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How Stanley Johnson enjoys life outside of basketball
Toronto Raptors forward Stanley Johnson opens up about ways he’s keeping busy outside of basketball.
Toronto Raptors forward Stanley Johnson opens up about ways he’s keeping busy outside of basketball.
Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis beat Nikola Vucevic to win the Skills Challenge, and Stephen Curry ran away with the 3-Point Contest.
Leonard won a championship with Popovich before forcing a trade after seven seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.
"I can only control what I can control."
Connor Murphy will likely become the latest player to meet with the NHL Department of Player Safety after landing a head shot on Tampa Bay's Erik Cernak.
The Nets are expected to sign the six-time All-Star after his buyout from the Pistons.
Each card set a record in the auction space.
A "small number" of U.S.-based NHLers are reportedly getting vaccinated as supply increases across the United States.
Success for Manchester United these days is being the spoiler as Manchester City goes on to eventually claim the league titles.
It seemed Walter Gretzky both knew what he had in his son, and how best to handle it. It’s one of many reasons why he was the ultimate hockey dad.
Eva Havaris has been through nearly everything in her 20-plus years as a Canadian sports executive. From being the only woman in the boardroom and a CEO at 30, to having people treat and speak to her differently because of her gender, it's been a journey with bumps and barriers along the way. "It's only been the last few years that I've thought and reflected on that and for sure there's been challenges because of my gender," Havaris said. "Even when you do prove yourself, you still have to prove yourself. I find that's pretty consistent across the (sports) system." Now the executive vice-president of strategy and operations/chief of staff for the Canadian Premier League franchise York FC, Havaris started the Leadership Mindset by Design, a combination of virtual one-on-one and group sessions to help emerging and established leaders reach their full potential in the sports and coaching worlds and beyond. "I was there and didn't have someone that looked like me, that was relatable, to actually be a confidant for me and say 'hey wait, actually some of this stuff that's going on this is not you, it's the environment that you're in, it's some of the people and some of their own wounds and some of their insecurities,'" she said. "It took me years to figure that out." One bright spot in the COVID-19 pandemic has been a spotlight on women excelling in leadership roles, particularly in government and health authorities. In the coaching and sports executive realm, there have been significant milestones, too. As a Canadian example, Havaris had a short runway of two and a half weeks to pull together the 2020 Island Games for the CPL, which involved eight teams and 300-plus individuals over a six-week bubble in Charlottetown. (Photo by Jodianne Beckford) There are multiple other instances of women rolling up their sleeves when the going got tough and others being among the first to ever serve in their position. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA Players' Association collaborated on a landmark collective bargaining agreement, giving all players a livable wage, proper travel conditions and maternity benefits, to name a few. That on top of the heavy lifting the players did in fighting for social justice. Lisa Baird took on the job of commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League just two days before the sports world came to a halt. In her first five months, she navigated a return to sport during a pandemic — it was the first North American pro league to restart — negotiated a landmark broadcast deal, secured big-name sponsors and announced a star-studded ownership group for expansion franchise in Los Angeles. The aforementioned Angel City FC, owned by women tech entrepreneurs, Hollywood stars and Olympians, spawned other women athletes to step up into ownership groups, including four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka with the North Carolina Courage and U.S. hockey Olympic gold medallist Kendall Coyne Schofield and ESPN personality Sarah Spain with the Chicago Red Stars. Kim Ng became the first woman to hold a full-time general manager role in any of the major men's sports leagues in the United States. She was chosen for the top job by the Miami Marlins after spending three decades with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball. Becky Hammon became the first woman to coach a major American professional men's team in December when she ran the San Antonio Spurs bench after head coach Gregg Popovich was ejected during a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. There are eight women coaching full-time in the NFL, including Maral Javadifar and Lori Locust of the Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Red Sox hired Bianca Smith as a minor league coach, making her the first Black woman to serve as an on-field coach in baseball history. "There's an adage: You can't be it if you can't see it," said Ng when she was introduced by the Marlins back in November. "Now you can see it." Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng walks around a field during spring training practice in Jupiter, Fla., in February. (Associated Press) But despite all the high-profile firsts, there is still room to grow. "Anecdotally it certainly feels like we're seeing progress in that there are some really visible examples of women gaining access to leadership spaces that women have been almost entirely excluded from historically," said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, president and CEO of Canadian Women and Sport. "What we need to stay awake to is that the success of one woman in this space does not necessarily mean there is the structural change that needs to happen for us to get to a place of real equity, where women are equally respected, and valued and hired and promoted and paid in those. "Progress for sure, but we just need to be careful about celebrating it as if we've accomplished (balance) yet." After a stellar soccer career at Western, Havaris went into sport management, first landing at Rugby Canada then spending the next eight years at national sport organizations such as Taekwondo Canada and Equestrian Canada. She got her first CEO job at the age of 30. In some of those early roles, she would look around the boardroom at people much older than her and as much as there were incredible people supporting her journey, she was still looking around for someone she could truly relate to. Her work now is helping women avoid some of the obstacles she faced. Actors Natalie Portman, left, and Eva Longoria are two of the women that make up the ownership group of the expansion NWSL team in Los Angeles.(Getty Images) NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird, left, presents the Challenge Cup to Rachel Daly of the Houston Dash after the championships game in July.(Getty Images) Limiting language "It's saving people from going down a path or a hole or even before they see these (barriers) so they can be in their early 30s at an executive position just like I was 12 years ago," she said. "There's some things that I experienced that I know didn't need to be as difficult if I'd had a great confidant with me. And we're able to talk it through, do it in a safe place, put it all on the table." What she hears most from the women in her groups is limiting language and the feeling that they can't use their voice. Things like 'I'm not confident' or 'I'm not your typical leadership type' or the feeling like they need to settle in their careers or they know where they want to go but feel like they can't fully express themselves to get there. By diving into some of their often inherited negative thoughts and then their strengths, values and how they want to show up for others, that's when she says the 'aha moment' comes. "That's when the boulders fall off of them," she said. "You can feel the weight just drop and go away and now they're just on fire, to show up exactly who they are." Havaris, right, played and coached soccer and is now an executive with York FC of the Canadian Premier League.(Courtesy Eva Havaris) Poor representation Increasing the numbers of women in sports leadership positions in Canada, especially in coaching, continues to be a challenge toward finding equity. One of the findings in Canadian Women and Sport's 2020 Rally report was poor representation of women in leadership roles. "We do have a system where 75 per cent of coaches are men and in some sports it might be 100 per cent, so a lot of girls are growing up in a sport where all the experts, all the authorities in their sport that they can see, that are visible to them are men," Sandmeyer-Graves said. "So unless someone says to them, you'd be really good at this, have you thought about it, they will probably maintain an identity of a participant and never imagine themselves in another role in their sports. "Having women in those daily training environments, as those authorities and those experts just subconsciously signals to girls that this is something that women do. That on its own can be very powerful." Seika Hashimoto was recently promoted to president of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee, replacing Yoshiro Mori after it was revealed he'd made disparaging remarks about women. One of her first moves was to appoint 12 more women to the seven who already sat on the 45-member executive board — changing the male-female ratio on the board from 80-20 to 60-40. Not equal, but a step in the right direction, and an example of how women in leadership positions can make an immediate impact for women who follow. But for all the steps forward, Sandmeyer-Graves warns that diligence is required to prevent slipping back. "In Canada there has been progress when it comes to women in senior leadership roles, the CEOs of our national sports and other major bodies like Own The Podium and the Coaching Association … We're creeping toward parity which is exciting, but our data last year showed that in some areas we started to backslide a little bit and so what we know is if we don't pay attention to this and make this a priority, progress can really quickly be unwound."
Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole remembers when Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met in the ring for the undisputed world heavyweight championship on March 8, 1971 in the Fight of the Century at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Whether it’s the biggest voice of all, LeBron James, or random players whispering or even tweeting concerns surrounding the vaccine, consistency would be helpful.
