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  • ‘As special as it gets’: LeBron James solidifies legendary status by becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer | CNN

    ‘As special as it gets’: LeBron James solidifies legendary status by becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    It was a night of wild expectations and LeBron James, once again, delivered.

    With a mid-range fadeaway bucket, his 36th point of the night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scoring, breaking a 39-year-old record to add another historic achievement to his already storied career.

    After his shot had found the bottom of the net, the game came to a halt to allow James to savor his moment.

    Amid the bedlam and a sea of cameras, James’ family – his wife, two sons and daughter – came out onto the court to celebrate the occasion with him. The great Abdul-Jabbar was also in attendance, later handing James the ball in an official passing of the torch.

    It was the first time since since Abdul-Jabbar surpassed Wilt Chamberlain in 1984 that the scoring record has changed hands.

    The debate surrounding who the greatest basketball player of all time is will undoubtedly rumble on indefinitely, but James has provided yet more ammunition for those fans who fight his corner.

    Even for a man with four NBA titles and four MVP crowns to his name, James’ latest accomplishment will undoubtedly rank among his greatest.

    What makes James’ latest feat all the more impressive is that many people, fans and pundits alike, do not believe scoring has ever been his best attribute.

    In the Lakers’ victory over the New York Knicks last week, James surpassed surpassed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash to move up to fourth place on the NBA’s all-time assist leaderboard and is now the only player in NBA history to rank inside the top five in both all-time points and assists.

    “I mean, he’s as special as it gets,” two-time NBA All Star Joakim Noah, who faced James multiple times over a 13-year career, told CNN Sport. “A great player.

    “We had a lot of competitive moments and it was always about trying to get past ‘that guy.’ So there were good moments, bad moments, but overall what he’s doing at his age, at 38 years old, and still being able to dominate the game and be that invested in the work and what it takes to be at the top, you’ve got to give a lot of respect to that.

    “What’s unbelievable about that is his scoring is probably not his best thing, you know, he’s a better distributor, he’s a pass-first guy so to be able to lead the NBA in scoring and be a pass-first guy, it says a lot about his dominance.”

    Indeed, so dominant has James been in almost every other facet of the game during his near 20-season career, you will find his name in the top 10 of many of the NBA’s all-time leading statistics.

    The 38-year-old ranks 10th in games played, fourth in assists, ninth in steals, second in field goals made, 10th in three-pointers made and fourth in free throws made.

    It’s a testament to not only his incredible abilities as a basketball player, but also his remarkable durability that James at times still looks as explosive in year 20 at the age of 38 as he did in his prime.

    But perhaps nothing speaks to his longevity and generation-spanning career than the number of father-son duos that James has played against.

    In a comical moment caught on NBA TV cameras last month, Houston Rockets rookie Jabari Smith Jr was heard telling James: “Hey, you played against my dad in your first NBA game ever in Sacramento.”

    “Why you do that to me?” James replied. “You feel old, don’t you?” Smith Jr. laughed.

    In his post-match interview, James joked that Smith Jr. had made him feel “old as crap.” Despite his Cleveland Cavaliers losing on that night in Sacramento, James still posted 25 points, six rebounds, nine assists and four steals in his NBA debut.

    Fast forward to the game against the Rockets, James scored a season-high 48 points to go with nine assists and eight rebounds.

    Incredibly, Jabari Smith Jr and Jabari Smith Sr are the ninth father-and-son duo that James has come up against in his career, the others being Kenyon and KJ Martin, Gary Trent Jr. and Sr, Gary Payton Sr. and Gary Payton II, Rick Brunson and Jalen Brunson, Glenn Robinson Jr. and Glen Robinson III, Adrian Griffin Sr. and Jr., Glen Rice Sr. and Jr. and Samaki Walker and Jabari Walker.

    Being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school, James was perhaps the most famous, most marketed and most publicized high school athlete in the history of sports.

    Such was the unprecedented hype around James while he was playing for St. Vincent – St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, that he signed a seven-year, $90 million contract with Nike on May 22, 2003, before he had even played an NBA game.

    His high school basketball games were always packed to the rafters and regularly moved to the bigger home arena of the University of Akron, while some were even shown on national television and pay-per-view.

    James’ popularity led to him gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of just 17, alongside the famous moniker ‘The Chosen One.’ It’s fair to say James has lived up to it.

    “We gave the keys to the whole entire business to an 18-year-old kid, and now he’s 38 years old and he’s still dominating,” Kyrie Irving, James’ teammate in Cleveland from 2014 to 2017, told reporters last week.

    LeBron James' 'silencer' celebration is one of his most iconic moments.

    “I don’t think we should be surprised. I think we should congratulate him and celebrate him as much as possible. Continue to enjoy the shows that he put on because it’s not going to be for too much longer.

    “Whenever he decides to [not] play, but I’m enjoying the show and I wish we could have gotten a chance to play against one another, but who knows what can happen down the line?”

    Whether or not one ranks James as the greatest player of all time is purely a matter of preference, but he is unquestionably in the top two.

    Few things in basketball have been consistently as thrilling over the years as watching James drive down the lane, barrel past defenders and finish with a trademark tomahawk dunk.

    He has also been a part of numerous iconic NBA moments; the “blocked by James” commentary from Mike Breen in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals; the ‘silencer’ celebration after a winner against Golden State in 2014; and the pre-dunk celebration photo of him and Dwyane Wade in 2010.

    The list could go on.

    This photo of James dunking off a Dwyane Wade assist is one of the most iconic in NBA history.

    James’ unique legacy has left an indelible mark on teammates, opponents, franchises and the league as a whole.

    During his time in the league, James has played for the Miami Heat – the site of his first two NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 – the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers twice, the second stint bearing fruit to arguably his greatest triumph, as he led the Cavs to the Larry O’Brien trophy after falling to an unprecedented 3-1 Finals deficit against the Golden State Warriors in 2016.

    “I definitely saw this when we were playing together,” Irving, who hit the championship-winning shot in Game 7, said. “His ability to prepare himself mentally, spiritually, emotionally, game to game, day to day.

    “I’ve been quoted on saying it’s hard to be LeBron James, or any superstar, or any entertainment, sport, athletic or business industry, because all eyes are on you. But he’s handled it extremely well.”

    James’ reputation and standing among the best to have ever played the game of basketball need no justification, but two-time NBA champion Joe Dumars – who played at the tail end of Abdul-Jabbar’s era of the NBA – says James’ new record only further cements his legendary status.

    “I mean, LeBron is clearly an all-time great,” he told CNN Sport at the 2023 NBA Paris Game. “He’s a once-in-a-generation player and to become the all-time leading scorer when he’s not just a scorer, he’s a complete player, I just think it speaks to just how incredible he is.

    “Once every 100 years, you see a guy like that and so I just think he’s an incredible player. I think becoming the all-time leading scorer is just going to just solidify him on the Mount Rushmore in America. Whoever those other three guys are, LeBron’s one of them.

    “I don’t know who the other three are, but LeBron is one of them.”

    It’s likely many NBA fans would have Abdul-Jabbar as one of the other three players on their NBA Mount Rushmore, with Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell making up the remaining spots.

    While James and Abdul-Jabbar are two vastly different players from very different eras, Dumars says they have similarities as “very intellectual, highly intelligent players.”

    “I think they both, besides just scoring points, they both had a drive to win to be a world champion, to be the best,” Dumars says. “So I think intelligence and the drive to win, besides the points, is what is similar about those two guys.”

