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Matt Duchene's heroics Friday put his current team in the Western Conference finals at the expense of the team that drafted him more than a decade ago. An unmarked Duchene flicked his wrists, and in less than a second scored the winning goal that sent the Dallas Stars to a 2-1 double-overtime win in Game 6 against the Colorado Avalanche to close out their semifinal series. "Those guys mucked hard at the end, and it just popped out to me," Duchene told Turner Sports after the game. "I put it in and then blacked out pretty much. I was so tired, I started skating and I got tired, and I don't even know what I did after that. I was pretty pumped up." Duchene's goal and the events that led to it came with several moving parts. Most notably, it sends the Stars back to the Western Conference final for a second straight season and for the third time in the past five years. They will face either the  Vancouver Canucks or the  Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks...

INDIANAPOLIS -- When the Indiana Pacers fell behind 2-0 in their series against the New York Knicks, coach Rick Carlisle challenged the referees. When they faced elimination in Friday's Game 6, he directly challenged his players. Carlisle tore into his team after their 30-point loss in Game 5 in New York, calling for them to improve their aggression, focus and technique. Then he put them through a tough film session Thursday reviewing time after time when the Knicks beat the Pacers to loose balls in the humbling blowout. The veteran coach got a strong response from his young team, with the Pacers reversing nearly every facet in a 116-103 Game 6 victory that evened the series at 3-3 and set up a Game 7 Sunday at Madison Square Garden. After losing the rebound battle by a whopping 24 in Game 5, the Pacers won it by 12 in Game 6. After turning the ball over a crushing 18 times in Game 5, the Pacers did just nine times in Game 6. And after getting outscored by 26...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- After posting his 11th consecutive round of par or worse in a major championship with a 6-over 77 in the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on Friday, Tiger Woods is headed home on the weekend again. With a 36-hole total of 7-over 149, Woods was well above the projected cut line of 1-under 141. In his past 22 starts in majors, he has missed the cut 10 times and withdrawn twice. Still, the 15-time major champion says he's getting stronger from injuries suffered in a car wreck in February 2021 and believes his game will get better as well. Woods, 48, said he plans to play in the next major, the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina on June 13-16. "It will -- in time," Woods said of the possibility of his game improving. "I need to play more. Unfortunately, I just haven't played a whole lot of tournaments, and not a whole lot of tournaments on my schedule either. Hopefully, everything will somehow come together in my...

David Fletcher, a former Los Angeles Angels infielder currently playing for the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate, and a friend of his, who also played in the minor leagues, both bet on sports with the Southern California bookmaker who took wagers from Shohei Ohtani's longtime interpreter, according to multiple sources detailing the activities. Fletcher, who was Ohtani's teammate from 2018 to 2023 and has been described as one of his closest friends in baseball, placed bets with the bookmaking operation of Mathew Bowyer, according to the sources. Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, also bet with Bowyer and eventually stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese superstar to feed his addiction, according to prosecutors. Fletcher's close friend, Colby Schultz, who played in the Kansas City Royals' system from 2018 to 2020, placed bets on baseball, including on Angels games that Fletcher played in while he was on the team, multiple...

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is expected to remain sidelined for Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference finals next week, but there's optimism he'll be able to return sometime in the series -- barring any setbacks, sources told ESPN on Friday. Porzingis has been making progress in his recovery from a soleus strain of his right calf, ramping up his on-court activity for an anticipated return in the conference finals, but still needs more time for a return to play, sources said. The Celtics are awaiting the winner of the New York Knicks- Indiana Pacers semifinal series. The series is tied with Game 7 Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.  Porzingis -- out since suffering the injury in Game 5 of the Celtics' first-round series against the Miami Heat on April 30 -- missed the entirety of Boston's five-game conference semifinal series victory over  Cleveland. He is likely to miss the opening two games of the East finals, scheduled for...

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee will undergo season-ending surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder in the next couple of weeks, the team announced Friday. Lee injured the shoulder when he crashed into the center-field wall after he leaped in an attempt to catch a fly ball in Sunday's home game against the  Cincinnati Reds. He was initially diagnosed with a dislocation, and an MRI later revealed structural damage in the shoulder. Lee received a second opinion Thursday from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who confirmed the shoulder would require surgery. Lee will have about six months of rehab and is expected to make a full recovery for the 2025 season, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said. "First of all I feel bad for him, but obviously for our team he loves playing baseball and he loves playing for the Giants and this was a significant sign for us, so it's disappointing for everybody, mostly for him," manager Bob Melvin said. "We'll...

