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Colin Kaepernick's arm strength and conditioning stood out in his workout with the Las Vegas Raiders, but no signing was imminent as of late Thursday night, sources told ESPN. The Raiders considered Kaepernick's workout a "positive," a source said. Las Vegas could be looking for another passer to serve as the backup for Derek Carr despite trading for former New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham and signing Nick Mullens. In NFL team workouts, quarterbacks typically throw the route tree on air, implement team-specific offensive principles on the field and meet with coaches. Team workouts are considered less scripted than the player-organized workout Kaepernick has done in the past to showcase his talents to NFL teams. Kaepernick, 34, hasn't played in the NFL since 2016, the year he began protesting racial inequality during the national anthem. The only other team known to have brought him in for a visit since then was the ...

Colin Kaepernick's arm strength and conditioning stood out in his workout with the Las Vegas Raiders, but no signing was imminent as of late Thursday night, sources told ESPN. The Raiders considered Kaepernick's workout a 'positive,' a source said. Las Vegas could be looking for another passer to serve as the backup for Derek Carr despite trading for former New England Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham and signing Nick Mullens. In NFL team workouts, quarterbacks typically throw the route tree on air, implement team-specific offensive principles on the field and meet with coaches. Team workouts are considered more unscripted than the player-organized workout Kaepernick has done in the past to showcase his talents to NFL teams. Kaepernick, 34, hasn't played in the NFL since 2016, the year he began protesting racial inequality during the national anthem. The only other team known to have brought him in for a visit since then was the...

CALGARY, Alberta --  Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft thought his team needed a boost. He had a hunch how to get it. The Oilers were one goal away from closing out a second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Calgary Flames in Game 5 on Thursday night. Woodcroft went with his gut and swapped Zach Hyman for Evander Kane on Edmonton's top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The gamble paid off. That line ignited and Draisaitl set up McDavid for the overtime game winner that sent Edmonton to its first Western Conference finals appearance since 2006.  "I thought we were a little sluggish as a group," Woodcroft said after his team's 5-4 victory. "Not just Connor, but as a group I thought we had more to give. Just flipping Kane and Hyman the way we did, I thought it boosted Connor and Leon a little bit and gave us a little bit of a spark. Doesn't always work like that. Tonight it did." Draisaitl and McDavid...

SAN FRANCISCO -- As Stephen Curry was named the inaugural Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference finals, Draymond Green gave the Golden State Warriors star a bear hug, lifting him up and letting out a scream. Curry smiled and laughed as he celebrated returning to the NBA Finals, which came with the first Magic Johnson Western Conference finals MVP trophy after the Warriors eliminated the Dallas Mavericks with their 120-110 win in Game 5 on Thursday night.  The league introduced new trophies for the MVP of both the Eastern and Western Conference finals; the East's trophy is named after Larry Bird. "The new trophy is pretty cool," said Curry, a unanimous selection of nine media members. "Especially with who it's named after, the standard that Magic set in terms of being a champion and playing the point guard position, whatever other position he played. Just the excellence that he demonstrated throughout his entire career." Drawing a...

SAN FRANCISCO -- As  Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr watched his team celebrate their 120-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks, he had a flashback to 2015. He was a rookie coach, and his team had just won the Western Conference finals, punching their ticket to the NBA Finals. That was the start of what would become a dynasty. As his team hoisted the Conference finals trophy on Thursday, he looked throughout the crowd at Chase Center -- just as he did at Oracle Arena seven years ago -- and let the moment sink in. It was the moment that the Warriors had made the NBA Finals for the first time since 2019 and for the sixth time in the past eight years. "Tonight was different because we've done it before," Kerr said. "But in a different way, it was incredibly meaningful given everything that we've been through organizationally over the last couple of years." Over the past two years, everything came crashing down for the Warriors. Just two seasons ago, Golden...

In a pointed letter to teams last week, Major League Baseball said numerous clubs' stadiums "fall embarrassingly below the high standards" necessary for women who are part of the game's traveling parties to do their jobs, create an "untenable working environment" and that organizations soon must reconfigure their facilities to fix what the league deemed "unacceptable," according to a copy of the memo obtained by ESPN on Thursday. The letter, sent May 20 by MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill to general managers, assistant general managers and some ballpark-operations staff, highlighted the issues a wide array of women -- including coaches, trainers, analysts, translators, mental-health professionals, massage therapists, player-development employees and others -- face because of substandard facilities. MLB regulations laid out in a March 16, 2021, memo require that women staffers for home and road teams receive a clean locker room space that is close to the...

