Sports

6:29 PM BST South Africa assistant Mzwandile Stick accused British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland of “destroying the dignity of the series” following his reported fury at the appointment of Marius Jonker as Television Match Official (TMO) for the first test. South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has been under fire for an

1:24 PM BST South Africa’s director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, posted an hour-long video on Twitter on Thursday airing his grievances over the refereeing in the first test of the British & Irish Lions tour, before saying he would “step away” for the last two tests. The Boks and Lions have each repeatedly voiced their

1:08 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Amanda Nunes, the pound-for-pound best female fighter in the UFC, will have to wait a little longer for the next defense of her bantamweight championship. She tested positive for COVID-19, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell told ESPN on Thursday, canceling her fight with Julianna Peña that was scheduled for

7:51 AM ET The welterweight clash between Conor Benn and Adrian Granados has been postponed as Benn tested positive for COVID-19, DAZN announced on Thursday. Benn (18-0-0) and Granados (21-8-3) were originally scheduled to meet in the WBA continental title fight at Matchroom Boxing’s Essex headquarters on Saturday. DAZN said a new date for the

2:40 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Canelo Alvarez’s longtime goal of becoming undisputed boxing champion is further from reality than ever since he won his third 168-pound title in May. Boxing’s top star was on the verge of a deal to meet Caleb Plant on Sept. 18 in Las Vegas — a PBC on Fox pay-per-view

5:40 PM ET Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs announced three capital improvement projects over the next three years Wednesday, including two totaling $135 million, for the home of the Kentucky Derby. The Homestretch Club will undergo a $45 million renovation and upgrade of areas adjacent to the Twin Spires and is scheduled for

6:55 PM ET Associated Press IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson is hopeful of testing in August on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of a path toward running in next year’s Indianapolis 500. Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR champion, jumped this season to IndyCar and has competed in seven races for team owner Chip Ganassi. He’s

6:19 AM ET Golf is back in the Olympics for the second time after a 112-year absence, following a successful return in Brazil in 2016, when England’s Justin Rose captured the gold medal. Rose held off Sweden’s — and then-reigning Open champion — Henrik Stenson. American Matt Kuchar finished third to win the bronze. None

2:45 AM ET She lit the fire to start the Olympics, but Naomi Osaka‘s Tokyo 2020 dreams were extinguished far too soon on Tuesday in just over an hour by Marketa Vondrousova. With a flurry of unforced errors and growing frustration, Osaka’s Olympics ended with a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Vondrousova, ranked No. 42 in

4:43 AM ET Associated Press SAITAMA, Japan — Luka Doncic is only a 22-year-old Olympic rookie, a player who might still be a few years away from his best basketball. Sergio Hernandez doesn’t need to wait. “For me, I said this two years ago: He is the best player in the world, including the NBA,”

10:08 AM ET The Unites States faltered down the stretch Sunday in a 83-76 loss to France at the Olympics. The U.S. led 74-67 with 3:41 remaining, before Evan Fournier ignited a 14-0 run that helped France secure the victory. Fournier finished with 28 points for France. It is the United States’ first Olympic basketball

7:51 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers extended a qualifying offer Friday to center Jarrett Allen, making him a restricted free agent. The team had until Aug. 1 to make the offer to Allen, a 23-year-old acquired last season in a trade from Brooklyn and viewed as one of Cleveland’s core pieces. The

3:55 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The New Orleans Pelicans officially named Willie Green as their next head coach Thursday. Green is coming off a stint as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns, who just made a run to the NBA Finals, which delayed the timing of the Pelicans’ announcement. “After an extensive and collaborative search,

3:29 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included

11:58 PM ET Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu — the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft — underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Wednesday and will miss approximately six months, sources told ESPN. Okongwu’s role grew as the season wore on for the Hawks, but a lingering

12:17 AM ET The Milwaukee Bucks are the 2021 NBA champions after rallying from a 2-0 series deficit against the Phoenix Suns. Now what? We’re not wasting any time spinning forward to next season, where a host of current contenders and potential superteams will aim to unseat Giannis Antetokounmpo & Co. in 2022. What will

1:22 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden welcomed Tom Brady and the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the White House on Tuesday, the first visit by the reigning NFL champions since 2017. It was Brady’s first visit since 2005 with the New England Patriots when George W. Bush was in office.

11:46 AM ET Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said the Bulldogs are over the 85% threshold for vaccines, thus able to avoid regular COVID-19 testing and the team having to wear masks indoors, but he said he was still pushing for more vaccinations. “It’s not about a number,” Smart said. “It’s not about a threshold.

8:00 AM ET Former West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck still remembers, with vivid clarity, the day Pittsburgh and Syracuse officially announced they were bailing on the Big East to move to the ACC. He was headed east from Morgantown to the West Virginia-Maryland football game on Sept. 17, 2011, and made a plan to

6:33 AM ET Wisconsin plays Wisconsin football. Iowa is Iowa. Northwestern does Northwestern things. Minnesota is increasingly Minnesota. The Big Ten West might have more proven entities than any other division in college football. But for such a reliable division, the West has been pretty difficult to forecast of late. In 2018, defending champion Wisconsin