PHOENIX -- Mike Budenholzer got a little teary-eyed talking about his past in Arizona, describing an idyllic childhood in the small town of Holbrook, about three hours northeast of Phoenix. Those tears dried up in a hurry when talking about his future. "It's mind-boggling to me, like mind-blowing, to think that I'm going to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns," Budenholzer said Friday during an introductory news conference in downtown Phoenix. Budenholzer, 54, replaces Frank Vogel, who was fired May 9 after one disappointing season. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year will be charged with getting more out of the team's All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as the franchise continues to chase a championship. The group never quite meshed last season under Vogel, finishing with a 49-33 record before getting swept by  Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. "I'm excited about working with this roster and...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Sometime around 8 a.m. ET Friday, world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was sitting in a holding cell at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, watching himself being arrested on TV. About two hours earlier, Scheffler had been handcuffed and detained for allegedly not following a police officer's instructions while trying to drive into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club, the site of this week's PGA Championship. "I was just so confused at what was happening at the time," Scheffler said. "I didn't know what time it was. I didn't know what was going on. When I was sitting in the holding cell or whatever, there was a TV there and I could see myself on the TV, on ESPN. "'Get Up' was on, so in the corner it showed the time and it said they were delayed, and I was kind of thinking about my tee time. I was like, 'Well, maybe I could be able to get out.'" Scheffler, who described the situation with the police officer as a "big misunderstanding" and a...

One in three high-profile athletes receive abusive messages from individuals with a "betting interest," and more than 540 men's and women's college basketball players received similar abuse, including death threats, during championship tournaments in March, the NCAA said in a release Friday. The NCAA looked at athletes participating in sports that attract the most betting interest -- football and basketball, among others -- and found that online abuse is widespread. Signify, an artificial intelligence company and NCAA partner, covered 1,000 Division I men's and women's college basketball players, 64 teams, more than 200 coaches and 120 NCAA game officials during March Madness. The analysis, which is part of an NCAA initiative aimed at combating online abuse and harassment, found 4,000 posts or comments that were confirmed to be abusive or threatening during March Madness. The NCAA said the data showed women's basketball players received approximately three times more overall...

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Craig Berube as their new head coach. The Leafs fired head coach Sheldon Keefe on May 9 after they bowed out of the postseason in the first round for the third time in four full seasons under Keefe. Toronto general manager Brad Treliving said the team was targeting a fresh voice who could help it reach its full potential. "In this business over a period of time, the message stops hitting home," Treliving said of moving on from Keefe. "It's not just changing the personnel but understanding why a message may not be getting through. So, our focus right now is trying to find that individual [as our next coach]." This is Berube's third NHL head-coaching job. He was previously behind the bench in Philadelphia from 2013 to '15, guiding the Flyers to a playoff berth in 2014 before being let go following a poor sixth-place finish in the Metropolitan Division the following season. Berube, 58, went on to coach the St. Louis Blues'...

The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Craig Berube as their new head coach, sources confirmed to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. Toronto was expected to make it official with Berube on Friday. The Leafs fired head coach Sheldon Keefe on May 9 after Toronto bowed out of the postseason with another first-round Stanley Cup playoff loss, for the third time in four full seasons under Keefe. Toronto's general manager Brad Treliving said then the Leafs were targeting a fresh voice who could help the team reach its full potential. "In this business over a period of time, the message stops hitting home," said Treliving of moving on from Keefe. "It's not just changing the personnel but understanding why a message may not be getting through. So, our focus right now is trying to find that individual [as our next coach]." This will be Berube's third NHL head coaching job. He was previously behind the bench in Philadelphia from 2013-15, guiding the Flyers to a playoff berth in 2014 before being...

CHICAGO -- Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes already is making history just two starts into his first major league season. On Friday, the rookie struck out the first seven Chicago Cubs hitters he faced during an electric outing at Wrigley Field, his first big league appearance on the road and one that led to a 9-3 Pirates victory. Skenes, who also faced the Cubs in his major league debut, cited better fastball command for his improvement.  "I had my pitches working for me a lot better than last time," the 21-year-old said. "It's really tough to compete without fastball execution, no matter who you are. It was a lot better today." Skenes, 21, retired the first 13 batters overall before walking first baseman Michael Busch in the fifth inning. Busch was the only baserunner to reach off Skenes, who pitched six hitless innings on 100 pitches. He struck out 11 overall. "He went right after them," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. "He used...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Tyson Fury delivered a lackluster performance vs. Francis Ngannou in October, but "The Gypsy King" appeared in far better shape during Friday's weigh-in at 262 pounds ahead of his undisputed heavyweight championship fight vs. Oleksandr Usyk. England's Fury was 277.5 pounds when he was floored by the former UFC heavyweight champion, a split-decision victory in a non-title bout. Fury's 262 pounds are his lowest since he defeated Otto Wall in September 2019 at 254 pounds. Usyk, meanwhile, weighed a career-high 233.5 pounds. His previous high was 221.5 pounds when he defeated Anthony Joshua in the August 2022 rematch. They were both shirtless and wearing pants (there is no weight limit for heavyweights in boxing.) After the fighters tipped the scales, Fury and Usyk engaged in a heated shoving match on the stage at the outdoor BLVD City in Saudi Arabia's capital. "I'm ready to rock and roll," Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) said. "Fireworks tomorrow night. I'm going to...

