Sports

By Homero De la Fuente, CNN Texas Tech has suspended men’s basketball head coach Mark Adams for what the school calls an “inappropriate, unacceptable, and racially insensitive comment,” the school announced on Sunday. “On Friday, Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt was made aware of an incident regarding a coaching session between Adams, who is White,

By Issy Ronald, CNN Jon Jones won the UFC heavyweight title in some style on Saturday, defeating France’s Ciryl Gane with a first-round submission following a three-year absence and a step up in weight division. But Jones’ long sabbatical and body transformation seemed almost irrelevant once he was in the Octagon, as he defeated Gane

By Matt Foster, CNN Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant apologized via his representation Saturday after posting a video of himself earlier in the day, appearing to hold a gun. “I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” the statement read. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and

By Wayne Sterling and Emma Tucker, CNN NASCAR driver Chase Elliott will miss Sunday’s race in Las Vegas after injuring his leg while snowboarding in Colorado, Hendrick Motorsports has announced. Elliott, who fractured his tibia while snowboarding, had a “successful surgery” Friday night that lasted roughly three hours, Jeff Andrews, Hendrick Motorsports president and general

By Issy Ronald, CNN Max Verstappen secured pole position for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, beginning his attempt to win a third consecutive world title in the best possible way. He will start Sunday’s Grand Prix at the front of the grid, a place ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez, who completed a

By Matias Grez, CNN Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal made a surprise appearance at UFC 285 in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday. The actor was shooting scenes for an upcoming remake of the 1989 movie ‘Road House’ and took part in a weigh-in alongside former UFC fighter Jay Hieron, who will star alongside Gyllenhaal. Video footage

By Issy Ronald, CNN Jordan Stolz won the men’s 500m event at the 2023 ISU World Speed Skating Championships in Heerenveen, the Netherlands on Friday to become the youngest ever single distance world champion. The 18-year-old American blew away his competition with a time of 34.10 seconds, only 0.03 seconds shy of the track record

By Ben Church, CNN Diana Savenok smiles when she recalls what life was like in Ukraine before Russia’s invasion just over a year ago. The mother of two girls — Sofia and Lily — Savenok lived peacefully in Irpin, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv, in an apartment block with 40 other families. This

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN Barcelona has announced the signing of 18-year-old João Mendes, who is the son of former club legend Ronaldinho. Mendes signed a deal on Thursday to join the Catalan giant from Brazilian side Cruzeiro. The teenager, who had previously hidden his identity as the former Brazil star’s son when he first joined

By Sammy Mngqosini and Federico Jofré Two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at a supermarket owned by the in-laws of Argentina captain and Paris Saint-Germain striker Lionel Messi in Rosario, Argentina, on Thursday, according to police. The incident occurred during the early hours of Thursday morning, leaving 14 bullet holes at a market owned

By Ben Church and Chris Wallace, CNN Over his 42 seasons as head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, Mike Krzyzewski became synonymous with college basketball. Affectionately known as ‘Coach K,’ he retired in 2022 as the all-time winningest coach in men’s Division I college basketball (1,129 games), winning five national championships along the way.

By George Ramsay, CNN Cyclist Kateřina Nash has avoided a four-year ban after the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) linked her positive drug test with medication she had been administering to her dog. Nash, who has represented the Czech Republic in mountain biking and cross-country skiing at the Summer and Winter Olympics, tested positive for the

By Aimee Lewis, CNN A new season and much has changed, yet much also remains the same in Formula One. No sport does personality, politics and drama quite like F1, which explains the global success of the Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive,” the fifth season of which premiered last week. Fresh on our screens is

By Joseph Ataman and Sammy Mngqosini, CNN Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been implicated in a “kidnapping and torture” investigation in France, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed to CNN on Wednesday. This follows allegations that Al-Khelaifi was involved in the transfer of “likely compromising” documents from a French-Algerian citizen, Tayeb Benabderrahmane, who claims to

By Wayne Sterling and Alasdair Howorth, CNN Former Miami Dolphins head coach and current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL and three teams — the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans — can proceed instead of going to arbitration, a federal judge said on Wednesday. Judge Valerie

By Sophia Saifi, Asim Khan and George Ramsay, CNN Shahida Raza, a football and hockey player who left her native Pakistan to secure medical treatment for her son, was among those killed in a shipwreck off the coast of Italy on Sunday. She was 29. Also known as “Chinto,” Raza was a member of Pakistan’s

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN FIFA’s decision to appoint Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima as its global fan ambassador ahead of the Women’s World Cup has been derided as “tone deaf” and “truly baffling” by former Australian international Moya Dodd. Soccer’s world governing body announced Monday that Lima, a former Victoria’s Secret model, would “develop, promote and

By Amanda Davies and Alasdair Howorth, CNN More than 20 years after his Formula One debut, Fernando Alonso is as hungry as ever ahead of the start of the 2023 season, which gets underway on Friday at the Bahrain Grand Prix. That desire for success led him to make the seismic decision last year to

