NBA
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers may miss multiple weeks with an injury to his right foot, a person familiar with the situation said.
The full extent of the injury is not yet known and more test results were pending, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither James nor the Lakers announced anything about a long-term absence.
The Lakers had already ruled out James – the NBA’s career scoring leader – for Tuesday’s game at Memphis with right foot soreness.
– By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)LaMelo Ball’s frustrating, injury-plagued season could be over after the point guard broke his right ankle in Charlotte’s 117-106 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Ball has already missed 27 games this season after he sprained his left ankle on three separate occasions, beginning in the preseason. He and the Hornets (20-43) were playing their best basketball of the season before he fell to the floor on a non-contact play in the third quarter. X-rays revealed the fracture to Ball’s ankle.
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have agreed to purchase Marc Lasry’s 25% stake of the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal that puts the value of the NBA franchise at $3.5 billion, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said.
The agreement has not been finalized, said the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the Bucks nor the Haslams publicly disclosed any element of the agreement.
Those numbers, if finalized, would mean the Haslams plan to spend about $875 million for Lasry’s stake in the team.
– By Steve Megargee
NFL
The Washington Commanders released Carson Wentz, an expected move that ends a one-season experiment with the veteran quarterback that did not work out.
After giving up draft picks to acquire him in a trade with Indianapolis last March, the Commanders were able to get out of the final two years of Wentz’s contract without any salary cap penalty.
Wentz threw for 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight games, going 2-5 as the starter sandwiched around a broken finger that sidelined him for several weeks.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The Carolina Panthers hired former Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson as vice president of player personnel.
Wilson spent the last eight seasons with the Arizona Cardinals’ scouting department, including the past two as vice president of player personnel. He was promoted to co-interim general manager near the end of last season.
SOCCER
PARIS (AP) – World Cup champion Lionel Messi edged Kylian Mbappe again, this time to take FIFA’s best men’s player award.
The best women’s player was Spain’s Alexia Putellas for a second straight year.
After steering Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic final against Mbappe and France last year in Qatar, Messi won the best player vote over Mbappe and Karim Benzema and secured the FIFA prize for the seventh time in 14 years.
Messi finally won the World Cup on his record-equaling fifth attempt.
The 35-year-old Messi also beat Mbappe – who was seeking his first best player award from FIFA – to the Golden Ball trophy awarded by FIFA for the World Cup’s best player. Mbappe earned the Golden Boot as top scorer.
SEOUL (AP) – Former Germany great Jurgen Klinsmann was hired to coach South Korea’s national soccer team.
The 58-year-old Klinsmann, who won the World Cup as a player with West Germany in 1990, replaces Paulo Bento. The Portuguese coach left the team after leading South Korea to the second round at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
NHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Jake McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Toronto sent a conditional 2025 first-round draft pick, a second-rounder in 2026, prospect Pavel Gogolev and forward Joey Anderson to the Blackhawks for Lafferty, McCabe and conditional fifth-round picks in 2024 and ’25. Chicago is retaining half of McCabe’s salary.
The NHL trade deadline is Friday.
NEW YORK (AP) – K’Andre Miller of the New York Rangers will have a hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety for spitting at Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.
The league announced Miller would have a hearing for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was not immediately clear when the hearing will take place. The Rangers do not play again until Wednesday at Philadelphia.
In a message posted on social media, Miller called his actions ”completely accidental.” The 23-year-old defenseman also thanked Doughty for giving him the opportunity to apologize after the game.
Miller was given a match penalty and ejected late in the first period. Every match penalty carries an automatic suspension, pending review.
TENNIS
Novak Djokovic broke the record for the most time spent at No. 1 in the professional tennis rankings by a man or woman, beginning his 378th week in the ATP’s top spot to surpass Steffi Graf’s 377 leading the WTA.
Djokovic already held the men’s mark, eclipsing Roger Federer’s old ATP standard of 310 weeks in March 2021.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Women’s professional tennis made its WTA tournament debut in the capital of Texas, and Katie Volynets beat Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in an all-American matchup to reach the second round of the ATX Open.
The 21-year-old Volynets next faces No. 3 seed Anastasia Potapova or wild-card entry Elizabeth Mandlik, whose mother, Hana Mandlikova, won four Grand Slam singles titles. Potapova and Mandlik are scheduled to play each other Tuesday.
In other Day 1 results at the hard-court tournament, 151st-ranked Mirjam Bjorklund eliminated 50th-ranked Alycia Parks 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; qualifier Heather Watson beat Danka Kovinic 7-6 (2), 6-4; and Anna Blinkova defeated qualifier Ann Li 6-4, 6-4.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Andrey Rublev began his Dubai Championships title defense by spoiling Filip Krajinovic’s 31st birthday when he won 7-5, 6-2.
Rublev next faces Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat Malek Jaziri in straight sets in the Tunisian’s last pro match.
Also, Alexander Zverev beat Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic plays his first match since winning the Australian Open when he faces Czech qualifier Tomas Machac on Tuesday.
BASEBALL
TORONTO (AP) – Former Houston Astros general manager James Click was hired by the Toronto Blue Jays as vice president of baseball strategy.
Click, 45, helped build the Houston teams that went to three straight AL Championship Series and back-to-back World Series, winning it all last year. But he clashed with owner Jim Crane, and the Astros announced six days after clinching the title that he would not be back.
It’s believed to be the first time a World Series-winning GM did not return since 1947, when the Yankees’ Larry MacPhail was replaced by George Weiss.
The Blue Jays said Click will work closely with GM Ross Atkins across both professional and amateur levels.
