The Charlotte Hornets lost 63 games last year.

The four players they took in this year’s draft — combined — lost fewer than half that last season in college.

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The 2025 edition of Wimbledon brings several milestone anniversaries with it. It’s been 50 years since Arthur Ashe became the first — and so far, only — Black man to win the singles title at the All England Club, and Billie Jean King won her sixth singles trophy there. It’s been 45 years since Bjorn Borg won his fifth consecutive championship at Wimbledon, and 35 since Martina Navratilova claimed her record ninth. It was 15 years ago that John Isner and Nicolas Mahut played a 70-68 fifth set, 10 years ago that Serena Williams completed a “Serena Slam,” and five years ago that the tournament was canceled because of COVID-19.

Carlos Alcaraz will begin his bid for a third consecutive Wimbledon championship and put his career-best 18-match winning streak on the line by facing the volatile Fabio Fognini in the first round at Centre Court when the tournament begins Monday. The singles brackets for the grass-court Grand Slam tournament were set in Friday’s draw. Possible men’s quarterfinals include Jannik Sinner against Lorenzo Musetti, and Novak Djokovic against Jack Draper. The potential women’s quarterfinals include No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against Madison Keys, and No. 2 Coco Gauff against Iga Swiatek. Gauff’s first-round opponent is Dayana Yastremska.

Tampa Bay Rays’ Wander Franco convicted of sexually abusing a child and gets a suspended sentence


Madrid coach Alonso hoping Mbappé is 'back soon' at Club World Cup after illness

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso still can’t say whether Kylian Mbappé will be available to play in the next round of the Club World Cup after missing all three group games. Mbappé was hospitalized last week with acute gastroenteritis and has not played a minute of the tournament so far. Despite being back in training, he was not even named as a substitute for Thursday’s 3-0 win against RB Salzburg.

Max Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring is usually a recipe for success. The defending Formula 1 champion has an upgraded car for his team’s home race in Austria on the back of an encouraging second place in Canada, where his two McLaren rivals collided. He has already won the Austrian Grand Prix five times. However, there is a lot of uncertainty too. Verstappen remains at risk of a one-race ban for too many penalty points, teammate Yuki Tsunoda is usually too far adrift to help him, and Verstappen’s own future is far from clear.

An 84-game season is coming to the NHL as part of an extension of the collective bargaining agreement. The league and the Players’ Association are on the verge of reaching a deal to extend the CBA. It could be announced as soon as later Friday before the first round of the draft. Extending the regular season from 82 to 84 games is expected to also come with a reduction in exhibition play. The maximum length of contracts getting shortened and a playoff salary cap being implemented are among the other changes.


Pogačar's quest for a fourth Tour de France title backed by strong UAE Team Emirates squad

Tadej Pogačar will be supported by an impressive squad in his quest for a fourth Tour de France title. On Friday, his team confirmed that five riders from his recent Critérium du Dauphiné win will join him for the Tour, along with João Almeida and Adam Yates. The 26-year-old Pogačar is once again the main favorite after yet another dominant season that also included in wins at the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche. The Tour begins July 5 in Lille. Pogačar says his preparation has been smooth, and he’s ready for the challenges ahead.


Johni Broome was a college force at Auburn. He'll start his NBA journey as a 2nd-round draft pick

Johni Broome has gone from college force at Auburn to second-round NBA draft pick. The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Broome with the No. 35 pick in Thursday’s second round. That comes after Broome was an Associated Press first-team All-American and reached the Final Four to close a five-year college career. It offered an example of how elite college production doesn’t always equate to high-end NBA potential or draft status. Broome didn’t test well at the combine, notably with vertical leap. He also doesn’t shoot the ball well from outside. But he has thrived as a tough rebounder and competitor.

Kara Lawson has always been a basketball trailblazer and now the Duke women’s coach has a legit chance to lead USA to another gold medal. She has already guided the Americans to a 3-on-3 gold medal and now has a legit chance to lead the USA’s 5-on-5 squad in Los Angeles. Lawson has always wanted to be a coach since she was a little girl growing up in Virginia. She thought it might be at the high school level as the WNBA didn’t exist and college coaching wasn’t something she strived to do. Fast forward 37 years and she’s leading the U.S. team at the AmeriCup that begins this weekend. Lawson credits playing at Tennessee and learning under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt as a big reason for her recent success on the sidelines.

BYU signee AJ Dybantsa and Kansas recruit Darryn Peterson are the headliners when it comes to looking at potential NBA lottery candidates for the 2026 draft. The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa has been a favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick as the top-ranked recruit for ESPN, On3 and Rivals. Peterson is a 6-5 combo guard who headlines 247Sports’ recruiting rankings. Duke signee Cameron Boozer, Tennessee’s Nate Ament and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson are all potential one-and-done picks with high-end pro potential. Other names to watch include Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintaince and Alabama’s Labaron Philon as sophomores returning to the college ranks.