The famous napkin that linked a young Lionel Messi to Barcelona sold for £762,400 ($965,000) on Friday, British auction house Bonhams said. An agreement in principle to sign the then-13-year-old Messi was written on the napkin almost 25 years ago at a Barcelona tennis club. A more formal and detailed contract with the club followed soon after. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) An undisclosed percentage of the sale price pays administrative fees for the online auction, in what's called the buyer's premium. Bonhams said the auction was on behalf of Horacio Gaggioli, an agent from Messi's home country of Argentina who was part of the deal. The contract language, written in blue ink, was intended to reassure the teenager's father, Jorge Messi, that the deal would go through. Jorge Messi had threatened to take his son back to Argentina because negotiations with Barça had stalled. The napkin, containing the date Dec. 14,...

Feyenoord coach Arne Slot has announced he will be appointed to succeed Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool manager from next season. "I can confirm that I will become the trainer there next year," Slot told a news conference. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Klopp confirmed in January that he will step down from his role as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, with Slot emerging as the leading candidate to replace him. As with Klopp on Friday, Slot used his prematch news conference to bid farewell to his club.  "Until now I was not thinking about this being the buildup to my last match, but that starts coming now," Slot said.  "At the beginning of the week you are thinking about training and those kind of things. But the feeling gets stronger now. That is why I'm a little bit late now [for the news conference], because I wanted to say goodbye to some people personally and take time for them, more than just shaking hands. "So...

Bruins captain Brad Marchand participated in Boston's morning skate and is a game-time decision for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference second-round series Friday night against the visiting Florida Panthers, coach Jim Montgomery announced. Marchand sat out Boston's 3-2 loss in Game 4 and the Bruins' 2-1 win in Game 5. The forward has been idle since receiving an upper-body injury after a hard check from Florida's Sam Bennett in the first period of the Panthers' 6-2 victory in Game 3. The Bruins trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. "He's going through his final steps. He'll be a game-time decision," Montgomery said. Marchand, 36, has three goals and a team-leading seven assists for 10 points in 10 games during the postseason. Marchand had 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) in 82 games this season. He has 929 points (401 goals, 528 assists) in 1,029 career games since being selected by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 NHL draft.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The police officer who attempted to stop world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler from entering Valhalla Golf Club on Friday morning was dragged to the ground and suffered "pain, swelling and abrasions" to his left wrist and knee after Scheffler's car accelerated, according to an incident report released by the Louisville Metro Police Department. The report, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, said detective Bryan Gillis, identified as Det. Gillis in the report, was directing traffic at Shelbyville Road near Gate 1 of Valhalla Golf Club, the site of this week's PGA Championship. Traffic outside the golf course had been stopped after a man was struck and killed by a shuttle bus around 5 a.m. ET. The report said Gillis was standing in the middle of the westbound lanes when Scheffler's SUV pulled into the lanes to avoid the traffic backup The report said Gillis was wearing a full police uniform and a "high-visibility yellow reflective rain jacket." Gillis...

Five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore decommitted from LSU on Wednesday. Moore is the No. 3 prospect overall in the 2025 class, and a 5-foot-11, 185-pound recruit from Duncanville, Texas. He had been committed to the Tigers since August, but announced on Wednesday that he is reopening his recruitment. In his announcement on X (formerly twitter), Moore said that he will not be considering new offers from schools. Prior to committing to LSU, he had Ohio State, Oregon and Texas in his top group, and those three schools have continued to recruit him despite his commitment to LSU. He was the second-highest ranked commitment in the class for LSU, behind No. 2 ranked Bryce Underwood, a five-star quarterback out of Belleville, Michigan. Despite Moore's decommitment, LSU still has six ESPN 300 commitments, including Underwood, the No. 1 ranked running back Harlem Berry, cornerback Jaboree Antoine, offensive linemen Devin Harper and Tyler Miller, as well as linebacker Charles Ross. 