CALGARY — The Ottawa Senators emerged victorious in their fifth battle of the season with the Calgary Flames Sunday night. Drake Batherson scored the game-winner in a four-round shootout to give Ottawa the 4-3 decision at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. "I thought we played a good game even when (the Flames) made their push in the third," Senators forward Colin White said. "We hung in there and won it." The Sens have now won three of five against the Flames this season. Ottawa also has five wins in their last eight contests. Calgary earned just one point from the game, leaving them three behind the Montreal Canadiens for fourth place in the North Division. "It stings right now," Flames defenceman Mark Giordano said. "We know how important these points are. We've got to come out better than we did. Obviously, in the third we had a great push. But we've got to find a way to get two points in games. That's the bottom line right now." Connor Brown, Ryan Dzingel and Colin White each scored for the Senators (9-17-1) in regulation. Tim Stutzle also tallied a shootout goal. Mark Giordano, Johnny Gaudreau, and Noah Hanifin scored for Calgary (11-12-3), while Matthew Tkachuk added a shootout goal in the loss. Matt Murray made 31 saves for Ottawa, earning his seventh win of the season. "He was solid. He looked calm back there tonight. He was seeing everything. The only goals (Calgary) got were a deflection and a rebound goal that came right back to the guy. He gave us every opportunity to win," Senators head coach D.J. Smith said post-game. Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves for Calgary. Brown scored the first goal of the game with 6:12 to play in the first. He fired the puck from behind the right face off circle. The puck redirected off a Flames defenceman before sliding through Markstrom's legs. Dzingel scored for the second consecutive game to give Ottawa a 2-0 advantage before the intermission. He finished a two-on-one play, taking a pass from Chris Tierney before tapping the puck past Markstrom. Senators forward Austin Watson and Flames forward Zac Rinaldo dropped the gloves within the opening three minutes of the second period, in hopes of sparking their respective teams. It worked, briefly, for the Flames. Giordano scored his third of year 88 seconds later, firing a shot that deflected off Sens' forward Josh Norris before beating Murray. But Ottawa would restore their two-goal advantage thanks to Colin White's seventh goal of the season less than four minutes later. Gaudreau scored in the third period to bring Calgary, once again, within a goal. It was his 11th of the season. The Flames would finally even the score thanks to a goal from Hanifin with over eight minutes left in regulation. It was the second goal in two games for the defenceman. Calgary thought they had the game won later in the third as Brown tried to give the Senators the lead with his second of the night. With Markstrom out of position, the puck struck the right leg of Flames defenceman Juuso Valimaki and missed the net. "It was an important time to keep the puck out of our net," Valimaki said. The Flames and Senators hoped overtime would decide things, but to no avail. Batherson's shootout winner finally ended the battle in Ottawa's favour. NOTES: The Flames had eight power play opportunities Sunday night, but only scored once with the man advantage. The Senators were 0-for-2 on the man advantage...Sunday night's game once again saw Ryan Huska coach for the Flames. Calgary hasn't yet won a game since firing head coach Geoff Ward before the weekend. Incoming head coach Darryl Sutter will officially take over Monday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2021. The Canadian Press
Serena Williams spoke out in support of her friend Meghan Markle.
Team LeBron and All-Star Game MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo outduel Team Durant in Atlanta, March Madness starts to heat up with a crazy buzzer-beater and Kenny Powers makes his college baseball debut?
Fifty years ago Monday, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met, finally, in the ring to settle once and for all the identity of the world’s greatest heavyweight.
ATLANTA — In the midst of a pandemic, this was assured of being an NBA All-Star Game like no other. The stands were mostly empty. The crowd noise was largely piped in. There were no A-list celebrities sitting courtside. Two players had to sit out after getting haircuts. But in the end, it had a familiar feel. Team LeBron won again. Knocking down shots from all over the court, LeBron James' powerhouse squad closed the first half with a dominating run to set up a 170-150 romp over Team Durant in the league's 70th midseason showcase Sunday night. The top vote-getters in each conference have picked the teams the last four years, a duty that James has earned every season. He’s now 4-0, having defeated Stephen Curry’s squad in 2018 and teams selected by Milwaukee’s two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo the previous two years. This time, James drafted his two former adversaries and blew away Kevin Durant’s team. “I think he’s got a future as a GM,” said Damian Lillard, another of James' inspired selections. "He always gets it right.” Antetokounmpo was the game’s MVP after shooting 16 of 16 for 35 points, even making all three of his attempts beyond the 3-point stripe. It was the most baskets without a miss in All-Star Game history. “I’m just having fun,” the Greek star said. “Sometimes when you’re having fun and not thinking about the outcome, you just let your instincts take over.” Curry chipped in with 28 points, while Lillard had 32. James spent most of the night admiring his drafting skill from the