Author: Shekari Philemon

Victor Wembanyama was named captain of the French national basketball team on Wednesday, a formal recognition of the leadership role the 22-year-old has been stepping into throughout a summer that has included hosting Spurs teammates in France for workouts and team-building activities. The announcement came as France prepares for FIBA World Cup European qualifiers, a campaign with significant expectations. France is considered a serious contender for gold at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Rudy Gobert captained the team during qualifying windows earlier this summer. Wembanyama told FIBA he was surprised by the appointment…

Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins suffered a torn ACL during Tuesday’s joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders, sources told NFL Network, dealing a significant blow to the Texans receiving corps, which was already working with limited depth. Higgins went down during red zone 11-on-11 drills when he ran a route in the end zone and fell awkwardly. He was unable to get up immediately but eventually limped off under his own power. Coach DeMeco Ryans said after practice that the team was evaluating the severity of the injury. The Texans confirmed the injury Wednesday. The loss of Higgins…

Nick Kyrgios described feeling helpless and alone as two years of injuries dismantled the career he built toward his peak in 2022, and said the positive cocaine test that led to his provisional suspension has given him the wake-up call he needed. The 31-year-old Australian, now ranked 919th in the world after playing just 10 singles matches on the ATP Tour since 2022, said on Instagram that he made a huge mistake and takes full responsibility for it. He said the injuries had taken a significant toll both physically and mentally and that his body had been unable to do…

Americans dominated the quarterfinal picture at the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday, with Tommy Paul upsetting top seed Alexander Zverev, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys all advancing on the women’s side, and Brandon Nakashima joining Paul in the men’s quarters to give the United States a strong presence deep in both draws. Four women reaching the quarterfinals is the most since 2004 in Cincinnati, a milestone that reflects the depth of American tennis in the current generation. Paul beats Zverev in the headline result Paul rallied from a set down to defeat Zverev 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the marquee…

Alex Eala’s run at the Cincinnati Open is over after Amanda Anisimova rallied from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 Monday, denying the 21-year-old Filipina what would have been her 10th career victory over a top-10 opponent. She had been on a remarkable run against elite opponents this season, recording seven of her nine top-10 wins in 2026 alone. But Anisimova, the world No. 10, was too strong in the final two sets of their first career meeting on the WTA Tour, closing the match by winning six consecutive games after the 21-year-old appeared in control. After the…

A joint practice session between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints in Oxnard, California, descended into a series of fights Tuesday that at one point featured a Saints tight end body-slamming a Cowboys player and helmets being thrown across the field. The confrontations were significant enough that Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and Saints coach Kellen Moore discussed whether to cancel the session. They ultimately decided to continue after agreeing that further incidents would end the day, and the practice concluded without the situation escalating beyond what had already occurred. Among the most notable incidents, Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson punched…

Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended from professional tennis after testing positive for cocaine at an ATP event in Mallorca, Spain, in June, the International Tennis Integrity Agency confirmed Wednesday. Kyrgios, 31, confirmed the result on Instagram before the ITIA released its formal statement. He said he takes full responsibility for it and asked that it come from him first. A WADA-accredited laboratory confirmed the presence of benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in a sample he provided on June 22 during the ATP 250 event in Mallorca. The ITIA announced his provisional suspension after laboratory confirmation. Cocaine is banned under…

The United States Tennis Association announced seven of eight women’s wild cards for the US Open on Tuesday, leaving one spot as to be announced in what appears to be a deliberate pause to allow Serena Williams to decide whether she will play singles at Flushing Meadows. The pattern mirrors what Wimbledon did earlier this summer, when the All England Club also withheld its final women’s selection while waiting for Serena to determine whether she felt ready to compete. She ultimately accepted a Wimbledon entry, lost in the first round to Maya Joint and then suffered a knee injury that…

Jeanie Buss is contesting her siblings’ vote to sell the Buss family’s remaining 17.8 percent stake in the Los Angeles Lakers, with her attorney sending a legal letter warning that the sale would violate a court ruling and constitute a breach of trust, according to documents obtained by ESPN. Five of the six siblings voted Monday to sell the remaining family shares to a group led by Bob Iger and Josh Kushner at a $12.5 billion valuation, the same figure at which Mark Walter recently sold his controlling stake. She was the only sibling who did not vote in favor…

Serena Williams and Venus played their first doubles match together since the 2022 U.S. Open on Monday night at the Cincinnati Open, falling in a match tiebreak the Williams pair nearly won before Venus’s double-fault ended a dramatic comeback attempt. The sisters lost 2-6, 6-1 with the match tiebreak going 10-8 to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, a first-time pairing of two 24-year-olds who found themselves in front of a crowd that was clearly pulling for the Williams sisters throughout the evening. It was the Williams sisters’ first doubles appearance in a non-Grand Slam event since the Italian Open in…