By Matias Grez, CNN French soccer legend Just Fontaine, who still holds the record for most goals scored by a player at a single World Cup, has died aged 89, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced. The former striker scored 13 goals in six matches at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, putting him joint-fourth

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN A court in San Marino has fined Italian professional cyclist Antonio Tiberi 4,000 euros (around $4,250) after he pleaded guilty to shooting a cat belonging to the tiny republic’s minister of tourism, Federico Pedini Amati, a court spokesperson confirmed to CNN. Tiberi, an Italian who lives in San Marino, also

By Ben Church, CNN Umpires for the spring training preseason game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Pittsburgh Pirates were not fussed about working any overtime on Tuesday as they left the field before the players. In fairness to the officials, the game had officially ended when Baltimore’s Josh Lester grounded out to second base

By Sara Smart and Jennifer Henderson, CNN A Vermont girls high school basketball team forfeited an out of state tournament after refusing to play against a team that had a transgender player. Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) was set to play Long Trail School on February 21, but MVCS forfeited the game due to a

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN Paul Pogba made his long-awaited return to football after almost a year on the sidelines in Juventus’ 4-2 win against city rival Torino in Serie A. The former world champion came off the bench in the 69th minute with the scores level at 2-2 and helped the Bianconeri seal a much-needed

By Kevin Dotson and Matias Grez, CNN The San Diego Padres have signed third baseman Manny Machado to a new 11-year contract through the 2033 season, the team announced Tuesday. The contract extension is worth $350 million, according to Spotrac, making it the fourth-highest contract in MLB history. “This has been a long journey,” Machado

By Wayne Sterling, CNN Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he “would love to give the storybook ending” to Damar Hamlin’s recovery from a cardiac arrest, but admitted it’s still unclear whether the 24-year-old would play again. Hamlin collapsed after making a tackle in a game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals on

By Sammy Mngqosini, CNN Embattled French Football Federation (FFF) president Noël Le Graët has resigned, the federation announced in a statement on Tuesday. “Noël Le Graët announced today to the Executive Committee of the French Football Federation his decision to leave his position,” the FFF said in the statement. It added: “The FFF would like

By Isil Sariyuce, CNN Supporters of Turkish soccer team Fenerbahçe, who chanted anti-government slogans during a previous match, have been banned from attending this weekend’s game against Kayserispor, according to a team statement. Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber confirmed the decision on Tuesday, saying visiting fans will not be allowed inside the stadium as Fenerbahçe

By George Ramsay, CNN Lionel Messi and Alexia Putellas were crowned the best players in men’s and women’s football at FIFA’s annual awards ceremony in Paris on Monday. Messi, who guided Argentina to World Cup glory at the end of last year, was honored as the Best FIFA Men’s Player for the second time in

By Ben Morse, CNN The Los Angeles Lakers’ rollercoaster season shows no sign of slowing down. During the Lakers’ 27-point comeback victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, TV cameras caught LeBron James saying he heard his foot “pop” when landing from a layup. The 38-year-old was seen walking gingerly after the game despite being

By Ben Church, CNN At just 16 years old, Mia Brookes became the youngest snowboarding world champion after winning gold in the women’s slopestyle at the Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia on Monday. Brookes claimed her win in style — becoming the first woman to land a CAB 1440 double grab

By CNN’s Meron Moges-Gerbi and Jalen Brown The men’s swimming and diving team at Howard University won the 2023 Northeast Conference Championship on Saturday, the team’s first title in more than 30 years, the school’s athletic department tweeted. The all-Black swim team earned 928 points during five days of competition in Geneva, Ohio, surpassing four

By Sammy Mngqosini, CNN A prominent human rights group has written to Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali to raise serious concerns over what it claims is the sport’s ongoing role in “sportswashing” ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The new season gets underway in Bahrain on March 5, ahead of which the Bahrain Institute for

By Ben Church, CNN Tick tock, tick tock. The new MLB rules are coming fast at players; just ask Cal Conley. The Atlanta Braves hitter looked as confused as everyone else on Saturday when the new pitch clock regulation sparked confusion during a spring training game between the Braves and the Boston Red Sox. With

By Jack Bantock, CNN Shirtless and mud-spattered — golf fans tuning in to the Honda Classic on Saturday would have been forgiven for thinking they’d switched over to the wrong channel. Because not just once, but twice during his third round, American golfer Akshay Bhatia was forced into an impromptu wardrobe change at the PGA

By Jack Bantock, CNN It had been 2,836 days since Chris Kirk last won on the PGA Tour. Yet after securing his first victory in over seven years on Sunday, that was not the first milestone the American golfer had on his mind. A nail-biting playoff victory over compatriot Eric Cole at The Honda Classic

