AP Sports

Jerry West, a 3-time Hall of Fame selection and the inspiration for the NBA logo, dies at 86

Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, has died. The Los Angeles Clippers say West died Wednesday morning with his wife, Karen, by his side. He was 86. West was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, and he won both NBA and Olympic titles. He was an All-Star in all 14 of his NBA seasons and won the 1972 championship with the Lakers. West was later the general manger of eight Lakers championship teams.

U.S. cricket team recovers from poor start but loses to India at Twenty20 World Cup

It started bad, got a little worse before it got a little better, and then finished as widely expected for the United States, losing to India in cricket at the Twenty20 World Cup. The Americans entered Wednesday’s match on a huge high after beating cricket powerhouse Pakistan in their previous game. But India made sure it avoided becoming another upset victim. India won by seven wickets and advanced to the next stage of the tournament. The Americans still have one more group match to play on Friday against Ireland. With a victory, they could still advance to next stage.

Jets coach Robert Saleh says there’s ‘no issue’ with Aaron Rodgers’ minicamp absence

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers’ absence is no big deal as far as Robert Saleh and the New York Jets are concerned. The quarterback not being present for the team’s two-day minicamp made headlines when Saleh announced Tuesday neither Rodgers nor edge rusher Haason Reddick would attend and both were unexcused absences that were subject to fines. Saleh said Rodgers was away for a previous commitment that “is very important to him” and something he told the team about ahead of time. Saleh said there’s no issue with Rodgers and more is being made of the situation outside the facility.

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas fails in challenge to rules that bar her from elite women’s races

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has failed in her challenge against World Aquatics rules that stop her from competing in elite women’s races. Three judges at the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled she did not have standing to bring the case. CAS says the judges dismissed Thomas’ request for arbitration with the world governing body. Thomas had asked the court in Switzerland to overturn rules approved in 2022 that she said were invalid, unlawful and discriminated against her. World Aquatics banned transgender women who have been through male puberty from competing in women’s races.

Barkov back on ice for the Panthers, who lead Stanley Cup Final thanks to scoring from unsung heroes

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Florida captain Aleksander Barkov practiced again after being knocked out of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final in the third period after Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl launched toward him and hit him in the head. Head coach Paul Maurice said the team will make a final decision about Barkov’s Game 3 status on Thursday, but the star “felt better” Wednesday. Barkov has two assists but hasn’t scored yet in the series. Neither has Matthew Tkachuk. That hasn’t been a problem for the Panthers, who control the series thanks to the scoring of other contributors like Evan Rodrigues and Niko Mikkola.

Calm, chill Xander Schauffele motivated to ‘check more boxes,’ continue to win major championships

PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Xander Schauffele may exude a California chill vibe, but don’t let that easygoing demeanor fool you into believing there isn’t an intensive competitive fire that drives him. Schauffele made that perfectly clear on Tuesday, saying he’s not content with winning just one major and that last month’s win at the PGA Championship simply checked one box on his resume. He clearly wants more. The world’s No. 2-ranked player takes aim at making it two in a row at the U.S. Open this week at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club — although a power-packed field stands in his way including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

Hooligan fears shadow Euro 2024. German police are set for their biggest deployment ever

BERLIN (AP) — A recent surge in violence around soccer games is contributing to concerns over security when Germany hosts the European Championship. Some 22,000 police officers will be on duty each day for the tournament. This is the largest deployment for the federal police. German police will be supported by foreign police officers from countries participating in the tournament. Will police measures be enough to quell fan violence during a month-long tournament when soccer-related violence has been increasing around Europe? Last season started and ended with brutal clashes and intense soccer rivalries even carried into other sports.

1 of 12 full-time female NFL coaches, Jill Costanza is an asset for the Lions and Dan Campbell

Jill Costanza’s interest in studying ACL injuries and passion for learning new ways to improve performance led the former high school basketball coach and PE teacher on a journey from college sports to the Army to the Air Force to the NFL. Now, she’s an asset for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Costanza is in her fourth season with the Detroit Lions, serving as director of sports science and assistant strength and conditioning coach. She was one of 12 full-time female coaches last year in a league that has seen a 141% increase of women in football roles over the past four years.

Salt Lake City still on track for 2034 Olympics vote. French elections delay plans for 2030 edition

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Salt Lake City is still cruising toward being named the 2034 Winter Olympics host next month. However, the parliamentary elections called by President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday have created a bump in the road for the country’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee says voting to confirm both expected Winter Games hosts for 2030 and 2034 is still the plan on July 24 in Paris. The IOC seeks financial and organizational guarantees sought from national and regional authorities now have just over two weeks to be completed next month after a possible change of government.

Besides Messi, there is Vinicius Júnior, Valverde, Garnacho and Pulisic to watch at Copa America

SAO PAULO (AP) — Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the face of this year’s Copa America. But there are other players to watch when the South American soccer championship starts this month in the United States with 16 teams from the Western Hemisphere competing. Among those are Brazil’s Vinicius Júnior, Uruguay’s Federico Valverde, Ecuador’s Kendry Páez, United States’ Christian Pulisic and Mexico’s Santi Gimenez.