for whom he averaged 15 points and 11.1 rebounds this past season.
AP source: Rudy Gobert traded by Jazz to Timberwolves
Rudy Gobert has been traded by the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a massive package of players and draft picks, a person with knowledge of the blockbuster deal said. Utah is getting four first-round picks between 2023 and 2029, along with Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and a first-round pick this year in Walker Kessler, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the NBA had not approved the deal and neither team could announce it publicly. ESPN, which first reported the trade, also said Jarred Vanderbilt was going from Minnesota to Utah as part of the deal for Gobert.
Conference realignment makes another seismic shift
Conference realignment in college sports has been going on since 1984, when the Supreme Court invalidated the NCAA's national television contract for football. The conference juggling has gone through ebbs and flows through the years since, from small schools bumping up to bigger leagues to power programs switching to other major conferences. The latest move, UCLA and USC bolting the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, could be part of a tectonic shift. Not just because of the marquee-named schools involved, but because it happened at a time when the NCAA is looking to take a more decentralized approach to governing college athletics, handing more power to schools and conferences.
WNBA's Brittney Griner goes on trial in Russian court
MOSCOW (AP) — WNBA star Brittney Griner has gone on trial in a Russian court on charges of possessing cannabis oil. Griner was arrested in February at a Moscow airport while traveling to play for a Russian team. The Phoenix Mercury center and two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The next session was set for July 7. A U.S. Embassy official who was in court said she spoke with Griner, who "is doing as well as can be expected in these difficult circumstances." Her case comes at an extraordinarily low point in Moscow-Washington relations. Griner was arrested less than a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, which aggravated already high tensions.
Wimbledon updates | Coco Gauff 1st on Centre Court on Day 6
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Coco Gauff and Rafael Nadal get back on Centre Court on Day 6 at Wimbledon. Gauff will face Amanda Anisimova in the third round at the All England Club. Two-time Wimbledon champion Nadal will play Lorenzo Sonego. Another two-time champion at the grass-court Grand Slam will play between those matches with Petra Kvitova taking on fourth-seeded Paula Badosa. French Open champion Iga Swiatek will play her third-round match on No. 1 Court against Alizé Cornet. Fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas will play Nick Kyrgios after that.
Analysis: Settlement best solution for Deshaun Watson, NFL
Now that Deshaun Watson's disciplinary hearing has concluded, the best solution for the NFL and the quarterback's legal team is to reach a settlement before retired judge Sue Robinson issues a decision. Watson was accused of sexual misconduct by 24 women and has settled 20 of the civil lawsuits. A settlement with the NFL would avoid an appeal that undermines the collectively bargained process with a disciplinary officer and prevents a potential court case. The longer the process drags, the messier it can get. And, it's already ugly.
Johnson, Ortiz tied for lead in LIV Golf event in Portland
The outcry that marked the start of the Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf series' first American stop quieted a bit on Friday, putting the focus on the play at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club. Modest crowds and mild temperatures in the mid-70s greeted the players on the upstart series, bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, which is trying to shake up the PGA Tour. But there has been widespread criticism because of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses. Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters winner, and Carlos Ortiz were tied for the lead going into the final round of the 54-hole tournament Saturday.
JT Poston opens 4-stroke lead in John Deere Classic
SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — J.T. Poston took a four-stroke lead into the weekend in the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, following an opening 9-under 62 with a 65 on Friday at TPC Deere Run. Coming off a second-place tie last week in Connecticut after also opening with a 62, Poston got to 15 under with a birdie on the par-4 13th and parred the final six holes in the afternoon round. Poston was a stroke off the tournament 36-hole record set by Steve Stricker in his 2010 victory. Denny McCarthy was second at 11 under after a 65, also playing in the afternoon after rain delayed morning play. Christopher Gotterup, the former Rutgers player in the field on a sponsor exemption, had a 67 to reach 10 under.
