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DENVER -- Peter DeBoer joked that coaches never really see perfect games, but he said the Dallas Stars' 4-1 win Saturday over the Colorado Avalanche was "as close to a perfect road game" that a team could have. DeBoer said the Stars' poise went a long way toward achieving that near perfection as they took a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals. "Coming in this situation, we knew they were going to come out guns blazing in the first period," DeBoer said. "You knew their home record. You knew they had challenged their best players ... after last game. We knew we were going to get a lot thrown at us early in that game, and our composure throughout the night I thought was outstanding." DeBoer's prediction was accurate. The Avalanche broke through to finish with 11 shots on goal in an opening frame that saw them largely control possession with a 68.1% shot share, according to Natural Stat Trick. Yet it was the Stars who took a 1-0 lead because...

CLEVELAND -- Over the past few seasons, three things have been consistent about the Boston Celtics' deep playoff runs: They've played long series, they've struggled at home and they've excelled on the road. It remains to be seen if the Celtics can change the first two. But in Saturday's Game 3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics ensured the third would continue. Behind a clinical defensive effort and impressive performances from stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Boston beat the Cavs 106-93 to take a 2-1 lead in this best-of-seven series. "We were just trying to get a win, understanding that we didn't play as well as we wanted to in Game 2," Tatum said. "And it was a great test and opportunity for us to come out and respond and play better and play harder and all those things." Over the past three seasons, Boston is 14-14 in 28 home playoff games, the most played over a three-year span without posting a winning record in NBA...

CLEVELAND -- Green uniforms. Big shots. Championship-level intensity. The Boston Celtics looked much more like themselves in Game 3. Jayson Tatum scored 33 points, Jaylen Brown added 28 and the No. 1-seeded Celtics bounced back from a stumble at home, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-93 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics didn't mess around after dropping Game 2 on their home parquet floor by 24 on Thursday. They couldn't. "We don't come to Cleveland for the weather, so let's go," said Brown, who went 13 of 17 from the field. "There's nothing complicated about it: Play defense and the rest will take care of itself. We could have done better, but we kept them under 100." The lackluster performance -- Boston was favored by double digits -- in Game 2 was reminiscent of the first round, when the Celtics lost the second game against Miami before winning three in a row to eliminate the Heat. "Tonight was a...

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi expressed his anger over the new Major League Soccer rule that forces an injured player to the sideline for two minutes, saying, "These types of rules...it's going bad," after exiting the pitch during a  3-2 victory over host  Montréal on Saturday night.  In the 40th minute of the match, Montréal defender George Campbell fouled the Argentine forward, forcing him to go down immediately while holding his knee. Miami's medical staff rushed to the scene to attend to the player, but Campbell did not receive a yellow card for the incident. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Because of new MLS regulations, "If the referee stops play due to a potential player injury in which the player remains on the ground for more than 15 seconds and the medical staff enters the field of play, the player may be required to leave the field of play for two minutes." Messi exited the pitch in a...

PITTSBURGH -- The Chicago Cubs drew six bases-loaded walks in the fifth inning against the  Pirates on Saturday, the most by a major league team in a single inning in 65 years. The last team to draw that many free passes with runners at every base in one inning was the Chicago White Sox, who had eight in the seventh inning on April 22, 1959. And in the expansion era (since 1961), there has only been one other instance of a team to have at least six bases-loaded walks in a game -- the Boston Red Sox, against the White Sox on May 7, 1992. Saturday's fifth inning began with prized Pirates rookie Paul Skenes giving up two hits, ending his big league debut. The Pirates wound up needing three more pitchers to get through the frame. Kyle Nicolas came on, struck out two batters and hit Ian Happ with a pitch. Then it got much worse. Nicolas threw 12 straight pitches outside the strike zone to Nico Hoerner, Michael...

PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes' stuff was as electric as advertised. A fastball that reached at least 100 mph 17 times. A slider that left major leaguers shaking their heads. An invention called a "splinker" that is a hybrid of a splitter and a sinker and dips and dives unlike any pitch anywhere in baseball. Yet even at age 21, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie knows all the "oohs" and "ahs" and knee buckles a ball that at times seems to explode out of his right hand can produce won't matter if he can't control it. So while there were some positive takeaways from his major league debut Saturday -- seven strikeouts over four-plus innings and much, much later a 10-9 victory over the Chicago Cubs -- the top overall pick in last year's draft understands there is more work to be done. He needed 84 pitches to get 12 outs, issued a couple of walks, hit a batter and was charged with three runs. For a player whose workload will be closely monitored, that's not nearly as...