    What makes James’ record all the more astonishing is that he is still far from finished writing his legacy.

    His current contract with the Los Angeles Lakers runs until the end of the 2024/25 season – James has regularly stated he wants to play at least one year with his son, Bronny, who will likely enter the NBA draft in 2024 – and this year he has continued to set personal and league records.

    Against the Los Angeles Clippers last month, he hit a career-high nine three-pointers in a game, while his inclusion in this year’s All Star game takes his number of All-Star appearances to 11, tying Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time record.

    Injury permitting, James is guaranteed to break that record next season.

    With his 46 points in that game against the Clippers, the Akron native also became the first player in NBA history to achieve the frankly ludicrous feat of scoring 40+ points against all 30 teams in the league.

    James’ personality, marketability and, most importantly, his electric talent as a basketball player have made his name synonymous with the sport. In the same way Roger Federer transcended tennis, Tiger Woods golf and Cristiano Ronaldo football, even non-sports fans know the name LeBron James.

    For many years, Abdul-Jabbar’s record was thought to be one of the untouchable milestones in the NBA. Then, along came James to not only surpass it, but blow it out of the water.

    Dumars has no doubt that players will come along with the technical ability to break the record once again, but the longevity of James and Abdul-Jabbar, who played until he was 42, means it will still be incredibly unlikely.

    “Listen, the game evolves, things change,” he said. “They don’t stay. It may take a while, but can someone come and do it? Yeah, of course someone can come and do it. But they’re going to have to be great for 20 years and that’s the thing with LeBron and Kareem, like 20 years.

    “You have to be great that long and so are there people who are talented enough to do it? Yes. Can they stay healthy for 20 years to do that? That’s what’s going to determine it.”

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  • Superbowl LVI was crypto’s coming out party. This year, the party’s over | CNN Business

    Superbowl LVI was crypto’s coming out party. This year, the party’s over | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    Super Bowl LVI was the crypto world’s coming out party. Buzzy firms made bold pitches last year, and shelled out millions of dollars on ads encouraging viewers not to be afraid of this new-fangled digital investment — and for God’s sake don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity!

    You can expect a lot less noise from Team Crypto during Super Bowl LVII next Sunday.

    In the year since those celebrity-packed ads debuted, the entire crypto industry has been rattled by a collapse in digital asset values. Bankruptcies began to pile up over the summer.

    Then the real pain started.

    Of the four crypto or crypto-affiliated companies that advertised in the Super Bowl last year, one (FTX) has collapsed completely. The others (Coinbase, Crypto.com and eToro) have fought against industry headwinds. Shares of Coinbase, the only publicly traded company in the group, have fallen more than 60% since its “floating QR code” ad became one of the most talked-about spots.

    Don’t expect any of those companies to be back this year. FTX is bankrupt and under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors. Etoro, a multi-asset trading platform, confirmed to CNN it would not be splurging on an ad this year, saying that while it continues to invest heavily in marketing, “we dial up or down specific channels based on many factors including market conditions.”

    Coinbase declined to comment. Representatives for Crypto.com — the company behind the ad featuring LeBron James telling his younger self to “call your own shots” — didn’t respond to requests for comment.

    But there will be at least one crypto-adjacent newcomer. Limit Break, a blockchain-based game developer, has secured a spot and intends to give away 40,000 NFTs, or non-fungible tokens (aka one-of-a-kind digital collectibles) to viewers who scan its QR code. Limit Break, founded in 2021, said it has already raised $200 million and expects to grow “a massive global audience.”

    Despite what is being called a “crypto winter,” sports advertising remains a crucial avenue for the digital curency, marketing experts say, as their target demographics share significant overlap — sports fans and crypto traders tend to be mostly male and mostly young.

    But turmoil in the crypto space means marketers are changing their tactics.

    “The tone has shifted towards Web3-driven fan engagement over crypto-specific advertising,” said Silvia Lacayo, head of marketing at crypto exchange Bitstamp US. (Web3 refers to a future internet framework that is decentralized and gives consumers more control over their own data).

    “Crypto firms are focusing less on crypto advertising and more on investing in better user experiences, products, and customer service,” Lacayo added.

    Although we don’t yet know the final lineup of advertisers for the Super Bowl, the usual suspects — beer, snacks, cars — are on deck as usual.

    “The fact that the crypto players are not going to be on the Super Bowl reflects the fact that that world has profoundly changed,” Calkins said. “Last year it was an exuberant time for crypto … This year, everything is different.”

    A year ago, FTX fetched a private valuation of around $32 billion. Its Super Bowl ads featured Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen. Another FTX ad featured Larry David in a role that, a year later, appears prescient, with David sarcastically predicting that FTX won’t make it.

    In November, nine months after the ad debuted, FTX filed for bankruptcy. Several former executives have been charged with wire fraud and conspiracy over allegations FTX misappropriated customer funds.

    “It’s amazing how you can look back one year you realize we were in such a different place,” Calkins said. “Last year we had a Super Bowl advertiser saying, ‘fly me to the moon,’” he said, referencing the music in eToro’s ad, which many read as a nod to the meme-stock traders’ rally cry.

    But a year of higher inflation, the end of pandemic-era stimulus and higher interest rates has put a damper on financial markets — not only crypto, but traditional markets as well.

    That shift in mood will likely show up in the kinds of advertisers we see and in their messaging.

    “Our economy’s in a strange place,” Calkins says. “So if you’re an advertiser, it’s hard to know — how do you play that?”

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  • Denver Broncos make deal with New Orleans Saints to hire Sean Payton as head coach | CNN

    Denver Broncos make deal with New Orleans Saints to hire Sean Payton as head coach | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints have agreed to a trade that will allow Denver to hire Sean Payton as its new head coach, the Broncos announced Friday.

    “Sean Payton is an outstanding leader and Super Bowl champion with a brilliant offensive mind. He shares our commitment to winning championships for Broncos Country and we’re excited to welcome him as our new head coach,” Broncos Owner and CEO Greg Penner said in a statement.

    Payton coached the Saints to victory in Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 and led the team for 15 years before stepping down as head coach after the 2021 season. Because Payton was still under contract with New Orleans, a trade was required for the Broncos to obtain Payton’s services.

    “It is rare in any sport to hire a head coach with Sean’s credentials and we appreciate the first-class manner in which the Saints approached this process,” Penner said.

    The details of the trade, as announced by the Saints, include Denver sending its 2023 first round draft pick and 2024 second round pick to New Orleans in exchange for Payton and the Saints’ 2024 third round pick.

    “I was excited for us, I’m excited for Sean,” Saints assistant general manager Jeff Ireland said Wednesday.

    “I’m in charge of the draft, so more draft picks for our staff and our team. That’s exciting. So, I’m looking forward to getting to work a little bit more in the first round. I thought it was really good compensation.”

    Payton will replace Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired before completing his first season as an NFL head coach after guiding the team to just four wins in 15 games. Denver finished the 2022 season 5-12.

    The Broncos will introduce Payton as the team’s 20th head coach at a press conference Monday.

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  • Morocco’s big moment: The Club World Cup might be an afterthought for Europe, but it’s the Holy Grail for the rest of the world | CNN

    Morocco’s big moment: The Club World Cup might be an afterthought for Europe, but it’s the Holy Grail for the rest of the world | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Less than six weeks after the national team’s remarkable performance at the World Cup, Morocco finds itself at the center of world soccer as it hosts the FIFA Club World Cup.