Wimbledon wild-card entry outside top 100 gets Djokovic next
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic's next opponent is an oft-injured guy ranked outside the top 100 and making his Grand Slam debut thanks to a wild card. And he had never won an ATP Tour match until last month. Now he has won eight in a row. Tim van Rijthoven is a 25-year-old Dutchman who has eliminated two seeded players on his way to a fourth-round matchup against No. 1 Djokovic. The latest victory for van Rijthoven came against No. 22 Nikoloz Basilashvili. That followed a win over No. 15 Reilly Opelka. Van Rijthoven will play Djokovic on Sunday.
US men's soccer reach 1st Olympics since 2008 with U-20 win
The United States qualified for its first Olympic men's soccer tournament since 2008 when the Americans beat Honduras 3-0 at San Pedro Sula in the semifinals of the Under-20 championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean. Paxten Aaronson of the Philadelphia Union, a brother of Leeds midfielder Brenden Aaronson, scored in the third minute. Alejandro Alvarado added a goal in the 23rd, and Quinn Sullivan in the 43rd as the U.S. earned a berth in the 16-nation field. Olympic men's soccer is limited to players under 23, with each nation allowed three wild cards over the limit.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 6 Boston 5
Final N.Y. Mets 4 Texas 3
Final Chicago White Sox 1 San Francisco 0
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Cleveland 12:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Final Toronto 9 Tampa Bay 2
Final Kansas City 3 Detroit 1
Final Minnesota 3 Baltimore 2
Final Houston 8 L.A. Angels 1
Final Oakland 3 Seattle 1
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Miami 6 Washington 3
Final Philadelphia 5 St. Louis 3
Final Atlanta 9 Cincinnati 1
Final Milwaukee 19 Pittsburgh 2
Final Arizona 9 Colorado 3
Final L.A. Dodgers 5 San Diego 1
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Las Vegas 91 Minnesota 85
Final Los Angeles 97 Dallas 89
Final Seattle 73 Indiana 57
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Chi White Sox at San Francisco 4:05 p.m.
Texas at N-Y Mets 4:10 p.m.
Boston at Chi Cubs 7:15 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay at Toronto 12:07 p.m.
Baltimore at Minnesota 2:10 p.m.
Kansas City at Detroit 4:10 p.m.
L-A Angels at Houston 4:10 p.m.
Oakland at Seattle 4:10 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Toronto 6:07 p.m.
N-Y Yankees at Cleveland 6:10 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami at Washington 4:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Pittsburgh 4:05 p.m.
St. Louis at Philadelphia 4:05 p.m.
Atlanta at Cincinnati 4:10 p.m.
San Diego at L-A Dodgers 7:15 p.m.
Arizona at Colorado 9:10 p.m.
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WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Phoenix at Chicago 1 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Seattle at Toronto FC 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles FC at Vancouver 10 p.m.
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More in SPORTS
NCAA
In a surprising and seismic shift in college athletics, the Big Ten voted Thursday to add Southern California and UCLA as conference members beginning in 2024.
The expansion to 16 teams will happen after the Pac-12’s current media rights contracts with Fox and ESPN expire and make the Big Ten the first conference to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
The announcement, which caught the Pac-12 off-guard, came almost a year after Oklahoma and Texas formally accepted invitations to join the Southeastern Conference in July 2025.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said USC and UCLA, both members of the Pac-12 and its previous iterations for nearly a century, submitted applications for membership and the league’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to add the Los Angeles schools.
NBA
The NBA generated more basketball-related income than ever this past season, the total number coming up just short of $9 billion.
Business is good. The first night of free agency underscored how good.
Nikola Jokic agreed to the biggest contract in NBA history, Bradley Beal agreed to a deal worth a quarter-billion dollars, and the money just kept flowing. Shortly after midnight Friday in the Eastern time zone, three more players — Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker and Ja Morant — also agreed to huge-money extensions.
Towns and Booker agreed to four-year deals that will commence in 2024 and are worth at least $224 million, their agent, Jessica Holtz of CAA, said. Morant will sign his first rookie extension, one that’ll be worth at least $193 million and could reach the $230 million range, according to Tandem Sports, which represents him.