DALLAS -- Mavericks star Luka Doncic, already ailing with a sprained right knee and a sore left ankle, writhed on the American Airlines Center court in agony. He had landed flat on his back while wrestling in midair with Oklahoma City's Luguentz Dort for a loose ball with 1:28 remaining in a tight Game 3. "Everything," Doncic answered when asked what ached about Saturday's game. But the Mavs' 105-101 win, giving Dallas the series lead, helped ease the MVP finalist's pain. Doncic contributed more to the gritty facets of the game than the glamorous aspects. He had an off shooting night, finishing with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting, but grabbed 15 rebounds as the Mavs got the upper hand on the glass. Doncic had the luxury of deferring to co-star Kyrie Irving with the game on the line. Irving, who scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, delivered the dagger by driving past Thunder forward Jalen Williams and hitting a southpaw...

LOS ANGELES -- Free agent outside linebacker Bud Dupree signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, the team announced Saturday. Dupree, 31, had a career renaissance last year, notching 6.5 sacks and 39 tackles with eight tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits for the Atlanta Falcons. He quickly emerged as the team's top stand-up edge rusher in Atlanta's defensive scheme, often playing on many vital snaps. He joins an outside linebacker group that features two of the league's best in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Mack had the best season of his career last year, finishing fourth in the NFL with a career-high 17 sacks. The Chargers also have outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, who emerged as one of the team's most consistent players with Bosa sidelined for eight games last season. Tuipulotu finished with 4.5 sacks last season, tied for seventh among rookies. The Chargers, who lack a dominant interior pass rusher, could feature Dupree and...

CLIFTON, N.J. -- Madelene Sagstrom and Rose Zhang left Nelly Korda and everyone else way behind Saturday in the Cognizant Founders Cup. Trying to win a record sixth straight LPGA Tour event, Korda was 11 shots behind Sagstrom and 10 back of two-time NCAA champion Zhang with one round remaining at Upper Montclair Country Club. After months of near-perfect play, Korda inexplicably hit bad drives, found bunkers from the fairway and missed short putts. She shot a 1-over 73. "I think I've played really good golf the past couple months," Korda said. "I'm human, so I'm going to have bad days. I'm not going to feel 100% out here mentally, physically, or whatever, but I'm going to give it my all. It was just one of those days where it felt like a constant battle and didn't really play too well." Sagstrom, who has played well on this course the past three years, had a 66 to get to 19-under 197. Zhang, who won in her professional debut in New Jersey state a year ago,...

DALLAS -- Luka Doncic already had a balky right knee and an achy left ankle when he fell hard on his back while battling his primary defender, Lu Dort, for a loose ball. Not only did Doncic win the ensuing jump ball, the NBA scoring champion tracked down the loose ball that followed with his Dallas Mavericks clinging to a late lead. "Everything," Doncic said when asked what hurt, a few minutes after walking gingerly to the locker room with Dallas having beaten Oklahoma City 105-101 on Saturday to secure a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. "I'm just battling out there." The same could be said for plenty of others. Kyrie Irving scored 22 points, including a running left-hander in the lane in the final minute to help the Mavs hold on. Doncic also had 22 points to go with 15 rebounds, and P.J. Washington Jr. scored 27, just two shy of his playoff high from Dallas' Game 2 victory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points, 10 rebounds and four...

Veteran free-agent linebacker Bud Dupree is signing a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Saturday night. Dupree, 31, had his best season since 2020, notching 6.5 sacks and 39 tackles with 8 tackles for loss and 8 quarterback hits for the Falcons. He quickly emerged as the team's top standup edge rusher in Atlanta's defensive scheme, often playing on many key snaps. It was a nice rebound for Dupree after two seasons with the Tennessee Titans in which he missed 12 combined games and was a playing a little more than half the snaps. With the Falcons, he appeared in 68% of the team's defensive snaps while he was active. Dupree, a 2015 first-round pick, spent his first six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He broke the 10-sack barrier once -- with the Steelers in 2019, when he played every game and had a career-high 68 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits. He's played in 119 career games (99...

NEW YORK -- The Atlanta Braves were one out away from throwing their first no-hitter in 30 years Saturday at Citi Field. Max Fried had spearheaded the effort, overcoming uncharacteristic command trouble over seven innings. Joe Jimenez had played with fire in the eighth but kept the no-hitter intact. Finally, closer Raisel Iglesias had secured the first two outs of the ninth to bring up J.D. Martinez. One pitch later, the no-no was over. Martinez, the Mets' veteran designated hitter, jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Iglesias, launching it over the right-center-field wall for a solo home run to spoil the no-hit bid. The heroics marked Martinez's first home run as a Met and briefly sparked a comatose offense. But Iglesias, after allowing two runners to reach base, eventually recorded the 27th out to seal Atlanta's 4-1 win. The Braves have gone without a no-hitter since Kent Mercker pulled the feat against the Los Angeles...

