Category: Sports

Olivia Miles might have been playing this weekend along with WNBA rookie Paige Bueckers at the league’s All-Star Game.

But Miles decided to return to college this year instead of going to the WNBA draft as a projected lottery pick. The former Notre Dame star transferred to TCU to try to improve her game, earn some extra NIL money and continue to grow her brand.

“I think it was a mixture of me listening to my body and what I needed and also just another year to develop, you know be in a system where it’ll favor me and I’ll have great teammates and a great coach around me,” Miles told The Associated Press. ”I’ll have a lot of fun so I’m just very excited for that.”

Miles missed the 2023-24 season while recovering from an ACL tear she suffered in the regular-season finale the year before to end her sophmore campaign. She became the first men’s or women’s freshman to post a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament in 2022, and was putting the final touches on a season that had made her an Associated Press second-team All-American when she crashed to the baseline after her right knee buckled on a drive at Louisville in 2023.

“I just felt like I had a lot more left in me in the tank,” she said. “Being far, far removed from my injury, mentally, physically, emotionally, was what I was telling myself, so, it was a lot of back and forth.”

Miles said she literally waited until the last minute to decide what she wanted to do, something she’d love to see the WNBA change in the future.

“I didn’t decide until the very end, as you know, we have 48 hours to make a huge life decision, which is really hard,” Miles said.

One thing she’s happy about when she does enter the WNBA next season is that there will be a new collective bargaining agreement that should include an increase in player salaries. Right now the rookie salary is about $75,000 for top picks. She’ll make a lot more than that in college this year. The low salaries were one factor in Miles’ decision, but she said it wasn’t a major one.

Then when she decided to stay in school, Miles made another big choice to enter the transfer portal and leave Notre Dame.

“I knew it was gonna be a big story. I knew it was gonna (upset) a lot of people,” she said. “I knew it was gonna cause a lot of commotion, but I ultimately was selfish one time with my career. I was talking to a bunch of power schools and then ultimately I really just wanted to go somewhere where I’d be able to showcase my abilities the best that I can.”

Miles didn’t get into specifics on why she decided to leave Notre Dame, but did say it was hard to tell Irish coach Niele Ivey that she was leaving.

“I was her first recruit so there was always a special kind of connection there, so when you have to have a hard conversation about people you care about, it’s tough, but it had to be done,” Miles said. “I didn’t want her to find out, apart from me, so I had to grow up in that moment we had the conversation and we kept it going.”

Miles said that Ivey reassured her that she’d “always be a part of the family and that she loves me. I’m doing what’s best for me, she’s doing what’s best for her so there’s always respect there from my end.”

She said she liked a lot of what TCU has done the last few years under coach Mark Campbell.

“I won’t be restricted anywhere, I’ll be able to kind of flow and have fun and really showcase before I get to the league,’ she said.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Von Miller is signing with the Washington Commanders, with the NFL’s active sacks leader joining the team roughly a week before training camp opens.

Miller and the team have agreed on a one-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the contract had not been announced.

“DC… What’s good?” Miller posted on social media with an automated image of himself in a No. 24 Commanders unform.

The 36-year-old edge rusher felt like he still had more to give after getting released by Buffalo in a salary cap-saving move in March. Injuries derailed his time with the Bills, limiting him to 11, 12 and 13 games each of the past three seasons.

Miller had six sacks last year to reach 129 1/2 in his professional career, which began with nearly a decade with Denver when he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl and was MVP of that game, then won it again in the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Rams.

Pass rush was the one apparent need Washington had, coming off a 12-win season with Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels, who led the team on an improbable trip to the NFC championship game. General manager Adam Peters acquired receiver Deebo Samuel and standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil in trades and used free agency to fill other voids on either side of the ball.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored a season-high 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season and the Las Vegas Aces held off a late rally to beat the Dallas Wings 90-86 on Wednesday night.

Wilson, who had 34 points and 16 rebounds in a 104-102 win over Golden State on Saturday, finished 15 of 25 from the field to reach 30-plus points for the fourth time this season. Her 37 points tied for most points in a WNBA game this season.

Las Vegas created separation in the third quarter by going on an 18-2 run to build a 70-48 lead. The Aces scored 12 straight points during the run as Dallas went scoreless for three-plus minutes.