Van Nistelrooy out as coach of relegated Leicester

Leicester says Ruud van Nistelrooy has agreed to terminate his contract as coach of the English club. The former Netherlands striker took over Leicester in November last year on a contract through June 2027. But he couldn’t prevent relegation as the team finished the Premier League in 18th place. The club says it is looking for his replacement.

PHILADELPHIA — On Wednesday afternoon in Sea Isle, N.J., Cami and Dillon Amatucci received a late wedding gift. But it wasn’t the usual home essentials or custom wine bottles. Instead, the couple witnessed Jason Kelce rip off his shorts to reveal an American flag Speedo with a familiar looki…

ORLANDO, Fla. — Let me preface what I’m about to say by reiterating a stance I’ve had for many years about Billy Donovan.

SEATTLE — There are no banners to show for it, no rings because of it, and no parades on the horizon. But more than three years after it happened, one of the smartest trades in Seahawks history continues to look like one of the most necessary.

BALTIMORE — It’s only right that friends and family of Derik Queen, who’s famously from Baltimore, gathered Wednesday night for the NBA draft over bushels of crabs.

PITTSBURGH — Go ahead. Try it. Pick the five best Pittsburgh athletes since the year 2000, college or pro, based on whatever criterion you desire, and I guarantee you’ll leave the exercise riddled with regrets.

MIAMI — It is not a good thing when your basketball team is more interesting during offseasons than when actually playing games, but that is where the Miami Heat find themselves in the summer of ‘25.

The lasting impression of the new movie F1 isn’t of the spectacular racing sequences on an IMAX screen but that of Brad Pitt. No one should look like that at any age, much less 61.

The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Miami Marlins to start a three-game series.

The Pittsburgh Pirates host the New York Mets to open a three-game series.

The San Francisco Giants are looking to break their three-game losing streak with a victory over the Chicago White Sox.

The Los Angeles Angels host the Washington Nationals aiming to extend a three-game home winning streak.

The Cincinnati Reds host the San Diego Padres to start a three-game series.

The Texas Rangers aim to end their three-game home losing streak with a win against the Seattle Mariners.

The Atlanta Braves, on a three-game home winning streak, host the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Detroit Tigers host the Minnesota Twins to begin a three-game series.

The New York Yankees take on the Athletics after Jasson Domínguez’s four-hit game on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Guardians host the St. Louis Cardinals to start a three-game series.

The Kansas City Royals look to stop a five-game slide when they play the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Colorado Rockies enter the matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers as losers of three straight games.

The Houston Astros start a three-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

The Boston Red Sox host the Toronto Blue Jays trying to extend a five-game home winning streak.

The Baltimore Orioles host the Tampa Bay Rays to start a three-game series.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA is considering a proposal to allow athletes and staff to bet on professional sports while maintaining strict bans on college sports betting. The Division I Council introduced the idea, which requires approval from Divisions II and III. The NCAA says this shift re…

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA is considering a proposal to allow athletes and staff to bet on professional sports while maintaining strict bans on college sports betting. The Division I Council introduced the idea, which requires approval from Divisions II and III. The NCAA says this shift re…

NEW YORK (AP) — It takes more than just great basketball skills to play for the Toronto Raptors. It also takes a passport. Alijah Martin learned that this spring and kept it in mind on NBA draft night. The 6-foot-2 guard from national champion Florida, delayed in his first chance to work out…

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA is considering a proposal to allow athletes and staff to bet on professional sports while maintaining strict bans on college sports betting. The Division I Council introduced the idea, which requires approval from Divisions II and III. The NCAA says this shift re…

Opening batter Pathum Nissanka has scored more than 150 runs in consecutive test matches as Sri Lanka strengthened its hold on the second cricket test, taking a 151-run first innings lead at lunch on the third day. That was despite Bangladesh bowlers taking four wickets in the first session to regain some control. Replying to Bangladesh’s first-innings score of 247 all out, Sri Lanka reached 401 for six at the lunch break Friday.

Pia Sundhage’s long international career stretches back a decade beyond the first Women’s European Championship she won decisively for Sweden in 1984. Now aged 65, the two-time Olympic title-winning coach is preparing host nation Switzerland’s team to kick off Euro 2025 next Wednesday. Sundhage says “it’s the biggest challenge I have ever had.” In 1984, Sweden won the title in England with fewer than 3,000 fans in the stadium and no national television coverage. In 2025, Switzerland will play to packed stadiums in a 16-nation event that will set a tournament record of about 600,000 spectators.

The Seattle Sounders and Austin meet in Western Conference play.