A spokesperson for Madison Square Garden said Charles Oakley has not been invited back to the arena despite assertions from the former New York Knicks enforcer that he had received an offer to return. Oakley has not attended a Knicks game since his arrest in 2017 after an altercation with MSG security officials when they told him to leave his seat at the arena near owner James Dolan. Oakley was cleared of misdemeanor assault charges in 2018 and has since attempted to bring assault and battery claims against MSG and Dolan. An amended lawsuit was filed just last month. Oakley told The Associated Press on Friday that he believed there was an offer to join past Knicks players such as  Stephon Marbury and Latrell Sprewell, who have been attending playoff games, at MSG, but that he would not return until an apology was made.   "I guess their lawyer called my lawyer saying it's a good time for you to come back to the Garden," Oakley told the...

A spokesperson for Madison Square Garden said Charles Oakley has not been invited back to the arena despite assertions from the former New York Knicks enforcer that he had received an offer to return. Oakley has not attended a Knicks game since his arrest in 2017 after an altercation with MSG security officials when they told him to leave his seat at the arena near owner James Dolan. Oakley was cleared of misdemeanor assault charges in 2018 and has since attempted to bring assault and battery claims against MSG and Dolan. An amended lawsuit was filed just last month. Oakley told The Associated Press on Friday that he believed there was an offer to join past Knicks players such as  Stephon Marbury and Latrell Sprewell, who have been attending playoff games, at MSG, but that he would not return until an apology was made.   "I guess their lawyer called my lawyer saying it's a good time for you to come back to the Garden," Oakley told the...

SAN ANTONIO -- After teammate-led chants of "Wemby! Wemby!" a smiling Victor Wembanyama entered the theater at the Scobee Planetarium to a rousing ovation from the 50 or so children in attendance. This wasn't your normal Rookie of the Year award presentation -- fitting for someone who has been dubbed an alien. Wembanyama walked in and took his seat in the front row of the 100-seat theater with kids from local Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brother/Big Sister programs and students from a nearby elementary school sitting amongst several of Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs teammates and staffers. Before he walked in, Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan got the kids riled up and chanting as the Rookie of the Year entered the room. Wembanyama and company watched a video about his rookie season -- featuring clips from Wembanyama as young as seven years old -- before Spurs general manager Brian Wright presented him with his trophy. "This is one of the representations of our...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- First-year New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo might not be as hard-lined as Bill Belichick when answering questions from reporters, but he delivered a Belichick-type response when asked his first impressions of quarterback Drake Maye at rookie minicamp. "He has a lot to work on. A lot to work on," Mayo said Saturday, repeating himself. "But I have no doubt that he will put the time in. He was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else." Mayo has said that his legacy -- as well as that of  newly appointed executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, who officially was named to the position Saturday -- will be tied to the team's selection of Maye third overall in last month's NFL draft. Friday and Saturday marked Maye's first practices as a Patriot, as he donned jersey No. 10, the same as former Patriots first-round pick Mac Jones. Reporters were present for Saturday's hourlong session, which...

ASHBURN, Va. --  Washington Commanders second-round pick  Johnny Newton will undergo surgery within a week to repair an injury to his left foot -- about four months after the defensive tackle had a procedure done for a similar injury on his right foot. Newton suffered a partial Jones fracture of his right foot sometime during the past season at Illinois and underwent surgery in January. During a recent checkup on the repaired foot -- it's uncertain when that occurred --  Commanders coach Dan Quinn said doctors determined he had a similar issue with his left foot. Newton did not participate in Washington's rookie minicamp practices this weekend, standing off to the side and wearing a walking boot on his left foot.   Newton was projected as a possible first-round pick; Washington selected him with the 36th pick. Quinn said he's glad that Newton will have the procedure now rather than "the end of August or in September where it sets you back." Quinn did...

BOSTON -- Brad Marchand is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after a collision with Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett in Game 3 that the Boston Bruins said might have crossed the line. The Bruins captain's status for Game 4 on Sunday is uncertain. He didn't practice with the team Saturday. Marchand is the Bruins' leading scorer in the playoffs with 10 points in 10 games (3 goals, 7 assists). The Panthers lead the series 2-1 after a 6-2 victory in Boston on Friday night. Some on social media said a slow-motion replay shows Bennett making contact with Marchand's head using his right glove as the Boston winger went for a check. Andrew Raycroft, a former NHL goaltender who covers the Bruins for NESN, called it "a sucker punch, not a reverse hit." A source told ESPN that the NHL department of player safety will not discipline Bennett for the play, which did not receive a penalty from on-ice officials. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery didn't...

Burnley were relegated from the Premier League after a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday left Vincent Kompany's side five points from the safety zone with one game remaining. The result left 19th-placed Burnley with 25 points from 37 games, giving them no chance of moving out of the drop zone as they became the second team to go down after Sheffield United's relegation was confirmed last month. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Burnley took the lead in the 25th minute on a counter-attack which Jacob Bruun Larsen finished expertly, but Pedro Porro equalised just after the half-hour mark with a fierce strike following a solo run. Burnley keeper Arijanet Muric made two crucial saves in the second half but he could do nothing to stop Micky van de Ven in the 82nd minute when the Dutch defender curled a shot into the bottom corner to consign the visitors to relegation. 

