AP Sports

Banned NBA player Jontay Porter will be charged in betting case, court papers indicate

NEW YORK (AP) — Court papers indicate that former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter will be charged with a federal felony connected to the sports betting scandal that spurred the NBA to ban him for life. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed what’s known as a criminal information sheet on Tuesday. The document doesn’t specify a court date or the charge or charges. But it does show the case is related to an existing prosecution of four gamblers charged with conspiring to cash in on tips from a player about his plans to exit two games early.

Summer Olympians will get their support systems back in Paris after Tokyo’s COVID bans

Athletes at the last Summer Olympics remember the unmistakable sadness of competing with nearly no one in the stands amid pandemic-era restrictions in Tokyo three years ago. There were no spectators, and most parents, siblings and lifelong pals couldn’t even travel to Japan. Those are the people who helped raise and shape Olympians and Paralympians. Those folks can all join in for the ride when the Paris Games begin this month. The family and friends will offer something that was missing the last time: a support system that can help improve results, get through the tough moments and celebrate the best ones.

Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz advance at Wimbledon, Naomi Osaka loses

LONDON (AP) — Coco Gauff has reached the third round at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over qualifier Anca Todoni of Romania. She won on No. 1 Court, where Gauff made her memorable Grand Slam debut five years ago when she upset five-time champion Venus Williams at age 15. The second-seeded Gauff says the court “is always a special place for me to play on.” The 19-year-old Todoni is from Romania and was making her Grand Slam debut. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka was eliminated in the second round by No. 19 Emma Navarro. Other winners Wednesday included No. 11 Danielle Collins and No. 20 Beatriz Haddad Maia. On the men’s side, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won to set up a third-round meeting with No. 29 Frances Tiafoe.

Jessica Campbell will be the first woman on an NHL bench as assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken

SEATTLE (AP) — Jessica Campbell will become the first woman to work on the bench of an NHL franchise after the Seattle Kraken hired her as an assistant coach Wednesday. Campbell has spent the past two seasons working as an assistant coach for Seattle’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley alongside head coach Dan Bylsma, who was hired in late May to take over the head job with the Kraken. Campbell was a decorated player in the NCAA, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and Canada’s women’s national team, with whom she won silver at the 2015 world championship.

German police investigate video that appears to show Euro 2024 security punching and kicking a fan

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Police in the German city of Frankfurt are investigating a video that appears to show a fan being punched and kicked while being detained by a group of Euro 2024 security personnel. Tournament organizer UEFA says it’s “aware of an incident which took place between stewards and a fan from the Portugal vs. Slovenia match and condemns any violent behavior.” The video was published Tuesday in Portuguese media and appears to show a person being repeatedly punched and kicked, including while on the ground. The identities of the people involved and the circumstances leading up to the events shown could not immediately be verified.

Cavendish breaks Merckx’s record for most career Tour de France stage wins with his 35th victory

SAINT-VULBAS, France (AP) — Mark Cavendish has broken Eddy Merckx’s long-standing record for most career Tour de France stage wins with his 35th victory. The 39-year-old Cavendish sprinted for the win in the fifth stage of the Tour, pulling away some 100 meters from the line despite being bunched in. He crossed the line ahead of Jasper Philipsen and then jumped into the arms of a teammate. Cavendish equaled Merckx’s mark of 34 wins during the 2021 Tour and went close to No. 35 in the seventh stage last year when he was narrowly beaten to the line by Philipsen. He then crashed a day later and broke his right collarbone. Merckx won his 34 individual stages at the Tour from 1969-75.

Andy Murray is getting set to say farewell to Wimbledon before retirement (probably)

LONDON (AP) — Andy Murray is getting set to finish his Wimbledon career by playing men’s doubles and mixed doubles. Although there are those who wonder whether he might really be ready to retire. The 37-year-old from Scotland is scheduled to play doubles alongside his older brother at Centre Court on Thursday. Murray also received a wild-card invitation from the All England Club on Wednesday to play mixed doubles with 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu. He pulled out of singles because of a back operation on June 22. Murray won two of his three Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon. He says he is planning to retire after the Paris Olympics, which start later this month.

Post-pandemic Paris Olympics signal a return to ‘normal’ for athletes and fans

The Paris Olympics will celebrate the return to “normal” after a stretch when COVID forced host cities to turn into closed-off shells of themselves, depriving those who had earned their way inside the so-called “bubble” of a true Olympic experience. This will mark the first Olympics since 2018 that haven’t been marked by masks, nasal swabs and the looming threat of a positive COVID test that could ruin the games for any of the 10,500 athletes in attendance. Many athletes say they’re looking forward to being surrounded by family and friends. Others can’t wait to see their friends compete in other sports. Still others want to use the energy from the crowd to help them get over the finish.

LeBron James agrees to a 2-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, AP source says

LeBron James is making it official: He’s coming back for a record-tying 22nd season in the NBA, one where the league’s all-time scoring leader could share the floor with his son Bronny as teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers. James has agreed to a two-year contract to remain with the Lakers, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Wednesday. The second year of the deal is at James’ option and means he could become a free agent again next summer, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced publicly.

Ronaldo vs. Mbappé: Clash of generations at Euro 2024 has just been given some extra spice

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Kylian Mbappé is not just a clash of soccer icons but a clash of generations. They’ll go head to head when Portugal plays France in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals on Friday, and their heavyweight meeting just got a little bit bigger after Ronaldo said this would be his last European Championship. There’s now a definitive specter of finality to Ronaldo’s long, headline-grabbing Euros adventure that could be brought to an end by Mbappé. The France captain is the heir apparent to Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after their long-time dominance of the sport. Mbappé grew up with pictures of Ronaldo on his bedroom wall.