    Since 2005 the Club World Cup has been held annually, featuring the six winners of each continent’s equivalent to Europe’s Champions League tournament, plus an additional club from the host nation.

    Over the last decade, European teams have dominated the tournament, last losing a match when Brazilian club Corinthians beat Chelsea in the 2012 final. Fourteen-time European Cup winner Real Madrid will enter the 2023 competition as heavy favorites.

    Unlike the World Cup where there is a group stage, the clubs play a straight knockout tournament with the caveat that various continents qualify for different stages of the tournament.

    The champion of Oceania plays the host club in the first round. The winner is then drawn with the champions of Africa, Asia and North America in two knockout games. The winner of each game then plays the European and South American champions in the semifinals.

    Because Wydad Casablanca is both the champion of Morocco and Africa, the role of “host” passes to Egyptian club Al Ahly who lost to the Moroccan team in the final of the African Champions League in May.

    Wydad enters the tournament at the quarterfinal stage, playing against Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia with South American champion Flamengo waiting in the semifinals.

    Hunting a record fifth title, Real Madrid also enters at the semifinal stage and will face either New Zealand club Auckland City, Al Ahly, or the Seattle Sounders – the first ever US club to play in the Club World Cup.

    No African club has ever won the Club World Cup, but Wydad fan Mohamed Berrada is confident that in a tournament on home soil, the team can channel the success of its history-making national side – and perhaps even lift the trophy.

    “We had a very good World Cup with the national team in Qatar,” Berrada tells CNN Sports. “Everybody is talking about us, and we know that we will be very followed in this Club World Cup.”

    Expectations are high for the club with tickets for Wydad’s first match against Al Hilal selling out in under two hours as fans from Casablanca will make the one hour journey to Rabat’s 53,000 capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

    Fans who regularly watch the English Premier League, La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League could be forgiven for asking the question: who cares about the Club World Cup? The European teams nearly always win, it adds extra fixtures to an already busy calendar, and fans have to watch their team play in far-flung countries.

    That sentiment is shared by some players. Manchester United great Paul Scholes once said on BBC Radio Five Live that the Club World Cup was less important to him than his local badminton tournament.

    But take a step outside Europe and the perception of the competition is very different.

    Flamengo fan João Paulo still views his team’s 3-0 triumph over Liverpool in 1981 in the Intercontinental Cup – a precursor to the Club World Cup – as the greatest moment in the club’s history.

    Despite Europe’s dominance in the tournament, it is still taken just as seriously in Brazil as it was 40 years ago.

    In 1981 Paulo listened to the match against Liverpool on the radio; in 2019, he made the trip to Qatar where Flamengo lost against the same opponent, and this year he is one of thousands of Flamengo fans making the trip to Morocco.

    Flamengo's Zico takes on Liverpool's Ray Kennedy, Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen.

    “I believe that for us, for Brazilian and for South American supporters, winning the [Club] World Cup is something incredible. It’s amazing,” he tells CNN Sports.

    “If we win this or if any team from South America can win this, this would be something that would change your life as a supporter.”

    It’s a sentiment is not limited to South America.

    Pitso Mosimane, who took Egyptian giants Al Ahly to back-to-back bronze medals in 2020 and 2021 and is arguably Africa’s greatest coach in the modern era, says the Club World Cup was the “highlight” of his career.

    “It’s the pinnacle of any club coach,” he tells CNN Sport.s “What’s the biggest tournament you want to play? Some would say the Champions League, but the Champions League leads you to the Club World Cup.”

    For Mosimane and others, the Club World Cup is the one chance that players, coaches, and fans get to test themselves against the very best.

    And even in a format that Mosimane says loads the dice in favour of Europeans and South American teams by allowing them to enter at the semifinals, the Club World Cup is the opportunity for fans of the Sounders, Al Ahly, Wydad and even Auckland City to earn the respect that Real Madrid has by dint of its geography.

    Those “loaded dice” are potentially on their last roll as Morocco’s tournament is the final Club World Cup to be held in its current format.

    Perhaps lost amidst the hysteria of Lionel Messi winning his first World Cup title was the announcement made by FIFA president Gianni Infantino that the Club World Cup would be turned into a 32-team tournament played every four years, starting in 2025.

    It is recognition from the head of world soccer that the tournament has not drawn the interest that the concept warrants.

    With the tournament falling at the same time as the major leagues in Europe and just a few weeks ahead of the resumption of the Champions League, FIFA has recognized that it needs to both expand the tournament and find a time that does not clash with major club soccer.

    Soccer’s global governing body has not provided any information on the format of the tournament beyond the number of participants, but the announcement has caused quite a stir, particularly in Europe.

    The Seattle Sounders will be the first team from the US to play at the Club World Cup after beating Pumas UNAM in the CONCACAF Champions League final.

    The Premier League maintains its position that it is, “committed to preventing any radical changes to the post-2024 FIFA international match calendar that would adversely affect player welfare and threaten the competitiveness, calendar, structures and traditions of domestic football.”

    FIFPRO, the global player’s union, said that the tournament could have “serious consequences for and aggravate pressure on the welfare and employment of players.”

    However, Infantino’s idea has traction outside of Europe.

    “We would love to see our team playing against more and more international teams,” says Berrada.

    Moroccan journalist Amine El Amri agrees, bemoaning the “frustrating” model of the tournament now that gives the Europeans and South Americans an advantage over the other continents.

    He tells CNN Sports: “I think it’s just so enchanting for the people of those countries to have their countries in a [Club] World Cup.”

    Even in an expanded format, European clubs would arrive as heavy favorites and there are very real concerns about player welfare as the global soccer calendar mercilessly fills up.

    But for those outside of Europe, an expanded Club World Cup, if organized properly, is a potential opportunity for those seen as second-class clubs to take their place alongside European clubs at the top table of world soccer.

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  • Kansas City Chiefs to face Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII | CNN

    Kansas City Chiefs to face Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The Kansas City Chiefs are advancing to Super Bowl LVII following a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

    After suffering a high ankle sprain last week in the Chiefs’ Divisional Round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Patrick Mahomes led the team to a victory in a back-and-forth game.

    Kansas City got out to a 6-0 lead after two field goals and before halftime, Mahomes found his favorite target – tight end Travis Kelce for a touchdown to take a 13-3 lead. Kelce was listed as questionable to play coming into the game due to a back injury.

    Right before halftime, the Bengals drove down the field and kicked a field goal to cut the deficit to 13-6.

    On the Bengals’ first offensive possession of the second half, quarterback Joe Burrow found wide receiver Tee Higgins for a 27-yard touchdown to tie up the game at 13. However, a clearly hobbled Mahomes and the Chiefs responded with a laser touchdown throw to Marquez Valdes-Scantling to take the lead right back.

    The Chiefs defensive unit shut down the high-powered Bengals offense until the first play of the fourth quarter.

    On fourth down, Burrow heaved the ball down the field and found Ja’Marr Chase for a 35-yard strike to move Cincinnati deep into Kansas City territory. Two plays later, the Bengals scored on a 2-yard touchdown run by running back Samaje Perine to tie the game yet again.

    The Chiefs sacked Burrow on third down to give them the ball back with less than a minute left and the score tied at 20. Chiefs returner Skyy Moore returned the Bengals punt 29 yards to set the offense up with good field position. On third down, Mahomes scrambled and as he went out of bounds, Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai pushed him and was called for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty which put the Chiefs in field goal range.

    Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker knocked down the 45-yard field goal to send the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons.

    Earlier in the day, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 31-7, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, to advance to championship game for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

    The Eagles scored on their first possession and didn’t look back in the rout of the 49ers.

    The 49ers were momentarily left without rookie starting quarterback Brock Purdy after he suffered a right elbow injury in the first quarter, on a hit by Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick that forced a fumble. Josh Johnson, who is the fourth string quarterback for San Francisco, filled in for Purdy until the third quarter before being ruled out of the game with a concussion.

    Playing on the injured elbow, Purdy re-entered the game but the 49ers offense struggled to tally any points.

    Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia run-game, ran all over the 49ers defense, notching 148 rushing yards and scoring all four touchdowns on the ground. With his rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, Hurts (15) passed Cameron Newton (14) for most rushing touchdown’s in a single season by a QB in NFL history, including playoffs, according to NFL Research.

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  • ‘We got cheated’: LA Lakers furious after missed foul in loss to Boston Celtics | CNN

    ‘We got cheated’: LA Lakers furious after missed foul in loss to Boston Celtics | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    LeBron James was left hunched on the court in frustration after referees missed a foul on his attempted game-winning layup, and the Los Angeles Lakers succumbed to a 125-121 overtime loss against the Boston Celtics.

    With the game tied at 105 and less than three seconds on the clock, James drove in for a layup and was hit on the arm by Jayson Tatum, but the referees didn’t call a foul leading to overtime.

    James hopped around the court, his head in his hands in complete disbelief, while Patrick Beverley got a camera from a photographer to show the ref a picture of the missed call and received a technical foul in return.

    James had poured in a game-high 41 points, leaving him 117 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record, as well as nine rebounds and eight assists but was furious afterwards.

    “I don’t understand,” he told reporters after the game. “I don’t understand what we are doing and I watch basketball every single day. I watch these games every single day and I don’t see it happening to anyone else. It’s just weird.”

    The Lakers’ fury was magnified by a series of previous calls which they have seen as poor officiating during close defeats to the Dallas Mavericks and the Philadelphia 76ers.

    “We got cheated tonight,” Lakers power forward Anthony Davis said afterwards. “It’s a blatant foul… It’s unacceptable to be honest. The refs were bad tonight.”

    Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown added 11 points in overtime for the Celtics to help secure victory and snap their three-game losing streak. His 37 points in the game also included a three-pointer to tie it up with 4.1 seconds left of regulation time. Tatum contributed 30 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

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  • Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney revel in FA Cup’s enchantment | CNN

    Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney revel in FA Cup’s enchantment | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took control of lower league soccer club Wrexham AFC in 2021, it was widely assumed that it was the Hollywood stars who would be bringing the magic.

    Two years on, however, this isn’t just a story about the A-listers generously sprinkling stardust – it’s more about the Hollywood duo getting to experience the enchantment of English football, notably the FA Cup.

    “I think what a lot of people don’t understand about the sport of football is how much anxiety it creates more than any other sport,” McElhenney told CNN’s Don Riddell as he reflected on Wrexham’s remarkable 4-3 victory over Coventry City to reach the fourth round of the world’s oldest competition.

    “That last 20 minutes was harrowing, it was amongst the greatest and worst 20 minutes of my entire life,” added McElhenney, as he relived how Wrexham nervously held on having led 4-1 at one stage of the match.

    The world’s third-oldest football club, Wrexham has never played in the top-flight of English football, but the club has a proud record in the FA Cup, having previously reached the quarterfinals and famously beat Arsenal in the third round in 1992.

    Currently playing in the National League – English soccer’s fifth tier – Wrexham was 60 places and three divisions below Coventry when the two teams met in the FA Cup third round.

    McElhenney and Reynolds made headlines when they completed their takeover of the club in 2021, with ambitions of taking the Welsh club back to the top of soccer.

    Wrexham is one of a number of Welsh teams that play in the English football league system due to the club being founded before the creation of the Welsh football league

    At the time of the takeover by McElhenney and Reynolds, Wrexham had been languishing outside the top four divisions of English soccer, known as the Football League, for over a decade.

    McElhenney and Reynolds have already delivered a TV series – “Welcome to Wrexham” – which documents their time at the club as its emerges from obscurity.

    Second in the National league – behind leaders Notts County on goal difference, but having played a game less – if Wrexham wins promotion it will play in English football’s League Two next season.

    Secure three more promotions and Wrexham will be playing in the Premier League.

    And on Sunday, Wrexham hosts Sheffield United in the FA Cup’s fourth round.

    United is second in the Championship – and on course to win promotion to the Premier League – and is likely to provide a much stiffer test than Coventry.

    “I think, especially for Americans to see a tournament like this, we just don’t have really anything like this. So there’s something really, really special about this one,” McElhenney says.

    The owners’ obvious passion for the club has won over the hearts of Wrexham fans and allowed McElhenney, a guy from Philadelphia, to connect with a community from rural Wales.

    “I know those people, I grew up with those people, I am one of those people and to be welcomed into their community has been the ride of my life,” added McElhenney.

    McElhenney’s love for soccer, like many in North America, is a new-found love.

    The star of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” had been more of a NFL and hockey man, but that changed when he watched a soccer documentary about Diego Maradona.

    “I was watching this tiny man who was a magician, I just never seen an athlete do what that man was able to do with the football,” McElhenney recalls of the man widely considered to be one of the world’s greatest ever players.

    But it was Maradona’s successor – Lionel Messi – who consummated McElhenney’s love for the beautiful game.

    “I had a friend say, ‘You think that guy’s magic? I know of another little man who’s playing right now, who is doing just what Madonna did, except he’s doing it at the highest level for a longer period of time.’

    “Of course that was Messi.”

    McElhenney began to take more of an interest in soccer, though admits he struggled with the concept of promotion and relegation.

    “It’s amazing how many times I’ve had to explain the system over the last year and a half to wide-eyed, slack jawed Americans who had never heard anything like this, and to be fair, I was one of them.”

    McElhenney missed the final couple minutes of Wrexham's win over Coventry when the feed for US viewers temporarily went down.

    McElhenney loved the concept that a team could rise from nothing to the top of a sport through the merit of their performances.

    “That was really the impetus for this entire thing,” says McElhenney on buying Wrexham.

    “It just got my wheels turning insofar as what a great story, what a great opportunity to take a storied club with a rich history, who maybe hasn’t been succeeding at the level that they should be and to invest in them.

    “Not only in them, but in the community itself and to see if we could bring them back to their glory in a way that you just could not do in American sports.”

    A fourth-round FA Cup tie is not the only unexpected experience for McElhenney – in December, he and Reynolds met King Charles III and Camilla, the queen consort.

    The British monarch visited Wrexham to commemorate the granting of “city status” as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier in the year.

    As part of the royal visit, Charles and Camilla visited the Racehorse Ground – the world’s oldest stadium according to Guinness World Records and the home of AFC Wrexham – and shared a moment with the two actors on the pitch.

    Wrexham Football Club co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney speak with Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla, as they visit Wrexham Football Club.

    “I didn’t plan to go in December, but when the king calls you come, you hop on a plane and you come,” McElhenney recalls.

    “His majesty made a joke that I thought was really funny to me and her majesty, the queen consort, really inquisitive and curious about the ladies’ team, about what we were doing with the stadiums.

