Sports

For Pacers and Thunder, there’s no looking back now. All eyes are only on Game 7 in the NBA Finals

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Game 6 of the NBA Finals had been over for only about 10 or 15 minutes, and the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder were turning the page. What happened over the previous couple of hours had already been deemed irrelevant. The only thing on their minds: Game 7. A back-and-forth title matchup will end on Sunday night with an ultimate game, the first winner-take-all contest in the NBA Finals since 2016. It’ll be Pacers at Thunder, one team getting the Larry O’Brien Trophy when it is over, the other left to head into the offseason wondering how they let the chance slip away.

Cubs legend Sammy Sosa returns to Wrigley Field after 20-plus-year hiatus

CHICAGO (AP) — Legendary Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in more than 20 years before Chicago’s game with the Seattle Mariners. Sosa is set to be inducted into the Cubs’ team Hall of Fame this year. He arrived Friday at the iconic North Side ballpark in a black SUV. He was greeted with a hug from owner Tom Ricketts as he exited the vehicle. Sosa was a headliner in a generation of baseball’s biggest names linked to performance-enhancing drugs. He appeared to acknowledge using PEDs in December when he released a statement saying he was sorry for mistakes, without specifying them.

How billionaire Mark Walter, set to own the controlling stake in Lakers, made his fortune

The billionaire slated to takeover the controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers has built a career leading businesses investing in everything from sports franchises to artificial intelligence. Mark Walter is CEO of the global investment and advisory company Guggenheim Partners, which is estimated to have more than $325 billion in assets. He’s also co-founder and CEO of holding company TWG Global, which includes a portfolio of businesses spanning several sectors, including finance, technology, insurance, sports and entertainment. Forbes estimates Walter’s net worth is $6.1 billion. The publication ranked him at No. 216 on its Forbes 400 list last year.

Former NBA great Vlade Divac breaks a hip in motorcycle accident in Montenegro

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Former NBA center Vlade Divac has undergone emergency surgery after breaking a hip in a fall from his motorcycle in Montenegro. The accident happened Thursday on a road near the Montenegrin Adriatic Sea coast. Hospital officials say the 57-year-old Divac sustained a fracture and that an artificial hip was implanted. The 7-foot-1 Serbian center started and ended his 16-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Divac served two terms as head of Serbia’s Olympic Committee.

Women’s tackle football gives female athletes opportunities in a game dominated by men

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Women have been playing tackle football for decades, mostly under the radar. Two leagues have raised their profile enough to have women competing for championships on ESPN2 in high-end venues. The Women’s National Football Conference will have its title game on the network for the first time. The game will be broadcast live on Saturday from the Dallas Cowboys’ Ford Center, a roughly 12,000-seat venue in Frisco, Texas. The Women’s Football Alliance will be back on the network for its championship game on July 26 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, where MVP jerseys from previous title games are on display.

Kevin Durant buys minority stake in Paris Saint-Germain, will advise club on basketball expansion

PARIS (AP) — NBA star Kevin Durant has purchased a minority stake in Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain. The French soccer club announced the deal Friday. Qatar Sports Investments, PSG’s majority shareholder, signed an investment and strategic partnership agreement with Durant. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The announcement comes amid talks between the NBA, FIBA and other entities about the process of adding a new league in Europe. The club says Durant will provide expertise on the PSG’s multi-port strategy, including potential expansion into basketball.

Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.5M US viewers, a drop from last year’s Cup and the 4 Nations final

U.S. television ratings for the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers declined from their first matchup a year ago. An average of 2.5 million viewers watched on TNT, with 2.8 million tuning in for the Panthers’ series-clinching Game 6 victory. The overall number on cable is down from 4.17 million last year when the final was on over-the-air TV on ABC and the lowest since Tampa Bay versus Montreal in 2021. The share of viewers increased 15% from TNT’s first Cup final in 2023 when Vegas defeated Florida.

Rutgers’ Harper headlines a bevy of 1-and-done guards set to go high in the NBA draft

Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper is the headliner among the guards in the upcoming NBA draft. The son of former NBA guard Ron Harper is positioned to be the No. 2 overall pick behind Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Harper is one of several one-and-done talents at the position in this draft. That include Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, Texas’ Tre Johnson, Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears and Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis. They’re all potential top-10 picks in the draft. Other notable players at the position include Michigan State’s Jase Richardson, BYU’s Egor Demin and international prospect Nolan Traore. The first round of the draft is Wednesday.

Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier lead early fan-voting for WNBA All-Star Game

Indiana star Caitlin Clark has an early lead in the fan voting for next month’s WNBA All-Star Game. The guard received 515,993 votes and was followed by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who garnered 484,758 votes. There were three other Indiana players in the top 10 with Aliyah Boston third, Kelsey Mitchell seventh and Lexie Hull ninth. This year’s game will be played in Indiana on July 19. A’ja Wilson of Las Vegas and Breanna Stewart of New York were fourth and fifth in the balloting. Sabrina Ionescu of New York and rookies Paige Bueckers of Dallas and Kiki Iriafen of Washington rounded out the top 10.

Coastal Carolina all in on keeping baseball program a national power in new era of college sports

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Though many athletic programs outside the power four conferences are expected to drop off competitively when scholarship limits are removed and revenue sharing begins July 1, College World Series finalist Coastal Carolina is committed to continue playing with the big boys in baseball. Rosters will be capped at 34 in Division I baseball going forward, and first-year athletic director Chance Miller told The Associated Press all 34 at Coastal Carolina will receive full scholarships and be in line for direct rev-share payments. Miller said he also believes the Chanticleers will be competitive for name, image and likeness opportunities.