While their players competed against each other on the field, the social media teams for the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees collaborated Thursday night in an effort to raise awareness about gun violence in the United States. In wake of the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, both teams opted to use their platforms to provide "facts about gun violence in America" instead of providing any live commentary about Thursday's game. "We all deserve to be safe -- in schools, grocery stores, places of worship, our neighborhoods, houses and America," the Rays posted prior to first pitch. "The most recent shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have shaken us to the core. "This cannot become normal. We cannot become numb. We cannot look the other way. We all know, if nothing changes, nothing changes." Added the Yankees, who have more than 3.6 million Twitter followers: "The devastating events that have taken place in Uvalde, Buffalo and...

Five-star small forward  Elijah Fisher committed to Texas Tech on Thursday, while also announcing his plans to reclassify into the 2022 class and play for the Red Raiders this fall. Fisher chose Mark Adams' program over a final list that also included Kentucky, Louisville and Memphis. A 6-foot-7 Canada native who attended Crestwood Prep and played for Grassroots Canada on the AAU circuit, Fisher was one of the top 15 prospects in the 2023 class. He averaged 28 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals during his junior season. Fisher also suited up for Canada at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Championships, averaging 6.9 points in seven games and winning a bronze medal. He's the fourth freshman to sign with Texas Tech in the 2022 class, joining ESPN 100 point guard  Rickie Isaacs and four-star prospects Lamar Washington and Robert Jennings. Adams is also bringing in a four-man transfer class that includes Fardaws...

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said Thursday he didn't feel the need to give quarterback Derek Carr a heads-up that the team was taking a look at Colin Kaepernick. McDaniels, speaking after a Raiders organized team activity, otherwise revealed little about the first known workout the free-agent quarterback has had with an individual NFL team since he last played in 2016. "Nah, I mean, I think Derek's pretty comfortable with where he's at," McDaniels said of the recently extended Carr. "I think he knows who he is for us and I know he knows how I feel about him, how we feel about him. I don't think that's really a big thing to Derek at this point." Kaepernick, 34, worked out for the Raiders on Wednesday, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Carr, 31, signed a three-year, $121.5 million extension in May. The Raiders have three quarterbacks on their depth chart behind him: recent trade acquisition Jarrett Stidham, free-agent...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After a couple of days of offseason practice, sessions that saw him feed the ball to many different receivers, Patrick Mahomes was confident in predicting a different type of offense for the Kansas City Chiefs. "That's what you're going to see with this offense this year,'' Mahomes said Thursday. "It's going to be everybody. It's not all going to be one guy. Obviously [ Travis Kelce] is still going to get a lot of completions, a lot of yards but the whole receiving room is going to have big days and that can be something we use to our advantage.'' "It's a very deep receiving room. It's hard to tell which guys are going to make it because we've got so many good receivers. That's what you want. You want that competition. You want guys competing every single day to make the roster because they're going to help us in the end.'' Mahomes went to either Kelce or wide receiver Tyreek Hill for 45% of his completions and 50% of his yards...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. --  Matt Carpenter was inserted to the New York Yankees' lineup as the designated hitter after agreeing to a one-year contract on Thursday, a week after he was released from the Texas Rangers' minor league system. Carpenter entered the lineup for a series opener at Tampa Bay when center fielder Aaron Hicks was scratched shortly before game time with hamstring tightness. Aaron Judge was moved from DH to center. "It happened fast and now I'm here and I couldn't be more excited about it," Carpenter said after meeting with manager Aaron Boone at Tropicana Field. "We just had a quick conversation about it but my response to him is that's I'm excited to put a uniform on and be part of the best team in baseball right now," Carpenter said. "I'm just fired up to be here. I'm going to hit the ground running." He went 0 for 2 but scored two runs after walking and getting hit by a pitch in the Yankees' 7-2 victory. Injury-hit New...

Zion Williamson has been cleared in his return to play progression without any restrictions, the New Orleans Pelicans said Thursday . The announcement clears Williamson to go through offseason workouts unrestricted this summer as he prepares for the 2022-23 season. Williamson missed the entire 2021-22 season after he broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during workouts last summer. There was hope Williamson could have played this season but setbacks prevented that from happening. There was an outside chance Williamson could have returned if the eighth-seeded Pelicans made a deep run in the playoffs, but they fell in six games to the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. The update comes after the Pelicans said recent imaging showed "continued improvement" in Williamson's right foot. Williamson just completed his third NBA season but has played only 85 games in those three years because of injuries. He played 24 during his rookie season after his...