    “We spoke for over an hour, and I just was not expecting that at all. It was, it was truly an honor and something I’ll cherish forever.”

    McElhenney and Reynolds have clearly been on quite the journey. A second series of “Welcome to Wrexham” is due for release later this year and with an ambition to reach the Premier League, there is plenty more in store for the pair.

    But first Sunday’s game against Sheffield United.

    “I went to visit last summer and it’s a beautiful town full of wonderful people, they could not have been more welcoming,” smiles McElhenney.

    “But they of course are now the enemy … I’m sharpening my blade for the Blades,” a reference to United’s nickname, which is a nod to Sheffield – once the steel-making capital of the world.

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  • Damar Hamlin enters Buffalo Bills team locker room ahead of playoff game, CBS broadcast shows | CNN

    Damar Hamlin enters Buffalo Bills team locker room ahead of playoff game, CBS broadcast shows | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was shown on CBS’s “The NFL Today” pregame show entering the Bills’ locker room at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday, three weeks after his on-field collapse and near death.

    Hamlin, 24, was driven in a cart to the locker and was wearing sunglasses and a jacket, sold through his Chasing M’s clothing line, with the hood pulled up. CBS also showed the arrival at the stadium of two people the broadcast reported to be Hamlin’s mother Nina and his younger brother.

    The Bills team Twitter account also posted video of his entrance with the message, “Welcome home, @HamlinIsland,” tagging Hamlin’s account.

    Buffalo plays the Cincinnati Bengals at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.

    The arrival represents Hamlin’s first public appearance since he collapsed after making a tackle in the first quarter of the Bills-Bengals game on January 2. Doctors and trainers gave Hamlin CPR on the field and he was rushed out of the stadium in an ambulance, leaving players, coaches, fans and those watching on TV in shock and unsure whether he was alive.

    Medical officials said he suffered a cardiac arrest, meaning his heart abruptly stopped beating. The game was postponed and ultimately canceled.

    Since then, Hamlin has made remarkable progress, and he was discharged from a Buffalo medical center on January 11.

    Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters Wednesday that Hamlin has been at the team facility almost daily.

    “It’s limited, just overall, but he comes in and – it really just started really today or yesterday – just trying to get back to a little bit of a routine, just getting himself acclimated again, taking it one baby step at a time,” McDermott said.

    Still, Hamlin’s longtime friend and business partner Jordon Rooney told CNN Hamlin still has a “lengthy recovery” ahead.

    “Damar still requires oxygen and is having his heart monitored regularly. He has visited with the team a few times but he still gets winded very easily,” Rooney said. “He’s upbeat and positive and ready to continue to overcome this.”

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  • Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both score in thrilling exhibition match in Saudi Arabia | CNN

    Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both score in thrilling exhibition match in Saudi Arabia | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo put on a show as they came head to head in Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-4 win over a Riyadh All-Star XI on Thursday.

    The exhibition match was played in Saudi Arabia’s capital and saw the two superstars renew their storied rivalry for possibly the last time.

    Despite being a friendly, the game was played at a furious pace as a packed out crowd inside the King Fahd Stadium was treated to a goal-fest between the French champion and a team consisting of the best players from Saudi’s domestic league.

    It was Messi who opened the scoring with a well taken finish within three minutes before Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot after colliding with PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

    Juan Bernat was then sent off for the French giant after bringing down Salem Al Dawsari as the last man, before defender Marquinhos reestablished PSG’s lead by turning in a wonderful cross from Kylian Mbappé.

    The breathtaking action continued with Neymar seeing his penalty saved before Ronaldo leveled the scores 2-2 before the break when he reacted quickest after his initial header hit the post.

    The Portugal international has yet to make his debut since moving to Al Nassr after the World Cup, but he delighted the crowds on Thursday by performing his trademark celebration.

    The 37-year-old is set to make his debut on Sunday as Al Nassr hosts Ettifaq at Mrsool Park.

    There was no let up in the second half with Sergio Ramos putting PSG back ahead after more brilliant work from Mbappé, before Jang Hyun-soo’s header leveled proceedings again.

    Mbappé then got on the score sheet himself after converting another penalty before both Ronaldo and Messi were substituted after the hour mark.

    Even without the two big names on the pitch, the game continued at a frantic pace and youngster Hugo Ekitike eventually put PSG out of sight after calmly finishing off a counterattack.

    There was still time, though, for Anderson Talisca to convert a long-range effort which ended up serving as little more than a consolation.

    The exhibition game was more than organizers could have dreamed of with all the biggest stars playing a part in a thrilling encounter.

    “Players from our league relished the opportunity to pit their talents against some of the best players in the world, such as Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, Achraf Hakimi, and, of course, Lionel Messi,” Saudi Pro League chairman AdbulAziz Al-Afaleq said in a statement.

    The game was played in front of a packed out crowd inside the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

    “Backed by an incredibly passionate crowd at the King Fahd International Stadium, the Saudi Pro League players truly put in a performance to be proud of that showcased the strength of Saudi Arabian football.”

    However, the match has been criticized by Amnesty International, which says the game was another example of sportswashing – a phenomenon whereby corrupt or autocratic regimes invest in sport and sports events to whitewash their international reputation – from both Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which bankrolls PSG through the company Qatar Sports Investments.

    “Ronaldo’s big-money transfer to Al Nassr and Messi’s engagement by the Saudi authorities as a tourism ambassador are both part of Riyadh’s aggressive sportswashing programme, with the authorities seeking to exploit the celebrity appeal of elite sport to deflect attention from the country’s appalling human rights record,” Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK’s economic affairs director, said in a statement.

    He added: “Saudi Arabia’s extensive use of sport as an exercise in soft power is well-known, but with Qatari-owned PSG appearing in Riyadh we effectively have two sportswashing superpowers – Saudi Arabia and Qatar – flexing their muscles.

    “Saudi Arabia and Qatar have both poured vast amounts of money into sporting ventures in a bid to rebrand themselves and switch international attention away from their human rights records – efforts which have been only partially successful.

    “Footballers like Ronaldo and Messi have huge profiles and we’d like to see them resisting being used as the famous faces of sportswashing, including by speaking out about human rights issues in both Saudi Arabia and Qatar.”

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  • Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS enters bidding process to buy Manchester United — The Times reports | CNN

    Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS enters bidding process to buy Manchester United — The Times reports | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s company INEOS has formally entered the bidding process to buy Premier League soccer club Manchester United, according to The Times on Wednesday.

    This comes after United’s owners, the Glazer family, announced they were exploring new investment or the potential sale of the English Premier League side in November 2022.

    “I can confirm that we have formally put ourselves into the process,” the spokesperson said without adding details.

    Ratcliffe is a majority shareholder of chemical group INEOS which owns French side Nice, Swiss club Lausanne-Sport, the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team and has a partnership with the Mercedes F1 team.

    Ratcliffe had previously expressed interest in buying the Red Devils in the summer.

    In an email to CNN Sport in August, a spokesman for Ratcliffe confirmed his interest in the renowned Premier League club, saying: “We are simply confirming interest in the club if it is for sale.”

    According to Forbes, Manchester United is worth $4.6 billion.

    Controlled by the Glazer family, which also owns the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, United is one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world, but it hasn’t won the English Premier League since 2013.

    In May, Ratcliffe made a last-minute bid to buy Chelsea FC before losing out to the Todd Boehly consortium.

