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PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will miss his second straight game and remain out for Wednesday's Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks, according to coach Ty Lue. Lue said Leonard would not practice Tuesday as he continues to treat the inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. Leonard did not play Sunday when the Clippers won Game 4 in Dallas 116-111 to even the best-of-seven series at 2. Paul George and James Harden shouldered the load, combining for a total of 66 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds. After missing the final eight regular-season games and Game 1 of the series, Leonard returned and logged 35 minutes, scoring 15 points in Game 2. But Leonard said his knee did not respond the way he had hoped. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Leonard experienced swelling. The two-time Finals MVP gutted out 25 minutes and had nine points and nine rebounds but clearly did not move...

Cornerback  Chris Harris Jr., a four-time Pro Bowl selection in 12 NFL seasons, told the Denver Gazette that he has retired. Harris, 34, last played in the NFL in 2022 with the New Orleans Saints, and he told the Gazette that after not receiving interest from teams this offseason, he made the decision to retire. "I just waited a year, and I stayed in shape, but I realized that everybody was pretty much moving on with the younger players, the younger wave,'' Harris told the Gazette. "So, I thought it would be great to just call it an end." Harris signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and played his first nine seasons with Denver, during which he was selected to his four Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl after the 2015 season. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2016 and was named to the 2010s All-Decade Team in 2020. "I was able to accomplish pretty much everything,'' he told the Gazette. "... Getting All-Decade was the top...

NEW YORK -- Both Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr. missed shootaround for the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday ahead of Game 5 of their first-round series against the New York Knicks. Embiid missed it with a migraine, while Oubre had an illness. Embiid, who was already questionable with left knee injury management, remains so, while Oubre was put on the injury report as probable to play. Philadelphia enters Game 5 trailing 3-1 in this best-of-seven series, and on the verge of being eliminated in the first two rounds of the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season, despite being outscored by a total of four points over the first four games of the series, thanks in part to blowing a 5-point lead in the final 30 seconds of Game 2 here last week. Embiid, who is less than a month into his return from a procedure on the lateral meniscus in his left knee, is averaging 35 points, 9 rebounds and 5.5 assists through the first four games, while Oubre has been one...

A clash between former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and undefeated contender Jared Anderson is being planned for Aug. 3 in Los Angeles, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, announced Monday evening on social media. Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) will first face China's Zhilei Zhang on June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 39-year-old from Alabama is coming off a lopsided decision defeat to Joseph Parker in December in Riyadh. It was a major upset that cost Wilder a March fight with Anthony Joshua. Wilder is a +190 underdog against Zhang, per ESPN BET. Alalshikh said Wilder will be Anderson's opponent "if he's ready by then to fight." If Wilder doesn't perform well, Anderson could face a different foe on the stacked Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard, Saudi Arabia's first boxing event outside the Kingdom. "I always believe that boxing would be at its peak when you have young American heavyweights like Jared Anderson, which I also...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars released receiver Zay Jones on Tuesday morning, less than a week after drafting a receiver in the first round of the NFL draft. The Jaguars save $4.49 million against the salary cap by releasing Jones, who signed a three-year contract with the team in March 2022. His release was among a list of moves the team made Tuesday, which included releasing kicker Joey Slye. The Jaguars drafted LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick Thursday. Thomas led FBS with 17 touchdown catches in 2023. In addition, veteran receiver Jarvis Landry, a five-time Pro Bowl selection who did not play in the NFL last season, will be participating in the Jaguars' May 10-11 rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. Jones caught 116 passes for 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons with the Jaguars, including career highs in receptions (82) and receiving yards (823) in 2022. Jones missed eight games in 2023 because of a...

NEW YORK - Both Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr. missed shootaround for the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday ahead of Game 5 of their first round series against the New York Knicks. Embiid missed with a migraine, while Oubre had an illness. Embiid, who was already questionable with left knee injury management, remains so, while Oubre was put on the injury report as probable to play. Philadelphia enters Game 5 trailing 3-1 in this best-of-7 series, and on the verge of being eliminated in the first two rounds of the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season, despite being outscored by a total of four points over the first four games of the series, thanks in part to blowing a 5-point lead in the final 30 seconds of Game 2 here last week. Embiid, who is less than a month into his return from a procedure on the lateral meniscus in his left knee, is averaging 35 points, 9 rebounds and 5.5 assists through the first four games, while Oubre has been one of the...

