Sports

Good game, bad dunk contest. The highs and lows of an eventful NBA All-Star weekend

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — If you still didn’t like the NBA’s newest All-Star Game format, you probably just don’t like All-Star games. That seemed to be the sports sphere’s consensus after the U.S.-against-the-world, round-robin tournament produced an entertaining show. Something about the setup compelled these stars to play their exhibition at a level much closer to real competition than usual. But not everything was rosy at the NBA’s annual midseason showcase. The dunk contest was widely criticized for lacking excitement and star power. Damian Lillard won his third 3-Point Contest in impressive fashion.

Geno Auriemma ties Tara VanDerveer for most AP Top 25 appearances as UConn stays No. 1

Geno Auriemma has tied Tara VanDerveer for most appearances in the AP women’s basketball Top 25 poll when UConn remained No. 1. Auriemma has led the Huskies to 654 appearances in the poll during his 41-year Hall of Fame career to match VanDerveer, who retired from Stanford in 2024. UConn has been ranked for the past 621 consecutive weeks, dating to the preseason 1993-94 poll, and once again was a unanimous choice at No. 1 from the 31-member national media panel. Monday was the 900th poll in the 50-year history of the rankings.

Michigan rises to No. 1 in AP Top 25 men’s hoops poll for 1st time since January 2013

Michigan is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 13 years, ending Arizona’s nine-week reign. The Wolverines claimed 60 of 61 first-place votes in Monday’s new poll to climb one spot and supplant the Wildcats. Arizona had been unbeaten entering last week before falling at Kansas and at home to Texas Tech. It marks Michigan’s first No. 1 ranking since January 2013. Houston, Duke, Arizona and UConn rounded out the top five. No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 25 Alabama were the week’s new additions. They replaced Clemson and Kentucky.

Yankees captain Aaron Judge, like many fans, fretted for much of offseason over lack of moves

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge says he felt frustrated watching top free agents sign elsewhere during much of the offseason, but likes New York’s late additions, After the first full-squad workout, he says the slow offseason felt “brutal.” Judge spent time describing his right elbow injury from last season and worried whether he would need surgery. He says tests after the postseason cleared him, and his arm now feels at full strength. He also talked about his MVP season and facing a hard-throwing young pitcher in camp.

Mets owner Steve Cohen says club won’t have a captain as long as he’s in charge

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets owner Steve Cohen likes the vibe in a revamped clubhouse, and says he’ll never have a captain in charge of that scene. Cohen says, “As long as I’m owning the team, there will never be a team captain.” The Mets said goodbye to popular slugger Pete Alonso, star closer Edwin Díaz and two other Mets stalwarts before Christmas. But they added free agent Bo Bichette and traded for All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta. Cohen says he likes the clubhouse energy going into manager Carlos Mendoza’s third season.

Eileen Gu takes silver in big air as Canada’s Megan Oldham wins Olympic gold

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Defending Olympic champion Eileen Gu has taken silver in freeski big air at the Milan Cortina Games. Canada’s Megan Oldham won the gold medal on Monday. Oldham topped the 10-woman final with a combined score of 180.75 points from two jumps. Gu was next with 179. Italy’s Flora Tabanelli took bronze while competing with an injured ACL. This is the second medal for the 24-year-old Oldham at these Winter Games. She won bronze in freeski slopestyle last week. Gu also won silver in slopestyle and still has her best event, the halfpipe.

From antitrust fight to victory lane: Michael Jordan’s 23XI grabs a Daytona 500 win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Michael Jordan celebrated a Daytona 500 win as a team owner when Tyler Reddick won NASCAR’s season opener. The victory comes after Jordan led the federal antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR that NASCAR settled in December. If there are hard feelings, it was not evident Sunday. NASCAR chairman Jim France congratulated Jordan in victory lane. Jordan and partner Denny Hamlin say the relationship between teams and the sanctioning body have been good since the settlement. They say both sides want progress.

Dolphins releasing star receiver Tyreek Hill in major roster cuts, AP source says

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Dolphins are releasing star receiver Tyreek Hill, ending the All-Pro’s four-year tenure in Miami, according to a person familiar with the move. Hill is recovering from a season-ending injury suffered in a game against the New York Jets on Sept. 29 that required surgery to repair significant damage to his left knee, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It is one of several major roster cuts the Dolphins made on Monday morning, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not made any announcements. The Dolphins acquired Hill in a trade with Kansas City ahead of the 2022 season and gave him a $120 million, four-year contract extension.

The ‘6-7’ craze is going strong at NBA and college basketball games

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — The global “6-7” craze is still going strong at pro and college basketball games. Young fans, players and coaches are eagerly tracking when teams near 67 points. Dictionary.com named the term “6-7” its word of the year for 2025. The Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans are among NBA teams that feature “6-7” cams during timeouts at some games. Seth Bennett, the Hornets’ chief marketing officer, said Charlotte’s marketing and game presentation teams started discussing a possible “6-7” cam to capitalize on the trend and player LaMelo Ball’s involvement in it.

Ilia Malinin hints at ‘inevitable crash’ amid Olympic pressure and online hate in social media post

MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin shares a stark video that shows his Olympic highs and a painful low, and he says more is coming. On Monday, the U.S. figure skating star posted the clip and hinted at a “version of the story” coming on Saturday. That lines up with the exhibition gala that closes Olympic figure skating. Malinin helped the U.S. win team gold, then he stumbled in the individual short program and ended up eighth. He says Olympic pressure and online hate have weighed on him. He described negative thoughts and past trauma flooding in during his skate. He later congratulated the surprise champion, Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan.