Championship

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY’S final pre-season match has been cancelled after players refused to play, according to reports.

The Owls are in crisis just 10 days before their Championship opener, with manager Danny Rohl having walked out this week.

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THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

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Stephen Maguire has won the first ranking event of the season, beating Joe O’Connor 3-1 in the final of the 2025 Championship League in Leicester.

It is the 44-year-old Scot’s seventh career ranking title from 15 finals and his first since winning the 2020 Tour Championship.

The tournament, which takes place over three stages and began at Leicester Arena on 30 June, reached its finale on Wednesday, with just eight of the 128-strong field remaining.

Maguire booked his spot in the final after topping Group 2 in a best-of-four frame round-robin. The 15th seed beat Matthew Selt (3-0) and Ben Mertens (3-0) before losing to China’s Pang Junxu (3-1).

Leicester-born O’Connor, seeded 16th, only dropped two frames to finish first in Group 1, beating Ricky Walden (3-1), Xu Si (3-1), and Tom Ford (3-0).

In the best-of-five frame final, Maguire took a 2-0 lead before O’Connor pulled one frame back with a 99-point break. However, Maguire produced a match-winning 89 to secure the title with a frame to spare.

Six-time MotoGP world champ continues his supreme 2025 season, becoming first Ducati rider to win five consecutive GPs.

Marc Marquez has won the Czech MotoGP for his eighth victory in 12 races this season and his fifth in a row, extending his commanding lead in the world championship.

The factory Ducati rider beat Marco Bezzecchi on an Aprilia by almost two seconds on Sunday while Pedro Acosta on a KTM came in third in his first podium finish of the season.

Marquez had a fifth straight perfect weekend, winning both the sprint on Saturday and Sunday’s race.

The 32-year-old Spaniard now leads the world championship with 381 points, 120 ahead of his younger brother, Alex, who crashed, and 168 ahead of Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

“It has been a super first part of the season and especially these last races,” Marc Marquez said.

“I feel better and better, and I’m riding super good,” he added.

Marquez outpaces his rivals

Bagnaia started from pole on a sunny Sunday at Brno but retained the lead only until the second lap when Bezzecchi eased past him, and Marc Marquez followed suit soon afterwards.

Acosta did the same to settle down in third after getting a boost from a third-place finish in Saturday’s sprint.

Marquez glided past Bezzecchi on lap eight as the runaway trio kept building up their lead and, as so often this season, kept widening the gap comfortably.

The three stayed put until the finish line although fourth-placed Bagnaia gave Acosta a hard time, pressing from behind.

“The first lap was unbelievable,” Bezzecchi said.

“I had so much fun in the first half of the race, but unfortunately, when Marc passed me, I immediately saw that he had something more.”

“I tried to attack, but he was strong. Anyway, I made a fantastic performance. I’m very, very happy,” the Italian added.

Reigning world champion Jorge Martin collected his first points after finishing seventh in the first race he has completed this year.

Martin sat out the first three races after two preseason crashes, and when he returned at Qatar in April, he crashed heavily again and missed the next seven events.

Brno returns faster than ever

Marc Marquez took 40 minutes 04.628 seconds to complete the 21 laps on the resurfaced 5.4km (3.4-mile) Brno circuit, which returned to the MotoGP calendar after a five-year break due to financial woes.

The enhanced on-track results of the Brno resurfacing were evident with lap times this year several seconds under the previous lap record.

Bezzecchi crossed the line 1.753 seconds adrift of Marquez, while Acosta trailed the six-time MotoGP champion by 3.366 seconds.

Almost 220,000 fans were in the stands for the weekend as Marquez recorded his fourth MotoGP win at Brno after victories in 2013, 2017 and 2019.

Alex Marquez retired after crashing on lap two to leave Brno without a point after a disappointing 17th spot in the sprint race.

He took out Joan Mir, who also walked away from the gravel safety area, just like Enea Bastianini a lap later.

Japan’s Takaaki Nakagami was ruled out of the race after suffering a knee injury in a crash in Saturday’s sprint.

The MotoGP circus will now take a break and resume with the Austrian GP on August 15-17.

“Now it’s the summer break but still 10 races to go. Time to relax, but in Austria I [will] keep the same mentality with the same intensity,” Marc Marquez said.

He is eyeing his seventh MotoGP world title – and first since 2019 – which would put him level with Valentino Rossi and one behind the legendary Giacomo Agostini.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Scottie Scheffler moved within one round of claiming the third leg of the Grand Slam on Saturday when he made an eagle and two big par saves for a four-under 67 in the British Open that gave him a four-shot lead at Royal Portrush.

The roars belonged to Rory McIlroy, who had seemingly all of Northern Ireland on his side, the most raucous cheer coming when he made a 55-foot eagle putt.

But this championship is now in the hands of Scheffler, who has won his last 10 times when he had the 54-hole lead and didn’t show anything on a stunning day at Royal Portrush to indicate he was going to come back to his challengers.

“I’m just trying to execute, not overthinking things,” Scheffler said. “I feel like I’ve been doing the right thing so far, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow.”

Tied with Matt Fitzpatrick for the lead, Scheffler judged six-iron perfectly and hit it to within 10 feet for eagle on the par-five seventh hole. In deep trouble behind the 11th green, he hacked out to within 10 feet to save par, then saved another par from the deep grass left of the 14th fairway.

Royal Portrush has a nasty par-three hole at No. 16 known as “Calamity Corner.” Scheffler made birdie for the third straight day, this time hitting a three-iron that settled 15 feet below the cup.

Each shot helped him pull away from the field. Each shot moved him closer to the claret jug, to go along with the PGA Championship he won in May and the two Masters green jackets he has won the last four years.

Scheffler was at 14-under 199, four shots clear of Li Haotong of China (69) and five ahead of Fitzpatrick, who missed two short par putts during a round of 71.

McIlroy, who revved up the enormous crowd with three birdies in four holes at the start, had the most bizarre moment of the championship when he went to gouge out a shot from the rough right of the 11th fairway and a second ball emerged from the turf.

“It’s never happened to me before,” McIlroy said after his 66. “It could never on any other course but a links course.”

It led to his lone bogey. He responded with that eagle putt that elicited a roar that rocked Royal Portrush. But he was six shots behind, and likely needing a round even better on Sunday.

“Scottie is … it’s inevitable,” McIlroy said. “Even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he’s become a complete player. Yeah, it’s going to be tough to catch him tomorrow if he keeps playing the way he does. But if I can get out tomorrow and get off to a similar start to what I did today, get the crowd going … you never know.”

This is what McIlroy noticed last year, when Scheffler won nine times around the world. What impressed him was that Scheffler played so many bogey-free rounds.

Scheffler picked a great time for another one. He led by one shot to start the day and couldn’t seem to get anything going — his first three-putt of the championship on the par-five second to settle for par and a 10-foot par save on the par-three third.

Fitzpatrick, who missed a short par putt on the first hole and made bogey, atoned for that quickly by chipping in for eagle on the next hole. He did his best to keep pace even after Scheffler went eagle-birdie toward the end of the back nine.

But Fitzpatrick missed a four-foot par putt on the 13th, got a bad bounce on the 17th that led to another bogey and wound up five shots behind.

“Just didn’t make any putts. I didn’t hit it close enough,” Fitzpatrick said. “Drove it well enough, didn’t hit it close enough. Just made way less putts than Scottie.”

Scheffler will be paired in the last group with Li, who made history in 2020 at the PGA Championship when he held the 36-hole lead, the first player from China to lead in a major. Li didn’t make his first bogey Saturday until the 13th hole, and he dropped another shot on the 18th after driving into a pot bunker.

Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup, in his first appearance in the British Open, had a 68 and joined the group at eight-under 205 that included McIlroy, Harris English (68) and Tyrrell Hatton (68).

This is Scheffler’s largest 54-hole lead in a major — he was up by three shots at the PGA Championship and three shots in the 2022 Masters.

Cutting the County Championship from 14 games to 12 is the “only reasonable option” to protect welfare and improve standards, according to the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA).

A review into the structure of the domestic game, aiming to implement changes next season, is due to conclude in the coming weeks.

A reduction in the T20 Blast from the current system of two groups playing 14 games, to three groups playing 12 games, is set to be agreed.

But the future of the Championship is less clear, with a number of options on the table.

The status quo of 10 teams in the top flight and eight in the second tier could remain. The divisions could be flipped, to eight in Division One and 10 in Division Two. Either structure could include 14 or 12 games per season.

Another option would be to have a 12-team top flight, split into conferences of six, with a second tier of six teams.

The champions would be decided by a play-off between the winners of the two top-tier conferences, with one of the two promotion places from the second tier decided by a play-off between teams finishing second and third.

This system would mean 12 games for every county and a 13th for those involved in play-off matches.

The PCA prefers the conference model, but would also support the traditional divisional structure, as long as either is played over 12 games per county.

It points to research carried out among players, where 83% said the current schedule caused concern for their physical wellbeing and 67% have worries for the mental health.

“The schedule has always been a contentious issue,” said PCA chair and Warwickshire seamer Olly Hannon-Dalby.

“The feeling in recent seasons due to ever-increasing intensity of fixtures has led the game to a position where positive action has to be taken immediately and as an opportunity for the game to grow.

“A change in format of the County Championship to 12 league games is the only reasonable option and would breathe new life into what I believe would become the best red-ball competition in the world.”

England’s Lottie Woad is turning her thoughts to winning the AIG Women’s Open after narrowly missing out on becoming the first amateur to win a major in 58 years at the Evian Championship.

Woad, who won last week’s Irish Open, raced a 10-foot birdie putt past the 18th hole as she posted a sensational seven-under 64 to finish on 13 under par and set the clubhouse target.

She went to the driving range to hit some balls and keep herself loose but when Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul birdied the 17th to get to 14 under, with just the par-five 18th to play, Woad smiled as she said to her caddie: “Is there even any point, she’s not making six.”

And 22-year-old Thitikul, the world number two who prefers to be known as Jeeno because “I think it’s unique and easier than Atthaya”, parred the last to finish one clear of Woad.

However, Thitikul’s friend and playing partner Grace Kim then knocked in a two-foot eagle putt to also reach 14 under and force a play-off.

The players both had birdies when they first replayed the 18th, Kim knocking in a 30-yard chip, before the Australian holed a 12-foot eagle putt to take the title when they played it again.

But for 21-year-old Woad, who had been bidding to become the first amateur to win a major since France’s Catherine Lacoste claimed the US Women’s Open title in 1967, a big decision looms on when she turns professional.

She picked up two points for finishing in the top 25 in a major and that takes her to 20 overall. That is the magic number on the LPGA’s Elite Amateur Pathway which earns her a spot on the LPGA Tour should she want it though she can also defer.

“I’m going to discuss it with my family and coaches,” she said on Sky Sports.

“It has always been in my dreams to play on the LPGA Tour and I’m grateful for the opportunities of the programme.”

Woad, who is a member of the England Golf women’s squad, will head to the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in South Wales at the end of this month.

“I was trying to be in contention and winning this, so it will be the same there,” she said.

Woad, who won last week’s Irish Open by six shots, started the final round joint 19th and five shots off the overnight lead of compatriot Cara Gainer. But she made a fast start with three birdies in her opening four holes to set the platform for her charge through the field.

Gainer, who won her first Ladies European Tour event in February, had a closing birdie in a three-over 74 as she fell away.

The Galaxy continued to stumble through their terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season last week, taking just a point from two games against teams on the fringe of the playoff race.

That left the reigning MLS champions with just one win and nine points from 20 games. If they continue at this pace, they’ll set modern-era league records for most losses and fewest points while shattering virtually every team record for futility.

