Sports

Haliburton’s status is a great unknown for Pacers going into Game 6 of NBA Finals

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers are preparing for the possibility of not having Tyrese Haliburton available to play in Thursday’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Haliburton has been dealing with a lower right leg injury throughout the series and it worsened during Monday’s Game 5 loss in Indianapolis. Haliburton played through it for most of his 34 minutes, but failed to make a field goal in the game and Indiana lost to Oklahoma City 120-109 — falling behind 3-2 in the title series. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle says Haliburton’s status won’t be known until late Thursday afternoon at the earliest.

Nezza’s anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium ignites debate over team’s immigrant support

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After Latin pop and R&B singer Nezza’s viral controversial performance at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers fans have grown frustrated over the team’s lack of vocal support for local immigrant communities impacted by the rise of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests and raids. The baseball team has a long history with immigrant communities in Los Angeles, boasting a huge Latino fan base and hosting multiple heritage nights honoring various communities. Some fans have since called for a boycott online. Some are pushing for a more permanent boycott, while others say they’d be willing to return if the team spoke out in support.

Stanley Cup damaged as the Florida Panthers celebrate a second straight championship

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Stanley Cup is a little banged up, thanks to the Florida Panthers’ celebration of back-to-back titles. The bowl of the famous trophy is cracked and the bottom is dented. The Panthers won their second consecutive championship on home ice Tuesday night, beating Edmonton in six games. The team, following decades of tradition, partied with the Cup well into Wednesday. The 131-year-old Cup has been damaged many times over the past century and is considered fairly easy to repair. That’s the plan ahead of Sunday’s celebration parade.

Marina Mabrey’s foul on Caitlin Clark upgraded to Flagrant-2, AP source says

The WNBA has upgraded the technical foul on Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey for shoving Caitlin Clark to the floor during Tuesday’s night game against Indiana to a Flagrant-2. That’s according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made. Any flagrant foul comes with an automatic fine. The person also said the league has fined the Fever’s Sophie Cunningham for her role in the on-court melee that occurred after she fouled Jacy Sheldon with 46.1 seconds left. Cunningham received a Flagrant-2 Tuesday night.

Cheerleaders can now go pro: Varsity Spirit’s new league offers pay

Varsity Spirit is starting a professional cheerleading league promising to pay athletes. The Pro Cheer League joins a crowded niche sports market that already includes softball, volleyball, 3-x-3 basketball, lacrosse, indoor football and more clamoring for both fans’ attention and their dollars. This new league is billed as the first professional cheerleading league for athletes 18 and older to give cheerleaders the chance to keep competing after college. Bill Seely is the president of Varsity Spirit in Memphis, Tennessee. He sees plenty of opportunity for all these sports to succeed. This cheer league’s advantage comes from the sport’s growth since the 1970s.

The Thunder know an NBA title is just 1 win away. They’re trying to keep their minds on the Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Difficult as it may seem, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is desperately trying to not think about what may await the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder star doesn’t want to think about the end of the NBA Finals. Or how the Larry O’Brien Trophy will feel in his hands if he gets to finally hoist it as a champion. Or what the celebration will look like, sound like, be like. The Thunder are one win from a title, and it could come when they visit the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. It is not just another game. Gilgeous-Alexander is trying to make it seem that way.

Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they’re getting a 400% increase in pay

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders say they are getting a serious increase in pay. One of the cheerleaders has said during the second season of the Netflix series “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders” that the members are getting a 400% boost in pay. The cheerleaders have been pushing for pay increases for years. In 2019, the Cowboys settled a lawsuit with a former cheerleader that led to the squad doubling the per-game pay, from $200 to $400. The latest raise is four times that.

Tampa Bay Rays say they are in talks for a potential sale amid stadium uncertainty

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays say they are in “exclusive discussions” with a Florida investment group for a potential sale of the team. The Rays are valued at $1.25 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Stuart Sternberg bought the Major League Baseball club for $200 million in 2004. The potential sale comes at a precarious time for the Rays and their home ballpark. They are playing this season at the spring training home of the New York Yankees in Tampa after the roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was heavily damaged during Hurricane Milton last October.

Transfers are common across college sports. Athletes see irony in being criticized as disloyal

College sports was once rooted in tradition, school pride and loyalty, but those expectations are changing in a landscape where athletes have won the ability to transfer season to season, year to year. Some are painted as disloyal or selfish. Athletes like Hailey Van Lith and Ray Davis don’t see it that way. Both played at three schools on their way to the pros, Van Lith in the WNBA and Davis in the NFL. They said decisions are not always about money and noted that coaches and other team staff can also leave for new opportunities.

Russian athletes excluded from luge at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics

Russian luge athletes have been excluded from competing at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics even as individuals with neutral status. The International Luge Federation has voted to uphold its ban on Russians from international events imposed since 2022 during that country’s invasion of Ukraine. Athletes cited concerns about “safety, Olympic quotas, anti-doping compliance, and fairness” when consulted by the governing body. The Milan-Cortina Olympics open on Feb. 6. The Russian team had 10 lugers compete at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and won one bronze medal.