The Wings rallied in the fourth, opening on a 9-1 run to get within 73-61 on a 3-pointer by Paige Bueckers. Dallas added a 3-pointer on three straight possessions to cut its deficit to 86-82 with 1:04 left.

Bueckers made a baseline jumper with 26.5 seconds left to pull within 86-84, but Wilson was fouled while making a layup at the other end for a four-point lead. The Wings missed two 3-pointers and the Aces made their free throws.

Jewell Loyd added 14 points and Aaliyah Nye had 13 for Las Vegas (11-11). Jackie Young injured her right hip early in the fourth and did not return.

Bueckers scored 10 of her 20 points in the fourth and rookie JJ Quinerly added 17 for Dallas (6-17). Luisa Geiselsoder scored a career-high 14 points — all in the first half. Arike Ogunbowale was held to nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedian Shane Gillis ’ opening monologue as host of the ESPYS went over awkwardly in front of some of the biggest names in sports on Wednesday night.

Early on, he called out various famous faces in the Dolby Theatre crowd, including retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi, who was to receive the Icon Award later in the evening. Gillis said, “Give it up for her” after calling her “Deanna.” The camera showed an unsmiling Taurasi shaking her head. Gillis quickly caught his mistake, saying, “My bad on that.”

Gillis moved on to WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, who wasn’t on hand.

“When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she’s going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist fighting Black women,” he joked.

While some in the audience laughed, others appeared uncomfortable.

Gillis plowed on for 10 minutes, with jokes about President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, whose sex trafficking investigation has roiled the Justice Department and FBI.

Gillis’ performance drew mixed reviews on social media, with some calling him “hilarious” and others “cringey.”

Gillis’ initial joke about North Carolina coach Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson drew a lot of laughs.

“A bookie is what Bill Belichick reads to his girlfriend before bed time,” he said. “They read ‘The Very Horny Caterpillar,’ ‘The Little Engine That Could But Needed a Pill Firs’t’ and of course the classic ‘Goodnight Boobs.’”

But the reaction was mixed as Gillis continued.

“He won six Super Bowls. He’s dating a hot 24 year old. Maybe if you guys won six Super Bowls you wouldn’t be sitting next to a fat ugly dog wife.”

Gillis admitted he should have cut that part of the joke.

NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander smiled when Gillis said, “SGA is here. Everybody sitting around him is in foul trouble.”

Gillis retold what he called “a dumb joke” that he said he loved from former “Saturday Night Live” comic Norm MacDonald’s stint as ESPYS host in 1998.

Gillis congratulated Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter for winning the Heisman Trophy.

“That’s something they can never take away from you unless you kill your wife and a waiter,” he said, referring to the late O.J. Simpson.

Before closing it out, a smiling Gillis said, “I see a lot of you don’t like me and that’s OK. That’s it for me. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don’t know why this happened.”

Jimmy V Award

An emotional Katie Schumacher-Cawley accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance with her husband and children looking on. The Penn State women’s volleyball coach was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in September. She continued coaching without missing a practice and became the first woman to guide a team to the NCAA national championship.

“Cancer changed my life but it didn’t take it. It didn’t take my belief, it didn’t take my spirit and it didn’t take my team,” she said.

Sports Humanitarian Awards

The Indianapolis Colts and former U.S. Open tennis champion Sloane Stephens were among the winners at the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards.

The Colts were honored as the team of the year for their Kicking the Stigma campaign to raise mental health awareness and expand access to treatment.

Stephens received the Muhammad Ali award for her namesake foundation that works to make tennis more inclusive through access, representation and support for kids on and off the court. She beat out Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.

Michele Kang, the billionaire owner of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, was chosen as the Sports Philanthropist of the Year. Billy Bean, former MLB player and executive, was honored with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The Indiana Fever might be without star guard Caitlin Clark again for a bit after she injured her groin Tuesday night late in a win over the Connecticut Sun.

She sat out the team’s 98-77 loss against New York and her status for WNBA All-Star weekend, which Indiana is hosting, is up in the air.

Clark is supposed to compete in a loaded 3-point contest Friday night and is captain of one of the All-Star teams.

“No discussion yet about this weekend.” Indiana coach Stephanie White said. “There was imaging done, but there hasn’t been any discussion beyond tonight.”

White said that Clark’s management team will figure out whether she’ll be able to participate this weekend.