The team has done little to help itself off the pitch either. While LAFC and Angel City, Southern California’s two other pro soccer teams, were quick to issue statements standing with fans during last month’s heavy-handed immigration raids, the Galaxy’s silence was deafening.

That timidity angered two of the team’s main supporters groups, who canceled viewing parties, travel to road matches and other game-related events. The average attendance of 21,594, according to worldfootball.net, is off more than 17% from last year and is the Galaxy’s lowest for a non-COVID season since 2014.

Then there’s the coach, Greg Vanney, who took the team to a title after one of the worst seasons in franchise history in 2023, but is digging well below those depths this season.

It’s a plunge from grace with just one precedent in the history of U.S. pro sports: the 1998 Florida Marlins, who won just a third of their games and finished a distant last a year after winning their first World Series. Yet in many ways the Galaxy’s demise is much worse.

In 1998, the Marlins surrendered before the season started, returning just two starters from their championship team. The Galaxy still have 10 of the 14 players they used in December’s MLS Cup final.

The Galaxy have offered various excuses…er, explanations…for their humiliating demise, none of which hold much water.

Before the season had ever started, the team was saying bonuses and other costs associated with the championship had made the price of victory too high under the stingy MLS salary cap. To get under the cap, the Galaxy had to trade MLS Cup MVP Gastón Brugman, midfielder Mark Delgado, defender Jalen Neal and forward Dejan Joveljic, the leading scorer in the playoffs.

But every MLS Cup winner has had to make similar changes and three of the previous eight champions returned to the title game the following year. All but one of the eight posted a winning record.

Next the Galaxy blamed injuries, especially the torn anterior cruciate ligament that has kept midfielder Riqui Puig, the team’s best player, out all season. But Puig was injured in last November’s Western Conference final and the team won the MLS Cup without him. The Galaxy also had the whole offseason to replace him.

It’s true that a rash of injuries early in the season sidelined more than half a dozen starters at one time or another. But other teams had injuries too and even when the Galaxy have been at full strength, as they have been for most of the schedule, they haven’t won.

So when went wrong and how can it be fixed? The first question is easier to answer than the second.

The Galaxy had a magical year in 2024, going unbeaten at Dignity Health Sports Park and matching a modern-era franchise records for wins with 19. Every key player had arguably the best season of his career. Four of them — Joveljic, Puig, Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil — finished in double digits for goals. That had never happened in MLS.

Nor had it ever happened for two of the four players. Before last season, only Paintsil and Joveljic had scored more than eight goals in a season. In fact, Pec’s 16 goals in 2024 was double his previous best and his 12 assists were three times better.

This season Pec and Paintsil have combined for four scores and three assists, as many goals as they scored together in one playoff game last fall.

And they weren’t the only ones far exceeding expectations.

Captain Maya Yoshida started all 39 MLS matches, including playoffs, last year and led the league in minutes played. Both figures were career highs; he’s missed five starts already this season.

Goalkeeper John McCarthy started a career-high 37 games, stopped nearly 74% of the shots he faced — his best mark in a season with more than 11 MLS starts — and had a 1.41 goals-against average.

He’s lost his starting job this season.

It’s not unusual for a championship team to see multiple players have breakout seasons at the same time. What is unusual is the Galaxy have seen multiple important players have career-worst seasons at the same time.

McCarthy’s save percentage is under 60% for the first time in a decade and his goals-against average of 2.36 is a career worst. Pec and Paintsil are on pace for their fewest goal contributions since 2021-22. And Colombian center back Emiro Garcés has become more a liability than an asset.

As a result, the team has the fewest wins, has given up the most goals and has the worst goal differential in the league.

Then there’s Vanney. A defender on the Galaxy’s original team in 1996, Vanney coached Toronto FC to the only treble in MLS history in 2017, then returned to L.A. in 2021 charged with reviving a team that had made one playoff appearance in five seasons. Instead he has a losing record in four-plus seasons and in 2023 he had the worst full season for a Galaxy coach, winning just eight games, a record he figures to shatter this season.

Yet the team rewarded him with a multiyear contract extension in mid-May, when the Galaxy were 0-10-3. It’s hard to imagine another team in a first-tier league anywhere in the world giving a coach with a winless record a three-year contract extension.

In many ways this season is reminiscent of 2023, when the supporters organized boycotts and paid to have banners flown over the stadium calling for the sacking of president Chris Klein and technical director Jovan Kirovski. Amid the turmoil, the Galaxy matched a full-season franchise low in wins but they also replaced Klein and Kirovski with general manager Will Kuntz, who won an MLS Cup in his first full season with the club. It was the biggest one-season turnaround in MLS history.

So what can be done to fix that this time? Apparently very little because Kuntz has much less room to maneuver now than he did then.

The Galaxy payroll of $22.9 million is fifth-highest in MLS and all three of his designated players — Puig, Pec and Paintsil — are signed through the 2027 season, as is Julian Aude, an under-22 initiative signing.

The Galaxy are hoping Puig’s expected return late this summer sparks at least a modest revival but that won’t be enough since Paintsil increasingly seems lost, his confidence shattered, and newcomers Matheus Nascimento and Lucas Sanabria have so far failed to live up to their promise.

If the Galaxy had a magic season in 2024, this one has been cursed. And it’s a spell that shows no sign of lifting.

MINNEAPOLIS — Damion Downs scored in the sixth round of a shootout after three saves by Matt Freese, sending the U.S. to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 4-3 penalty-kicks win over Costa Rica after a a 2-2 tie on Sunday night.

The U.S. advanced to a Wednesday matchup in St. Louis against Guatemala, which upset Canada on penalty kicks in the opener of the quarterfinal doubleheader.

Mexico plays Honduras in the other semifinal on Wednesday in Santa Clara. The championship is in Houston on July 6.

The U.S. has reached the semifinals in 17 of 18 Gold Cups, including 13 straight since a quarterfinal loss to Colombia on penalty kicks in 2000.