Brazil has been confirmed as host of the 2027 Women's World Cup. On Friday, 211 member nations voted on the bid during the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok to decide between Brazil and a joint bid from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands as hosts for the next edition of the tournament. A joint bid between the United States and Mexico was withdrawn three weeks ago with the two countries deciding to focus on the 2031 tournament and calling for a "historic first" equal investment with the men's tournament being hosted across the two countries in 2026. South Africa also withdrew its bid in November 2023, citing a determination to prepare a more comprehensive bid for the 2031 World Cup. This was the first time Congress had voted on the hosts for a women's tournament. Previously, hosts were decided based on voting from the FIFA Council. Brazil was confirmed as the front-runner during FIFA's evaluation report of the two bids. Brazil has...

MINNEAPOLIS -- It wasn't the Minnesota Timberwolves' dominant defense that Anthony Edwards credited for his team's 115-70 shellacking of the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday. It wasn't his own ascendant offense either, after Edwards led all scorers with 27 points and helped the Wolves outscore Denver by 43 in the 34 minutes he was on the court. No, according to Edwards, it was simply the presence of Minnesota's 36-year-old point guard that made all the difference in the Wolves snapping a three-game losing streak in the Western Conference semifinals to force Game 7 on Sunday. "We got Mike Conley back," Edwards said. "That was it." Conley, a 17-year veteran, missed Tuesday's Game 5 because of a sore right Achilles tendon. The Nuggets' defense responded by attacking Edwards with double-teams all night, and the Wolves missed Conley's ability to balance the court. "Obviously I wanted to play last game," Conley said. "Just couldn't move at all....

LOS ANGELES -- The first Shohei Ohtani bobblehead giveaway snarled traffic outside Dodger Stadium on Thursday and created long lines for eager fans. Cars snaked the roadways around Chavez Ravine and stadium parking lots were filling up quickly two hours before the  Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the  Cincinnati Reds. A line of fans waited on the sidewalk outside the main gate before it opened. "Shohei creates a stir," manager Dave Roberts said before the game. "I can't imagine what it's like outside. It's great for Shohei and it's good for the Dodgers." Only the first 40,000 fans were to receive the bobblehead, which depicts a smiling Ohtani with his bat perched above his left shoulder. The box's design features Japanese anime. The giveaway attracted a sellout crowd of 53,527 -- the largest in the majors this season and the most at Dodger Stadium since Sept. 20, 2019. "Just overall a very nice setting to have a lot of fans in the stands," Ohtani said through...

New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider told his teammates he felt there was a goal in his stick before the third period of Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes, with his team trailing 3-1. "I said, 'I sure hope so,'" recalled teammate Vincent Trocheck. Kreider did score a goal in the third period in Raleigh on Thursday night. And then another. And another. His natural hat trick in the final frame fueled New York's 5-3 comeback win, which eliminated the Hurricanes after Carolina had rallied from a 3-0 series deficit. The Rangers await the winner of the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference final. "That is just a monster third period," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "He put it on his back and he really delivered. It was more than just him, but at the end of the day, we needed to score goals, and this is what he does." Kreider now has seven goals in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Only two Rangers players have...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Guard Caitlin Clark took to the newly designed floor for the Indiana Fever on Thursday along with three other WNBA No. 1 draft picks, two past MVPs and the player she watched closely throughout high school. In the Fever's home opener, a sellout crowd of 17,274 showed up for Clark's official introduction to Indianapolis fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. But the New York Liberty, one of two franchises dubbed superteams last season (along with Las Vegas), did their part to spoil the party, beating the Fever 102-66. "We've got to get to a level of toughness," Indiana coach Christie Sides said. "When things are going south on us, we're not stopping the bleeding." Clark finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, going 2-of-8 from the field. After 10 turnovers in Indiana's season-opening loss at Connecticut on Tuesday, Clark had three against the Liberty. Thursday was the first time since January 2021 in her...

MINNEAPOLIS --  Anthony Edwards flashed seven fingers to the roaring crowd as he walked off for a fourth-quarter timeout during a blowout by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had that tenacious look of a superstar player refusing to cede to the defending champs all night. Edwards scored 27 points to pull the Timberwolves out of their mid-series slump and deliver a flawless 115-70 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday to force a Game 7 in this roller-coaster matchup. The 45-point win is the largest ever against a defending champion in playoff history, and the second-largest when facing elimination in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Denver trailed by as many as 50 points, their largest deficit in any game over the past 25 seasons (regular season and playoffs). Jaden McDaniels pitched in 21 points and lockdown defense, and Mike Conley had 13 points in his return from injury. Big men Rudy Gobert, ...