Two-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson is finally getting her Nike signature shoe. The long-anticipated news came Saturday morning as Wilson's two-time champion Las Vegas Aces prepared to face the Puerto Rican national team in a preseason game at South Carolina's Colonial Life Arena. The former Gamecocks national champion donned a sweatshirt for her arrival to the arena that said, "Of Course I Have A Shoe Dot Com," a URL that redirected to Nike's website with the announcement. Wilson's shoe will be called "A'One." Nike has named Wilson to the brand's roster of signature athletes -- a group featuring Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe, Naomi Osaka and the New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu. The shoe and rest of Wilson's signature collection will arrive in 2025. "It's been incredible working with Nike toward a dream of having my collection, and it really is an honor to take this next step and become a Nike signature athlete," Wilson said...

Sheffield United have set an unwanted record for the number of goals conceded by a team in a single Premier League season. Abdoulaye Doucouré's first-half strike for Everton on Saturday took Sheffield's goals against total to 101, surpassing Swindon Town's mark of 100 goals conceded in the 1994-95 season, when the division contained 22 teams. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Chris Wilder's side, whose relegation from the Premier League was confirmed last month in a 5-1 defeat to Newcastle, had already broken the record for most goals conceded in a 38-game Premier League season. The club have suffered a dizzying series of heavy defeats -- both at Bramall Lane and on their travels -- including an 8-0 home loss to Newcastle in September, the 5-0 loss away at Burnley in December and the 6-0 defeat at home to Arsenal in March, where they conceded five goals in the opening 40 minutes. They have already avoided the...

INDIANAPOLIS -- In a series being defined by bodies crashing to the court, gamesmanship with the referees and clutch shot-making, it was a miracle heave that now looms largest. Andrew Nembhard breathed life into his Indiana Pacers, making a 31-foot bomb as the shot clock buzzed. It happened with 16 seconds left in Game 3, snapping a tie in the Pacers' 111-106 victory over the  New York Knicks to pull the series to 2-1. It tied the longest shot of Nembhard's career and was hardly a thing of beauty. He rushed it as he was feverishly stepping back to find room and nearly fumbled the ball as he went up. But as the ball swished through, igniting the hometown crowd, it became series-altering. "I can't say that was a product of practicing," Nembhard said. "That was just an in-the-moment type of thing." To say it was unexpected was an understatement as Nembhard was having a tough night. After Knicks star Jalen Brunson had torched him repeatedly over the...

MINNEAPOLIS --  Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged his team to act and play like the defending champions. On Friday, the Nuggets, and Jamal Murray in particular, responded with their best performance of the playoffs, routing the Minnesota Timberwolves  117-90 in Game 3 at the Target Center. The Nuggets trail the Timberwolves 2-1 in their best-of-seven series. Murray, fueled by a hostile Minnesota crowd that booed him from the moment he stepped onto the floor during pregame warmups, scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half to set the tone for the Nuggets. "That definitely fueled me during the game," Murray said of the boos. "And just keeps me in that mode. So it's fun. I embrace that challenge. I embrace that moment. I probably deserved the boos, so I'm not shying away from it." Minnesota fans wouldn't let Murray off the hook for throwing a heat pack and towel onto the floor during a dreadful 106-80 Nuggets loss in Game 2. Murray,...

INDIANAPOLIS -- In a series being defined by bodies crashing to the court, gamesmanship with the referees and clutch shot-making, it was a miracle heave that now looms largest. Andrew Nembhard breathed life into his Indiana Pacers, making a 31-foot bomb as the shot clock buzzed. It happened with 16 seconds left in Game 3, snapping a tie in the Pacers' 111-106 victory over the  New York Knicks to pull the series to 2-1. It tied the longest shot of Nembhard's career and was hardly a thing of beauty. He rushed it as he was feverishly stepping back to find room and nearly fumbled the ball as he went up. But as the ball swished through, igniting the hometown crowd, it became series-altering. "I can't say that was a product of practicing," Nembhard said. "That was just an in-the-moment type of thing." To say it was unexpected was an understatement as Nembhard was having a tough night. After Knicks' star Jalen Brunson had torched him repeatedly over the...