Diego Luna and Max Arfsten scored in regulation for the U.S., which faced its highest-ranked opponent of the tournament in Costa Rica (54th) after breezing through the group stage with an 8-1 goal differential.

Alonso Martinez scored the tying goal for the Ticos in the 71st minute with a left-footed shot after Carlos Mora split Luca de La Torre and Arsten to take a shot on Freese and seize the rebound to set up Martinez.

CONCACAF changed the rules for this edition of the biennial championship for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, eliminating extra time except for the championship game.

John Tolkin had the first chance to win the shootout for the U.S. Keylor Navas knocked down his try in the fifth round. Freese then denied Andy Rojas with a diving hand, climbing to his feet while nodding his head and sticking out his tongue toward his cheering teammates at midfield. That set up the winner by the 20-year-old Downs.

Missing the tournament for the U.S. are regulars Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest, due to a variety of reasons from injuries to rest to Club World Cup commitments.

Three of Costa Rica’s six goals during the group stage came by penalty kick, and Francisco Calvo added another one in the 12th minute after a foul by Arsten. Calvo went low to zip the ball just out of reach of a diving Freese.

Malik Tillman, who had three group stage goals, put a 37th-minute penalty kick off a post and Navas knocked away Arfsten’s attempt off the rebound.

Luna picked him up with his first goal in international competition by rocketing a shot off the chest of defender Alexis Gamboa for the equalizer in the 43rd minute.

Tillman made amends for his miss early in the second half by poking a pass ahead for Arfsten, who surged in from the left wing to send the ball into the opposite corner for the lead.

Marc Marquez extended his lead in the MotoGP world championship standings with victory in the Dutch MotoGP despite starting on the second row in Assen.

The Spaniard, 32, who also won Saturday’s sprint race after recovering from two crashes in practice, finished clear of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi.

His Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, who had been chasing a fourth consecutive win at the Dutch track, was third.

Marquez’s younger brother Alex, who is his closest rival in the standings, fractured his hand in a crash with Pedro Acosta.

The 29-year-old, who is now 68 points behind his older brother, jumped back to his feet but was gingerly holding his wrist as he was biked back to the pit lane and was taken to the medical centre for a check-up.

“I am sorry for Alex, my father says he injured a finger, but racing is like this,” said Marc.

“Of course I am super happy with the job the team did on Friday [after the crashes] and all weekend, amazing weekend.

“Assen is not one of my best tracks.”

Although it was Bagnaia who made the best start, Marquez moved into second on the second lap and passed his team-mate on the fifth lap.

He set the fastest race lap at the halfway mark of the 26-lap race and went on to claim his sixth victory of the season to move him level with the legendary Giacomo Agostini on 68 elite wins, but still 21 adrift of Valentino Rossi.

The next race weekend is in Germany on 12-13 July and will mark the mid-point of the 22-race season.

In 2000, whispers of a 13-year-old phenom from Naperville, Ill. — a Chicago suburb — began reverberating through the AAU circuit. Generational. Dominant. Striking. Perhaps the greatest women’s basketball prospect ever. Candace Parker’s name rang out far beyond her hometown.

Word soon reached every elite college basketball program in the country — from Durham, N.C., to College Park, Md., to Knoxville, Tenn. — each clamoring for her talents. Few truly stood a chance.

“Her game at such an early age was something I had never seen in person,” said Nikki Fargas, then an assistant coach at Tennessee. “To see her do it so young tells you a lot. … She was undeniable, and her presence was felt.”

Long before Parker’s illustrious professional career and her Sparks jersey retirement ceremony Sunday — three championships, two MVPs, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, Finals MVP, two Olympic golds, seven All-Star nods and 10 All-WNBA selections — she was simply “Ace,” a sweatband-wearing, bob-cut sporting teenager set to graduate.

Fargas, who won a national title under legendary coach Pat Summitt, was Tennessee’s recruiting director in 2003 and was looking to make a splash with her first class. The moment she saw Parker in person, she was certain: Parker would be a Lady Vol.

By her senior year in high school, Parker had grown into a 6-foot-4 national player of the year and state champion.

Candace Parker was considered one of the top college recruits while at Naperville Central High in a suburb outside of Chicago.

(Anne Ryan / Associated Press)

Fargas attended all of Parker’s games at Naperville Central High, a nearly 1,100-mile round trip. She sat in the Redhawks’ gym bleachers, decked out in Tennessee orange while sending a not-so-subtle message, often with Summitt by her side.

Fargas made her final pitch clear and direct: Parker could become the greatest under Summitt.

Joining Rocky Top

On Nov. 11, 2003, at the start of her senior year, Parker committed to Tennessee live on ESPNews — the first women’s basketball player to commit on national TV. Parker later told ESPN, “I wanted to be a professional basketball player. I loved that Knoxville was centered around women’s basketball.”

“Candace is the most versatile 6-foot-3 player at this stage of her game that I’ve ever seen,” Summitt said in a Tennessee news release announcing Parker’s signing a letter of intent. “She can play every position on the floor, from point guard to post, … Truly a great inside-outside player. … The total package.”

Parker’s arrival sent a jolt through Rocky Top. At just 18, she brought weighty expectations — it was championship or bust. For several years, it had been bust for Tennessee, which hadn’t won a national title since the late ’90s.

After missing her freshman year because of a knee injury, Parker proved to be better than advertised, propelling the Lady Vols back onto the national stage.

“Even in college, not only did she dunk, but she was able to pass, able to shoot at her position, able to do things that bigs weren’t doing,” said Noelle Quinn, a former Southland prep star and head coach of the Seattle Storm. “It was easy for Candace. It was easy for that team.”

Tennessee coach Pat Summitt gives instructions to Candace Parker during the 2007 NCAA title game against Rutgers.

(Tony Dejak / Associated Press)

Quinn experienced the Summitt-Parker era firsthand. In 2006, she led UCLA into an early-season clash on the road against No. 1 Tennessee — the start of Parker’s first title run.