By Jill Martin and Ben Church, CNN Novak Djokovic has achieved another milestone in his illustrious tennis career, surpassing Steffi Graf to spend the most weeks at No. 1 in the world. On Monday, Djokovic started his 378th week as the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world No. 1, spending the most weeks in that

By Matias Grez, CNN Paris Saint-Germain took control of the title race in Ligue 1 on Sunday with a huge 3-0 win away at bitter rival Marseille to extend its lead at the top of the table to eight points. It was a masterclass in attacking football from Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, who combined

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN Damian Lillard set an NBA record in his monster scoring night on Sunday, racking up 71 points in 39 minutes, including 13 three-pointers, as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 121-114. With his effort, Lillard became the first player in NBA history to score more than 70 points in

By Hande Atay Alam and Isil Sariyuce, CNN In a show of support for children impacted by the earthquake in Turkey, soccer fans threw stuffed animals onto the pitch during a match between Beşiktaş and Antalyaspor on Sunday. The game stopped at four minutes and 17 seconds to correspond with the time the earthquake struck

By Issy Ronald, CNN Betrayal has formed part of European politics since polities started forming — just ask Julius Caesar, who asked “Et tu Brute?” as his friend stabbed him for the good of the Roman Republic. Fast forward to April 2021 and the machinations behind the proposed European Super League (ESL) that would have

By Homero De la Fuente and Tara Subramaniam, CNN YouTuber Jake Paul suffered the first defeat of his fledgling boxing career on Sunday night as pro boxer-turned reality TV star Tommy Fury edged him out in a split decision in Saudi Arabia. Two judges both scored the fight 76-73 for Fury, with the third judge

By Homero De la Fuente, CNN Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has completed his “darkness retreat” in Oregon, according to ESPN. Scott Berman, owner of Sky Cave Retreats, told ESPN’s Xuan Thai that the four-time MVP spent “several days and nights” at the Ashland, Oregon facility. CNN has reached out to Rodgers and Berman

By Homero De la Fuente, CNN Sevilla’s 2-0 loss to PSV Eindhoven in Thursday’s Europa League match turned ugly when a pitch invader ran on the field and punched the Spanish club’s goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović at the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Towards the end of the match, which resulted in PSV being eliminated

By Ben Morse, CNN It’s an Olympic sport which has its origins in Ancient Greece, and which helped stars of the ring such as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Nicola Adams, Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor become known to global audiences. These days, however, Olympic boxing is on the ropes, bruised and battered by

By Sara Smart, CNN Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden spoke via video call Wednesday with John Hao, a fan of Harden’s and one of the Michigan State University students wounded in a mass shooting on campus last week. A video shared with CNN by Harden’s management team shows the NBA star giving words of encouragement

By Aimee Lewis, CNN Barcelona may be leading La Liga by a handsome eight-point margin but once again in European competition the Catalan club fell short, losing 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford to exit the Europa League 4-3 on aggregate. Brazilians Fred and Antony secured the comeback win for the English Premier League

By Matias Grez, CNN The International Basketball Association (FIBA) has issued an apology to French sensation Victor Wembanyama after the organization published a supposed interview with the teenager on its website. Wembanyama called out the interview on his Instagram story on Wednesday, writing: “4 days ago, FIBA published a FAKE interview of me. WTF???” In

By Sammy Mngqosini, CNN World tennis number one Novak Djokovic is hopeful for “a positive result” on US tennis tournament participation ahead of next month’s Indian Wells and Miami Open tournaments, after applying for special permission to play there. The United States still requires international visitors to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and the Serbian, who

By George Ramsay, CNN During his rugby career, Campbell Johnstone built a reputation as a tough scrummager with “the best right shoulder in the game,” according to one of his former coaches. He played three times for the All Blacks — a dream for thousands of young rugby players in New Zealand — and represented

By Matias Grez, CNN The Los Angeles Clippers officially unveiled the signing of Russell Westbrook on Wednesday, two days after he was waived by the Utah Jazz. Westbrook was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Jazz as part of a three-team deal on February 10 following a turbulent 18 months with his hometown

By Ben Morse and David Close, CNN Meyers Leonard is returning to the NBA two years after he last played in the league after the Milwaukee Bucks announced on Wednesday he had signed on a 10-day contract. The 30-year-old center has been out of the league since 2021 after he used an antisemitic slur during

By George Ramsay, CNN The wreckage of Romain Grosjean’s Formula One car from his crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix will be displayed at an exhibition in Madrid next month. Grosjean was trapped in the flaming car for 28 seconds after colliding with the track wall at close to 120 miles per hour. He

By Patrick Snell and Amy Woodyatt, CNN Following this month’s earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria, Turkish soccer star Merih Demiral is organizing a fundraiser to support victims of the devastation in his home country Demiral, who plays for Italian Serie A club Atalanta, is auctioning off jerseys and kits of superstar players like Cristiano