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch will undergo surgery to repair a right patellar tendon Wednesday, and it remains unclear whether he'll be able to open the franchise's Western Conference semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets on the bench, sources told ESPN. In the early stages of his rehabilitation, Finch will be required to keep right leg immobilized in a brace. If Finch isn't able to park on the sidelines to start the series, assistant Micah Nori will coach Game 1 on Saturday, with Finch likely communicating to the bench from the locker room, sources said. Barring complications from the procedure Wednesday, Finch -- who finished third in the NBA's Coach of the Year voting -- should be able to travel to Denver with the team Friday, sources said. The Nuggets are the NBA's defending champions and the No. 2 seed in the West; the Timberwolves are the third seed. Finch suffered the injury in the final moments of a Game 4 victory Sunday over the ...

DENVER -- LeBron James said he is undecided on his NBA future following the Los Angeles Lakers' 108-106 loss in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. James, 39, who finished his 21st season with 30 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds and 4 steals in L.A.'s season-ending loss to the Nuggets, said his immediate focus will be on his family and that his sights then will shift to training camp for USA Basketball ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer.  Asked how he would approach his decision about Year 22, James replied, "I don't have an answer ... to be honest. I haven't given it much thought." He said he would eventually sit down with his agent, Rich Paul, and family to evaluate "what's best for my career." "We'll cross that when we need to," James added. When asked if he considered whether Monday's game could be his last with the Lakers, James said, "I'm not going to answer that." James has...

NEW ORLEANS -- Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault took the postgame podium on Monday night with his hair a bit more damp than usual. When the NBA's Coach of the Year walked into the visitors locker room following OKC's  97-89 win in Game 4 to clinch a first-round sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans, he was met by players dousing him with water -- because there was a lot to celebrate. The Thunder became the youngest team in NBA history to capture a playoff series, and they did it in convincing fashion as the top seed in the Western Conference. Daigneault said there's a difference between a young team and a mature team and that his Thunder are a mature group. "We have a committed team," Daigneault said. "I think a lot of times the age of the team, you can make assumptions about the stage that the players are in their careers. But I've said all along, we have an uncommon group of people and players, and I think that's a huge reason why we're able to...

DENVER -- LeBron James said he is undecided on his NBA future following the Los Angeles Lakers' 108-106 loss in Game 5 on their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. James, 39, who finished his 21st season with 30 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds and 4 steals in L.A.'s season-ending loss to the Nuggets, said his immediate focus will be on his family and then his sights will shift to training camp for USA Basketball ahead of the Olympics in Paris this summer. Asked how he would approach his decision about Year 22, James replied, "I don't have an answer ... to be honest. I haven't given it much thought." He said he would eventually sit down with his agent, Rich Paul, and family and evaluate "what's best for my career." "We'll cross that when we need to," he added.  When asked if he considered if Monday could be his last game he ever plays with the Lakers, James said, "I'm not going to answer that." James has until June 29 to...

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper was highly critical of two goalie interference calls that went against his team in its Game 5 loss to the Florida Panthers, which eliminated the Lightning from the Stanley Cup playoffs on Monday night. "This is clearly a turning point in the game. If anyone's going to talk about this game, they're going to talk about the goals that were taken away," Cooper said after the 6-1 loss to Florida, a score inflated by two empty-net goals by the Panthers. The first goalie interference review was a coach's challenge initiated by Florida at 13 minutes of the first period. Video review determined that Tampa Bay's Anthony Duclair impaired Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's ability to play his position in the crease prior to Anthony Cirelli's goal. Cooper felt that Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling was holding Duclair on the play. "You saw our reaction. It's just one of those ... it's very frustrating," Duclair said....

DENVER -- Jamal Murray overcame a strained left calf, management's suggestion he sit this one out and another haymaker from the Los Angeles Lakers to score 32 points and sink the game winner with 3.6 seconds left Monday night. That sent LeBron James to his earliest playoff exit and the Denver Nuggets tottering into Round 2 with a 108-106 win in a Game 5 that featured 16 lead changes and 10 ties and was secured only when Taurean Prince's half-court heave fell short as time expired. "Shoutout to the Lakers, they gave us a great series," said Murray, who also hit the franchise's first playoff buzzer-beater in Game 2 of the Western Conference first-round series. "Those are shots that you dream of as a little kid," said Murray, who called this one just "a little better." The Nuggets point guard is the first player in the past 25 seasons with multiple go-ahead shots in the final 5 seconds of a single playoff series, according to...