“It was an amazing environment to play in — a game I’ll never forget,” Quinn recalled. Parker and Quinn led their teams in scoring — Parker with 22 points, Quinn with 20. Tennessee’s dominance with Parker at the helm was clear, Quinn said.

At the height of the team’s back-to-back championship runs, Fargas said traveling with the Lady Vols “was like traveling with rock stars.” Summitt’s fearless approach — taking on anyone, anywhere — kept Tennessee in the spotlight, with Parker as the undisputed headliner.

“What we’re seeing right now with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark — bringing awareness, getting people to watch and increasing attendance — Parker was doing that already,” Fargas said. “Fans would be lined up at our hotel. Our bus would pull up and there were the fans.”

By the end of her college career, Parker had accomplished everything — two-time AP player of the year, 2008 Naismith college player of the year, and most outstanding player during both national title runs — the last of which was Summitt’s final championship.

“She fits in at the top,” Fargas said of Parker’s place in program history. “When you talk about Lady Vols, Parker is maybe the first of the names people talk about. … She was different.”

Big L.A. dreams

Parker was arguably the WNBA’s most anticipated prospect — a franchise-altering talent. Yet one question loomed: Who would land her?

In 2006, the Sparks were in championship contention, reaching the conference finals with MVP Lisa Leslie. But when Leslie missed the following season on maternity leave, the team plummeted to 10–24 — tied for worst in the league.

With a 34.1% chance at the No. 1 pick, the pingpong balls bounced the Sparks’ way.

Candace Parker, left, and Lisa Leslie crack jokes as they check their height at a Sparks photo shoot in 2008.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Questions swirled about how Parker and Leslie would coexist. Leslie says she never saw a problem — only potential. She called herself “Smooth” and Parker “Silk,” and welcomed the role of hardening the rookie, likening it to “having another baby.”

For a time, Leslie lived a few floors from Parker in the team’s player housing, keeping tabs on Parker’s habits. She’d make her oatmeal and slice up fruit because Parker “wouldn’t eat well,” gently pushing through rookie stubbornness toward authority, nudging her toward the weight room and stressing the importance of body maintenance.

The wisdom of one MVP — and the freedom granted by Sparks coach Michael Cooper — helped ignite the greatest rookie season in WNBA history. Parker captured both rookie of the year and MVP honors, joining an exclusive club with NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain and Wes Unseld.

“Candace always showed greatness,” Leslie said. “Each generation, we’ve done our part. You carry that torch as far as you can, and hand it off with grace.”

The torch was Parker’s to bear into the next decade. But nine seasons in, she was still chasing her first Finals appearance, let alone a championship. Years of coaching changes, early playoff exits and unmet expectations had left the franchise — and its star — without a title.

Brian Agler’s first year as Sparks head coach started rocky with a 3–14 record, as Parker sat out the first half of the 2015 season after playing overseas. As the losses mounted, Parker prepared for a return and called Agler to arrange a closed workout.

“I think she wanted to play into me as, ‘OK, I’m gonna come back and get ready,’” Agler said. “But in reality, she was sort of measuring me up.”

Agler believed it was a test to see whether she thought he was the right fit — if he could lead the team to a championship, just as he had done with the Seattle Storm in 2010.

Sparks forward Candace Parker drives past Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson during a game in 2012.

(Stacy Bengs / Associated Press)

By the following season, with the pieces in play, contending for a championship seemed within reach. But the 2016 season wasn’t without turmoil for Parker. She was surprisingly left off the USA Olympic team, faced marital strife and mourned the loss of Summitt, who died of complications from Alzheimer’s.

On the court, Parker remained a force, and helped foster the rise of one of the league’s best — former No. 1 overall pick and MVP Nneka Ogwumike. Like Leslie had done for her, Parker took Ogwumike under her wing.

“For the most part, I was someone who paid attention to what vets did, and I spent a lot of time watching what she did,” Ogwumike said of Parker. “She helped me understand [the game] from a different lens, from a more advanced perspective coming in from college. We were able to develop some great chemistry.”

Agler said their connection “was as special as I’ve seen,” adding that Ogwumike “probably understood Candace better than most anybody.”

In Parker’s first WNBA Finals, she led the Sparks through a dramatic series against the Lynx, capped by a 28-point and 12-rebound performance in Game 5 to secure the title and Finals MVP.

Through tears, she found the only words she could muster: “This is for Pat.”

“I’m sure it [the pressure] was there for her,” Agler said. “I just remember when we won, how happy she was. She almost collapsed on the floor with joy. … That’s really the only time I’ve seen her that way in a public setting.”

Soon after the championship run, a divide grew between Parker and the organization. In her new book, “The Can-do Mindset,” Parker reflects on strained relationships with the front office, a carousel of head coaches and a growing distrust that ultimately fractured her relationship with the Sparks.

“The culture was toxic, and whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was a part of that culture and had been absorbed in that toxicity,” Parker wrote in her book, referring to the breakup. “I had to admit to myself that I didn’t like who I’d become in my years with the Sparks. It takes two to tango. So though I didn’t create the culture, I was still at fault in my own way.”

Chasing more titles and ownership

Candace Parker, center right, celebrates with Chicago Sky teammates after winning the 2021 WNBA title.

(Paul Beaty / Associated Press)

After 13 years, Parker decided to leave the Sparks. It’s a move Leslie called “unfortunate,” adding she had “no idea how they let her get away.” But Parker announced she was ready to find “a sense of peace,” signing with the Chicago Sky — moving as close to her native Naperville as possible.

During free agency, Parker called Azurá Stevens, who had just wrapped her first season with the Sky. Curious about the team and open to a fresh start, Parker asked about Stevens’ experience. Stevens still describes the conversation as “surreal,” thrilled by the idea of sharing the court with her childhood idol.

Growing up, Stevens — now the Sparks’ starting forward — modeled her game after Parker. Standing 6-foot-6, she admired Parker’s versatility and poise, and now, the two would be teammates in the same starting lineup.