Receiver Michael Thomas is not yet participating in New Orleans Saints OTAs. But he is expected back from his ankle injury in time for training camp, according to coach Dennis Allen, and he is present and rehabbing with the team during the voluntary workout period. Meanwhile, quarterback Jameis Winston is already back on the practice field just seven months after he tore his ACL, as both offensive pillars work their way back from major injuries. Thomas, 29, missed the entire 2021 season with the ankle injury after he delayed his first surgery to repair multiple ligaments until June -- then suffered a setback in November that required a follow-up procedure. The NFL's 2019 Offensive Player of the Year has not been fully healthy since he initially suffered the ankle injury in Week 1 of the 2020 season and missed a total of nine games that season. "I think he's doing well in his rehab. He's not ready yet. But he's here, he's rehabbing, he's getting...

Irina-Camelia Begu has apologized after she was hit with a code violation following an incident where her racket bounced into the stands during her second-round win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the French Open. Alexandrova ended up losing the match and has since called for a change in the rules of tennis to discourage this from happening again. The incident happened in the third game of the third set, with Alexandrova up 2-0 and 15-0 on her own serve. Begu was clearly frustrated at her performance and walked over to her chair, throwing the racket against the ground. The racket bounced up and into the crowd, causing a child to cry out and burst into tears. The French Tennis Federation later issued a statement Thursday saying the child was "brushed" by the racket and, after an initial scare, was uninjured. There was a pause in proceedings as umpire Anis Ressaissi checked on the child while also calling a supervisor. After consultation between the supervisor and the...

Georgia is close to finalizing a long-term contract extension with football coach Kirby Smart that will make him among the highest-paid coaches in the FBS. Last season, Smart guided the Bulldogs to their first national title in 41 years with a 33-18 victory over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Athletic director Josh Brooks discussed Smart's new contract with the UGA athletics board at a meeting Thursday, although no action was taken. Details of the new deal weren't disclosed, and Smart's agent, Jimmy Sexton of Creative Artists Agency, couldn't be reached for comment. "It's just going through the process, taking your time," Brooks said in a statement Thursday. "This is an important contract for [Smart] and for us, so it's just all the little details. It's typical stuff, nothing out of the ordinary. We've worked closely with his agent, and it's been a great process." Smart isn't the only Georgia coach who is receiving a hefty raise. Offensive...

Jake Paul, the YouTube-star-turned-prizefighter, is targeting Glen "Big Baby" Davis for a fight on his next boxing card in August, sources confirmed Thursday to ESPN. Davis, 36, played in the NBA for nine seasons, most recently in 2014-15 with the LA Clippers. He weighs over 300 pounds, and Paul's team with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) is currently in search of an opponent for him, sources said. MVP specifically is looking for someone from the world of pro wrestling to fight Davis, with the hope of finding a former heavyweight WWE star, according to sources. The Athletic first reported the news of Davis being targeted for the boxing match. The fight card is planned for Aug. 13. Paul fought most recently last December, getting a knockout win over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Paul's August opponent has not yet been decided. Paul and MVP were the co-promoters last month for the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight, a huge...

Michelle Wie West, who was the youngest player to ever qualify for an LPGA event at age 12, plans to step away from competitive golf after next week's U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles in Southern Pines, North Carolina, she told Golfweek in a story published Thursday. Wie West, 32, said she also plans to play in next year's Women's Open at Pebble Beach. The five-time LPGA winner, whose victories include her only major championship at the 2014 U.S. Women's Open, stopped short of calling it a retirement. "I'm definitely not ruling anything out," Wie West told Golfweek. Wie West gave birth to her daughter, Makenna, in June 2020. She said she has struggled to keep up with the physical demands of playing on tour. She has competed in just one event this season, the opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, in which she finished tied for last. "At times, if I do play a lot of golf," she said, "I'm just in bed. Or I can't lift [Makenna] up, and that scared me." Wie West...

Josh Donaldson has apologized to Jackie Robinson's wife and family for using the barrier-breaking Hall of Famer's name in reference to Tim Anderson last week, saying Robinson "was a true American hero" and that he holds his name "in the highest regard." Donaldson issued his apology as part of a statement released by his agency, MVP Sports, on Thursday, three days after the New York Yankees' third baseman was suspended one game by Major League Baseball for his "inappropriate comments" to Anderson the previous weekend. Donaldson admitted to calling Anderson "Jackie" -- a reference to Robinson, who broke MLB's color barrier in 1947 -- in the first inning during Saturday's game between the Yankees and Chicago White Sox. The former MVP apologized after the game, saying he meant no disrespect and that he was joking with Anderson, who is Black. Donaldson reiterated those sentiments in his statement Thursday before apologizing to Rachel Robinson and her...

Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone was arrested in Brazil late on Wednesday for illegally carrying a gun while boarding a private plane to Switzerland, local police said on Thursday. The Brazilian police found an undocumented LW Seecamp .32 gun in Ecclestone's luggage during an X-ray screening, police said in a statement, adding that the 91-year-old was then arrested and taken to a facility at Viracopos airport in Campinas. Ecclestone acknowledged owning the gun, but said he was unaware it was in his luggage at the time, police said. The Briton paid bail and was freed to travel to Switzerland. Asked about Ecclestone's arrest, the Sao Paulo state public security office confirmed in a statement to Reuters that a businessman was arrested for possession of a firearm at Campinas' airport, but did not name him directly. The office said the "small, silver colored pistol" was out of ammunition and that the arrestee had to pay 6,060 reais ($1,257.55) as bail. The handgun was...

Seattle Seahawks scouting executive Alonzo Highsmith has accepted a football position at his alma mater, the University of Miami. The school announced Thursday that Highsmith has been hired as the  Hurricanes' general manager of football operations. A Miami native, Highsmith returns to the program he starred for as a fullback from 1983 to 1986. A member of the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame, Highsmith finished his college career with 2,935 all-purpose yards and 25 touchdowns, one coming in the 1984 Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska that earned Miami the 1983 national championship. "Alonzo is a true Miami Hurricane," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said in a statement released by the school. "He understands the commitment and sacrifice it takes to be a champion on and off the field. His tremendous passion for the University of Miami and this city is unparalleled. "Alonzo brings experience as a student-athlete, a first-round NFL draft pick and an NFL...

MIAMI -- The Celtics found themselves trailing the Heat by five, on the road, at halftime of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night. And yet, the Celtics felt just fine. They couldn't have played much worse in the first half, committing 10 turnovers and giving up nine offensive rebounds to Miami -- which allowed the Heat to take 14 extra shots. "We weren't playing our best, in a lot of ways," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. "Sometimes, all it takes is one guy getting back to his average game." No one was playing worse than Jaylen Brown. He went 2-for-7 from the field and committed four turnovers -- all in the first quarter. Then the second half started. And as it played out, Brown wound up being the face of the team's turnaround. Brown's 19-point, 0-turnover second half -- coupled with an 18-point second half from Jayson Tatum -- allowed Boston to finally break open what was a rock fight in the first half, as the Celtics went on to ...

Tyler Bozak's goal at 3:38 of overtime gave the St. Louis Blues a 5-4 comeback win over the  Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 on Wednesday night, avoiding elimination in the Stanley Cup playoffs and forcing Game 6 back at home Friday night. The Blues, who trail in the second-round series 3-2, rallied twice to stun the Avalanche, who were 56 seconds away from their first Western Conference finals appearance since 2002. Blues forward Robert Thomas scored to force overtime, where Bozak won it. "Just a resilient group of guys. Got down. Didn't want the season to be over. Fought hard and got some big goals late," Bozak said. Bozak scored his second goal of the playoffs on a long slap shot that beat goalie Darcy Kuemper (25 saves). The veteran center had just 7 minutes and 16 seconds of ice time in the game. "I just got a little bounce up top and saw a lane to the net. In overtime, there's definitely no such thing as a bad shot. Just tried to get it...

Colin Kaepernick, who last played professional football in 2016 -- the year he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice -- worked out Wednesday for the Las Vegas Raiders, a league source told ESPN. It marked Kaepernick's first workout with an NFL team since being exiled, and it was the first time the former star quarterback visited with a team since he flew to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks in May 2017, before they passed on the opportunity to sign him. Kaepernick played at the University of Nevada, Reno, the only school to offer him a scholarship. Currently, the pro team in Nevada is the only one in the NFL that has given the civil rights activist another opportunity. Raiders owner Mark Davis is following in the spirit of his late father, Al Davis, who provided many opportunities, such as hiring the NFL's first Black head coach (Art Shell) and its first woman chief executive (Amy Trask) in the modern era. The elder Davis...

NEW YORK -- Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is on the injured list for the fourth straight season. Stanton was placed on the 10-day IL on Wednesday as the ailing Yankees made a flurry of roster moves less than an hour before their 2-0 victory over Baltimore in the series finale. Manager Aaron Boone later clarified the injury to the star's right lower leg was an inflamed ankle after the team had announced it was a strained calf strain. "He is feeling pretty good," Boone said before the game. "I think we hope that he said something early enough to where this doesn't become long." New York also put struggling reliever Jonathan Loaisiga on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 23, with right shoulder inflammation -- the latest blow to a depleted bullpen that had shined most of the season. "Similar to what he dealt with last year. Probably not as severe. So, just feel like it's probably something that as a precaution, we need to be...

