AP sources: Haslams agree to purchase Lasry’s stake in Bucks
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Two people with knowledge of the negotiations say Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have agreed to purchase Marc Lasry’s 25% stake of the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal that puts the value of the NBA franchise at $3.5 billion. The agreement has not been finalized. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the Bucks nor the Haslams publicly disclosed any element of the agreement. The Haslams would be spending about $875 million for Lasry’s stake of the team. It would be the second-highest valuation in NBA history, behind the $4 billion valuation for the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury when Mat Ishbia acquired them in a deal that closed this month.
Houston, Alabama top AP Top 25; Marquette climbing, Pitt in
The top five spots in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll remained the same. The rest of the AP Top 25 was a big jumble. Houston was No. 1 for the second straight week in the poll released Monday, receiving 49 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel. No. 2 Alabama had five first-place votes and No. 3 Kansas received eight. UCLA and Purdue rounded out the top 5. The Boilermakers held at No. 5 despite losing to No. 15 Indiana. The rest of the poll, only No. 20 Providence kept the same position from last week.
No. 1 South Carolina women run AP Top 25 streak to 36 weeks
South Carolina is No. 1 for the 36th consecutive week. That ties Louisiana Tech for the second-longest run atop The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll in history. Only UConn with 51 weeks has a longer streak. Indiana stayed at No. 2 despite a last-second loss to Iowa. Utah was third with LSU and Maryland rounding out the top five. Iowa was seventh with Virginia Tech eighth. UConn fell five spots to ninth after losing to St. John’s. Notre Dame is 10th. South Florida re-entered the Top 25 at No. 25. Florida State dropped out.
Mets’ Scherzer loves ‘cat-and-mouse’ game of MLB’s new rules
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets right-hander Max Scherzer described pitching under Major League Baseball’s new rules as a “cat-and-mouse” game. Contrary to previous years, Scherzer feels the pitcher finally has control of the tempo because of the new pitch clock. In his first start of the Grapefruit League schedule, Scherzer was touched for a run in the second inning but struck out five while working the first two innings of the Mets’ 6-3 win over Washington. The average game time through three days of spring training is 2 hours, 39 minutes, down from an average of 3:01 for all of spring training last year.
AP Interview: Stenmark says Shiffrin ‘better than I was’
Ingemar Stenmark says all this fuss over Mikaela Shiffrin as she approaches his record of 86 World Cup skiing victories is beside the point. Because the 66-year-old Swede believes the American is already on another level. Stenmark says in an interview with The Associated Press that “she’s much better than I was. You cannot compare.” He adds that Shiffrin “has everything” in terms of strength, good technique and a “strong head.” He says he won’t attend upcoming races at the Swedish resort of Are to watch Shiffrin because he doesn’t want to disrespect Swedish skiers competing.
Rangers’ Miller: Spitting at Kings’ Doughty was accidental
NEW YORK (AP) — K’Andre Miller of the New York Rangers says spitting at L.A. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was completely accidental. Miller in a message posted on social media said he would never intend to spit at an opponent on purpose and that it goes against everything he is as a person. The 23-year-old said he felt awful about the incident and thanked Doughty for giving him the opportunity to apologize after the game. Miller was given a match penalty and ejected. It’s not clear if Miller will be suspended by the NHL for spitting.
Novak Djokovic breaks record for most weeks ranked No. 1
Novak Djokovic has broken the record for the most time spent at No. 1 in the professional tennis rankings by a man or woman. He begins his 378th week in the ATP’s top spot on Monday to surpass Steffi Graf’s 377 leading the WTA. Djokovic already held the men’s mark. He eclipsed Roger Federer’s old ATP standard of 310 weeks in March 2021. Djokovic returned to No. 1 this time by winning the Australian Open in January. After Djokovic and Graf on the all-time No. 1 weeks list are Martina Navratilova with 332 and Serena Williams with 319. The computerized rankings began in the 1970s.
Terry Holland, who transformed Virginia basketball, dies
Terry Holland, who elevated Virginia basketball to national prominence during 16 seasons as coach, has died. He was 80. Holland’s death Sunday night was announced by the school Monday. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019 and stopped taking his prominent courtside seat at Virginia home games. In 1974, Holland took over a program that had had just three winning seasons in 21 years. He guided the Cavaliers to nine NCAA Tournaments, two Final Fours and the 1980 NIT title. Virginia also won its first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title in 1976. Future Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson credited Holland as a deciding factor in choosing upstart Virginia over more established basketball programs.
Jake Paul takes first ring defeat by split decision to Fury
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — YouTube star Jake Paul has suffered the first defeat of his professional boxing career. He lost a split decision Sunday night to Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia. Paul knocked down the unbeaten Fury with a short left hand early in the final round of their cruiserweight bout, but the younger half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury controlled long stretches of the eight-round meeting at Diriyah Arena. Two judges scored the bout 76-73 for Fury, while the third favored Paul, 75-74. The 23-year-old Fury is the first true professional boxer fought by Paul.
Verstappen again the man to beat in F1 in 2023
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was so far ahead last season that catching the Formula One champion may feel like scaling a mountain.So that’s exactly what Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc did to get himself ready for the challenge, which starts next Sunday at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The 25-year-old from Monaco headed up to the Italian Dolomites for some “extreme training” that left him “fully recharged and ready for” another crack at Verstappen, his former junior karting rival. And while Lewis Hamilton has long been a perfectionist when it comes to physical fitness, this time the Mercedes veteran tried something new: a week in Antarctica whale-spotting.