“We had an up-and-down year and went through a lot that season,” Stevens recalls of the team finishing .500. “Candace definitely led the way. … A strong veteran presence for us to keep us level-headed. And once we got to the playoffs, we flipped the switch.”

Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown — like Stevens — followed Parker’s career. Finally playing alongside her in Chicago, what stood out wasn’t just Parker’s talent, but her relentless devotion while juggling motherhood, a broadcasting career and a championship run. “I remember watching her on TNT the night before, and she’d pull up to practice with some of her makeup still on,” Brown said. “She was really dedicated to helping us win. That was a special season for me.”

In the twilight of her career, Parker still showed flashes of the once baby-haired assassin who shook up the WNBA.

“It was a homecoming for the whole year,” Stevens said of Parker’s move to Chicago. “Being able to go back home and then bring a franchise its first championship is really special. The city really showed out for her.”

After two seasons in Chicago, Parker decided to reunite with Fargas — the coach who recruited Parker to Tennessee and eventually became president of the Las Vegas Aces.

With a championship pedigree and legacy to match, Parker’s new role was no longer the star but the connector. Her signing was meant to elevate A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young — all former No. 1 picks — to their fullest potential.

“She brought a calmness to our team,” Fargas said. “We already had a high-powered offense. … But having her on our team definitely helped raise and bring a championship culture.”

Candace Parker won her third WNBA championship with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

The outcome? A third championship with a third different team — another WNBA first.

But the victory came with a bittersweet edge. An ankle injury sidelined Parker for much of the season. “She did everything in her power to get back to us. … I know that was very difficult for her,” Fargas said.

With wear and tear piling up, Parker announced her retirement — opening with a borrowed line from a Jay-Z verse on the track “Dear Summer”:

“Dear Summer, I know you gon’ miss me …”

“I love his lyrics, but I love how he’s redefined what rappers are capable of,” Parker said of Jay-Z during an interview with ESPNW in 2023. “That’s what I hope to do for women’s basketball players. … I want to be that business leader, that business mind.”

Soon after retiring, Parker joined an investment group aiming to bring a WNBA franchise to Tennessee. Billionaire and former Gov. Bill Haslam — now chairman of the NHL’s Nashville Predators — and his wife, Crissy, led the Nashville-based bid. They’ve assembled a star-studded roster that includes Parker, Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and country music icons Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

“When I called her the first time, I said, ‘Candace, we’d love you to be involved, and we don’t just want your name,’” Haslam recalled. “She was really quick to say, ‘Well, that’s great, because that’s the only way I would be involved.’”

With the WNBA set to expand to 16 teams by 2028, the group submitted its formal bid in January. The group proposes calling the team Tennessee Summitt.

“To see Candace join an ownership group — why not?” Fargas said. “Why aren’t there more opportunities for the players who helped shape this league? Why aren’t there those opportunities to allow them to not only play the game, but also invest in it?”

As the table above shows, 29 players have won the U21 Euros and then a major senior tournament – including Laurent Blanc, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti and Manuel Neuer.

Not just counting the winning team, many of the world’s best players have impressed at previous European Under-21 Championships.

Among the players to win the best player of the tournament award were Rudi Voller, Blanc, Davor Suker, Luis Figo, Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo, Petr Cech, Juan Mata, Thiago and Fabian Ruiz.

However, there are a few outliers.

Renato Buso and the late Francesc Arnau never won a senior cap for Italy or Spain respectively, while Royston Drenthe only played once for the Netherlands. Arsenal’s Fabio Vieira, 25, has yet to feature for the Portugal senior team.

Sweden’s Marcus Berg had a good goal-laden career, although never played for one of Europe’s top clubs.

The list of Golden Boot winners is more of a mixed bag.

Andrea Pirlo, despite being a midfielder, Alberto Gilardino and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were among the previous winners.

But Massimo Maccarone, Maceo Rigters, Jan Kliment or Luca Waldschmidt are unlikely to have any statues made of them.

Germany’s Nick Woltemade is the top scorer in this tournament with five goals – two clear of three different players.

FRISCO, Texas — Minjee Lee closed with a two-over 74 but never gave up the lead Sunday in the final round of the Women’s PGA Championship to win her third major title.

While Lee had three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the front nine, she had started the day with a four-stroke lead over Jeeno Thitikul. And the world’s No. 2-ranked player, also in that final group, bogeyed both par fives that are among the first three holes on Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco.

Lee, ranked 24th, finished at four-under 284, three strokes ahead of Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen, the only other players under par.

“A lot of patience out there today. Obviously, I had ups and downs today,” Lee said. “It’s a battle against myself pretty much, especially with how tough the conditions were this whole week, not just today. Just amplified because it’s major Sunday.”

Kim and Wannasaen both shot 68 to match the best rounds of the day, and the tournament, after only two 68s combined the first three rounds. Kim was bogey-free, but had only pars after three consecutive birdies to wrap up her front nine.

With a record $12 million purse that was up from $10.4 million a year ago and matched the U.S. Women’s Open for the most price money, Lee took home $1.8 million. That matches the $1.8 million Lee got for her four-stroke win in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open.

The 29-year-old Australian who is a Texas resident, living in nearby Irving, got her 11th career win. It was her first this season, making it 16 players to win 16 LPGA tournaments this year.

PGA Tour

Keegan Bradley celebrates after winning the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on Sunday.

(Jessica Hill / Associated Press)

CROMWELL, Conn. — Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley rallied from three shots behind with four holes to play and birdied the 18th hole before a delirious home crowd for a two-under 68 to win the Travelers Championship.

The victory only strengthened the case for Bradley to bring his clubs to Bethpage Black for the September matches against Europe. He moved to No. 9 in the standings.

And he wound up beating Tommy Fleetwood, who scored the clinching point for Europe at Marco Simone two years ago.

One shot behind Fleetwood going to the 18th hole, Bradley stuffed his approach to just under 6 feet below the hole. Fleetwood, looking like this might be the time he wins a PGA Tour title, came up some 50 feet short and took three putts for bogey and a 72.

PGA Tour Champions

AKRON, Ohio — Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Kaulig Companies Championship for his fourth PGA Tour Champions victory of the season, rallying to force a playoff and beating Steven Alker with a 20-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole.

Two strokes down after playing partner Alker birdied the par-five 16th, Jimenez made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-four 17th and an 18-footer on the par-four 18th.

Tied for the lead entering the round at Firestone South, the 61-year-old Jimenez and 53-year-old Alker each shot two-under 68 to finish at 10-under 270. Stewart Cink was third at eight under after a 66.

Jimenez won his third major title after taking the Regions Tradition and the Senior British Open — both in 2018 — and earned a spot next year in The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass. The Spanish star has 17 career victories on 50-and-over tour.

The U.S. Senior Open begins Thursday at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood was denied his first PGA Tour title in heartbreaking fashion as American Keegan Bradley claimed the Travelers Championship by a single shot.

Fleetwood, 34, held an three-shot overnight lead going into the final round as he looked to finally get over the line on the PGA Tour.

After 41 top-10 finishes, Fleetwood looked on course to end his wait as he held a two-shot lead with three holes to play and a one-shot advantage going into the final hole.

After a decent tee shot on the 18th, a poor putt on his third shot left Fleetwood needing to hole from six-feet to make par.

But he narrowly missed, leaving him to bogey and hope that Bradley, who had reached the green in two, would miss his birdie putt.

The 2011 US PGA Championship winner – who will captain the USA at the Ryder Cup in September – made no mistake, slotting home to deny Fleetwood even a play-off.

“I’m gutted right now,” said Fleetwood.

“I’ve not been in that situation for a long time. It’s probably the worst way to finish.

“Leading by two with three to play. Leading by one going into the last and you don’t even make it to a play-off. It’s the worst way it could go.”

Australian Minjee Lee opened up a four-shot lead at the “brutal” Women’s PGA Championship with a third-round 69 as overnight leader Jeeno Thitikul faltered in Frisco, Texas.

Lee was three shots behind Thitikul at the start of day three but produced an impressive bogey-free round, which included three birdies, to move to six under as windy conditions again made it difficult at the Fields Ranch East course.

Thailand’s Thitikul, chasing her first victory at a major, led after the first two days of the tournament but shot a four-over 76, which included two birdies and six bogeys, and is on two under par.

England’s Charley Hull shot the lowest score of the second round with a 69 and followed that up with a 73 as she goes into the final day on four over par.

There have only been five rounds in the 60s at the tournament and Lee has carded two of them with 69s on days one and three.

“I just try to stay patient out there,” said two-time major winner Lee. “You can’t get ahead of yourself, especially in these conditions.

“It’s only getting harder and harder just with I think pressure of a major championship, and also the course just demands so much from you.”

Lee’s previous major wins came at the 2021 Evian Championship and 2022 US Women’s Open.

She added: “I know what it takes to win and I know just kind of what to feel and what to expect now that I have two under my belt.

“I just think the experience that I’ve had is really going to help me hopefully get over the line.”

Lee and Thitikul are the only players under par for the third of this year’s five LPGA majors.

American Lexi Thompson is on one over par after a 75 that began with a triple bogey and bogey, while compatriot Nelly Korda (72) and Ireland’s Leona Maguire (72) are one shot further back.

“Definitely proud of how I stayed strong,” Thompson said. “It was kind of a nightmare of a start, but I knew coming into the day it was going to play very difficult.

“I don’t know really what happened on my first hole, but [I’m] happy I got it out of the way and stayed positive out there and just made pars and a few birdies here and there.”

World number one Korda added: “It’s brutal out there when it comes to the set-up of the golf course, wind conditions, everything. I’m very happy with even par.

“You’re just happy to get 18 under your belt on a day like this.”

England’s Tommy Fleetwood made two eagles in a second-round 65 to take a share of the lead in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.

The 34-year-old, who shot a first-round 66, sits on nine under par alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and his fellow American Justin Thomas.

Fleetwood, who is searching for his first PGA Tour title, carded a modest level-par opening half but then surged up the field in the last six holes at TPC River Highlands.

He eagled the par-five 13th by finding the green in two shots then sinking a 10-foot putt before holing out from the fairway with a 30-yard shot on the par-four 14th to pick up two more strokes.

A 12-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th gave him a share of the lead, with Australian Jason Day one shot back.

“I’ve been having a good season and I felt like my game was in a really good place going into the US Open last week,” Fleetwood told Sky Sports.

“For whatever reason – I’ll never understand the game – I played really poorly but in golf there is always another week and this week is a big week.

“I came out motivated to take whatever there is to learn to make you better for the coming weeks and so far this week I’m happy with how I bounced back.”

Thomas reeled off five consecutive birdies in his six-under 64 while Scheffler carded a 69 to also sit atop the leaderboard.

World number two Rory McIlroy, who was two off the first-round lead, had a frustrating day with a one-over 71 that dropped him to four behind.

McIlroy made three bogeys in his opening four holes and turned in three-over 38, but three birdies in his next six holes recovered the damage.

Well-oiled South African fans had filtered out of Lord’s yesterday evening buoyantly going through their repertoire of songs after a blissful day of batting.

They shuffled through the gates on the fourth day decidedly more sombre, with the sobering reality there was still 69 runs to get.

Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s batting coach, acknowledged getting some sleep before Saturday’s date with destiny might prove difficult for their players.

So, almost inevitably, there were some sweaty palms and a few jitters. At least until the runs required trickled down to single figures when consternation turned to celebration.

There were audible gasps when Cummins’ eighth ball of the morning skidded through low completely deceiving Markram.

Then four deliveries later Bavuma dabbled at one which Cummins got to seam away and edged into the gloves of wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Australia couldn’t do this, could they?

Bavuma, who played the majority of his innings limping with a hamstring twang, hobbled off. It was an appropriate metaphor for the rest of the chase.

Markram did provide flashes of aggression – cutting and pulling Cummins for four to raucous encouragement – before another Starc reality check.

Stubbs’ footwork had looked suspect to the Aussie left-arm quick round the wicket but and he bowled by a one which nipped back through his defensive prod and pad to hit the top of off.

Next ball Bedingham played and missed at a peach of a delivery from Starc which nipped away and narrowly avoided the edge of his bat.

For a few moments, the tension was palpable.

Having burned both their remaining reviews – a potential caught behind off Stubbs’ glove and flimsy lbw appeal against Bedingham – Cummins left himself no wriggle room in the event of some late drama.

But when the dependable Bedingham – South Africa’s top scorer in the first innings – settled in his rhythm alongside the ice-cool Markram the game was up for the Aussies.

Markram whipped Josh Hazlewood for four then did the same next ball for three to bring the amount needed down to single figures.

Sadly, Markram missed his opportunity to provide the champagne moment when he whipped one off his pads to Head, who barely celebrated.

Australia’s players practically to a man came to shake his hand and Markram departed to a standing ovation.

It would have annoyed Makram for a fleeting moment but soon South Africa’s players were errupting in celebration on the balcony in the home dressing room.

Verreynne fluffed a ramp – UltraEdge showing he had in fact got some bat on it – before he delivered the winning moment in a more orthodox fashion on the drive.

They are chokers no more.

Temba Bavuma avoids being dismissed lbw by Josh Hazlewood after a review shows a surprising spike on the Ultra-edge, with South Africa 66-4 in their first innings in the Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.

FOLLOW LIVE: ICC Test Championship final – South Africa vs Australia day two

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After Gareth Southgate resigned from the role of senior team boss following Euro 2024, Carsley had a six-game spell in charge of the Three Lions, winning five matches and losing one and guiding England back to the top tier of the Nations League.

He is now back at under-21 level and recently signed a new deal with the Football Association that lasts until 2027.

“It’s important I just do a good job, I’m just trying to do it again [win the Euros],” said Carsley. “The priority is the Euros and I won’t be taking my eye off of that.

“Hopefully we’ll be good to watch. That’s what you want. You want people back home watching the next generation of England players and being excited by it.”

There are 16 nations in the tournament in Slovakia, with England placed in Group B, along with Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, with the top two from each section moving into the quarter-finals.

Carsley’s 23-man squad includes Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento, who has one cap for the senior side, along with plenty of players with Premier League experience, including Liverpool’s title-winning duo Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott.

Other players named include Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Tottenham’s Archie Gray, Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood, Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, Manchester City’s James McAtee and Ipswich’s Omari Hutchinson.

Arsenal winger Ethan Nwaneri, at 18, is the youngest player in the England squad after a breakthrough season for the Gunners, which saw him score nine goals in all competitions.

West Bromwich Albion forward Tom Fellows is a late addition to the squad, replacing Jobe Bellingham, who has been included in Borussia Dortmund’s squad for the Fifa Club World Cup after joining the German club from Sunderland earlier this week.

Fellows had travelled to Slovakia as an additional training player.

Goalkeepers: James Beadle (Brighton), Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea), Tommy Simkin (Stoke).

Defenders: Charlie Cresswell (Toulouse), Ronnie Edwards (Southampton), CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Brooke Norton Cuffy (Genoa), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Archie Gray (Tottenham), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton), Tyler Morton (Liverpool), Alex Scott (Bournemouth).

Forwards: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Tom Fellows (West Bromwich Albion), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich), Sam Iling Jnr (Aston Villa), James McAtee (Manchester City), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Jonathan Rowe (Marseille), Jay Stansfield (Birmingham).

South Africa’s Marco Jansen juggles the ball before successfully completing the catch at slip to dismiss Australia’s Steve Smith for 66 runs on day one of the ICC Test Championship final at Lord’s.

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Webster was developing into anything but a gimmick. Like a host of all-rounders, success in one discipline fed the other.

In the 2023-24 season, his 938 runs were by far the most in the Sheffield Shield, supplemented by 30 wickets. Only one other player in Shield history had managed 900 runs and 30 wickets in a single season: the greatest all-rounder of them all, Sir Garfield Sobers.

Webster was getting noticed, but from a recognition point of view, his timing was horrific. Australia have not historically been blessed with seam-bowling all-rounders, but were in a bountiful period with Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh.

It took a back injury to Green and a dip in form by Marsh for Webster to get his chance in the fifth Test against India at the beginning of this year. His parents, Rod and Tina, were so caught off guard by his selection that they had to make a short-notice trip to Sydney and their plea for a house-sitter in Tasmania hit the headlines., external

With the series still alive, he top-scored with 57 out of 181 in the Australia first innings and followed up with an unbeaten 39, including the winning runs, in the second. He also took a wicket and two smart slip catches. In the two Tests that followed in Sri Lanka, Webster dusted down his off-spin to show his versatility.

Green is fit again, albeit only as a specialist batter. Webster is hoping there’s space in the Australian XI for both of them at Lord’s, then in the Caribbean and the Ashes.

“It breeds the best in me when I’m up against guys and competing,” he says. “I’d welcome the challenge. I can only keep scoring runs and taking wickets to keep my place in that XI, but no doubt it will only become harder and harder.”

The marriage to Maddie came after the Sri Lanka tour.

“Coincidentally with the seam-bowling stuff, Maddie came into my life at the same time as my career took off, so she’ll probably claim some credit,” says Webster.

“Everything that goes with being a professional cricketer – there are more bad days than good – she’s my biggest fan.

“I’m sure we’ll do something for a honeymoon. We’ll find a window at some point in the next few months.”

Webster has already ticked off an Australia debut and a wedding. Now there is a World Test Championship final to win and an Ashes urn to retain.

“That would be the perfect 12 months.”