AP Sports

The Dodgers are ready to welcome Shohei Ohtani to Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers are ready to welcome Shohei Ohtani to Hollywood. The biggest star in baseball is to be formally introduced by the team at a news conference Thursday. A unique two-way star as both a hitter and pitcher, Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent after six years. He’s moving 30 miles up Interstate 5 after the Dodgers outbid the competition by offering a $700 million, 10-year contract in a deal announced Monday. It will be Ohtani’s first time speaking with the media since Aug. 9, two weeks before a pitching injury that required surgery and will keep off a mound next season.

Bucks, Pacers square off in dispute over game ball after Giannis’ record-setting performance

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo exchanged heated words with members of the Indiana staff and raced toward the Pacers’ locker room Wednesday night as the teams squared off in a hallway in a dispute over the game ball following the Milwaukee star’s franchise-record 64-point performance. After the Bucks’ 140-126 victory, Antetokounmpo had an animated discussion with Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton and other Pacers before rushing from the court toward the Indiana locker room in search of the ball. The Bucks wanted the game ball for Antetokounmpo, who set a franchise record with 64 points. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers took the ball for Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first official NBA point. That led to a confrontation between members of the teams in the arena hallway.

Warriors star Draymond Green suspended indefinitely by NBA

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face and received a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection. The league said the penalty handed down by operations chief Joe Dumars begins immediately. This is already Green’s second suspension this season. The NBA said: “He will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play.” The NBA noted that “this outcome takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.”

College athletes who transfer twice can play, for now, after a judge sets aside NCAA transfer rule

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — College athletes who were denied the chance to play immediately after transferring a second time can return to competition, for now. A federal judge in West Virginia issued a 14-day temporary restraining order Wednesday against the NCAA. The order comes after seven states filed a lawsuit contending the NCAA’s transfer rule violates federal antitrust law. The NCAA said in a statement it would comply with the order. NCAA rules allow underclassmen to transfer once without having to sit out. But an additional transfer as an undergraduate generally requires the NCAA to grant a waiver to play immediately. A hearing on the restraining order is scheduled for Dec. 27.

76ers’ Daryl Morey mixes basketball with shot at Broadway in absurdist musical ‘Small Ball’

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers President Daryl Morey is the executive producer of a basketball-themed musical called “Small Ball.” Morey grew up considering a career in musical theater. He came up with an idea about a small team with big basketball dreams set on the fictional Lilliput island out of “Gulliver’s Travels.” The players named Bird and Magic are 6-inch Lilliputians, rather than giants in NBA history. The musical ran this week at a Philadelphia theater. It made previous stops in Houston and Denver.

Two-time ABA champion and Indiana Mr. Basketball winner George McGinnis dies at 73

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two-time ABA champion and three-time NBA All-Star George McGinnis has died. He was 73. McGinnis was considered one of the best prep players to play in the basketball-rich state of Indiana. He spent two seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers, earning third team All-American honors in the only season he actually played. McGinnis then became one of the first underclassmen to play professional basketball, joining the Indiana Pacers in 1971. He also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets before finishing his 11-year career back with the Pacers. He was the ABA’s 1974-75 MVP and a three-time ABA All-Star.

Putin questions Olympic rules for neutral Russian athletes at Paris Games

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has questioned the International Olympic Committee rules mandating Russian athletes compete at the Paris Olympics as neutral athletes. He has also indicated Russia has yet to take a final decision on on whether its competitors will take part next year. The IOC rejected a blanket ban last week when it confirmed that Russians will be allowed to compete under the name of Individual Neutral Athletes. Putin says the Russian Olympic Committee and Sports Ministry need to analyze the conditions set out by the IOC. He expresses concern that the conditions could be used to exclude top Russian competitors.

Champions League: England flops, Spain surges while PSV and Copenhagen provide nice surprises

The group stage of the Champions League is over and some narratives have emerged. England has only two of its four representatives remaining as Manchester United and Newcastle failed to advance to the knockout stage and were even knocked out of European competition altogether. Spain has had a resurgence with four of the eight group winners including Real Sociedad in its first season in the Champions League in a decade. There are some nice surprises in the round of 16 in the form of Copenhagen and PSV Eindhoven. The likes of Saudi-owned Newcastle and Union Berlin found the step up to the Champions League tough after qualifying for the group stage quicker than widely anticipated.

Ex-Tokyo Olympics official pleads not guilty to taking bribes in exchange for Games contracts

TOKYO (AP) — A former member of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee has appeared in district court and pleaded not guilty to taking $1.4 million in bribes in exchange for contracts for the Games. Haruyuki Takahashi was arrested more than a year ago and it is unclear when his trial will end. He’s a former executive with the powerful Japanese advertising company Dentsu. Takahashi was charged with accepting bribes in exchange for awarding Olympic contracts for the Tokyo Games in 2021.

South Korean Olympic chief defends move to send athletes to train at military camp

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Olympic chief has defended a decision to send hundreds of athletes to a military camp next week as part of preparations for the 2024 Games in Paris. The official cited a need to instill mental toughness in athletes who he says have underachieved in recent competitions. About 400 athletes will arrive at a marine boot camp in the southeastern port city of Pohang on Monday for a three-day training camp aimed at building resilience and teamwork.