BOSTON -- Coach Jim Montgomery took responsibility for the Bruins falling in a 2-1 series hole to the Panthers after a 6-2 Game 3 loss Friday night at TD Garden. "Our execution in the last two games has just not been good enough, and that's my fault. I've got to be better," Montgomery said. In particular, the coach accepted blame for the Bruins' sluggish start in Game 3 that saw them outshot 13-3 in the first period and 24-8 by the time the Panthers had built a 3-0 lead in the second. It was a start that quieted a raucous Boston crowd. "We've had a couple of games where we started slow," Montgomery said. "We haven't generated much offense. I have to give the players a better plan. Florida was significantly better than us. I've got to come up with a better game plan." The Bruins didn't show any life until the third period, when center Jakub Lauko scored to cut the deficit to 4-1 and break a streak of 10 straight Panthers goals in the series. Boston...

Mike Budenholzer has agreed on a five-year contract to become the next coach of the Phoenix Suns, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. A formal announcement will be made Saturday, sources said. Budenholzer is expected to accompany the team to the NBA draft combine in Chicago, which begins this weekend, and work on a coaching staff already has begun, sources said. Phoenix fired Frank Vogel on Thursday after one season as its coach. The Suns went 49-33 in the regular season then were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs.  The hiring of Budenholzer comes with significant pressure and expectations for the team. The roster has been constructed around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, bringing championship aspirations and a slim margin for error. Budenholzer will become the franchise's third head coach in three seasons, a run that has included owner Mat Ishbia firing Monty Williams and...

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Hall of Famer Jerry Rice wasn't happy after the 2024 NFL draft. Rice's son  Brenden Rice, a wide receiver out of USC, was projected to be a midround pick in many mock drafts, and according to Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles had a third- to fourth-round grade on him. But Brenden Rice wasn't picked until the seventh round, the 32nd receiver taken out of the 35 drafted. He said his draft position disappointed him and infuriated his father. "My dad was hot," Rice, 22, said with a smile. "You guys get the flash like ... the humble dude, right? Me, he's like, 'Hell no, we're going to take this to a different level. These guys going to feel us.'" It was a particularly emotional day for Rice, who attended his best friend's funeral on the day he was drafted. He said he received the call from the Chargers while he was in a Dallas airport heading home to Los Angeles. "It was just like a blessing from God because he allowed me to go...

INDIANAPOLIS -- - Andrew Nembhard made a 31-foot, tiebreaking 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, Tyrese Haliburton scored 35 points and the Indiana Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the banged-up and short-handed New York Knicks 111-106 on Friday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Knicks still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Sunday in Indianapolis. New York led by nine with 9:45 remaining and was in position to take a commanding 3-0 lead, but with Jalen Brunson slowed by a right foot injury, the Knicks couldn't hold on. Nembhard scored only five points - all in the final minute - while Haliburton finished with his second straight playoff career high. Pascal Siakam added 26 points and seven rebounds while Myles Turner had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Donte DiVincenzo led the Knicks with 35 points, going 7 of 11 on 3-pointers. Brunson had 26 points and six rebounds,...

ASHBURN, Va. -- Jayden Daniels' first rookie minicamp practice did not include any "wow" moments where he could show his speed or all of his arm talent. It was a routine one-hour workout designed to get the rookies comfortable with the Washington Commanders playbook. But during those 60 minutes, his new teammates took notice of what Daniels could offer the Commanders. "He's a stud," third-round receiver Luke McCaffrey said. "I know he's one heck of a quarterback and a lot of fun to play with from a personality standpoint. I've had a blast in these 24 hours with him. ... He's just fun to be around; he's good energy." Added second-round tight end Ben Sinnott: "He has the 'it' factor." Washington selected Daniels with the second pick in last month's draft, making him the franchise's latest hope at quarterback. The team started eight different passers in the last four years and nobody has started for more than three consecutive seasons since Mark...

ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' first rookie minicamp practice did not include any "wow" moments where he could show his speed or all of his arm talent. It was a routine one-hour workout designed to get the rookies comfortable with the playbook. But during those 60 minutes, his new teammates took notice of what Daniels could offer the Commanders. "He's a stud," third-round receiver Luke McCaffrey said. "I know he's one heck of a quarterback and a lot of fun to play with from a personality standpoint. I've had a blast in these 24 hours with him. ... He's just fun to be around; he's good energy." "He has the 'it' factor," second-round tight end Ben Sinnott said. Washington selected Daniels with the second pick in last month's draft, making him the franchise's latest hope at quarterback. The team started eight different passers in the last four years and nobody has started for more than three consecutive seasons...

Sean Burroughs, a winner of the Little League World Series, a 2000 Olympic gold medalist and a first-round pick in the MLB draft, has died at the age of 43. The Long Beach Little League based in California said in a statement posted to Instagram that Burroughs "tragically passed away" Thursday afternoon. His mother, Debbie, told the Southern California News Group that the cause of death was cardiac arrest. According to Long Beach Little League president Doug Wittman, Burroughs was found unconscious next to his car in the parking lot at a Long Beach ballfield after dropping off his son, Knox, for a Little League game. Wittman said CPR was performed on Burroughs in hopes of reviving him but that he remained unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after. "It was very shocking," Wittman told The Orange County Register. "It's a real sense of family at Long Beach Little League. So when we lose one of our own, it hurts." In its statement, the Long...

