On Basketball: Game 1s in the NBA’s conference finals were beyond belief
If the NBA had screenwriters, not even they could come up with a start this good to the conference finals. Victor Wembanyama has 41 points and 24 rebounds. San Antonio goes into Oklahoma City and beats the defending champion Thunder. New York trails by 22 points with about eight minutes left in regulation, then beats Cleveland. Both games go to overtime, in a conference finals first. And the score at the end of regulation in both games was 101-101. The best player on the winning team took over in crunch time: Wembanyama for the Spurs and Jalen Brunson for the Knicks.
Jason Kidd is out as coach of the Mavericks, 2 weeks after the hiring of team president Masai Ujiri
DALLAS (AP) — Jason Kidd is out as coach of the Dallas Mavericks after five seasons, and two weeks after the club hired former Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri as team president and governor. The team says it is parting ways with Kidd, describing the move as a mutual decision. The Hall of Fame point guard led the franchise to its only championship as a player in 2011. When asked about the future of Kidd at his introduction on May 5, Ujiri was noncommittal, saying he would talk to Kidd while evaluating all aspects of the team.
Chiefs’ Rashee Rice ordered to jail after testing positive for marijuana in violation of probation
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice has been sentenced to serve 30 days in jail after testing positive for marijuana in violation of the terms of his probation for his role in a crash that left multiple people injured on a Dallas highway two years ago. The Texas State Attorney’s Office said Rice was ordered to go to jail now as part of his original sentence for the third-degree felony of racing and causing bodily injury. Rice is set to be released on June 16. The team said it is aware of the situation and has been in touch with the league office.
FRENCH OPEN ’26: Coco Gauff has a new mindset for title defense and more confidence on her serve
Coco Gauff has a new approach for her second time around attempting to defend a Grand Slam title. The American’s strategy heading into the French Open that starts Sunday goes something like this: Don’t think about it as defending something. Gauff says “I realize that the ‘defending’ means nothing in a way” and adds “I don’t really look at it as defending anymore.” Gauff’s first Grand Slam title defense at the U.S. Open two years ago ended in the fourth round with 19 double faults. She says “at the U.S. Open I was like, ‘I need to defend, defend.’” And she adds “that’s why I just say now it’s just another tournament.”
Arsenal wins its first Premier League title in 22 years after Man City draws with Bournemouth
Arsenal was crowned Premier League champion for the first time since 2004 after Manchester City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth. The result put an end to City’s title challenge with one round of the season go. Pep Guardiola’s team needed to win at the Vitality Stadium to take it down to the final game of the campaign on Sunday. But the draw left Arsenal with an unassailable four-point lead at the top, ending its 22-year wait for the title. Arsenal fans celebrated wildly outside its Emirates Stadium. The players did likewise after gathering to watch the game at the club’s training ground.
Shirtless fans the stars at MLB stadiums as “Tarps Off” trend sweeps baseball world
Major League Baseball is experiencing an epidemic of (mostly) guys being dudes. At ballparks all across the country, groups of largely young men are joining in on the “Tarps Off” trend that’s loud, goofy, infectious and new to the baseball world. Joining in on the fun is simple: Go to the section where the party is happening, take off your shirt and start twirling it above your head. After getting it’s start in St. Louis last Friday, it has spread across the league to places like Detroit, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Anaheim, California.
NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights
WASHINGTON (AP) — The NAACP is calling on Black athletes, alumni, fans and the general public to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that aim to redistrict longtime Black lawmakers. If Black athletes participate in the boycott, it could deplete rosters for powerhouse football and basketball programs across the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference. The effort was launched Tuesday, and it comes as civil rights activists aim to apply pressure to Republican-led state legislatures through mass protests and economic boycotts. The Congressional Black Caucus has also said it will oppose a key piece of legislation backed by college athletic conferences unless conference leaders oppose the redistricting efforts.
Women’s flag football on track to gain NCAA championship status before sport makes its Olympic debut
Women’s flag football is on track to gaining NCAA championship status. A title game may even take place right before the sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games. The NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact voted Tuesday to recommend that Divisions I, II and III add a national collegiate flag football championship as soon as the spring of 2028. It’s a giant step toward NCAA championship inclusion for women’s flag football. In order to be recommended, 40 schools need to sponsor it at the varsity level. More than 100 schools have been planning to compete during the next academic year, according to the NCAA.