“For me, it’s a big deal for us to have All-Star in Indianapolis, and of course, with Caitlin being a focal point of all of that. As the coach of the Indiana Fever, it’s not a bigger deal than our long-term season, but it’s also part of the fun,” White said. “Those are conversations that Caitlin will have with her group. I probably won’t be a part of those, but we’re going to support her no matter what.”

The coach said that Clark had imaging done Wednesday afternoon and deferred to the team’s training staff for more details except to say that she considered it good news.

“For me, anything that we’re talking about that’s still day to day is always good news for me, but that’s a layman’s viewpoint,” she said.

Clark got hurt with under a minute left. She walked downcourt holding her right groin after assisting on the Fever’s final basket. As teammate Aliyah Boston tried to console her, Clark walked to the basket stanchion and banged her head against it before heading to the bench. During the timeout, she covered her head with a towel and appeared to be holding back tears.

“Someone who continues to have setbacks from an injury standpoint … it’s very frustrating. You feel like you’re trying to do everything that you can to put yourself in position to get past it or to move forward,” White said. “When there’s a setback, it’s mentally and emotionally tough, so of course she was upset.”

Clark had been durable throughout college and her first season in the WNBA, never missing a game. Now she’s had four different muscle injuries so far this year.

She missed the preseason opener with tightness in her quad but played the next day in an exhibition game at her alma mater, Iowa. She suffered a quad strain against New York on May 24 that kept her out for five games. Clark returned June 14 and played in five games before suffering another injury to her left groin that kept her out for four contests and the Commissioner’s Cup final.

“I think the biggest thing is just try to keep her in good spirits,” White said. “Had a lot of setbacks with all these little injuries. And, you know, we just had to take it one day at a time. It’s frustrating for her, I’m sure. I think for us as a staff and as a team, just try to keep her encouraged and try to keep her to stay the course.”

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The crowds following Rory McIlroy for three days at Royal Portrush have been enormous, a reminder of the expectations. On banners and flags and buntings of grandstands there are images of the claret jug, a reminder of what’s at stake at the British Open.

But add this to the list of what makes golf’s oldest championship so distinct from the other majors: Every year it feels like a new experience.

Justin Thomas contemplated that Wednesday when he finished up his third day playing the course, a practice schedule that is never this full at any other major.

“I came to the realization the last couple of years that playing is better, because your ball goes into weird places,” he said. “I can go out and chip all day, and get used to the turf and the speed of the greens. But the more you play, the more shots you’re hitting in places where you never would in practice.

“You get out here in a different wind and it can be, ‘Wow, I didn’t think I’d be here.’”

There is another element to this major that stands out from the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Amid the nerves and the pressure of a major is the true joy of playing links golf.

“I feel like I’m learning more and more each time I come over here,” said Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who is in his fifth British Open. “Each golf course is different, too. Irish links so far is quite a bit different than Scottish links. It’s a bit greener over here. You have to play more shots in the air. … There’s a lot of different shots you have to play.

“It’s an interesting course,” he said. “And from what I’ve seen, it seems to be really fun to play and very fair.”

Fair is a loose word in these parts, with all of the humps and crazy bounces, with pot bunkers to be avoided on so many shots, with a hole like the par-3 16th known as “Calamity Corner” that lives up to the name by looks alone.

McIlroy isn’t sure he got a fair deal in 2019 when his opening tee shot went left, normally not a big deal except at Royal Portrush there is internal out of bounds, and McIlroy went just beyond the stakes, which sent him into a downward spiral — a quadruple bogey, a 79 and a short week.

He did not return to the Portrush links in his native Northern Ireland until Monday morning, and then he was out playing all three days of practice.

“I have a real appreciation for how well bunkered it is off the tee,” McIlroy said. “It’s like, ‘OK, I can’t hit 2-iron off the tee, but that brings this bunker into play. But then if I hit driver, it’ll bring in this bunker.’ So you have to take on the shot.

“Some courses that we go to in the Open rota, you can just take the bunkers out of play,” he said. “Here, there’s always one bunker or another bunker in play. So I think off the tee, it provides a very, very good test.”

McIlroy was among those who felt refreshed when he finished the meat of the PGA Tour season — five signature events, The Players Championship, three majors, all in a span of three months — and arrived in the United Kingdom. The scenery, the temperature, the brand of golf, all of it felt so new, almost like he was starting a new season.