NEW YORK -- Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is on the injured list for the fourth straight season. Stanton was placed on the 10-day IL with a strained right calf Wednesday as the ailing Yankees made a flurry of roster moves less than an hour before their 2-0 victory over Baltimore in the series finale. "He is feeling pretty good," manager Aaron Boone said. "I think we hope that he said something early enough to where this doesn't become long." New York also put struggling reliever Jonathan Loaisiga on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 23, with right shoulder inflammation -- the latest blow to a depleted bullpen that had shined most of the season. "Similar to what he dealt with last year. Probably not as severe. So, just feel like it's probably something that as a precaution, we need to be smart here and take a couple weeks and hopefully that's all it is," Boone said. "We believe it's something hopefully minor. We're going to...

The New York Yankees placed outfielder Giancarlo Stanton on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain Wednesday, a day after he left a game early against the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh inning. Stanton had been replaced by pinch-hitter Estevan Florial in the seventh inning of the Yankees' 7-6 11-inning victory on Tuesday due to calf tightness. The Yankees also placed right-handed reliever Jonathan Loaisiga on the 15-day injured list because of shoulder inflammation. In other moves, outfielder Joey Gallo was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list, left-hander JP Sears and right-hander David McKay were recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and catcher Rob Brantly was designated for assignment. Stanton leads the Yankees, who lead the American League East, with 35 RBIs this season. He also has 11 home runs, which is tied for second on the team, with Anthony Rizzo, behind Aaron Judge, who...

PARIS -- Rafael Nadal reached 300 career Grand Slam match victories by defeating Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in the second round at Roland Garros. The only real blip for 13-time French Open champion Nadal on Wednesday night in Court Philippe Chatrier came near the end, when he was broken by the 139th-ranked Frenchman while serving for the match at 5-3. But Nadal broke right back to improve to 107-3 at Roland Garros. In his post-match interview on the court, Nadal, 35, was a bit emotional and heartfelt. Rather than speak to the personal achievement, he took his opportunity to expound on how special tennis is once again with fans in the stands. "It's so important for the world to see games," he said. "The best events in the world with full crowds, that is so important for the players and for the fans and for the tournaments. "Thank you again for supporting our sport." Nadal joined Roger Federer (369), Serena Williams...

Colin Kaepernick, who last played professional football in 2016 -- the year he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice -- is scheduled to work out Wednesday for the Las Vegas Raiders, league sources told ESPN. It will mark Kaepernick's first workout with an NFL team since being exiled, and it will be the first time the former star quarterback visits with a team since he flew to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks in May 2017 before they passed on the opportunity to sign him. Kaepernick played at the University of Nevada, Reno, the only school to offer him a scholarship. Currently, the pro team in Nevada is the only one in the NFL that has given the civil rights activist another opportunity. Raiders owner Mark Davis is following in the spirit of his late father, Al Davis, who provided many opportunities, such as hiring the NFL's first Black head coach (Art Shell) and its first woman chief executive (Amy Trask) in the modern era. He also...

Colin Kaepernick, who last played professional football in 2016 -- the year he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice -- is scheduled to work out Wednesday for the Las Vegas Raiders, league sources told ESPN. It will mark Kaepernick's first workout with an NFL team since being exiled, and it will be the first time the former star quarterback visits with a team since he flew to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks in May 2017 before they passed on the opportunity to sign him. Kaepernick played at the University of Nevada, Reno, the only school to offer him a scholarship. Currently, the pro team in Nevada is the only one in the NFL that has given the civil rights activist another opportunity. Raiders owner Mark Davis is following in the spirit of his late father, Al Davis, who provided many opportunities, such as hiring the NFL's first Black head coach (Art Shell) and its first woman chief executive (Amy Trask) in the modern era. He also...

Colin Kaepernick, who last played professional football in 2016 -- the year he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice -- is scheduled to work out this week for the Las Vegas Raiders, league sources told ESPN. It will mark Kaepernick's first workout with an NFL team since being exiled, and it will be the first time the former star quarterback visits with a team since he flew to Seattle to meet with the Seattle Seahawks in May 2017 before they passed on the opportunity to sign him. Kaepernick played at the University of Nevada, Reno, which was the only school to offer him a scholarship, and now the pro team in Nevada is the only one in the NFL that is open to giving the civil rights activist another opportunity. Raiders owner Mark Davis is following in the spirit of his late father Al Davis, who was active in civil rights. Al Davis became the first NFL owner in the modern era to hire a Black head coach in Art Shell, a female chief...