bench. He played less than 13 minutes, scored just four points, and didn’t return to the court in the second half. Instead, he munched a snack on the bench. “I know he was managing his minutes tonight," Curry said. “We had a great time, representing him as captain. It was a memorable night for sure.” It sure was for Curry, who won the 3-point competition beforehand, then went 8 of 16 from beyond the arc in the game. Lillard matched him, also making 8 of 16 from 3-point range. This All-Star Game sure was different than the previous 69. Determined to pull off an exhibition that is huge for TV revenue and the league's worldwide brand, the NBA staged the game in a mostly empty downtown arena, a made-for-TV extravaganza that was symbolic of the coronavirus era. Despite extensive safety protocols in place, two players didn't even make it to tipoff. Philadelphia stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were ruled out because they got haircuts from a barber who tested positive for COVID-19. The only good thing for Durant: He didn't have to participate in this shellacking, sitting out the game with an ailing hamstring. Bradley Beal led Team Durant with 26 points. On a night highlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Team LeBron swept the first three quarters and cruised to the final target score, earning a total of $750,000 for its charity, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The game got out of hand late in the second quarter. With scant defence being played, Team LeBron took turns dunking off alley-oop passes. Chris Paul delivered back-to-back lobs that Lillard and Curry slammed through. Then, it was Paul on the receiving end of a payback pass from Curry. After showing it could handle shots up close, Team LeBron headed outside in the final seconds of the half. Lillard pulled up for a 3-pointer from the half-court line. Not to be outdone, Curry knocked down one from virtually the same spot. “It was a lot of fun,” Lillard said. “Me and Steph shoot a lot of 3s. We shoot deep 3s. It was 3, 3, 3, 3, 3.” Amid the joyful moments, the atmosphere at State Farm Arena was downright eerie compared to a normal All-Star Game. Instead of a packed house, with A-list celebrities crammed into prime courtside seats, this game was attended by a smattering of hand-picked guests. They had plenty of room to spread out in a 17,000-seat venue that was essentially transformed into a giant television studio, with socially distanced spectators kept far from the court. Towering video screens were set up behind the benches. Vegas-style lights flashed around the arena. Recorded crowd noise blared over the sound system. The entertainment was provided by the host Atlanta Hawks, who didn't have any players in the game but were represented by their cheerleaders, drum line and DJ. To address fears that one of its biggest events would become a super-spreader for a virus that has killed more than a half-million Americans, the NBA pared down its usual weekend-long ritual of extravagant parties, gridlocked streets and people watching This All-Star Game was a one-night-only event, with a pair of skill competitions held shortly before the game and the Dunk Contest squeezed into the halftime break. The players flew in Saturday afternoon and were largely confined to a nearby hotel except for their time on the court. “This is when everyone in basketball all over the world comes to one city,” James said before the game. “We’re able to sit back and go, ‘Wow, this is the game we have built.’ It’s a beautiful weekend for all walks of life, on the floor and off the floor. "But I'm sitting here in my hotel room, isolated. My family’s not here. I’m by myself. It’s just different, to say the least, compared to previous years.” OTHER WINNERS All-Star Weekend was crammed into a few hours. During the pregame, Indiana forward Domantas Sabonis defeated Orlando centre Nikola Vucevic in the Skills Challenge, redeeming last year’s finals loss to Bam Adebayo. That was followed by Curry knocking off Utah’s Mike Conley to capture the 3-Point Contest for the second time. The Warriors star added to the long-range title he won in 2015. At halftime, Portland’s Anfernee Simons defeated New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin in the Slam Dunk Contest, nearly kissing the rim with his winning throw-down. Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers was eliminated in the opening round. TIP-INS Team Durant: Zion Williamson of New Orleans started the game in place of Embiid. The Pelicans forward had 10 points. ... Durant's team heaved up 72 3-pointers, but made only 27 (37.5%). Team LeBron: Paul had 16 assists, passing Magic Johnson's record for most career All-Star assists with 128. ... Lillard ended the game with another long 3-pointer. Curry was waiving to the spectators before it even went in. ... James' team shot 63.6% from the field, including 31 of 61 from 3-point range. UP NEXT The 71st All-Star Game will be held Feb. 20, 2022, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The 2023 game is set for Salt Lake City, followed by Indianapolis in 2024. ___ Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Paul Newberry, The Associated Press
On the 50th anniversary of The Fight of the Century, look back at the spectacular matchup between undefeated heavyweights Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. After being stripped of the heavyweight title for refusing the 1967 Vietnam draft, Ali sought to reclaim his belt from new champion Frazier. The match lasted a full 15 rounds. Although Ali dominated the first few, Frazier landed a series of blows that dropped Ali on the canvas. Frazier won by unanimous decision, but this was just the beginning of the heavyweight saga.