Newly appointed Canada coach Jesse Marsch has criticized U.S. Soccer over its treatment of him during the process of hiring the U.S. men's national team coach last year. Marsch, who previously managed Leeds United in the Premier League, was thought to be the leading contender for the USMNT job after Gregg Berhalter's contract expired following the 2022 World Cup. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, NWSL more (U.S.) But Marsch's agent, Ron Waxman,  surprisingly announced in June that Marsch would not be getting the job. The following day, Berhalter was rehired by U.S. Soccer. "My respect for U.S. Soccer is big, but I went through a process with them, right? And I'm not going to go into it, but I wasn't treated very well in the process," Marsch told CBS' "Call it What You Want" podcast. "And so, whatever man, that's in the past now. The minute it was done I was like, 'OK, I'm moving forward, and I'm going to...

The WNBA's new chartering program will be in full effect by early next week, a league spokesperson confirmed to ESPN. "As the league previously announced, we would be phasing in the program at the start of the season and can share that beginning May 21 all teams will be flying charter to games," the spokesperson said in a statement. Trips between Chicago and Indiana, and Connecticut and New York, will remain charter bus rides due to proximity. Some teams began chartering flights to games this week -- the opening week of the 2024 campaign -- after commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced May 7 that the league would be moving to a full chartering program. The league said the new full-charter plan will cost about $25 million per year over the next two seasons. Before this season, WNBA teams flew commercial and could only charter flights in limited circumstances. Last season, they could charter during the playoffs, for back-to-back games requiring air travel and for the...

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi is Major League Soccer's highest-paid player with a total guaranteed compensation of $20.45 million, according to data released by the MLS Players Association. The amount reflects just the playing portion of Messi's compensation, with the Argentine also set to benefit from other revenue streams such as his endorsement deal with Adidas and a revenue-sharing agreement with league broadcast partner Apple. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) According to Sportico, Messi stands to earn up to $150 million over the life of the 2½-year contract he signed with Miami and MLS last year. Toronto FC forward Lorenzo Insigne ranked second with a guaranteed compensation of $15.44 million, followed by Messi's Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets at $8.77 million. Chicago Fire forward Xherdan Shaqiri, the league's top earner at this time a year ago, is in fourth position at $8.15...

Rimas Sports, the agency founded by recording artist Bad Bunny, has accused the Major League Baseball Players Association of "placing a death penalty" on the agency through "a discriminatory, biased, and pre-determined investigation" into Rimas' business practices, according to a federal lawsuit the company filed Thursday. On April 10, the MLBPA decertified Rimas agent William Arroyo and prevented Rimas executives Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda from seeking certification after accusing the agency of providing improper benefits to players. Additionally, Rimas' other MLBPA-certified agent, Michael Velasquez, was threatened with decertification and quit the company, according to the lawsuit. In a 27-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico, Rimas sought a temporary restraining order and injunction against the penalties levied by the union, which the company argued were "designed to put Rimas Sports permanently out of business." The suit alleged that the...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Tiger Woods was 1 under after 16 holes of his opening round at the PGA Championship on Thursday, a good start in his attempt to stick around for the weekend at Valhalla Golf Club. But Woods, a four-time PGA Championship winner, carded bogeys with three-putts on each of his last two holes for a disappointing 1-over 72. Woods was tied for 87th after the first round, 10 strokes behind leader Xander Schauffele, who posted a 9-under 62 to match the lowest round in a major championship for the second time in his career. Woods said he "three-whipped" his last two holes, the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth. On the eighth, he pulled his tee shot and his ball stopped 39 feet left of the hole. He blasted his putt about 10 feet past the cup, then his next one stayed low. A bogey dropped him back to even par. On the ninth, Woods hit his drive to the left side of the fairway. He had 144 yards left to the hole and hit his approach shot to 34 feet. He...

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand said  Sam Bennett "got away with one" when he struck Marchand's head in Game 3, but that opponents seeking to injure each other is just a part of playoff hockey. "People don't want to say it, but part of playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team. The more guys you take out, the more advantage your team has," said Marchand, speaking for the first time after leaving Game 3 against the Florida Panthers with an injury. "Every time you step on the ice, someone is trying to hurt someone. That's just how it goes in the playoffs. That's part of the benefit of having a physical group. That's why you rarely see teams that are small and skilled go far. Because they get hurt," he said. Marchand missed the past two games of the series, with the Bruins losing Game 4 but avoiding elimination with a Game 5 win in Sunrise, Florida. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday night in Boston, with Florida leading the series 3-2. Coach...