Thomas felt the same way. There is a buzz in the heavy, seaside air off the North Atlantic, no matter how stiff the challenge and how much the weather changes.

The forecast? It’s generally been referred to as “mixed,” which in these parts tends to mean it changes without notice. The final day of practice was sunshine and breezy.

Thomas was playing the 16th while his father showed video of them watching in the final round in 2019, wind and rain ripping so hard that umbrellas were useless.

Thomas remembers standing on the 17th tee and calling over a rules official to ask if they were meant to be playing. He wanted to hit 3-wood off the tee, but it was 209 yards to the fairway and the wind was so strong he didn’t think he could get there. So he went with driver, hit some 75 yards off line and made triple bogey.

On his final day of practice, with sunshine and a helping wind, he hit a mini-driver that would have stopped near the front of the green on the 409-yard hole if it hadn’t found a bunker.

This is what he loves about links golf.

“Not only do the holes change, how easy or hard they are, your lines off the tee can change,” he said “You have elevation. You’re never writing ‘uphill’ or ‘downhill’ in the yardage book like you are at an Open Championship. You have a game plan, but you really can’t until you’re out there and whatever the weather is giving you.”

Thomas looked back on the 18th green before going to sign autographs for a group of children.

“If I could only play one course the rest of my life it would be links,” Thomas said. “Because you could play the same course every day for a month and get something different.

“I love The Open. Every time I’ve played it, I love the tournament more and more,” he said. “I really want to have a chance to win the tournament and walk up the 18th hole. Seems like it would be the coolest thing in the world.”

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

CHICAGO (AP) — Angel Reese didn’t play Wednesday in the Chicago Sky’s final game before the All-Star break because of a leg injury.

The All-Star forward sat on the bench as the Sky hosted the Atlanta Dream. She is set to make her second All-Star Game appearance this weekend in Indianapolis.

Fellow second-year All-Star Caitlin Clark’s availability for the game in her home arena could be in jeopardy as well after she sustained a groin injury Tuesday night in a victory over the Connecticut Sun in Boston.

Reese had 22 points and 10 rebounds Monday for her ninth straight double-double in Chicago’s 91-78 loss to Minnesota. She leads the WNBA with 12.6 rebounds per game.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL released the full 2025-26 schedule on Wednesday, the final 82-game season before the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in and increases it to 84.

The league’s 32 teams will combine to play 1,312 games between Oct. 7 and April 16 with the playoffs to run from the following weekend through much of June. Beginning in 2026-27, there will be 1,344 games — the most in NHL history.

Alex Ovechkin begins his 21st season on Oct. 8 when he and the Washington Capitals host Boston. Ovechkin is at 897 career goals after breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record and can add to his total at age 40.

It’s even plausible Ovechkin gets No. 900 in the same arena on Long Island in which he scored his 895th to pass Gretzky. The Capitals visit the New York Islanders in their second game on Oct. 11, before playing the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 12.

After raising their second consecutive Stanley Cup banner on opening night Oct. 7 against Chicago, the back-to-back defending champion Florida Panthers continue their threepeat bid two days later when they host Philadelphia.

Utah plays its first game as the Mammoth on Oct. 9 at Colorado. They were known as the Utah Hockey Club during the first year in Salt Lake City after relocating from Arizona.

For the first time in more than a decade, the league is pausing in the winter to send players to the Olympics. The Milan break runs from Feb. 6-24, with play resuming Feb. 25.

The NHL’s last participation in the Games was 2014 in Sochi, though the new CBA provides for players to also go in 2030, pending another deal with the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are part of the new generation of women’s basketball stars who have been able to profit off their name in college and build brands that have helped them excel off the court in the WNBA.

All three players had national star power before stepping foot in the pros. Clark and Reese have made the All-Star Game in each of their first two seasons and are two of the most popular players in the league.

Bueckers was voted a starter in her first All-Star Game this weekend.

The next group up in college that is led by Hannah Hidalgo, Flau’jae Johnson, Olivia Miles and JuJu Watkins has already benefitted from the name, likeness and image. According to On3, Johnson’s NIL valuation is $1.5 million.

“NIL, man, it is beautiful,” Johnson said. “This year in March Madness, I had about five commercials running and you know it was so cool watching the game, then seeing myself come on. It’s just a great opportunity.”