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  • Video: This woman has the power to stop an NFL game. See why | CNN

    Video: This woman has the power to stop an NFL game. See why | CNN

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    Video: This woman has the power to stop an NFL game. See why

    The NFL requires all teams to have an emergency action plan, or EAP, for all player facilities, including practice fields. These plans include details about where ambulances are located, the quickest route to the hospital, where medical equipment is stored, and even what radio and hand signals will be used in case of a medical event. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta gets a rare look inside the game routine for NFL medical staff.

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  • Down 27-0, the Jacksonville Jaguars complete a wild playoff comeback victory over the Los Angeles Chargers | CNN

    Down 27-0, the Jacksonville Jaguars complete a wild playoff comeback victory over the Los Angeles Chargers | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    After an improbable streak of five victories at the end of the regular season to send the Jacksonville Jaguars to a division title and a berth in the NFL postseason, what could have been next in store as they faced the Los Angeles Chargers in the opening Wild Card round?

    How about an improbable playoff comeback.

    Down 27-0 in the second quarter, the Jaguars made a miraculous run – capped with a last-second field goal – to defeat the Chargers 31-30 at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field Saturday night. 

    The Jaguars had as bad of a first half as a team can possibly have. Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions as the team fell behind. Lawrence settled down and threw a touchdown right before halftime to cut the deficit to 27-7. 

    In the second half, Lawrence threw three more touchdowns to eventually make it a 30-28 game. With less than four minutes to go in the game, the Jaguars defense came up big and forced the Chargers to punt. 

    Jacksonville drove down the field and Riley Patterson kicked a game-winning 36-yard-field goal to complete the comeback. 

    The 27-point comeback is the third biggest in NFL postseason history. 

    Lawrence would finish the game with 288 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.

    Mired with a 4-8 record during the regular season before their winning streak, the Jaguars now await Sunday’s action around the league to determine their next opponent in the playoffs.

    Earlier Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers defeated their division rival Seattle Seahawks 41-23 behind rookie sensation Brock Purdy’s huge game. 

    The 23-year-old quarterback threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns. 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey added 119 yards on the ground and caught a touchdown. 

    Purdy, known as “Mr. Irrelevant” for being drafted with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is now 6-0 as a starter since taking over the job from injured Jimmy Garoppolo. 

    The 49ers will either host the Minnesota Vikings if they beat the New York Giants on Sunday or play the winner of Monday’s showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys if the Vikings lose. 

    The Wild Card round continues with three games on Sunday and one game on Monday. Super Bowl LVII is scheduled for February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. 

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  • Free-agent shortstop saga ends with Carlos Correa returning to Minnesota Twins | CNN

    Free-agent shortstop saga ends with Carlos Correa returning to Minnesota Twins | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The free-agent saga surrounding shortstop Carlos Correa has finally come to an end.

    The coveted World Series winner signed a six-year guaranteed contract to return to the Minnesota Twins, the MLB team announced Wednesday.

    The deal is reportedly worth $200 million, according to the salary tracking website Spotrac.

    Minnesota is the third MLB team this offseason with whom the 28-year-old has agreed a massive deal.

    “I’m happy to be here in Minnesota, I’m happy to be a Twin,” Correa told reporters Wednesday.

    “We started something special last year and there is some more work to be done. At the end of the day, we want to bring a championship back to this city. That’s what we’re going to work for from now on.”

    After a lone season in Minnesota, Correa agreed on a 13-year, $350 million contract on December 13 with the San Francisco Giants, according to Spotrac. That deal fell through due to concerns arising from his physical.

    Eight days later, the New York Mets offered the shortstop a 12-year, $315 million deal, per Spotrac. But that deal also fell apart because of his physical.

    In a statement Wednesday, the Mets said: “We were unable to reach an agreement. We wish Carlos all the best.”

    Correa signed with the Twins on a three-year, $105.3 million deal, per Spotrac, in March. He opted out of the final two years in November.

    The Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico native hit .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI in 136 games last season.

    Prior to joining the Twins, the 2012 top overall draft pick for the Houston Astros played with the Astros for seven seasons and was named to two All-Star teams in 2017 and 2021.

    Correa was part of Houston’s first World Series title team in 2017. He won his first Gold Glove, which is awarded to the best defender at each position, in 2021.

    The 28-year-old has batted .279 with 155 homers and 553 RBI in eight MLB seasons.

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  • Lovie Smith said the NFL had ‘a problem’ about Black coaches. A year later he was fired and the league is being criticized yet again about its lack of diversity | CNN

    Lovie Smith said the NFL had ‘a problem’ about Black coaches. A year later he was fired and the league is being criticized yet again about its lack of diversity | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    When Lovie Smith was hired by the Houston Texans in February 2022 as the team’s new head coach, he said the NFL had “a problem” with hiring Black coaches and diversity.

    “I realize the amount of Black head coaches there are in the National Football League,” Smith told reporters just under a year ago.

    “There’s Mike Tomlin and I think there’s me, I don’t know of many more. So there’s a problem, and it’s obvious for us. And after there’s a problem, what are you going to do about it?”

    Smith was fired Monday at the end of his one and only season at the helm of the Texans, finishing with a record of 3-13-1.

    Smith is the second Black coach in two years to be relieved of his duties by the Texans, which fired David Culley at the end of the 2021 season.

    Smith’s time in charge wasn’t full of wins and high points – though his parting gift to the organization was a last-minute Hail Mary victory over the Indianapolis Colts, which saw them relinquish the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Chicago Bears. But his Texans team showed togetherness and competence, traits often desired by outfits undergoing a rebuild.

    Houston general manager Nick Caserio said Smith’s firing was the best decision for the team right now.

    “On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Lovie Smith for everything he has contributed to our team over the last two seasons as a coach and a leader,” Caserio said in a statement.

    “I’m constantly evaluating our football operation and believe this is the best decision for us at this time. It is my responsibility to build a comprehensive and competitive program that can sustain success over a long period of time. We aren’t there right now, however, with the support of the McNair family and the resources available to us, I’m confident in the direction of our football program moving forward.”

    But the firing of the 64-year-old coach, the Texans organization as a whole, and the measures implemented by the league to promote diversity have been heavily criticized by former players and TV pundits.

    “The Houston Texans have fired Lovie Smith after 1 year. Using 2 Black Head Coaches to tank and then firing them after 1 year shouldn’t sit right with anyone,” former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III tweeted Sunday, when news of Smith’s firing broke.

    On ESPN, Stephen A. Smith and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin also condemned the decision. Smith called the Texans organization an “atrocity.”

    “They are an embarrassment. And as far as I’m concerned, if you’re an African American, and you aspire to be a head coach in the National Football League, there are 31 teams you should hope for. You should hope beyond God that the Houston Texans never call you,” Smith said.

    Irvin said Black coaches are being used as “scapegoats” by the Texans.

    “It’s a mess in Houston and they bring these guys in and they use them as scapegoats. And this is what African American coaches have been yelling about for a while and it’s blatant, right in our face,” he said.

    When CNN contacted the Texans for comment, the team highlighted the moment at Monday’s news conference when Caserio was asked why any Black coach would consider working for the team, and his response was that individual candidates would have to make their own choices.

    “In the end it’s not about race. It’s about finding quality coaches,” the general manager said. “There’s a lot of quality coaches. David (Culley) is a quality coach. Lovie (Smith) is a quality coach.