The New York Jets landed a record number of prime-time games over the first three months of the 2024 season because the appeal of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers was too great to ignore, the NFL acknowledged Thursday.  "Yes, it's an awful lot of prime-time games early in the season, but, obviously, I feel like Jets kind of owe us one," Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning, said on a video conference with reporters. The Jets have six night games in the first 11 weeks, the most for any team since the 1970 merger, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The NFL and its TV networks went big on the Jets last season -- five games in prime time -- but it backfired when Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1. "When we had this conversation a year ago, we were -- all of us -- all-in on the Jets, and for that guy to last four plays was disheartening for many of us," North said. "I feel like we could run it back, and certainly our broadcast...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  Xander Schauffele is picking up right where he left off. For the second time in a less than a year, the third-ranked player in the world tied the record for the lowest round at a major championship by shooting an opening-round 62, this time in the first round of the PGA Championship. A year after he shot a U.S. Open-record 62 in the first round at the Los Angeles Country Club, Schauffele's 9-under round Thursday featured nine birdies and no bogeys and broke the Valhalla Country Club course record of 63 set by José María Olazábal in 2000, which had been tied for the PGA Championship record. "I can't nitpick," Schauffele said when asked to compare the two rounds. "I'll take a 62 in any major any day." Schauffele's record round separated him from the rest of the field by 3 shots. Tony Finau, who has 10 top-10 finishes at majors without a win, Sahith Theegala and  Mark Hubbard carded 65s, while  Rory McIlroy shot a...

Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career, and Spanish golfer Jon Rahm moved up to second after his sensational switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Ronaldo became the world's highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, and Forbes said the 39-year-old's estimated total earnings were in the region of $260 million, an all-time high for a footballer. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) His on-field earnings amounted to $200m, and his off-field earnings were $60m thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers. Ronaldo said on Wednesday that he intends to continue his football career "at a high level" despite nearly entering his 40s. Two-time major winner Rahm joined LIV Golf in December in a big-money move that sent shock waves through the sport after media reports said the world No. 5 would be...

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Fresh off officially signing his new four-year, $212 million contract extension Thursday morning, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff spent a couple of minutes thanking those close to him. Goff's fiancée, Christen Harper, joined him at the Lions' practice facility as he spoke to media members about the new deal and noted "security" and his no-trade clause as the biggest things he was considering during the process. The deal negotiated by Goff's agent, Ryan Tollner of Excel Sports Management, also includes a $73 million signing bonus -- the largest in NFL history. However, being signed through 2028, when Goff will turn 34, was just as intriguing. "It was mostly security. You can go back and forth on the numbers and whatnot, and that wasn't really the thing that was ever something I was extremely concerned with," Goff said. "It was the security and the no-trade clause and all of that stuff, knowing that all that was in there and...

The UFC has booked a pair of title fights to headline its first trip to Manchester, England, since 2016. Welterweight champion Leon Edwards will seek his third title defense against Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 304 on July 27 at Co-op Live arena. In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall will defend his interim heavyweight championship against Curtis Blaydes in a rematch of a bout that took place two years ago in London. UFC CEO Dana White announced both title fights Thursday. Edwards and Aspinall both fight out of England. Edwards has defended his title once on English soil, in a trilogy bout against Kamaru Usman in 2023. Edwards (22-3) has turned into a pound-for-pound candidate in recent years. He took the title in shocking fashion in 2022, when he knocked out Usman with a head kick in the final round of a five-round main event in Salt Lake City. He is coming off a decision win over Colby Covington in...

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will be among the 27 participants in the NFL's fifth accelerator program, an event hosted by the league to strengthen the pipeline of diverse candidates for front office and coaching positions, at the league meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, next week. Flores, a longtime New England Patriots assistant before becoming the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21, filed a lawsuit in 2022 against the NFL and several teams alleging racial discrimination in its hiring practices. After being fired by the Dolphins, Flores spent a season with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach before taking the Vikings defensive coordinator position in 2023. Last July, a federal judge ruled that Flores can proceed to trial with his claims against the league and three teams: the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Houston Texans. The judge ruled last...

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Defending champion Rose Zhang withdrew from the Mizuho Americas Open on Thursday because of illness after completing only three holes of the opening round. Zhang started on the back nine at Liberty National. She shot par on No. 10, double bogey on 11 and par on 12. Zhang, 20, ended Nelly Korda's record-tying run of winning five straight LPGA tournament starts by finishing first last week at the Cognizant Founders Cup. It was her first victory in almost a year.