LAS VEGAS -- A Nevada judge ruled in favor of former Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden on two motions Wednesday, opening the possibility of a jury trial on his "tortious interference" claim that the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell selectively leaked Gruden's emails to force his removal on Oct. 11. Judge Nancy L. Allf denied the NFL's motion to compel arbitration as well as the league's motion to dismiss the case outright. The suit will now go to trial unless a settlement is reached. Allf gave no timeline, though, for the next proceeding. The NFL said in a statement given to multiple media outlets that it would appeal.  "We believe Coach Gruden's claims should have been compelled to arbitration, and we will file an appeal of the Court's determination. The Court's denial of our motion to dismiss is not a determination on the merits of Coach Gruden's lawsuit, which, as we have said from the outset, lacks a basis in law and fact and proceeds from a false premise -- neither...

NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will face off against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in Capital One's The Match on June 1 on TNT. The four quarterbacks participated in a media event Wednesday, and they showed a glimpse of what fans might expect on the television broadcast of the 12-hole exhibition that seemingly will feature a ton of trash talk. Brady and Rodgers were paired against each other in the previous event, with Brady partnered with Phil Mickelson and Rodgers with Bryson DeChambeau. The two are now tasked with taking on the younger quarterback duo in what is being billed as experience versus youth. "I know they tried to make it old guys versus young guys, but I said it when we were doing our chipping [contest] that they showed yesterday," Rodgers said. "I said, 'Who thought about this, you want to put the two best guys against the two worst guys?' And that's not just conjecture, that's, like, facts." Rodgers...

St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube, after originally declining to comment on the matter, said Wednesday that the racist comments and threats directed at Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri are "in no way acceptable." "I just want to comment on my 'no comment' the other day," Berube said before Game 5 in Denver. "I'm not on social media. I was aware of a threat made to Nazem. Not the racist stuff. In no way is it acceptable by the St. Louis Blues or anybody else for him to have to go through that." Kadri, who is Muslim and of Lebanese descent, was the subject of racist comments and threats following his collision with Blues goalie Jordan Binnington in Game 3 of their second-round series. Binnington, who had been outstanding in five postseason games, suffered a lower-body injury in a collision with Kadri and Blues defenseman Calle Rosen. Binnington has been ruled out for the rest of the series. Local law enforcement was called to...

Rising star Carlos Alcaraz saved a match point in the fourth set and erased an early deficit in the fifth to overcome Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-7 (7), 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4 to reach the third round of the French Open.  The sixth-seeded Alcaraz grabbed six of the final seven games, and the last half-dozen points, to finish off the second-round victory that lasted more than 4 1/2 hours at Roland Garros. Alcaraz is just 19 but arrived in Paris with a lot of expectations -- of his own and of others -- based on his breakthrough season that includes a tour-leading four titles. He is the youngest player to break into the top 10 of the ATP rankings since Rafael Nadal in 2005. En route to the Madrid Open title on red clay earlier this month, Alcaraz became the first man to beat both Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the same tournament on that surface. But he was quite close to making a quicker-than-expected exit against fellow Spaniard Ramos-Vinolas, a...

MIAMI -- In three of the first four games of the Eastern Conference finals, the team leading at the end of the first quarter has come out on top each time. So, as the Boston Celtics prepare to take on the Miami Heat in Game 5 at FTX Arena on Wednesday night, with the series knotted at two games apiece, they are aware they need to zero in on a strong start to this game to come away with a desperately needed road victory. "Whatever happened last game is last game, regardless if we won by 25 or 2," Celtics star Jayson Tatum said after Boston's shootaround Wednesday morning. "They all count as one [win]. So we shouldn't feel any better about ourselves because we blew them out [ in Game 4]. "And I think we shouldn't relax. We should kind of look at it as a new series, and tonight is a must-win game. And I think when you approach something as a must-win and have more sense of urgency, especially to start, I think that's how we should approach tonight,...

A professional poker player was arrested Wednesday on charges of fraud and money laundering related to a sports betting scheme that brought in more than $25 million from alleged victims. Cory Zeidman, of Boca Raton, Florida, faces federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of the scheme that spanned from 2004 to 2020, according to a two-count indictment out of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. A law enforcement source confirmed to ESPN that Zeidman, 61, is a professional poker player who won a bracelet at the 2012 World Series of Poker. According to the federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, Zeidman and his unnamed co-conspirators received more than $25 million in interstate wire transfers and private commercial carriers over 16 years from victims who were led to believe that the organization had privileged information that made betting on sporting events a...

A Florida man was arrested Wednesday on charges of fraud and money laundering related to a sports betting scheme that brought in more than $25 million from alleged victims. Cory Zeidman, 61, of Boca Raton, Florida, faces federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of the scheme that spanned from 2004 to 2020, according to a two-count indictment out of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. According to the federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, Zeidman and his unnamed co-conspirators received more than $25 million in interstate wire transfers and private commercial carriers over 16 years from victims who were led to believe that the organization had privileged information that made betting on sporting events a no-risk proposition. As part of the scheme, Zeidman and his co-conspirators placed misleading radio ads in various U.S. markets, claiming to have a "sophisticated...

