Author: Shekari Philemon

Alex Eala will headline a homecoming tennis event at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on Dec. 8, with organizers targeting a crowd of more than 52,000 fans in what would break the all-time attendance record for a tennis match. The current record was set by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who played in front of 51,954 spectators in Cape Town. Surpassing that figure at the Philippine Arena would create a milestone consistent with the year Eala has had. The event, billed as Alex Eala Live, is hosted by Tatler Philippines and will feature a headline match between Eala and Indonesia’s…

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the league is reviewing San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York under its personal conduct policy following his arrest and misdemeanor plea in Ohio, with the outcome to be disclosed when a determination is made. Goodell made the statement at owners’ meetings in Atlanta, saying the matter is being reviewed and that the league will report its findings when there is something to share. York was arrested Sunday at a mobile home park in East Palestine, Ohio, by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force after police said he had responded to an undercover…

Stan Wawrinka will get his farewell at the US Open after all, receiving a wild card on Wednesday after the player who had been awarded the final spot withdrew with an injury. The 2016 US Open champion, 41, was passed over when the USTA announced its last wild card to American Patrick Kypson, ranked No. 115. The decision drew criticism because Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion planning to retire, had not entered qualifying, making the USTA announcement what appeared to be his final opportunity gone. He responded Tuesday with a post on social media that read as a goodbye…

The NFL is ending the Pro Bowl Games beginning with the 2026 season, eliminating the all-star game format entirely and replacing it with a recognition-focused celebration that honors the players selected rather than putting them on the field against each other. Starting this year, 88 players will be named to the Pro Bowl class in late December with no replacement selections if players decline. Players chosen by NFL voters will be invited to attend an in-person celebration in Los Angeles during what was traditionally the Pro Bowl Games weekend. No AFC versus NFC game will be played. NFL executive vice…

Jeanie Buss filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday challenging the legality of her five siblings’ vote to sell the family’s remaining shares in the Los Angeles Lakers, escalating a family dispute that has played out publicly since the announcement of the $12.5 billion Lakers sale to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. The filing argues that it is in the best interest of the family trust to retain a stake sufficient to maintain control and to benefit from what was described as the continuously increasing value of the franchise. It also seeks the removal of siblings Janie…

Forward Jonathan Kuminga agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million deal with Minnesota on Wednesday, choosing a shorter prove-it contract over a larger long-term offer from the Los Angeles Lakers in a move that gives the 23-year-old wing a starting role alongside Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. The deal includes a player option on the second season, which preserves his ability to return to free agency next summer if he plays his way into a more lucrative market. Minnesota used its taxpayer midlevel exception to sign Kuminga, who was recruited persistently over the past month. Anthony Edwards was an active participant…

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz brought the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to its feet in their mixed doubles debut Tuesday, then fell in the quarterfinals when Alcaraz and Williams lost to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 5-4 (4), 4-1, ending what had been one of the more electric two-match runs in recent US Open memory. The pair won their first-round match against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 in front of a crowd that was loudly and visibly on their side. Williams said afterward she never expected to be back on that court at Flushing Meadows and never…

Formula 1 four-time world champion Max Verstappen will take on 100 drivers in what is billed as the biggest go-kart race ever staged, with the event set for Sept. 16 on a purpose-built circuit at Silverstone and broadcast live on Disney+. The format puts Verstappen at the back of a 101-driver field. He will then attempt to work his way through every challenger. The circuit at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, was designed specifically to accommodate an unusually large field by former racing driver and karting world champion David Terrien. He said the event appeals to him because…

The Golden State Warriors have completed their 15-man roster by signing veteran power forward Georges Niang to a one-year, $3.9 million contract, league sources, filling out a frontcourt that already includes Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. The Warriors also agreed to a one-year minimum contract with reserve guard Brandon Williams earlier Tuesday. The two signings are the team’s first external free agent additions of the summer, with Golden State otherwise choosing continuity over roster change in its offseason approach. Niang brings a specific and valuable set of skills, particularly floor spacing from the power forward…

Klay Thompson described feeling immediately at home in Miami at his introductory news conference Tuesday, and the reasons he gave made clear the connection to the city goes beyond basketball. His father Mychal Thompson played for a team that won a Florida high school state championship at Miami Jackson High in 1974. His brother Mychel Thompson attended the same high school in Oregon that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra went to. Thompson has relatives in the Bahamas, just a short flight from Miami, and said this is the closest he has ever lived to that part of his family. The news…