Author: Shekari Philemon

Jalen Hurts confirmed in a GQ interview published Tuesday that he and Brown grew apart during their final season together in Philadelphia, offering a direct answer after being pressed twice. He initially said there was no surprise that it had been talked about. Asked again directly, he confirmed it. The confirmation from Hurts follows what Brown said in June on a podcast hosted by Carmelo Anthony. Brown said nothing happened between him and Hurts, or between their families. He said life happens and you find yourself drifting away, and that both parties had accepted it. Brown was traded to the…

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and defensive end Nick Bosa will both travel to Australia for the team’s Sept. 10 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, with both players making meaningful progress in their recoveries from significant injuries, according to reports from NFL Network. Kittle, recovering from a torn right Achilles suffered in the 49ers’ Jan. 11 playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles, was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 23 and is trending toward playing in Melbourne after two positive days of practice. He had insisted in the days after the injury…

Alexander Zverev survived the longest first-round match of his career, rallying to defeat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4 in 4 hours and 52 minutes to avoid becoming the first men’s No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament since 2003. The match ended in the early hours Wednesday morning. Zverev said afterward that nearly five hours for a first-round match is the longest he has ever played in his life, and credited Sonego for playing well enough to have beaten a lot of players. He was repeatedly unable to convert on…

Coco Gauff opened her defense of the US Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Zeynep Sonmez on Tuesday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, defeating a tough opponent in 1 hour and 20 minutes in her second-shortest opening-round match at Flushing Meadows. Gauff, 22 and seeded fourth, had been pushed to three sets in five of her previous seven first-round matches at the tournament. Sonmez played well enough at stretches that Gauff applauded her opponent on a couple of occasions, including a tracked-down ball in the corner hit down the line on the run and a volley with unusual spin…

Victor Oladipo published an open letter seeking another chance in the NBA, writing with clarity about what the past several years of injury and recovery have cost him and what his daughter has given him as a reason to keep trying. The former Indiana Pacers All-Star and No. 2 overall pick ruptured his quadriceps tendon in his right knee in 2019 and has not played more than 42 games in a season since. He played 26 games last season in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd, averaging 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Oladipo also conducted a private…

The Philadelphia 76ers signed three players to Exhibit 10 contracts Tuesday ahead of Sixers training camp, adding 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall, guard Jameer Nelson Jr. and forward Saint Thomas to the roster group that will report to Camden, New Jersey later this month. All three are training camp roster additions rather than guaranteed contracts. Exhibit 10 deals provide a path to the G League affiliate if the player does not make the final roster. Tacko Fall, 29, has not played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before that he spent two seasons with the Boston…

Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper pleaded not guilty Monday in Douglas County, Colorado, to multiple domestic violence charges, with a jury trial date set for Nov. 10 and a pretrial hearing scheduled for Oct. 30. He was arrested twice in a seven-day span in June on domestic violence charges, including one felony. Cooper was placed on the NFL commissioner exempt list Sunday, which removes a player from participation in games and practices while the league reviews potential violations of its personal conduct policy. He can attend team meetings, receive medical treatment and use the team complex for workouts while on…

The star defensive tackle did not practice Monday as the Los Angeles Rams continue to manage his return from a two-year retirement, with Rams coach Sean McVay declining to commit to whether he will even travel to Melbourne for the team’s Sept. 10 Rams season opener against San Francisco. McVay said the rest day was part of the plan all along following his individual drill work Sunday in his first practice back. He said the staff is still working out the ramp-up schedule and that the team has not yet done 11-on-11 football with him. He acknowledged that if Aaron…

Ben Shelton recovered from a disastrous opening set to defeat Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the first round of the US Open on Monday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, saving his tournament after losing six consecutive games at the start of the match. Shelton, the highest-seeded American man in the draw at No. 8, was broken three times in a first set that lasted 28 minutes. He won just one game, tied for the fewest in a major opening set of his career. He acknowledged being nervous at the start and said he found his rhythm at…

Naomi Osaka walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night in a long white skirt and a gray, hooded robe covered in newspaper clippings about her, removed the hood to reveal cornrows under a headband and a black outfit unmistakably styled after Allen Iverson’s look during his Philadelphia 76ers MVP era, then won her first-round US Open match 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3). The former NBA MVP posted on Instagram after the match expressing that it was a huge honor, calling himself a big fan and saying he cannot wait to meet her. Osaka said the cornrow tribute was her way…