Kris Bryant's balky back has landed him back on the Colorado Rockies' injured list. The Rockies announced Wednesday that they placed the outfielder on the 10-day IL because of a lower-back strain. The move was made retroactive to Monday. He had just returned from the injured list on Saturday after missing 21 games because of back pain. He played two games against the New York Mets but hasn't played since. Bryant, who signed a seven-year, $182 million free-agent deal in March, is still looking for his first home run with the Rockies. He is now batting .278 with four RBIs and 15 strikeouts in 74 plate appearances. The Rockies called up right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday to take Bryant's roster spot and gave Feltner his fourth career start as they wrapped up a three-game set in Pittsburgh. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Top international basketball prospect Henri Veesaar has committed to the  Arizona Wildcats, he told ESPN on Wednesday. "I believe in [coach] Tommy Lloyd's philosophy and how he coaches," Veesaar said. "I've had my eyes on playing college basketball for some time now, and I believe that Arizona is a great fit to make a jump between youth and professional sport." The 18-year-old 7-footer from Estonia is considered arguably the most promising European prospect committing to the college route in the class of 2022. He was identified as a 15-year-old at the FIBA U16 European Championship, where he had a strong performance playing up a year on the competition, helping him land a contract with European powerhouse Real Madrid, the gold standard of junior programs on the continent. Veesaar has steadily progressed over the past three years, winning the prestigious Adidas Next Generation Tournament in 2021 and earning a call-up to represent the Estonian senior national team as a...

Top international basketball prospect Henri Veesaar has committed to Arizona, he told ESPN on Wednesday. "I believe in Tommy Lloyd's philosophy and how he coaches," Veesaar said. "I've had my eyes on playing college basketball for some time now, and I believe that Arizona is a great fit to make a jump between youth and professional sport." The 7-foot, 18-year old is considered arguably the most promising European prospect committing to the college route in the class of 2022. He was identified as a 15-year old at the FIBA U16 European Championship, where he had a strong performance playing up a year on the competition, helping him land a contract with European powerhouse Real Madrid, the gold standard of junior programs on the continent. Veesaar has steadily progressed over the past three years, winning the prestigious adidas Next Generation Tournament in 2021 and earning a call up to represent the Estonian senior national team already as a 17-year old, making him the...

American teenager Coco Gauff has advanced to the third round of the French Open by beating Alison van Uytvanck of Belgium 6-1, 7-6 (4). Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus also reached the third round Wednesday in Paris, but US Open champion Emma Raducanu and No. 4 Maria Sakkari went out in the second round. American  Sloane Stephens came from behind to defeat No. 26 Sorana Cirstea 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 and advance. Gauff twice fell behind by two games in the second set, but the 18-year-old broke back both times and then forced three errors from the 28-year-old van Uytvanck in the tiebreaker. Gauff is trying to improve on her quarterfinal run at the French Open last year -- her best result at a major. Gauff is the youngest player remaining in the draw and celebrated her high school graduation this week with pictures at the Eiffel Tower. Van Uytvanck's best result at a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the...

Cherelle Griner, the wife of Brittney Griner, said she last heard her spouse's voice on Feb. 17, the day the WNBA star was detained in Russia. Now, Cherelle Griner said she hopes her voice reaches President Joe Biden. "There is one person that can go get her, and that's our president," Griner told Angela Rye in an interview that is airing Wednesday on ESPN. "He has that power. You know, I'm just like, 'Why are we not using it? Like, urgently, use it.' We're expecting him to use his power to get it done." Brittney Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges that contained hashish oil, which is derived from cannabis. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The Biden administration has said Griner, a 31-year-old two-time Olympian for the United States, is being wrongfully detained. Cherelle Griner, who earlier this month graduated from...

Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus has reached the third round at the French Open, while US Open champion Emma Raducanu is out in the second round. Azarenka, seeded 15th, had only 13 unforced errors to Andrea Petkovic's 42 in a 6-1, 7-6 (3) win. Raducanu, 19, lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 to end her tournament debut after failing to convert on five break-point chances at 1-1 in the third set. Raducanu's loss means all four reigning Grand Slam champions have been eliminated by the second round -- the first time that has happened since the 2014 French Open, according to the WTA. 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova was knocked out in the first round, and reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Ash Barty retired in March. Azarenka has twice won the Australian Open and was a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2013. Petkovic, 34, reached the French Open semifinals in 2014 but has...