DALLAS -- After dazzling at cornerback and wide receiver for Colorado in 2023, Travis Hunter often hears people describe him as a video game player. Now he is on the cover of the long-anticipated return of the college football video game from EA Sports. Hunter, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards share the cover of EA Sports College Football 25, set to be released July 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The popular game, which has been on hiatus since 2014, will include all 134 FBS teams and the names, images and likenesses of a large majority of current players. Eight days after EA Sports set up NIL deals for current college players, more than 10,000 had opted in to the game. Each player who opted in will receive $600 and a copy of the game, valued at around $70. Hunter and Ewers were among the first high-profile players to opt in. The main cover shows Hunter in the middle with Ewers to his...

Arkansas hired John Calipari to lead the men's basketball program to its first national title since 1994, the year Nolan Richardson won the crown with the Razorbacks and their "40 Minutes of Hell." Richardson told ESPN on Thursday that Calipari has the "support" and capabilities to end the 30-year drought and win a national title. "I don't see why it wouldn't be a job where [Calipari] could come in and win a national championship," Richardson said. "I can see that they can. I don't know another coach who could do it better than Calipari because of his recruiting." Richardson said he spoke briefly with Calipari after he accepted the job last month following his lengthy stint at Kentucky and congratulated him. Calipari has since added a decorated collection of talent in his first offseason at Arkansas. Boogie Fland, the five-star recruit who had originally committed to Calipari at Kentucky, and Johnell Davis, who led Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four, anchor a...

Veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons on Wednesday. He made the announcement in an Instagram post and said in an accompanying video, "I'm retiring from the game of football, y'all. I'm hanging up them cleats, man." He thanked God, his wife, Faith, his fans and the Rams and Lions, the two teams he played for in his career. Selected 14th overall by the then-St. Louis Rams in 2012, Brockers played his first nine seasons with the organization. From 2014 to 2020, he helped form a stout tandem with Aaron Donald on the Rams' defensive line. The Rams traded Brockers to the Lions in 2021. He played two seasons for Detroit before he was released last year. "I Truly want to thank all My Fans for supporting my family and I during these 11 beautiful yrs. I want to personally thank the Rams and Lions organizations for taking the risk on me to represent their teams," Brockers wrote in his Instagram...

Even though the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will not occur until almost the midpoint of the season, NFL fans will be treated to a pair of playoff rematches on the opening weekend. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs begin their quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 in the kickoff game, while the Los Angeles Rams are at the Detroit Lions in the Sunday night game on Sept. 8. The two playoff rematches in Week 1 are among nine on this year's regular-season schedule, which was released by the league Wednesday night. The Ravens-Chiefs matchup is a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game, won by Kansas City 17-10. Kansas City heads to San Francisco on Oct. 20, after it defeated the 49ers 25-22 in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history. It also marks the second straight season the Chiefs will have a Super Bowl rematch after...

OKLAHOMA CITY --  Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, quite intentionally, had no complaints Wednesday night. Doncic entered the pivotal Game 5 against the Oklahoma City Thunder determined not to expend any energy arguing with referees. He vented frequently during a frustrating Game 4 loss, as Doncic often does. But on Wednesday, he decided that joy would be the dominant attribute of his approach to this critical contest in the hostile Paycom Center. "Just focus on basketball," Doncic said after the 104-92 victory that moved the Mavericks within one win of the West finals. "Remember the thing I love, the thing I love to do. Just play basketball." Doncic, who has been dealing with a sprained right knee, sore left ankle and the smothering defense of Thunder stopper Luguentz Dort while struggling by his All-NBA standards in the first four games of the series, responded with his best performance of these playoffs. He had 31 points, 10...

BOSTON -- After Cleveland saw its season end in a 113-98 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Wednesday night, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he wants to continue being the team's head coach. "Yeah," Bickerstaff said when asked that during his postgame news conference. "We have continued to build this thing the right way. Every single year we've improved, continued to get better, play-in, playoffs, win a round ... players have gotten better. Guys have had great years. "This is definitely a place I want to be." When Bickerstaff was later asked if it was a place he expects to be, he laughed and said, "I mean, no one's told me I'm not. "So, I'll keep showing up 'til they tell me not to."  ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, citing sources, reported Wednesday that the Cavaliers plan to take time to evaluate Bickerstaff's future, but the organization remains fond of him. Bickerstaff has been the head coach in...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Luka Doncic stopped worrying about calls and just played. It worked. He scored 31 points in a triple-double, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-92 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. Doncic didn't voice his displeasure with the officials nearly as much as usual, though he had words with fans a few times. "I'm just trying to play basketball, just focus on basketball," he said. "Sometimes I forget this is the thing I love, the thing I do. My mental focus was just go out there and play basketball with a smile on my face and just go." Doncic, the league's leading scorer in the regular season, had struggled some in the series against Oklahoma City. Playing through a sprained right knee and a sore left ankle, he had averaged just 22 points on 39% shooting through the first four games. He made 12 of 22 field goals in Game 5 and had 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his sixth...