DENVER -- Jamal Murray scored 32 points despite a strained calf and sank the game-winner with 3.6 seconds left as the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets bounced LeBron James from the playoffs again with a 108-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 Monday night. James' two free throws tied it at 106 with 26 seconds left and the Nuggets, just as they did in Game 2, eschewed the timeout and Murray took the ball on a high screen and roll to his left, shaking Austin Reaves and he crossed through the lane and swished the 14-footer. It was Murray's buzzer beater that won Game 2. The Nuggets point guard is the first player in the last 25 seasons with multiple go-ahead shots in the final 5 seconds of a single playoff series, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He's the fourth player to do it multiple times across a single postseason.  "This one was a little better," Murray said as confetti swirled around him and his celebrating...

NEW ORLEANS --  Jalen Williams highlighted a 24-point performance with a backbreaking 3 with three minutes left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 97-89 on Monday night to complete a four-game sweep of their first-round playoff series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which trailed by five in the fourth quarter before suddenly seizing control with a combination of stifling defense and opportunistic shooting. "Our energy, focus, commitment and togetherness were all on display," said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. "We had never been here. I was curious to see which version of ourselves we would get, and we were very much in character. "It was just a great defensive series by everyone that stepped on the court. I thought throughout the series our defense was consistent. We didn't allow even parts of games to get away from us." New Orleans led 80-75 and had a chance to take what would...

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper was highly critical of two goalie interference calls that went against his team in its Game 5 loss to the Florida Panthers, which eliminated the Lightning from the Stanley Cup playoffs on Monday night. "This is clearly a turning point in the game. If anyone's going to talk about this game, they're going to talk about the goals that were taken away," Cooper said after the 6-1 loss to Florida, a score inflated by two empty-net goals by the Panthers. The first goalie interference review was a coach's challenge initiated by Florida at 13 minutes of the first period. Video review determined that Tampa Bay's Anthony Duclair impaired Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's ability to play his position in the crease prior to Anthony Cirelli's goal. Cooper felt that Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling was holding Duclair on the play. "You saw our reaction. It's just one of those ... it's very frustrating," Duclair said....

MIAMI -- The Boston Celtics took one more step toward eliminating the rival Miami Heat with a convincing 102-88 Game 4 victory Monday to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. But the win might have come with a cost, as Kristaps Porzingis, the team's starting center, hobbled off the court with a calf injury just before halftime and didn't return. Porzingis will undergo imaging Tuesday, but early indications are that he didn't sustain an Achilles tendon injury, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Following the game, Porzingis slowly walked out of the visiting locker room area wearing a gray walking boot on his right foot. Porzingis appeared to tweak something after catching a pass from Jaylen Brown late in the second period. Upon getting the ball, Porzingis started driving toward his left, then grimaced before quickly giving the ball back to Brown and coming up lame in the middle of the play. Porzingis didn't appear to be touched by anyone on...

MIAMI -- Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis hobbled off the court before halftime of Monday night's 102-88 Game 4 win over the  Miami Heat and did not return with what the team said was a right calf injury. Porzingis will undergo imaging Tuesday, but early indications are that he didn't sustain an Achilles tendon injury, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Porzingis appeared to tweak something after catching a pass from Jaylen Brown late in the second period. Upon getting the ball, Porzingis started driving toward his left, then grimaced before quickly giving the ball back to Brown and coming up lame in the middle of the play. Porzingis didn't appear to be touched by anyone on the play during which he was hurt.   As he walked to the locker room with a support staffer, Porzingis briefly held his jersey over his face in apparent frustration. The Celtics quickly released an update, saying Porzingis was suffering from right calf...

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Aleksander Barkov remembers the disappointment of years past. The Tampa Bay Lightning had eliminated his Florida Panthers from the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of their previous three meetings, and if the Panthers wanted to cement themselves as one of the NHL's best, this year's result needed to be different. "At some point you knew you were going to have them again," Barkov said, "and you've got to be able to get over that hump, and we did it this year." Barkov and  Carter Verhaeghe each had two goals and an assist to go along with 31 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky, and the Panthers beat the Lightning 6-1 in Game 5 on Monday night to clinch the first-round series and advance. Niko Mikkola had a goal and an assist, Evan Rodrigues also scored and Matthew Tkachuk had two assists for the Panthers, who won a playoff series against Tampa Bay for the first time in franchise history and clinched a postseason...

MIAMI -- Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis hobbled off the court before halftime of Monday night's 102-88 Game 4 win over the  Miami Heat and did not return with what the team said was a right calf injury. Porzingis will undergo imaging Tuesday, but early indications are that he didn't sustain an Achilles tendon injury, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Porzingis appeared to tweak something after catching a pass from Jaylen Brown late in the second period. Upon getting the ball, Porzingis started driving toward his left, then grimaced before quickly giving the ball back to Brown and coming up lame in the middle of the play. Porzingis didn't appear to be touched by anyone on the play during which he was hurt.   As he walked to the locker room with a support staffer, Porzingis briefly held his jersey over his face in apparent frustration. The Celtics quickly released an update, saying Porzingis was suffering from right calf...

MIAMI -- Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis hobbled off the court and into the locker room Monday night and is considered doubtful to return after suffering a right calf injury during Boston's Game 4 with the Heat. Porzingis will undergo imaging on Tuesday but early indications are that he hasn't sustained an Achilles injury, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Porzingis appeared to tweak something after catching a pass from Jaylen Brown late in the second period. Upon getting the ball, he started driving toward his left but then grimaced before quickly giving the ball back to Brown and coming up lame in the middle of the play. He didn't appear to be touched by anyone on the play where he got hurt.   As he walked to the locker room with a support staffer, he briefly held his jersey over his face in apparent frustration. The Celtics quickly released an update, saying Porzingis was suffering from right calf tightness and was doubtful to...

The leaders of college sports are involved in "deep discussions" to reach a legal settlement that would likely lay out the framework for sharing revenue with athletes in a future NCAA business model, sources told ESPN. The NCAA and its power conferences are defendants in an antitrust class action lawsuit, House v. NCAA, which argues that the association is breaking federal law by placing any restrictions on how athletes make money from selling the rights to their name, image or likeness. The case is scheduled to go to court in January 2025. If the plaintiffs win at trial, the NCAA and its schools could be liable to pay more than $4 billion in damages, which has motivated many leaders across the industry to seek a settlement. Sources indicated that a turning point in the discussions, which have been ongoing, came last week in the Dallas area, where the power conference commissioners, their general counsels, NCAA president Charlie Baker, NCAA lawyers and the plaintiffs' attorneys...

HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders plan to sign former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup to a one-year contract worth up to $3 million, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler. The pending signing is intriguing in that the Raiders already have a bevy of pass-catchers on the roster. Their receivers include three-time first-team All-Pro Davante Adams, who has at least 100 catches in five of his past six seasons; Jakobi Meyers, who had a career-high eight touchdown catches last season; and  Tre Tucker, who averaged 17.4 yards per catch as a rookie in 2023. They also have a trio of pass-catching tight ends in Michael Mayer, who had 27 catches for 304 yards and 2 TDs as a rookie last season; veteran Harrison Bryant, who signed as a free agent in March after catching 89 passes and 10 TDs in four years with the Cleveland Browns; and first-round draft pick Brock Bowers, who caught 175...

Jason Kelce's post-NFL broadcasting career will start with ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown." Kelce, who retired from the Philadelphia Eagles after a 13-year career, is in line to sign a deal with ESPN in time for next season. ESPN has yet to officially announce the hiring. Kelce participated in last year's NFL Broadcasting and Media Workshop, which used to be known as the Broadcast Bootcamp. He has also appeared on numerous NFL broadcasts, including a stint with Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" during an off week in 2023. "This is all new territory for me," Kelce said at the time. "I have even more respect for it now. It's very hard to do something live, reactive of stimulus that just happened and having something clever and meaningful to say." Kelce is expected to continue doing his "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Travis Kelce signed a two-year deal to remain with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. Also...

Jason Kelce's post-NFL broadcasting career will start with ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown." Kelce, who retired from the Philadelphia Eagles after a 13-year career, is in line to sign a deal with ESPN in time for next season. ESPN has yet to officially announce any hiring. Kelce participated in last year's NFL Broadcasting and Media Workshop, which used to be known as the "Broadcast Bootcamp." He has also appeared on numerous NFL broadcasts, including a stint with Amazon's Thursday Night Football during an off-week in 2023. "This is all new territory for me. I have even more respect for it now," Kelce said at the time. "It's very hard to do something live, reactive of stimulus that just happened and having something clever and meaningful to say." Kelce is expected to continue doing his "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Travis Kelce signed a two-year deal to remain with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. Also...

The 2024 NBA playoffs are in full swing. The panel discusses who are the favorites to win the champioship.

Speaking to the media for the first time since being announced as the newest member of the Seattle Storm's ownership group, legendary retired player Sue Bird told reporters Monday, "This actually feels reminiscent to my rookie year in a sense." Drafted by the Storm with the No. 1 pick of the 2002 WNBA draft, Bird spent two decades as a player in Seattle before retiring at the end of the 2022 season with four championships and a record 13 All-Star appearances to her credit. Given Bird's close ties to the city and the organization, making the move to team ownership was no surprise. Previously, Bird had invested in NWSL franchise NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2022 while still an active WNBA player. "I feel like it was kind of inevitable in a lot of ways," Bird said. "It was something that I've always wanted, something that I've always had in the back of my head. For whatever reason, this is just when it worked out. I've only been retired not even two years, so give me a...

PHOENIX -- One day after the Phoenix Suns' devastating first-round series sweep by the Minnesota Timberwolves, starting guard Bradley Beal lamented the team's poor health and lack of continuity as key factors that drove their disappointing season to its swift end. "I mean, in retrospect we won 49 [regular-season] games," Beal said Monday at the team's practice facility. "That's a lot of games. And I missed what, 30 games, roughly? That's a lot of games. I'm not saying we'd have won every game if I'd have played, but we would be in a totally different position if I'm healthy the whole year, if everybody's healthy the whole year." Beal began the season with lower back tightness and nerve pain down his legs. He later faced an ankle sprain, hamstring strain, a broken nose and a concussion throughout his first season with the Suns, during which he played 53 out of 82 possible regular-season games. Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Beal played together for...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chiefs gave tight end Travis Kelce a significant raise with a new two-year contract Monday. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the deal is worth $34.25 million with $17 million fully guaranteed for this season and most of the rest to be guaranteed on the third day of the 2025 league year.  "Hard to put in words what Travis means to this organization, this city, and he was certainly a priority to adjust his contract for us and it was something that was important for Clark [Hunt]. So very fitting that Travis [is] now the highest-paid tight end in these two years," general manager Brett Veach said Monday. In a video posted to X by the Chiefs, Kelce said it was "an honor and a pleasure and I can't wait to get after it these next two years ... Chiefs forever.'' Quarterback  Patrick Mahomes celebrated the extension for his favorite target by posting to X, "I told yall I'll never let him leave!! Congrats my guy!...

U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation have withdrawn their bid to jointly host the 2027 Women's World Cup and will instead focus on securing the 2031 Women's World Cup, the federations announced on Monday. The U.S.- Mexico joint bid was one of three finalists for the 2027 World Cup alongside Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, with the FIFA Congress set to vote on the 2027 host on May 17 in Bangkok, Thailand. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The hosts of the 2031 Women's World Cup are expected to be decided next year, although formal bidding is yet to begin. Mexico and the U.S. are already co-hosting the 2026 men's World Cup alongside Canada. That tournament will be the largest in history with 48 teams. Los Angeles will then host the 2028 Summer Olympics, meaning the 2027 Women's World Cup would have had to compete for sponsorship dollars and other...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chiefs extended the contract of tight end Travis Kelce for two additional seasons, keeping the veteran tight end signed through the 2027 season. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the deal is worth $34.25 million with $17 million fully guaranteed for this season and most of the rest to be guaranteed on the third day of the 2025 league year.  "Hard to put in words what Travis means to this organization, this city, and he was certainly a priority to adjust his contract for us and it was something that was important for Clark [Hunt]. So very fitting that Travis [is] now the highest-paid tight end in these two years," general manager Brett Veach said Monday. In a video posted to X by the Chiefs, Kelce said it was "an honor and a pleasure and I can't wait to get after it these next two years ... Chiefs forever.'' Quarterback  Patrick Mahomes celebrated the extension for his favorite target by posting to X, "I told...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chiefs extended the contract of tight end Travis Kelce for two additional seasons, keeping the veteran tight end signed through the 2027 season. A source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the deal is worth $34.25 million with $17 million fully guaranteed for this season and most of the rest to be guaranteed on the third day of the 2025 league year.  "Hard to put in words what Travis means to this organization, this city, and he was certainly a priority to adjust his contract for us and it was something that was important for Clark [Hunt]. So very fitting that Travis [is] now the highest-paid tight end in these two years," general manager Brett Veach said Monday. Quarterback  Patrick Mahomes celebrated the extension for his favorite target by posting to X, "I told yall I'll never let him leave!! Congrats my guy! @tkelce'' "Every now and then you have one of these guys that are outliers and certainly Travis is one of those...

The Seattle Kraken have fired head coach Dave Hakstol after three seasons, the team announced Monday. Hakstol, who was the first coach in the Kraken's short history, was dismissed after the team failed to make the playoffs after finishing with 100 points and advancing to the Western Conference semifinals last season. The club on Monday also announced that assistant coach Paul McFarland would not return next season. "I thank Dave for his hard work and dedication to the Kraken franchise," general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. "Following our end-of-the-season review, we have decided to make a change at our head coach position. These decisions are never easy, but we feel that this is a necessary step to help ensure our team continues to improve and evolve. "Dave is a good coach and a terrific person. We wish him and his family all the best. We will begin our search for the Kraken's next head coach immediately." Francis had hinted that changes could be...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chiefs extended the contract of tight end Travis Kelce for two additional seasons, a source said, keeping the veteran tight end signed through the 2027 season. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available. The Chiefs announced Kelce's deal but did not disclose details. Quarterback  Patrick Mahomes celebrated the extension for his favorite target by posting to X, "I told yall I'll never let him leave!! Congrats my guy! @tkelce'' Kelce in 2023 fell 16 yards short of his eighth straight 1,000-yard season. He missed the first game of the season with a knee injury and sat out the last game to rest for the playoffs. Seven straight 1,000-yard seasons is a record for his position. Kelce, 34, who has been selected to nine consecutive Pro Bowls and is a four-time first-team All-Pro, had 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns last season. In the postseason, he added 32 catches for 355 yards and four touchdowns...

Saint Mary's transfer Aidan Mahaney, one of the best available guards in the portal, has committed to UConn, he told ESPN. Mahaney is the second crucial addition for the Huskies in recent days, following five-star recruit Liam McNeeley, who committed on Friday night. The player from Lafayette, California, visited Storrs late last week, but then took a trip to visit Kentucky this past weekend. He had also visited Creighton and Virginia, but Dan Hurley and the reigning back-to-back national champions won out. "I chose UConn because I want to compete for national championships," Mahaney said. "UConn is a place that keeps the main thing the main thing. The coaching staff has proven themselves to be the best in the country the last two years. Offensively with Luke Murray, I'll be in a different system that should allow my game to grow even more. And defensively with Kimani Young, I'll be challenged to become the best I can be. Coach Hurley will...

The rich just got richer. Two-time all-Pac-12 guard Talia von Oelhoffen, a graduate transfer from Oregon State, has committed to the USC Trojans, she told ESPN Monday. Her move helps solidify USC's status as a national title contender in 2025, with the Trojans also adding former Stanford post Kiki Iriafen out of the portal, returning superstar JuJu Watkins and senior Rayah Marshall and bringing in the nation's top-ranked freshmen class. "It's so exciting," von Oelhoffen told ESPN. "I mean, the sky's the limit for how good we can be... I'm super excited to take this team into the Big Ten and beyond." The 5-foot-11 guard from Washington averaged 10.7 points, 5.0 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game this season as a key playmaker that guided the Beavers to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2021 and third Elite Eight since 2016. No. 3 seed Oregon State beat No. 2 seed Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual...

Five-star forward  Jayden Quaintance, the highest-ranked available recruit in the 2024 ESPN 100, has committed to Arizona State, he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. Quaintance, ranked No. 16, ultimately chose Bobby Hurley's program over Louisville and Memphis, after he had cut Arkansas and Kentucky from his list last week. He had originally signed with Kentucky under John Calipari, then reopened his recruitment when Calipari left for the Razorbacks. Quaintance was a McDonald's All American after a stellar senior season at Word of God Christian Academy (North Carolina). He was originally a member of the 2025 class, but he reclassified to 2024 so he could play in college a year earlier. However, because he only turned 16 last July (and therefore won't turn 19 until 2026), Quaintance will likely have to spend two years in college before entering the NBA draft. He represented USA Basketball at the FIBA U16 Americas...

Hollywood stars and Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have bought a minority stake in Liga MX's Necaxa, a source has confirmed to ESPN. According to the source, the deal was in the works "for months and finalized recently." - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Variety first reported the news on Monday. Reynolds and McElhenney join a group of fellow celebrities who have recently bought stakes in the Liga MX team. Eva Longoria, Mesut Özil, Kate Upton, Odell Beckham Jr., Justin Verlander, Victor Oladipo, Bode Miller, Richard Hamilton and Shawn Marion have all made investments in Necaxa recently, although it is unclear which of the celebrities remain as owners. On Sunday, Longoria was in attendance at Necaxa's 5-2 loss at home to Monterrey. Necaxa are ninth in the Liga MX table and will take part in the play-in round of the Liga MX playoffs vs. 10th-placed  Querétaro this week. The winner of the...

UAB football players say their entire roster has signed up for Athletes.org, making them the first Division I football team to publicly join the players' association. They were introduced to the group by an unexpected source: their head coach. Trent Dilfer gathered his team for a voluntary meeting in mid-April to encourage them to prepare for a future when college athletes might be able to negotiate for a larger share of their sport's revenue. "They're going to have a seat at the table," Dilfer told ESPN. "I wanted to make sure I helped pour gasoline on something that is going to happen no matter what. I might as well use my influence to help it happen faster on behalf of our players." Dilfer introduced the team to Athletes.org, one of several companies attempting to organize athletes for potential revenue sharing discussions. UAB players told ESPN every member of the team signed up to join the organization after hearing its pitch. The team has no plans to bargain with their...