CALGARY — Two of the favourites in the Canadian men's curling championship field showed Sunday night why they're expected to be in the playoff mix again this year. Kevin Koe's Wild Card Two team defeated Canada's Brad Gushue 9-7 to hand the defending champions their first loss of the preliminary round. Down one with hammer coming home, Koe put the pressure on by sitting three. Gushue was a tad heavy with his final draw and Koe picked it out for the victory.Every player shot at least 80 per cent in a back-and-forth battle between longtime rivals. "That was definitely a signature-type game for us I think," said Koe third B.J. Neufeld. "It's good to have it here early."Koe improved to 4-0 after seven draws at the WinSport Arena while Gushue fell to 2-1.In other late games, Quebec's Michael Fournier beat Prince Edward Island's Eddie MacKenzie 10-4, Ontario's John Epping crushed Nunavut's Peter Mackey 16-1 and Nova Scotia's Scott McDonald defeated Greg Smith of Newfoundland and Labrador 11-4.Koe is hoping to win a record fifth career Tim Hortons Brier title as skip. Gushue, from St. John's, N.L., has won the Brier in three of the last four years. "I think we learned that if we're in a tight game against a good team that we can pull it out at the end," Koe said. "Make the shots that we need to and that's always a good feeling to do that."Quebec and Ontario moved into a second place tie in Pool B at 3-1. Gushue was tied in fourth place with Saskatchewan's Matt Dunstone. Koe's Alberta-based team beat P.E.I. 12-5 in the morning draw."Our schedule is a little back-heavy in terms of the favourites in the pool, which is probably a good thing," Koe said after the early win. "We've (had) a few games to figure some stuff out and play some real games for the first time in a long time."Now we're looking forward to the challenges ahead."Gushue offered a significant test from the start, opening with hammer and scoring a deuce when Koe was heavy with his last draw. The defending champion had rare back-to-back misses in the second end and Koe took advantage by scoring three. Koe made a draw for two in the sixth for a 5-3 lead but Gushue pulled even with a hit for a pair. Koe was forced to one in the eighth and Gushue made a draw for two to take the lead in the ninth. With the victory, Koe improved to 38-26 in career head-to-head matchups against Gushue. In the afternoon draw, Wayne Middaugh - who's throwing fourth stones for the injured Glenn Howard on Wild Card Three - led the Ontario-based rink to a 12-2 rout of Yukon's Dustin Mikkelsen. Middaugh moved into a first-place tie with idle Manitoba atop the Pool A standings at 2-0."Now we've hopefully learned a few things and we can keep playing at a good level with the really top teams that are here," Middaugh said.With the game well in hand, Howard came on for the last two ends to play lead for the first time in his long career. He has moved into the alternate role at the 10-day event as he's nursing sore ribs.New Brunswick's James Grattan dropped a 6-5 decision to Alberta's Brendan Bottcher to leave both teams at 2-1. Wild Card One's Mike McEwen and Northern Ontario's Brad Jacobs were also 2-1 after afternoon victories.McEwen's Manitoba-based rink topped B.C.'s Steve Laycock 10-7 while Jacobs beat Greg Skauge of the Northwest Territories 7-5.Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan picked up morning wins. Epping defeated McDonald 12-7, Fournier trounced Mackey 15-1 and Dunstone doubled Smith 6-3.Nova Scotia was alone in sixth place in Pool B at 2-2, ahead of P.E.I. (0-3), Nunavut (0-3) and Newfoundland and Labrador (0-4). B.C. (0-2), N.W.T. (0-3), and Yukon (0-3) remained winless in Pool A. The preliminary round continues through Thursday night. The top four teams in each pool will advance to the two-day championship round. The semifinal and final are set for March 14. The champion will represent Canada at the world men's curling championship next month in the same Canada Olympic Park venue.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2021.Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. The Canadian Press
James, who questioned holding the game in the first place, was content to watch as his team cruised to victory.