7:53 AM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN One after another, the shiny brass-and-leather belts and oversized $1 million checks had been handed out. The 2022 PFL’s season-ending night of glory last November in New York had seen five fighters earn championships in as many weight classes. All that was left of this jamboree was the evening’s sixth
6:24 AM ET Tennis missed an opportunity to send a strong message by failing to impose a blanket ban on players from Russia and Belarus after the invasion of Ukraine, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek said. Wimbledon banned players from the two countries last year after the invasion started but said in March that it
8:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN HOUSTON — Coming out of the All-Star break, the Houston Rockets knew they weren’t going to be in contention for a spot in the NBA play-in tournament. They were 13-45, had lost seven straight games heading into the break, and were two weeks removed from trading disgruntled veteran Eric Gordon
9:31 PM ET DALLAS — During an unscheduled pregame media availability Wednesday evening, Mavericks Governor Mark Cuban blamed Jalen Brunson‘s father for the point guard’s departure from Dallas and declared that re-signing Kyrie Irving would be the franchise’s top offseason priority despite the team’s lackluster results since the blockbuster trade to acquire the All-Star guard.
6:57 PM ET Associated Press TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes and the firm the franchise hired to develop a new arena project near Sky Harbor International Airport have filed a $2.3 billion notice of claim against the city of Phoenix for alleged breach of contract. The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, that was
1:53 PM ET ESPN News Services St. Louis Cardinals slugger Tyler O’Neill, who was not in the lineup one day after manager Oliver Marmol criticized his baserunning effort, defended his track record as a “scrappy” player and said he wished the matter had been handled internally. O’Neill was thrown out by Ronald Acuna Jr. at
2:59 PM ET Chelsea are in talks with Frank Lampard to become the club’s interim head coach as they continue to search for a permanent successor to Graham Potter, sources have told ESPN. The 44-year-old has emerged as a potential short-term solution to take charge until the end of the season as negotiations remain ongoing
9:59 AM ET A heavyweight matchup between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and surging prospect Jailton Almeida will headline a UFC Fight Night on May 13, officials announced this week. The event is scheduled to take place at Spectrum Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. It will mark the UFC’s fourth trip to Charlotte and its first since January
7:16 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) will miss Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, coach Mike Budenholzer announced prior to the game. Antetokounmpo was listed as probable on the injury report leading up to the game and took the court for a shortened version of his regular pregame
7:50 PM ET MIAMI — Jorge Masvidal said he is not sure how his rival Colby Covington is set for the next UFC welterweight title shot given legal claims Covington has made in a criminal case against Masvidal. Masvidal is facing felony charges of aggravated battery and criminal mischief stemming from an alleged attack on
6:51 PM ET Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. — Top-seeded Jessica Pegula and past champion Madison Keys easily won second-round matches at the Charleston Open on Wednesday. Pegula, the American ranked third in the world, needed less than 65 minutes to beat Anna Blinkova of Russia 6-2, 6-0. Keys, an American who took this title in
5:03 PM ET Karim Benzema scored a second consecutive hat-trick as Real Madrid hammered Barcelona 4-0 at Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday to set up a Copa del Rey final against Osasuna in May. Benzema, who also netted a treble against Real Valladolid at the weekend, scored three times in the second half to silence
7:00 AM ET Tim KavanaghESPN.com Close Tim Kavanagh is a senior NHL editor for ESPN. He’s a native of upstate New York. With the regular season winding down, every game seems to take on greater importance. But tonight’s slate offers one contest that stands out above the rest. The Winnipeg Jets host the Calgary Flames
3:35 PM ET Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. — Attorneys for retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre argued in a new court filing Monday that a civil lawsuit against him seeking to recover misspent welfare money in Mississippi’s largest ever corruption case should be dismissed because the state Department of Human Services lacks evidence and is attempting
12:29 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” DESCRIBING LIFE IN the minor leagues can sound like a twisted Mad Lib. The names and locations and adjectives may change, but for generations, the details of the climb to Major League
2:35 PM ET OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens declined to answer any questions about Lamar Jackson at Wednesday’s pre-draft news conference, but general manager Eric DeCosta did have something interesting to say about Baltimore’s quarterback position. DeCosta acknowledged the possibility of the Ravens selecting a quarterback in the first round. “It depends on the
7:00 AM ET A Google search for “Houston Astros” and “evil empire” generates over 1 million results, with headlines such as: “Are the Houston Astros the new evil empire of baseball?” and “Jose Abreu signing helps Astros approach evil empire status” and “The new evil empire: Houston Astros look to erase stain of cheating scandal.”
11:10 AM ET ESPN News Services Denver Broncos legend John Elway is no longer employed by the franchise, as his consulting contract ended and will not be renewed. Elway confirmed his departure to 9News in Denver on Tuesday, saying the new ownership of the team puts the Broncos “in good hands.” His contract as a