Former Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. will stand trial on first-degree felony rape and felony sexual aggravated battery charges June 10, a Kansas judge ruled at his preliminary hearing Friday. Shannon was arraigned and pleaded not guilty before a judge ruled there was probable cause for trial to proceed in his case. Last year, a woman accused Shannon of sexually penetrating her with his fingers at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas, on Sept. 9. The woman found Shannon's picture through a Google search and told local police he was the assailant. Shannon was arrested and charged with "unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly [engaging] in sexual intercourse with a person ... who did not consent to the sexual intercourse under circumstances when she was overcome by force or fear, a severity level 1 person felony." In December, Shannon was suspended indefinitely by Illinois and missed six games, but he was granted a temporary restraining order by a federal judge and returned...

Sean Burroughs, a winner of the Little League World Series, a 2000 Olympic gold medalist and a first-round pick in the MLB draft, has died at the age of 43. The Long Beach (Calif.) Little League said in a statement posted to Instagram that Burroughs "tragically passed away" Thursday afternoon. According to USA Today, Burroughs collapsed while coaching his son's Little League team. No further details were immediately available. "Sean was a legend in LBLL and the baseball community for winning back-to-back Little League World Series Championships for LBLL in 1992 and 1993," the Long Beach Little League wrote. "... To say this is a huge loss is an understatement. ... We will have his family in our thoughts and prayers during this time and try to end the season playing the kind of baseball Coach Sean would be proud of." Burroughs threw back-to-back no-hitters to help Long Beach to the consecutive Little League championships then went on to star at Long Beach Wilson High. The...

Former Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. will stand trial for first-degree felony rape and felony sexual aggravated battery on June 10, a Kansas just ruled at his preliminary hearing on Friday. Shannon was arraigned and pleaded not guilty before a judge ruled that there was probable cause for trial to proceed in his case. Last year, a woman accused Shannon of sexually penetrating her with his fingers at a bar in Lawrence on Sept. 9. Following the alleged incident, the woman found Shannon's picture through a Google search and told local police he was the assailant. Shannon was arrested and charged for "unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly [engaging] in sexual intercourse with a person ... who did not consent to the sexual intercourse under circumstances when she was overcome by force or fear, a severity level 1 person felony." In December, he was suspended indefinitely by Illinois and missed six games but he was granted a temporary restraining order by a federal...

Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones is signing with the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday. Jones joins a Cardinals wide receivers room that features star rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., who was selected with the No. 4 pick in last month's draft. Jones brings more veteran leadership to a receiving corps that now includes Michael Wilson, Jeff Smith, Zach Pascal, Chris Moore and Greg Dortch in addition to Jones and Harrison. Jones is tied for second-oldest and second-most years of experience among receivers on the Cardinals' roster. He was released by the Jaguars on April 30, days after they selected wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round at No. 23. 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...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The $10,000 bet between former LSU teammates Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award is off. Nabers, the sixth overall pick by the New York Giants, said the decision was made after learning about the NFL's gambling policy. The rookie wide receiver announced the news after his first professional practice Friday at rookie minicamp. "I'm educated now that I got here about sports betting and gambling," he said. "So we're calling the bet off. There is no bet now. It was just another brother pushing another brother to try to get to success. That is all it was." Nabers first mentioned on "The Pivot" podcast with Ryan Clark that there was a wager. Daniels, his college quarterback and the No. 2 pick by the Washington Commanders, confirmed it during an interview on the "All Facts No Brakes" podcast with Keyshawn Johnson on Wednesday. Two days later, the bet is no more. "We were...

HENDERSON, Nev. -- While the Las Vegas Raiders' Jayden Daniels-or-bust game plan ended without the rookie, their pending quarterback battle between the returning Aidan O'Connell and veteran free agent signee Gardner Minshew has an early leader. "Aidan's earned the right to go out there and earn the first snap," Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Friday. "What he's done this offseason -- changing his body, his work ethic, being here every day, blocking out the outside noise. He's not worried about anything. I'm excited. "Then you bring Gardner in here ... talk about personality. ... It's great. It's great for our building. It's great for our quarterback room. And if you got competition in the quarterback room, what does every other room look at?" The Raiders had been heavily linked to Daniels, as Pierce brought him to Arizona State when he was the Sun Devils' recruiting coordinator. But the Washington Commanders were set on the Heisman...