DALLAS --  Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic doesn't necessarily see any honor in avoiding being swept in the Western Conference finals. He remains focused on beating the Golden State Warriors in the series, regardless of the long odds. The Mavs are attempting to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, a feat 146 others have failed to accomplish. Dallas took a step in that direction with a 119-109 win in Tuesday's Game 4 at the American Airlines Center. "I mean, I still believe we can win, you know," Doncic said. "Swept or not swept, in the end, if you lose, you lose. Don't matter how many we win. We have to go game by game. We're going to believe until the end." Dallas has already pulled off one shocker in this postseason, rallying from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to eliminate the No. 1 overall seed Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals. The Mavs wrapped up that series by routing the Suns by 33...

Former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker won Georgia's GOP Senate primary on Tuesday. Walker defeated five fellow Republicans: Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, former Trump administration official and Navy veteran Latham Saddler, retired brigadier general Jon McColumn, contractor and Air Force veteran Kelvin King and former state Rep. Josh Clark. Walker is a political newcomer but has nearly unmatched name recognition in Georgia from his days as a college football running back. He led the University of Georgia football team to a national title during the 1980 season and won the Heisman Trophy in 1982. Former President Donald Trump, a close friend of Walker's, backed his run. Walker's electability was questioned due to business dealings and his history of violence against women. Walker has been open about his long struggle with mental illness and acknowledged violent urges. He won the primary despite skipping debates with his Republican opponents...

PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers are expected to name Omar Khan as their next general manager, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. After interviewing more than a dozen candidates for the general manager position, the Steelers selected Khan, who has been with the organization for more than two decades. He started with the Steelers as a football operations coordinator in 2001 and was promoted to director of football administration in 2011. He spent the past six seasons as the vice president of football and business administration. In that role, he was responsible for managing the Steelers' salary cap. Khan was considered a favorite during the exhaustive search that also included interviews with Brandon Hunt, the Steelers' director of pro scouting. Outgoing general manager Kevin Colbert announced he was stepping down following the 2021 season, but he left open the possibility to stay on in an advisory role after more than two decades with the Steelers. The Steelers, meanwhile, have...

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dallas guard Luka Doncic highlighted the league's All-NBA team announced on Tuesday night. Jokic, the 2021-22 NBA MVP, was not the leading vote getter for the team. That honor went to Antetokounmpo who received all 100 votes for the first team at one of the forward spots. Jokic and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who finished second in the MVP voting, split votes as the first-team center. Both players were eligible at forward, and some voters opted to put both players on the first team that way. Embiid made the second team at the center spot. Antetokounmpo was the only unanimous selection, and he becomes the first player over the last 50 years to be a unanimous selection to the All-NBA first team in four consecutive seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Doncic picked up his third first-team nod prior to turning 24,...

DALLAS -- Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr did not want to talk about basketball in his pregame news conference heading into Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. Basketball, he said, didn't matter. "Since we left shootaround, 14 children were killed, 400 miles from here. And a teacher," Kerr said, referring to the mass shooting that occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, earlier Tuesday. The death toll has since risen to at least 19 children and two adults, according to a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. The 18-year-old suspect, a student at Uvalde High School who entered the elementary school with a handgun and possibly a rifle, is also dead, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. It was not immediately clear how many people were wounded, but the school district's police chief, Pete Arredondo, said there were "several injuries.'' "When are we going to do something?" Kerr yelled,...

The New York Jets expect to see a bigger and better Zach Wilson in 2022. He already has checked the "bigger" box. After finishing last season at 208 pounds, the second-year quarterback reported to OTA practices this week at 221 pounds -- a designed weight gain that occurred with the help of a nutritionist and a chef. And some serious will power. "I do have a sweet tooth pretty bad, so that's been a challenge," Wilson told reporters Tuesday after the Jets' first open practice. Listed at 6-foot-2, Wilson has eliminated cookies, cakes and other sugary temptations from his carefully scripted diet. He said the keys are proportion management and eating at the right time, resulting in what he called "good weight." "I feel better for sure," he said. "The energy, the ability to have that stamina throughout the whole practice, is better. In the long run, once we get into a game when we actually get hit and tackled, having more size on me will help." One of Wilson's best...

CHICAGO -- White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson says there was no inside joke between he and New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson regarding Donaldson calling Anderson "Jackie" over the weekend, in reference to Jackie Robinson. Anderson, speaking publicly on Tuesday for the first time since Major League Baseball punished Donaldson with a one-game suspension, said the two haven't had a relationship since the first time he called him Jackie, back in 2019. "He did say that, and I told him we never have to talk again," Anderson recalled. "I don't speak to you, you don't speak to me, if that's how you want to refer to me. I know, he knew exactly what he was doing because I already told him." Anderson claims while Donaldson played for the Minnesota Twins, the two had no contact, but that changed after a hard slide into third base by the shortstop in a game in Chicago between the two teams. The two players had words that night and then again...