UAB football players say their entire roster has signed up for Athletes.org, making them the first full Division I football team to publicly join a budding players association. They were introduced to the group by an unexpected source: their head coach. Trent Dilfer gathered his team for a voluntary meeting in mid-April to encourage them to prepare for a future when college athletes might be able to negotiate for a larger share of their sport's revenue. "They're going to have a seat at the table," Dilfer told ESPN. "I wanted to make sure I helped pour gasoline on something that is going to happen no matter what. I might as well use my influence to help it happen faster on behalf of our players." Dilfer introduced the team to Athletes.org, one of several companies attempting to organize athletes for potential revenue sharing discussions. UAB players told ESPN every member of the team signed up to join the organization after hearing its pitch. The team has no plans to bargain with...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady sparked headlines when he said he wasn't opposed to making a late-season NFL return, mentioning the New England Patriots as one option, but head coach Jerod Mayo said Monday that he could only envision Brady's return in a different job description. "I love Tom. The door is always open if he wants to come in here and coach. But as far as going on the field, I don't know," Mayo said in an interview on sports radio WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show." The Patriots selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye third overall in the NFL draft and also drafted Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III in the sixth round (No. 193). They currently have five quarterbacks on the roster, with veteran Jacoby Brissett, 2022 fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe and former Canadian Football League standout Nathan Rourke. Mayo said the team's plan is to let the quarterbacks compete and see who emerges as the Day 1...

The July 20 bout between YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul and former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson will be classified as a sanctioned, professional fight by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations. The heavyweight showdown will be contested over eight two-minute rounds with each fighter using 14-ounce gloves. The outcome will affect their professional boxing records. "Mike Tyson and Jake Paul signed on to fight each other with the desire to do so in a sanctioned professional fight that would have a definitive outcome," Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a statement to ESPN. "Over the past six weeks, MVP has worked with its partners to satisfy the requirements of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) to sanction Paul vs. Tyson, and we are grateful that we have gotten to this point." Since the announcement of the fight, which will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will be streamed on Netflix, there...

FRISCO, Texas -- Ezekiel Elliott has reached a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys that has a maximum value of $3 million, sources told ESPN on Monday, reuniting him with the franchise that took him with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Elliott and his agent, Rocky Arceneaux, met with the Cowboys before last week's draft and eventually ended up at the same restaurant, Dee Lincoln Prime, where the team was holding its scouts dinner before the draft. "Well, Zeke, as we all know, is one of our favorites," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Thursday. "He's laid it on the line for this franchise. He's the ultimate competitor. I mean, he's a guy that we obviously think a lot of." Having lost leading rusher Tony Pollard in free agency to the Tennessee Titans, the Cowboys are looking at going with a committee approach at running back. Dallas re-signed last year's backup, Rico Dowdle, and added veteran Royce...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Five-time Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry will participate in the Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie minicamp after not playing in the 2023 season. Landry, 31, last played in an NFL game on Dec. 18, 2022, with New Orleans before being placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He'll be participating in the Jaguars' May 10-11 rookie minicamp as a tryout player. Landry has 713 career catches for 7,870 yards and 38 touchdowns in nine NFL seasons. He was drafted in the second round by Miami Dolphins in 2014 out of LSU and made the first of five consecutive Pro Bowls in 2015 when he caught 110 passes for 1,157 yards and four TDs. Landry led the NFL with 112 catches in 2017. The Dolphins placed the franchise tag on him after that season but gave him permission to seek a trade. He signed the tag and the Dolphins traded him to Cleveland Browns for a fourth-round pick in 2018 and a seventh-round pick in 2019. Landry played four...