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Terrion Arnold was all smiles as he arrived at the Detroit Lions' practice facility on Friday for his first day of rookie minicamp sporting No. 0. The Lions' first-round pick said he chose the number because "ain't nobody like me." Arnold, a cornerback, is just the third player in franchise history to select No. 0, joining FB Johnny Olszewski (1961) and WR Marvin Jones Jr. (2023). "When I say it ain't nobody like me, it's talking about the secondary," said Arnold, the 24th overall pick out of Alabama. "Obviously, last year in this secondary, we had ups and downs, but we're going to be exciting, we're going to be dynamic, we're going to play fast and it ain't going to be nobody like us. "So, when I say it ain't nobody like me, it ain't nobody like me." Despite reaching the NFC Championship for the first time since the 1991 season, Detroit's defense allowed 34 completions thrown at least 20 yards downfield, which tied with the ...

Kylian Mbappé has announced he is leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, after which he is expected to join Real Madrid. The announcement brings Real Madrid closer to ending their yearslong pursuit of the France international, who is widely regarded as one of the best players in world football. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) - Why Mbappé is leaving PSG for Madrid: Piecing together the transfer saga PSG face Toulouse at the Parc des Princes on Sunday, which will be Mbappé's final home game. His final game for the club is scheduled to be the French Cup final against Lyon on May 15. He said in a video posted to Instagram: "Hi everyone, it's Kylian. I wanted to speak to you. I've always said that I would speak with you when the time comes and so I wanted to announce to you all that it's my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. "I will not extend and the...

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Quarterback Kirk Cousins is "pretty much full go" in terms of his physical capabilities for this portion of the Atlanta Falcons' offseason program, coach Raheem Morris said Friday. The Falcons are in phase two of their program, which means no contact and working out at less than full speed. In that regard, Morris said, Cousins doesn't have many limitations. Cousins' 2023 season, which wound up being his final one with the Minnesota Vikings, ended because of a torn right Achilles tendon in Week 8. Atlanta signed him as a free agent in March. "Kirk is every day improving," Morris said at the Falcons' rookie minicamp. "So, we are kind of right at the point where he's doing everything that we can do at this point at phase two, right? Which is nobody around him. There's no contact. He's all good with all those types of things. So, he's been doing all those things." Morris said the one thing that is being curtailed is the volume of snaps...

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Ahead of rookie minicamp Friday, Bears coach Matt Eberflus wasted no time in naming Caleb Williams as Chicago's starting quarterback. "No conversation," Eberflus said. "He's the starter." Eberflus' declaration confirmed the inevitable decision for the Bears after they drafted the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 1 pick last month. Williams was the only quarterback the Bears hosted on a top-30 visit, and Chicago was the only team Williams visited ahead of the draft. Bears coaches began teaching the former USC quarterback their offense ahead of his pro day in Los Angeles and again while Williams visited Halas Hall in early April. Williams also took it upon himself to work with his private quarterback coach, Will Hewlett, on the fundamentals of the Bears' offense before taking the field for this weekend's minicamp. "You always want to get ahead if you can, and so with those things that they gave me, I would take it to my QB...

United States forward Malik Tillman has made a permanent move to  PSV Eindhoven after spending this season on loan from Bayern Munich, it was announced on Friday. Tillman scored nine league goals in 26 matches as PSV lifted the Eredivisie title this season. PSV announced he has signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2028. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) "Malik Tillman came to Bayern as a youth player, developed into a professional here and has now become a key player in Eindhoven," Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund  said in a statement. "He continues the long list of young players who have made the cut in professional football after coming through at Bayern. We wish him all the best for his future." Tillman graduated from Bayern's academy when he made his senior debut in 2020. He enjoyed a loan move to Rangers in 2022 before another loan move to PSV last summer. The...

Ricky Alderete, 45, arrested after a Jackie Robinson statue went missing from a Wichita, Kansas, youth baseball league in January, pleaded guilty Thursday to theft and other charges. Alderete could face more than 19 years behind bars when he's sentenced on July 1, the district attorney's office told ESPN. In addition to theft, he will be sentenced for aggravated burglary, aggravated criminal damage to property, interference with law enforcement, criminal damage to property, making a false writing and identity theft. The crimes are related to the theft, as well as his identification and arrest, the district attorney's office said. The prosecutor's office also said that Alderete will be forced to pay $41,500 to League 42, the youth baseball outfit named after the Brooklyn Dodgers legend. "We're glad that this particular chapter has been put to rest," Bob Lutz, the executive director of League 42, told ESPN on Friday. "I'm glad that someone has been held accountable for this statue...

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NBA fined Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle $35,000 on Friday for criticizing the officiating in his team's playoff series with the New York Knicks -- comments that also drew the ire of guard Josh Hart. "Rick's saying whatever he feels. It has nothing to do with us at the end of the day. I think it's pretty disrespectful to us," Hart said after shootaround Friday morning. "Because at the end of the day, we're out there playing and competing at a high level. It's not about officiating. It's not about anything like that." As part of his case, Carlisle flagged a non-call when Hart made contact with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in the third quarter of the Knicks' 130-121 Game 2 victory Wednesday. It was presumably one of the plays the Pacers sent to the league office Thursday. Sources told ESPN the Pacers identified 78 plays to the NBA where they felt disadvantaged by a referee decision in Games 1 and 2 combined. Carlisle also...