Johnson is a guard at LSU, one of the top schools for NIL in a variety of sports from football to women’s gymnastics to women’s basketball. Johnson, who also has a music career, has gained from the exposure the school has given her, doing national media campaigns with Experian and Powerade.

Hildago, who will be entering her junior year at Notre Dame, is happy that players can finally profit off their own images as opposed to the school getting it all.

“It’s a blessing. Schools for decades have been able to make money off of college players’ names. So for now, for student athletes to be able to make money off of how they carry themselves, you know, we’re a brand ourselves,” she said. “I’m a brand myself and so be able to make money off of my name is honestly truly a blessing and just taking advantage of it is the biggest thing.”

Johnson, Hidalgo and Miles, who helped the U.S. qualify for the World Cup next year by winning gold at the AmeriCup earlier this month, all said that they don’t let the NIL deals they have get in the way of their sport. They credit having a strong support system around them as well as people who handle the deals for them.

“I really dedicate one or two times a week to kind of get all my stuff done,” Miles said. “My agent is very good at scheduling that, but most of my money comes from the collective deal, so for that I really don’t have to do much, which is nice. But any other of the other side deals, my agent will send a videographer out to help me or have her edit stuff or whatever it may be.”

Getting deals and earning money hasn’t just helped the players financially. Some have given back to their communities, including Johnson.

“I just want to be one of those people that uses NIL the right way,” she said. “This year I did a campaign with Experian and we relieved $5 million in debt right for families in Louisiana and then every game we won we added $100,000 to the pot.”

Johnson said it was really touching and emotional when she would receive videos on Instagram from people she helped.

“I’m really using my platform for impact for real. So I think that’s the best part of NIL and just making it better for the young girls that’s coming behind us,” she said.

___

The Associated Press’ women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Perhaps no position requires a wider range of skills to succeed in the NFL than tight ends, who are asked to thrive as receivers in the middle of the field as well as being key parts to the run and pass games with their blocking.

While many teams divide those roles among multiple players, George Kittle’s ability to do it all for the San Francisco 49ers as one of the most efficient receivers and top blockers helped him score the honor of being voted the top tight end in the league by The Associated Press.

A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at tight end, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.

Kittle got five first-place votes and three seconds to win the voting. Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers was the only other player selected on all eight ballots and came in second with two first-place votes, five seconds and one fifth.

Kansas City’s Travis Kelce got the other first-place vote and finished third, followed by Arizona’s Trey McBride and Baltimore’s Mark Andrews.

Detroit’s Sam LaPorta and Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson also received votes.

1. GEORGE KITTLE, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle is coming off one of his most productive seasons as a receiver, catching 78 passes for 1,106 yards and eight TDs for an injury-riddled San Francisco offense. He led all tight ends and ranked third overall with 2.62 yards per route run in a sign of how efficient he is as a receiver. Kittle also remains one of the top blocking tight ends, helping him earn first or second-team All-Pro honors in five of the past seven seasons.

2. BROCK BOWERS, Las Vegas Raiders

Bowers burst on the scene during a record-setting rookie season when his 1,194 yards receiving were the most ever by a rookie tight end and his 112 catches were the most ever by any rookie. Bowers was a first-team All-Pro and quickly established himself as perhaps the top receiving threat at the position.

3. TRAVIS KELCE, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce is one of the most productive tight ends ever, with his 1,004 catches and 12,151 yards receiving ranking third all time at the position. But he showed signs of slowing after turning 35 last October. He still managed 97 catches for 823 yards, but his 8.5 yards per reception were down 4 yards from his career average entering 2024 as he had significant drops in yards after catch and missed tackles forced.

4. TREY MCBRIDE, Arizona Cardinals

McBride has made steady improvement since being drafted in the second round in 2022 and reached star status last season, when his 111 catches and 1,146 yards receiving trailed only Bowers among tight ends. The only thing missing for McBride was success in the red zone, where he had only two TD catches — tied for the second-fewest ever for any player in a 100-catch season.

5. MARK ANDREWS, Baltimore Ravens

Andrews has been one of the top tight ends for years, but his production has started to tail off since he was an All-Pro in 2021. After missing significant time with injuries in 2023, Andrews had 55 catches for 673 yards and led all tight ends with 11 TD receptions last season. Unfortunately for Andrews, his season might be best remembered for a dropped 2-point conversion late in a 27-25 playoff loss to Buffalo.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl