AP Sports

Coyotes officially leaving Arizona for Salt Lake City following approval of sale to Utah Jazz owners

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Coyotes are officially headed to Salt Lake City. The NHL Board of Governors voted Thursday to approve a $1.2 billion sale from Alex Meruelo to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, clearing the way for the franchise’s move to Utah next season. The deal includes a provision for Arizona to get an expansion team if a new arena is built within the next five years. The deal will be facilitated through the NHL, with $200 million going to league owners as a relocation fee.

Butler, Williamson injuries are part of story for Heat-Bulls and Kings-Pelicans play-in finales

MIAMI (AP) — All four teams in the finales of the NBA play-in tournament on Friday night are dealing with injury issues. Chicago goes to Miami and then Sacramento plays at New Orleans. The winner of the Bulls-Heat game meets Boston in Round 1 and the Kings-Pelicans winner meets Oklahoma City. The Heat are bracing to be without Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier and possibly Duncan Robinson for their game against the Bulls, who had guard Alex Caruso go down to a sprained ankle in Wednesday’s win over Atlanta. The Pelicans will be without Zion Williamson because of a hamstring injury. The Bulls-Heat game is a rematch of a play-in finale last year in Miami, where the Heat rallied in the final minutes and eventually reached the NBA Finals.

Palestinian soccer renews call for sanctions against Israel at FIFA congress amid Hamas conflict

GENEVA (AP) — Calls for action against Israel in international soccer because of the conflict with Hamas will be stepped up by Palestinian officials at the annual FIFA congress next month. The Palestine Football Association proposal to 211 member federations meeting in Thailand calls for “appropriate sanctions, with immediate effect, against Israeli teams.” FIFA has released documents ahead of the May 17 meeting. The Palestinian motion notes “international law violations committed by the Israeli occupation” and cites FIFA statutory commitments on human rights and against discrimination. The latest call to punish Israel soccer won’t be supported by FIFA and likely won’t make progress.

NFL draft has potential to set a record for most players on offense selected in the first round

The 2024 NFL draft has the potential to set a record for most players on offense selected in the first round. No draft has seen more than 19 players on offense chosen in the first round. That happened three times, most recently in 2009. Many draft experts are predicting more than 20 offensive players will go in the first round and some have up to 25. The AP’s final mock draft had 22 going in the first round, including 10 offensive linemen, six wide receivers, five quarterbacks and one tight end. Only once in the past 57 years have the first seven picks all been offensive players. That happened in 2021.

Moyer-Gleich picked for NBA playoff officiating roster, 1st woman in that role since 2012

Ashley Moyer-Gleich checked her email just before heading to the airport on Saturday for a trip to what she thought would be her final game of the season. That’s when the news came in: She has more games to do. Moyer-Gleich will soon become only the second woman in NBA history to referee a playoff game. She was one of 36 referees announced by the league Thursday as its referee selections for Round 1 of the playoffs starting this weekend. She joins Violet Palmer as the only women picked by the NBA for a playoff assignment. Palmer worked nine playoff games between 2006 and 2012.

Fernando Tatis Jr. has 50 custom cleats planned this year, including odes to Gwynn, Curry and more

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. plans to unveil 50 pairs of custom cleats this season, including odes to Padres great Tony Gwynn, basketball star Stephen Curry and military veterans. Adidas ended its shoe deal with Tatis days after MLB suspended him for 80 games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs in August 2022. Being a shoe free agent has allowed the dreadlocked Dominican to be creative and use different brands, although he favors Jordan 1 Mid cleats by Nike. The 25-year-old has already worn shoes honoring late Padres owner Peter Seidler, ones playing off the classic Tiffany Blue and a pair showing gratitude to his big league father.

Scoring sensation Lucy Olsen transfers to Iowa. Ex-Villanova player helps fill void of Caitlin Clark

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa added one of the nation’s most productive scorers to fill the void left by superstar Caitlin Clark. Lucy Olsen said on social media that she’s joining the Hawkeyes after the former Villanova star entered the transfer portal. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 23.3 points this season to rank third among women’s Division I scorers. Iowa will miss Clark, the NCAA Division I scorer among men and women, who became the No. 1 pick for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft on Monday. Olsen, an upcoming senior, has one year of eligibility left.

The ideal Champions League final is within reach if Mbappé and Real Madrid can deliver

The tantalizing prospect of Kylian Mbappé squaring up to Real Madrid in the Champions League final looms large. Mbappé becomes a free agent after the season when Madrid is favorite to finally land the forward it has coveted for so long. Before that there are trophies to be won and none are bigger in European club soccer than the Champions League. Madrid has a record 14 wins. Paris Saint-Germain and Mbappé are still waiting for their first. Mbappé’s imminent departure has partly been attributed to PSG’s failure to transfer its domestic dominance to the continent. How ironic it would be if the France forward triumphed in his final year at the club against the team he looks likeliest to join.

PSG star Tabitha Chawinga of Malawi overcomes obstacles en route to Champions League success

Paris Saint-Germain forward Tabitha Chawinga faced challenges as a young soccer player growing up in Malawi. Her parents disapproved and wanted her to stop playing. As a teenager, Chawinga was once forced to remove her clothes on the field to prove to the other team that she’s female. The 27-year-old Chawinga’s confidence and positive attitude have helped her excel on three continents. She left Malawi for Sweden at age 17 and later played in China before joining Inter Milan for a season and now PSG. She’s filled up the scoresheet at each stop and this season has helped PSG reach the Women’s Champions League semifinals, facing Lyon on Saturday.

Defending champion Lilia Vu withdraws from Chevron Championship with back injury before 1st round

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Defending champion and world No. 2 Lilia Vu withdrew from the Chevron Championship before the first round because of a back injury. She issued a statement on Instagram saying she had “severe discomfort” in her back during warmups Thursday to force her withdrawal. The 26-year-old American was the LPGA player of the year last season. She won the Women’s British Open after her Chevron victory.