Kentucky landed its third commitment in as many days Sunday night, when Wake Forest forward Andrew Carr announced his commitment to the Wildcats. Carr chose Mark Pope's program over Texas Tech and Villanova. A 6-foot-10 power forward, Carr will bring an inside-outside skill set to Lexington. He averaged 13.5 points and 6.8 rebounds for Wake Forest this past season, shooting better than 37% from 3-point range. His career with the Demon Deacons ended with a 31-point, 11-rebound effort against Georgia in the NIT. Carr began his career with two seasons at Delaware, helping lead the Fightin' Blue Hens to the NCAA tournament in 2022 after going for 17 points and 12 rebounds in the CAA title game against UNCW. He transferred to Wake Forest after that season and has averaged double figures in scoring in both seasons in Winston-Salem. Carr becomes the sixth player on Kentucky's roster and the third to commit this past weekend. San Diego State guard Lamont Butler picked...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots and defensive tackle Christian Barmore have reached agreement on a four-year deal with a maximum value of $92 million, agent Nicole Lynn told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Barmore's deal includes $41.8 million in guaranteed money, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Barmore's new deal in New England is the largest non-Tom Brady contract in Patriots franchise history. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Barmore was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft out of Alabama (No. 38 overall). He was entering the final year of his contract in 2024 and scheduled to earn a base salary of $1.82 million. The four-year extension is through the 2028 season. "Three-years ago, Christian and I sat in the greenroom at the NFL Draft on night 1 and his name was not called. He would eventually slide to round 2, and that became one of the hardest nights of my career," Lynn posted to X. "Fast forward and now he is one of the highest paid DTs....

FRISCO, Texas -- Ezekiel Elliott is expected to agree to a one-year deal Monday with the Dallas Cowboys, sources told ESPN, reuniting him with the franchise that took him with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Elliott and his agent, Rocky Arceneaux, met with the Cowboys before last week's draft and eventually ended up at the same restaurant, Dee Lincoln Prime, where the team was holding its scouts dinner before the draft. "Well, Zeke, as we all know, is one of our favorites," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Thursday. "He's laid it on the line for this franchise. He's the ultimate competitor. I mean, he's a guy that we obviously think a lot of." Having lost leading rusher Tony Pollard in free agency to the Tennessee Titans, the Cowboys are looking at going with a committee approach at running back. Dallas re-signed last year's backup, Rico Dowdle, and added veteran Royce Freeman in free agency. The...

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns began the season with championship aspirations, buoyed by the collective offensive firepower of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal -- the latest iteration of an NBA superteam led by an ultra-talented big three. But the team could never quite stay healthy, could never quite find a rhythm and never did appear as potent a threat as the Suns hoped to be. On Sunday, their underwhelming campaign concluded in disappointing fashion, as the Suns were swept out of the first round on their home floor by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who closed out the first-round series with a 122-116 win at Footprint Center. "Roster-wise, everybody talks about the firepower, but you look around the league: It comes down to the details," said Booker, who finished with a game-high 49 points. "I don't want to keep saying that, but it's a super important thing. You can't just go out there and think you're going to win off...

PHOENIX -- Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was helped off the court late in his team's series-clinching 122-116 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night with a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee after one of his players collided with him on the sideline. The collision occurred with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves' closeout win to sweep the Suns in four games. Minnesota point guard Mike Conley was driving down the court and forced out of bounds by Suns guard Devin Booker, who was called for a foul. Conley collided with Finch, who went down holding his right knee. Finch was surrounded by Timberwolves players and staff before being helped up and off the court. The team later confirmed he ruptured his patellar tendon. Finch left the arena on a cart and did not speak to the media postgame, with assistant coach Micah Nori assuming those duties.  Nori said Finch was in the medical room getting checked...

WASHINGTON -- Not playing their best hockey against an opponent full of desperation, the New York Rangers relied on a familiar recipe to move on in the NHL playoffs. Artemi Panarin scored the go-ahead goal on the power play early in the third period, Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves and the Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers finished off a sweep of the Washington Capitals with a 4-2 victory in Game 4 on Sunday night to advance to the second round. "The things that we've done in the regular season over 82 games is something that we continue to do," center Mika Zibanejad said. "We've been building toward this, and I still think we can be better, but a great, hard-fought series, and it's nice [to get] a win." Trade deadline pickup Jack Roslovic sealed it with an empty-netter with 51 seconds left, and the Rangers next will face either the Carolina Hurricanes or crosstown rival New York Islanders with a spot in the Eastern...

Major League Baseball plans to address its uniform fiasco after changes this spring to the standard jerseys and pants led to widespread complaints from players and fans, according to a memo obtained Sunday night by ESPN. The prominent modifications include a return to larger lettering on the back of jerseys, remedying mismatched gray tops and bottoms and addressing the new Nike jerseys' propensity to collect sweat, according to the memo distributed to players by the MLB Players Association on Sunday. The changes, which will happen at the latest by the beginning of the 2025 season, will also include fixes to the pants, widely panned this spring for being see-through. The union informed players of the coming changes in a letter that placed the blame on Nike and the debut of its Vapor Premier uniform, which was advertised for its superior performance but remains disliked by players. "This has been entirely a Nike issue," the memo to players read. "At its core, what has happened here...