    “In the end, each coach has their own beliefs. Each coach has their own philosophy. Each coach has their comfort level about what we’re doing. That’s all I can do is just be honest and forthright, which I’ve done from the day that I took this job, and I’m going to continue to do that and try to find a coach that we feel makes the most sense for this organization. That’s the simplest way I can answer it, and that’s my commitment.

    “That’s what I’m hired to do, and that’s what I’m in the position to do. At some point, if somebody feels that that’s not the right decision for this organization, then I have to respect that, and I have to accept it.”

    CNN has reached out to Lovie Smith for comment.

    At the beginning of the 2022 season, NFL.com reported Smith was one one of just six minority head coaches in the NFL, a low number in a league where nearly 70% of the players are Black.

    Since Art Shell was hired by the Los Angeles Raiders in 1989 as the first Black head coach in modern history, there have been 191 people hired as head coaches, but just 24 have been Black.

    However, the NFL has taken steps to increase diversity in the coaching ranks.

    Notably, in 2003, the NFL introduced the Rooney Rule to improve hiring practices in a bid to “increase the number of minorities hired in head coach, general manager, and executive positions.”

    But the Rooney Rule hasn’t been an unqualified success.

    In 2003, the Detroit Lions were fined $200,000 for not interviewing any minority coaches before hiring Steve Mariucci as their new head coach.

    In response to criticism, the NFL announced it was setting up a diversity advisory committee of outside experts to review its hiring practices last March. Teams would also be required to hire minority coaches as offensive assistants.

    Despite changes to the rule being implemented in recent years to strengthen it, a 2022 lawsuit alleges that some teams have implemented “sham” interviews to fulfill the league’s diversity requirements.

    Last February, former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a federal civil lawsuit against the NFL, the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins organizations alleging racial discrimination.

    Flores, who is Black, said in his lawsuit that the Giants interviewed him for their vacant head coaching job under disingenuous circumstances.

    Two months after submitting the initial lawsuit, Flores added the Texans to it, alleging the organization declined to hire him this offseason as head coach “due to his decision to file this action and speak publicly about systemic discrimination in the NFL.”

    In response to the lawsuit, the Texans said their “search for our head coach was very thorough and inclusive.”

    The NFL called Flores’ allegations meritless.

    “The NFL and our clubs are deeply committed to ensuring equitable employment practices and continue to make progress in providing equitable opportunities throughout our organizations,” the league said in response to the lawsuit.

    “Diversity is core to everything we do, and there are few issues on which our clubs and our internal leadership team spend more time. We will defend against these claims, which are without merit.”

    But 12 months after firing their last Black head coach, the Texans have fired another one.

    “How do you hire two African Americans, leave them one year and then get rid them?” questioned NFL Hall of Famer Irvin.

    “You know the mess that Houston is,” Irvin added. “We get the worst jobs and we don’t get the opportunity to fix the worst jobs, just like this.

    “I don’t know any great White coach that would take the (Texans) job unless you give them some guarantees. ‘You’re going to have to guarantee me four years to turn this place around.’ But the African American coaches can’t come in with that power because Lovie wouldn’t have got another job.

    “This was his last chance to get back into the NFL and you have to take what’s on the table to try to change that.”

    The Texans are now searching for a new head coach under general manager Caserio. The new appointment will be Caserio’s third coach in the role: It is almost unprecedented for a general manager to get the opportunity to hire a third head coach with the same team.

    Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said he would take on a more active role in the hiring process. The next head coach will be the organization’s fourth in three years.

    According to the NFL, the Texans have requested to speak to five candidates already about filling Smith’s position, a list that includes two Black coaches.

    After Smith was hired in March 2021, McNair said: “I’ve never seen a more thorough, inclusive, and in-depth process than what Nick (Caserio) just went through with our coaching search.”

    At that introductory news conference, Smith spoke candidly about how to bring greater diversity to the NFL coaching ranks.

    “People in positions of authority throughout – head coaches, general managers – you’ve got to be deliberate about trying to get more Black athletes in some of the quality control positions just throughout your program. If you get that, they can move up, that’s one way to get more.”

    Smith continued: “It’s not just an interview, if you’re interviewing a Black guy. It’s about having a whole lot of guys to choose from that look like me. And it’s just not about talk. You look at my staff, that’s what I believe in. And letting those guys show you who they are. That’s how we can increase it, then it’s left up to people to choose. We all have an opportunity to choose, and that’s how I think we’ll get it done.”

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  • Georgia Bulldogs crush the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs 65-7 to win second consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship | CNN

    Georgia Bulldogs crush the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs 65-7 to win second consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs scored on their first six drives and dominated No. 3 Texas Christian University 65-7 to win their second consecutive College Football Playoff championship game on Monday night in Inglewood, California.

    In the convincing win, Heisman Trophy-finalist quarterback Stetson Bennett passed for four touchdowns and ran for two more to lead the Bulldogs (15-0), who became the first team to win back-to-back national titles since Alabama in 2011 and 2012.

    Bennett finished 18-of-25 with 304 yards passing in his final collegiate contest. He left the game with 13:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.

    Georgia built a 38-7 halftime lead, scoring the final 28 points before intermission after TCU’s Max Duggan, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, rushed for a touchdown that made it 10-7 with 5:45 left in the first quarter.

    The Bulldogs controlled play and the clock in the half, having the ball for almost 19 of the first 30 minutes and outgaining the Horned Frogs (13-2) 354 yards to just 121.

    The onslaught continued in the second half until Georgia head coach Kirby Smart effectively called off the dogs and began using more second-team players in the fourth quarter. By then it was 52-7.

    Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, a sophomore wide receiver, had two touchdown grabs, including a wide-open, 37-yard reception that brought the first six of the Bulldogs’ 55 consecutive points.

    Sophomore tight end Brock Bowers, the national player of the year at his position, had one touchdown catch in his seven receptions and 152 yards receiving.

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  • Damar Hamlin is showing continued progress and expects to be released from the hospital in the coming days, source says | CNN

    Damar Hamlin is showing continued progress and expects to be released from the hospital in the coming days, source says | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has shown continued progress with his recovery after his cardiac arrest and on-field collapse, and expects to be released from the hospital in the coming days, a source told CNN.

    Six days after 24-year-old Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the NFL star on Sunday posted a photo of himself on social media that shows him sitting up in his hospital bed and making a heart sign with his hands while wearing a number 3 hat and a “Love for Damar” shirt.

    Hamlin tweeted more than a dozen times reacting to the Bills 35-22 win over the New England Patriots Sunday, and expressed his desire to be out on the field with his teammates.

    “It’s GameDay & There’s Nothing I Want More Than To Be Running Out That Tunnel With My Brothers,” he wrote.

    Hamlin also watched from his hospital bed Sunday as teams across the NFL honored him during the last games of the regular season, with players, coaches and fans expressing their support with T-shirts, signs and jersey patches featuring his name and his number 3.

    At the Bills’ Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, several of Hamlin’s teammates took the field waving flags with his name and jersey number while many in the audience raised heart-shaped signs to pay tribute to the football player.

    The day before, the Bills tweeted that Hamlin continues to breathe on his own and his neurological function is excellent, but he was still in critical condition, citing his doctors.

    Hamlin collapsed after making a tackle during the first quarter of the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals last Monday night. He was rushed from the field in an ambulance, leaving players crying and embracing, and unleashing an outpouring of support from fans and others across the country.

    The game was initially postponed, then later canceled by the NFL.

