Sports

1:04 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN MIAMI — When news first broke on Wednesday that the New York City mandate that prevented unvaccinated athletes from playing in home games has been lifted, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving said he had to keep pinching himself to make sure it was real. On Thursday, New York City mayor

2:43 PM ET BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson said that he has never disrespected women and that he was surprised by the allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct that have been made against him. “I know these allegations [are] very, very serious,” Watson said. “But I’ve never assaulted any woman. I never disrespected any

7:00 AM ET Earlier in the offseason, I ranked the top 100 MLB prospects and all 30 farm systems heading into the 2022 season. Now it’s time to go deeper with my team-by-team rankings, wrapping up with the American League after my National League team-by-team rankings came out Wednesday. A quick refresher on a key

7:30 AM ET The 2022 NHL trade deadline had a little bit of everything. Stars moving to Stanley Cup contenders. Rebuilding teams growing treasure troves of picks and prospects. A canceled deal between division rivals. Kevin Weekes popping out of my hotel’s ice machine to break a trade. (I might have hallucinated that last one.)

2:43 PM ET Associated Press ARCADIA, Calif. — Bob Baffert has transferred four of his promising 3-year-old colts to other trainers, which will allow them to earn qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby while the Hall of Fame trainer appeals his 90-day suspension. Baffert on Thursday transferred Messier, Doppelganger and McLaren Vale to trainer Tim

1:18 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Ashleigh Barty had just won the 2019 French Open and was standing on the court waiting for her team to join her. It was her first major title, and the realization of every young tennis player’s dream. Her longtime coach Craig Tyzzer rushed to be by her side, preparing an

7:00 AM ET Can you imagine a FIFA World Cup in Qatar without Portugal‘s Cristiano Ronaldo or Egypt‘s Mohamed Salah? Or a tournament in which European champions Italy or African champions Senegal fail to qualify? Well the bad news for those mentioned, and fans across the globe, is that some of the game’s headline acts

12:54 PM BST Frenchman Loik Le Priol has been arrested in Hungary in connection with the murder in Paris last weekend of former Argentine rugby international Federico Aramburu, a source at the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday. “I can confirm that Loik Le Priol was arrested last night in Hungary,” said the source, following

8:52 PM ET Associated Press HAMPTON, Ga. — William Byron had a freight train in his rearview mirror. A sitting duck, it seemed. Fortunately for him, all those challengers started jostling against each other rather than working together to take down the leader. While Byron cruised to the checkered flag for the third victory of

8:00 AM ET Kayla Harrison turned away from the Octagon and placed both hands on the barricade behind her. She threw her hands up and screamed “f—!” several times. It was Dec. 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Harrison had just witnessed, from the front row, her then-American Top Team training partner Amanda Nunes

6:53 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN George Kambosos won’t be fighting Vasiliy Lomachenko after all. Lomachenko had agreed to a deal last month for a fight with Kambosos on June 5 in Melbourne, Australia, but the two-time Olympic gold medalist has elected to remain in Ukraine with his family rather than leave the country for training

7:00 AM ET It’s possible Oklahoma State was just “inches short” of the College Football Playoff last fall — but it’s also a rather grand assumption that had Dezmon Jackson managed to grow a few inches on a desperate fourth-down dive against Baylor in the Big 12 title game, the selection committee would have chosen

10:37 PM ET D’Arcy MaineESPN.com Rafael Nadal standing behind him and a captivated audience intently listening to his every word, Taylor Fritz finished his speech on the court at Indian Wells, his voice breaking as he looked toward his family and team in the stands. “Winning this tournament is one of those crazy childhood dreams

7:27 PM ET Associated Press PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Sam Burns is a winner again in the Valspar Championship, this time with a lot more stress and plenty of more emotion. Burns holed a birdie putt from just over 30 feet on the 16th hole to beat Davis Riley on the second playoff hole, giving

12:58 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors had a chance to start their two weeks (at least) without Stephen Curry on a good note. Led by Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, they fought back from trailing the San Antonio Spurs by 10 in the third quarter. Momentum was on the

11:00 AM ET BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns were desperate to trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. So desperate, they were willing to give Watson more than any other team in contention for his services. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday the Browns are set to hand Watson a new five-year deal worth a

6:55 AM ET The NHL trade deadline is three days away, and the action is picking up. Most teams are waiting until the last minute to make moves — hey, every dollar matters in this salary-cap world — but a pair of Wednesday trades should spur some action. You probably have questions about what the

2:07 AM ET Shortstop Carlos Correa and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a three-year, $105.3 million contract that includes opt-outs after the first two seasons, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Correa’s deal will pay him $35.1 million in each of the three years, sources said. Correa, 27, is coming off perhaps his

2:59 AM ET NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jesse Iwuji credits his Nigerian parents for his discipline and success, which has seen him play D1 college football, serve in the US Navy for seven years, and become co-owner of Jesse Iwuji Motorsports. Lieutenant Commander Iwuji, who will race in the Emmett Smith-co-owned number 34 Chevrolet at

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