Those five players — Jokic, Beal, Towns, Booker and Morant — had more than $1.1 billion in money committed to them in their new deals, highlighting the moves made Thursday when the NBA’s annual free-agent negotiating window opened.
Kevin Durant may be taking his quest for more titles elsewhere.
Durant has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, according to a person with direct knowledge of the decision that undoubtedly will have teams scrambling to put together offers for the perennial All-Star.
The Nets have been working with Durant to find a trade partner, and he has multiple teams on his preferred list, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because neither the player nor Brooklyn revealed any details publicly.
ESPN first reported Durant’s trade request, citing Phoenix and Miami as two of his preferred destinations. The bombshell came just hours before the NBA’s free-agent period for this summer was set to begin.
— By AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds.
MLB
NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. were elected Thursday to start in the July 20 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
The pair were chosen under new rules that give starting spots to the top vote-getter in each league in the first phase of online voting, which began June 8 and ended Thursday. Others advanced to the second phase, which runs from noon EDT on Tuesday and ends at 2 p.m. EDT on July 8. Votes from the first phase do not carry over.
Starters will be announced July 8, and pitchers and reserves on July 10.
Judge received 3.76 million votes and was elected to start for the fourth time. Acuña led the NL with 3.5 million votes and was elected to start for the third time.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California agency cleared the way for the Oakland Athletics to continue planning a $12 billion waterfront ballpark project.
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission voted 23-2 to reclassify a 56-acre terminal at the Port of Oakland as a mixed-use area where a new ballpark could be built. The vote is the first in a series of legal hurdles the team would have to overcome before it gets permission to break ground for the project.
The commission followed the recommendation of its staff, which found the team demonstrated removing the terminal from port use “would not detract from the region’s capability to handle the projected growth in cargo.”
The A’s are the last professional franchise remaining in Oakland after the NBA’s Golden State Warriors relocated to San Francisco and the NFL’s Raiders to Las Vegas in recent years. The defections weigh heavily on the Bay Area city of roughly 400,000 people, some of whom pleaded with the commission Thursday to work harder to keep the team and the accompanying jobs.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former agent of Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman says the Braves are presenting a “false narrative” about the first baseman’s parting with Atlanta in March.
“I will not stand by as the circumstances surrounding Freddie Freeman’s departure from Atlanta are mischaracterized,” agent Casey Close of Excel Sports Management said in a statement.
Freeman was in tears and at times could barely speak when talking to reporters in Atlanta last week, his first trip back to the city where he had played his entire career before leaving for the West Coast. He was warmly welcomed by Braves fans. He helped the team win the World Series last season and was presented his ring by Braves manager Brian Snitker.
Freeman’s return came at the same time that he apparently fired Excel as his management team. Asked about that, he described the relationship as “fluid.”
NFL
Deshaun Watson’s disciplinary hearing concluded Thursday with the NFL adamant about an indefinite suspension of at least one year and the quarterback’s legal team arguing there’s no basis for that punishment, two people with knowledge of the case told The Associated Press.
Both sides presented their arguments over three days before former U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson in Delaware, according to both people who spoke on condition of anonymity because the hearing isn’t public.
Watson was accused of sexual misconduct by 24 women and settled 20 of the civil lawsuits.
Robinson, who was jointly appointed by the league and the NFL Players’ Association, will determine whether Watson violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy and whether to impose discipline.
—- By AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi
NHL
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings have hired Derek Lalonde to coach their rebuilding team, hoping the two-time Stanley Cup-winning assistant can make all the right moves to make the franchise relevant again.
Lalonde spent the past four years on Jon Cooper’s staff with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a stretch that included championships in 2020 and ’21 and, most recently, a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
“He has proven himself as an excellent coach at every level and has spent the last four seasons in the National Hockey League as part of a very successful program in Tampa Bay,” general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement. “We feel he is ready to take the next step in his career as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.”
Yzerman was GM of the Lightning when he promoted Cooper to his first NHL head-coaching job in 2013. It’s the first time an active assistant of Cooper’s has jumped to a head job in the NHL.