Even though the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will not occur until almost the midpoint of the season, NFL fans will be treated to a pair of playoff rematches on the opening weekend. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs begin their quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 in the kickoff game, while the Los Angeles Rams are at the Detroit Lions in the Sunday night game on Sept. 8. The two playoff rematches in Week 1 are among nine on this year's regular-season schedule, which was released by the league Wednesday night. The Ravens-Chiefs matchup is a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game, won by Kansas City 17-10. Kansas City heads to San Francisco on Oct. 20, after it defeated the 49ers 25-22 in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history. It also marks the second straight season the Chiefs will have a Super Bowl rematch after...

Caitlin Clark's debut for the Indiana Fever drew 2.1 million viewers across all platforms on Tuesday night, making it the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN. Viewership peaked at 2.3 million viewers for the game between the Fever and Connecticut Sun. The Sun prevailed 92-71. The game was the most-watched WNBA game since the Los Angeles Sparks and Houston Comets averaged 2.45 million viewers on NBC for a 2001 Memorial Day contest. The previous most-watched WNBA game on ESPN networks was for the 2004 WNBA debut of Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi, which drew an average of 1.43 million viewers. Clark scored 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting and committed 10 turnovers in her Indiana debut. Clark is used to being part of television records. Clark and her Iowa teammates played against South Carolina in this year's NCAA women's championship game, and the telecast on ESPN averaged a record 18.7 million viewers.

BOSTON -- The Celtics were heavily favored to beat the Cavaliers even before Cleveland had three of its top six players -- including star guard Donovan Mitchell -- missing for Game 5 of this Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night. And yet, despite that, Boston found itself in a one-possession game early in the fourth quarter -- staring down the possibility of yet another painful loss on its home court in the postseason, an all-too-familiar scenario in recent years. Led by 25 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists from Jayson Tatum, plus a motivational performance from the team's oldest player, Al Horford, Boston escaped with a 113-98 victory -- and, with it, a trip to the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight season, and the sixth time in the past eight years. "Close-out games are tough. It's a level of stress, anxiety, desperation; it takes what it takes," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "You got to play 48 -- hopefully,...

Even though the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will not occur until almost the midpoint of the season, NFL fans will be treated to a pair of playoff rematches on the opening weekend. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs begin their quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 in the kickoff game, while the Los Angeles Rams are at the Detroit Lions in the Sunday night game on Sept. 8. The two playoff rematches in Week 1 are among nine on this year's regular-season schedule, which was released by the league Wednesday night. The Ravens-Chiefs matchup is a rematch of last season's AFC championship game, won by Kansas City 17-10. Kansas City heads to San Francisco on Oct. 20, after it defeated the 49ers 25-22 in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history. It also marks the second straight season the Chiefs will have a Super Bowl rematch after...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Tyson Fury danced and sang along to some of his favorite hits during a light workout Wednesday evening, three days out from his undisputed heavyweight championship clash with Oleksandr Usyk. England's Fury, 35, wrapped his hands to the tune of AC/DC's anthem "You Shook Me All Night Long." He glided around the ring with trainer SugarHill Steward and pumped his right fist to the beat of The Killer's "Mr. Brightside." "I'm having fun. I always do, don't I?" Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) told ESPN following his 15-minute workout at the open-air entertainment hub Boulevard City. "All these fight weeks I enjoy." But Saturday's fight is a bit more special. The winner will be crowned boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion since November 1999, when Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in a rematch. Lewis, who will be ringside Saturday, and Holyfield, are two all-time greats, and so are Fury and Usyk. It's rare for any heavyweight to be recognized as one of the...

MIAMI -- Odell Beckham Jr. feels at peace with where his NFL career has taken him. The 10-year veteran wide receiver made three Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with the  Los Angeles Rams  before signing with the Miami Dolphins this offseason, where he will assume a role behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who have combined for more receiving yards over the past two seasons than any other duo in the league. Beckham is comfortable with a support role at this point of his career, and he chooses to look forward rather than backward. "I think we all just push each other. And for me, at this place in my life and my career, I haven't been the No. 1 in a minute," Beckham said Wednesday. "You could go look at targets, you could go look at anything, that's not really where I've been at. So just understanding your role and how can you be the very best at that role, maximize those opportunities. Don't look for more or less, just stay within...