Sports

Gregg Popovich, the NBA’s all-time wins leader, retires after 29 seasons as coach in San Antonio

Gregg Popovich stepped down as coach of the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, ending a three-decade run that saw him lead the team to five NBA championships, become the league’s all-time wins leader and earn induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He will remain as team president. Popovich says “while my love and passion for the game remain, I’ve decided it’s time to step away as head coach.” Mitch Johnson, a Spurs assistant who filled in for Popovich for the season’s final 77 games, becomes the team’s head coach.

Some key moments in the career of San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich

A list of moments in the coaching career of San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, who stepped down on Friday.

Spurs promote Mitch Johnson to head coach, taking over for Gregg Popovich

Mitch Johnson never expected to be coach of the San Antonio Spurs, not even on an interim basis. It’s his team going forward. Johnson, the acting coach for the final 77 games the Spurs played this season, will be the new coach of the team after Friday’s announcement by Gregg Popovich that he is stepping down and transitioning solely into being the team’s president of basketball operations. Johnson says “it’s sometimes funny how your journey takes you and sometimes the biggest moments can come from the least likely spots.”

New York Rangers hire Mike Sullivan as coach days after he and the Pittsburgh Penguins parted ways

The New York Rangers have hired Mike Sullivan as coach. Sullivan was out of a job for less than a week after he and the Pittsburgh Penguins agreed Monday to part ways. Sullivan replaces Peter Laviolette, who was fired after the Rangers missed the playoffs following a trip to the Eastern Conference final last year. Sullivan, who coached Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup back to back in 2016 and ’17, is tasked with trying to turn the Rangers back into an immediate contender. General manager Chris Drury made the move to get Sullivan not long after receiving a multiyear contract extension of his own.

No team orders: McLaren plans to ‘let ’em race’ as Piastri and Norris battle for F1 championship

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Just five races into the Formula 1 season and there’s already a compelling championship battle with inner organization implications. Oscar Piastri has aggressively shown he won’t sit behind teammate Lando Norris. The Aussie has won three of the first five races this season to take hold of the lead in the driver standings. Norris sits 10 points back from Piastri with one victory on the season. And as F1 shifts to the United States for the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, McLaren boss Zak Brown insisted there will be no internal issues with this championship fight and, for now, he’ll let it play out naturally.

Kentucky Derby: How to watch, the favorites and what to expect in the 151st running of the race

The first Saturday in May means it’s time for the 151st Kentucky Derby, America’s longest continuously held sporting event. Nineteen horses stampeding 1 1/4 miles around Churchill Downs isn’t just a race. It’s some 150,000 fans jammed under the Twin Spires for a fashion show mixed with an all-day party that’s heavy on traditions like mint juleps, singing “My Old Kentucky Home,” and a garland of red roses draped on the winner.

Back to school: WNBA teams open preseason in college arenas as star alums return to campus

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu and Arike Ogunbowale will all get a chance to play one more game at their college arenas as their WNBA teams are playing preseason games on campus. It’s a trend, started by the Las Vegas Aces last season when they played at South Carolina in a return for A’ja Wilson to her alma mater. It gives WNBA teams a chance to capitalize on the popularity of star players. On Friday, Ogunbowale and the Dallas Wings take on Wilson and the Aces at Notre Dame, while Reese headlines the Chicago Sky’s trip to LSU to face the Brazilian national team. On Sunday, Clark leads the Indiana Fever to Iowa for an exhibition game against Brazil.

Are the Denver Nuggets right where the Los Angeles Clippers want them, at home for Game 7?

DENVER (AP) — The Nuggets are glad Game 7 of their first-round playoff series with the Clippers will be at home Saturday. Interim coach David Adelman said the team’s three-game winning streak to close the regular season following the firing of Michael Malone was big because that earned them the homecourt advantage in Round 1. But do the Clippers have the Nuggets right where they want them? Denver lost a Game 7 at home last year to Minnesota and oddsmakers installed the Clippers as slight favorites in Denver despite their wire-to-wire loss at Ball Arena in their last trip to the Rocky Mountains.

Tyrese Haliburton’s father will not attend his son’s Pacers games for the foreseeable future

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — John Halliburton, the father of Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, will not be attending any of his son’s games for the foreseeable future. The Pacers announcement Friday comes after John Haliburton ran onto the court and confronted two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo after Tyrese Haliburton made the winning layup with 1.3 seconds left in overtime to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1. Pacers officials met with John Haliburton in the aftermath of the incident.

F1 signs 10-year extension with Miami Grand Prix that keeps race on calendar through 2041

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Formula 1 has announced a 10-year extension with the Miami Grand Prix that will ensure the event remains on the calendar through 2041. The race debuted in 2022 as the second F1 race in the United States on the schedule. Sunday’s running will be the fourth in what was originally a 10-year contract between Miami promoters and F1. There are now three F1 races in the U.S. every year. Las Vegas was added to the schedule in 2023 and F1 also makes a stop at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.