Treble-chasing Bayer Leverkusen are offering fans free club tattoos to commemorate their Bundesliga-title winning season and record unbeaten run, the club said Friday. Xabi Alonso's team, who are undefeated across all competitions this season, reached the Europa League final after a 2-2 comeback draw against Roma on Thursday for a 4-2 aggregate win. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) In doing so, they stretched their unbeaten run to 49 matches across all competitions, surpassing Benfica's long-standing European record set from 1963 to 1965. "A special action at the end of a special season. Bayer 04 are offering fans... Until the end of the season the opportunity to choose one of the many Bayer 04 tattoos for free," the club said in a statement. "Book your appointment now to eternalise this unique season on your skin." Just 42 minutes after announcing the initiative, Leverkusen said that ...

Malaysian footballer  Faisal Halim has responded well to a third surgery and can walk after being left in critical condition from an acid attack, state news agency Bernama reported on Friday. A series of attacks on players have taken place in Malaysia over the past two weeks. Halim was splashed with acid at a shopping mall on May 5, leaving him with fourth-degree burns that impeded his mobility and speech. The season-opening Charity Shield match was cancelled after Halim's side, Selangor FC, withdrew due to safety concerns following a series of attacks on players. Halim has responded well after undergoing a three-hour skin allograft surgery on Thursday, deputy president of the Selangor football association Shahril Mokhtar told Bernama on Friday. "I heard this morning he started walking in the room and went to the bathroom by himself. That's a positive development. He wants to go home," he said. Halim, 26, is due to undergo another follow-up surgery later and is expected...

Toronto has been awarded a WNBA franchise that will start play in 2026, according to multiple reports, when it will become the league's first team outside of the United States. The team will be owned by Kilmer Sports Inc., headed by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum. Tanenbaum is a minority owner and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Maple Leafs and Raptors, among other teams. The new Toronto club would be the 14th team in the WNBA. An expansion franchise in Golden State is set to join the league in 2025. An official announcement is expected May 23 in Toronto, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which first reported on the expansion franchise. "We continue to engage in productive conversations with interested ownership groups in a number of markets but have no news to report at this time," a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement. A spokesperson for Kilmer Sports also said there was "no update at this...

OKLAHOMA CITY --  Luka Doncic cracked a relieved grin and raised his hands as he glanced toward the rafters when his first shot splashed through the net early in Thursday's Game 2, as if the Dallas Mavericks star was thanking the basketball gods. The soreness in Doncic's sprained right knee was still there, but his shooting slump had suddenly disappeared. A sizzling start by Doncic set the tone for the Mavs' series-tying 119-110 win over the top-seeded  Oklahoma City Thunder. He made his first four shots from the floor en route to scoring 16 of his 29 points in the first quarter. "It was just my mentality," said Doncic, who also recorded 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot. "I think today was one of the hardest game I had to play. I'm battling out there. I try and do my best to help [the] team win with just my mentality. Have a great start, and then the team's going to follow me." Doncic made 11 of 21 shots from the floor, a normal...

Georgia's Charlie Condon hit his 34th home run Thursday night against South Carolina to set the NCAA record for most home runs in a season in the BBCOR era. Condon launched a solo shot in the second inning to break a tie with Florida's Jac Caglianone, who had 33 home runs last season. BBCOR (bat-ball coefficient restitution) took effect for the 2011 season, when college baseball switched to composite bats. Oklahoma State's Pete Incaviglia holds the all-time record with 48 home runs in 1985. Condon, a redshirt sophomore third baseman/outfielder, is ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel's No. 1 draft prospect and projected as the No. 2 overall pick in this year's MLB draft. Thursday marked his eighth straight game with a home run, one game shy of matching the NCAA record held by Caglianone and Nevada's Tyler Bosetti. Condon has 59 career home runs, the most in Georgia history. The Bulldogs won 14-10.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Player introductions at a WNBA preseason game do not typically elicit thunderous cheers from the assembled crowd. But nothing about the home-court debut of Indiana Fever rookie and No. 1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark can be considered typical. Clark, the former University of Iowa phenom who has taken the sports world by storm, made her first appearance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday night and received exactly the kind of reception one would expect given the interest she has generated around the country. From the many fans donning No. 22 jerseys (both from Iowa and the Fever) to the rousing cheers the crowd produced each time Clark scored or reentered the game, the atmosphere in the building suggested this was a meaningful game against the Atlanta Dream, even if it didn't count in the standings. "It was a lot of fun, I thought they were loud, I thought they were into it," Clark said, marveling at the crowd size. "It was fun...