    Fans sign a poster with messages of support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin outside Highmark Stadium Sunday.

    Before Sunday’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Bengals, the medical staff who rushed to Hamlin’s aid were honored at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium – the same field where Hamlin suffered the cardiac arrest.

    At New York’s Highmark Stadium, Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown gave a game ball to assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, the man credited with saving Hamlin’s life by administering critical CPR to the football player – who doctors say lost his pulse on the field had to be immediately revived through resuscitation and defibrillation.

    The immediate response of Kellington and other medical personnel was vital to “not just saving his life, but his neurological function,” Dr. Timothy Pritts, one of Hamlin’s doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, has said.

    Hamlin was sedated after being taken to the hospital. Doctors announced Thursday that he had started to awaken and he appears neurologically intact, while still critically ill and on a ventilator.

    “Did we win?” was Hamlin’s first question upon awakening, according to Pritts, who said he scribbled the question on a clipboard.

    On Friday, the Bills said Hamlin’s breathing tube was removed overnight and he had spoken to his teammates via video.

    Following the victory over the Patriots on Sunday, Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White said Hamlin texted members of the team prior to Sunday’s game, saying, “I’m thinking about y’all, I’m sorry that I did that to y’all.”

    “For him to check on us when he is the person that’s going through what he’s going through – that just shows what type of person he is.”

    White said incident Monday’s incident still haunts the six-year NFL veteran.

    “To see everything transpire, from the hit, to him getting up, to him falling, to everything – it’s just something that I can’t … unsee. Every time I close my eyes it replays. I tried watching tv and every time the tv goes to commercial, that’s the only thing that comes to my mind,” White said.

    During Sunday’s Bills game, the public address announcer read a statement of support for Hamlin and received a roar from the crowd, which included fans in a sea of blue and red who held up signs of support for Hamlin saying “BILLI3VE,” “All the heart for #3,” “Love for Damar,” “Did we win” and “Thank You Medical Staff!”

    Several of Hamlin’s teammates, including Josh Allen and Kaiir Elam, took the field waving flags with Hamlin’s name and jersey No. 3.

    Then the game began with a bang.

    Bills returner Nyhiem Hines took the opening kickoff for a 96-yard touchdown, sending the crowd into euphoria and prompted Hamlin to tweet, “OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

    Hines said the team needed this win after the events of the past week.

    “As a community, I feel like we needed this win. I feel like my brothers in that locker room, we needed some great energy and some great vibes. And we had to win this,” Hines said.

    Other teams around the league also paid tribute to Hamlin Sunday.

    In Cincinnati, Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who was involved in the play where Hamlin was injured, wore a “Love for Damar” t-shirt during pregame warmups.

    Prior to the start of the game, the stadium’s announcer read a statement that asked fans for a moment of support for Hamlin, his family and the first responders.

    The fans in Cincinnati, many with signs supporting Hamlin, cheered loudly. The television broadcast also showed Bengals coach Zac Taylor wearing a “Love for Damar” hoodie during the tribute.

    Ahead of the Chargers-Broncos game, Broncos Quarterback Russell Wilson and Chargers safety Derwin James met at midfield, both wearing No. 3, and led a moment of support for Hamlin.

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  • Damar Hamlin is able to breathe on his own and talk to teammates, giving the Buffalo Bills ‘fuel’ for this weekend’s game | CNN

    Damar Hamlin is able to breathe on his own and talk to teammates, giving the Buffalo Bills ‘fuel’ for this weekend’s game | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Just four days after his stunning on-field cardiac arrest, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is breathing on his own and speaking to family, physicians and teammates – positive updates that Bills players say will bolster them in this weekend’s matchup against the New England Patriots.

    “To hear him talk to us, it was everything, and that’s what we needed. Literally that’s all we needed,” Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said of the team’s Friday video call with Hamlin, who is still undergoing treatment at a Cincinnati hospital.

    Hamlin – who was sedated and placed on a ventilator after his collapse Monday – began awakening late this week and was able to have his breathing tube removed before Friday morning, physicians have said.

    “Love you boys,” the 24-year-old player told his team Friday via FaceTime, according to head coach Sean McDermott, who added that Hamlin flexed his arms and made his signature heart-shaped hand gesture during the call.

    Since he collapsed during the “Monday Night Football” game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin “continues to progress remarkably in his recovery” and “his neurologic function remains intact,” the Bills tweeted Friday, citing his physicians.

    Dawkins described the emotional “roller coaster” this week has been for the team – who watched in shock as Hamlin received CPR on the field and was carried from the stadium in an ambulance. But he said news of Hamlin’s significant improvement “will for sure fuel us” in the team’s Sunday showdown against the Patriots.

    “The excitement was beautiful, it was amazing,” he said of the call with Hamlin. “It has given us so much energy, so much bright, high spirits – whatever you want to call it – it has given it to us to see that boy’s face.”

    Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said Hamlin’s continued recovery is “uplifting news” for the city of Buffalo, which has recently been struck by several tragedies, including a racist mass shooting and a brutal blizzard that left at least 41 dead in Erie County.

    “What happened to Damar Hamlin, his injury, was another gut punch to the city of Buffalo and to see him recovering so remarkably is certainly lifting spirits throughout our community and across the country,” Brown told CNN’s Kate Bolduan Friday.

    After millions witnessed Hamlin’s emergency play out live, a wave of support has emerged from fans and strangers across the nation, many of whom have purchased his jersey or donated to his foundation’s charity fund, which has topped $8 million raised as of Saturday morning. Teams across the NFL have also rallied behind the Bills player by wearing his number, 3, lighting up stadiums and scoreboards, and sharing words of solidarity.

    Displays of support will continue this weekend as the league prepares for an emotional return to competition for the final games of the regular season on Saturday and Sunday. The NFL plans to honor Hamlin before each game.

    The NFL announced Thursday the Bills-Bengals game – which was initially postponed Monday night – will not be resumed or made up.

    The cancellation will have no effect on which teams qualify for the playoffs, as both the Bills and Bengals have already secured spots. But the imbalance in number of games played has prompted the league to approve unprecedented provisions for the postseason based on how the Bills and Bengals are seeded and their potential opponents.

    As players head into the final week of the regular season, the NFL announced several ways that teams may honor Hamlin before this weekend’s matchups, including holding a “moment of support” before games or outlining the “3” on the 30-yard line in the Bills’ red or blue colors.

    Players also have the option to wear shirts emblazoned with “Love for Damar 3” during warmups and the Bills will wear “3” patches on their jerseys, the NFL said.

    Bills general manager Brandon Beane – who stayed in Cincinnati following the game’s postponement to be with Hamlin and his family – praised the unified message of support across the league this week, noting how characteristically competitive the sport is.

    “Yeah, we go to battle. But in the end, life is the number one battle,” Beane said Friday. “And to see that unity from players, coaches, (general managers), owners, fans, is unheard of. But I think it’s a good light. It sheds a great light on the NFL. The NFL is truly a family.”

    The NFL Players Association named Hamlin its Community MVP of Week 18, announcing that the organization will donate $10,000 to his Chasing M’s Foundation.

    Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders said he was able to video chat with Hamlin, telling him, “You know you’re the most famous person in the world right now?”

    Hamlin replied, “But not for the right reasons,” according to Sanders, who told Hamlin, “You’re blessed, bro, you don’t know how blessed you are.”

    Sanders describe Hamlin as his best friend and said the two spoke after every game, according to NFL Network reporter James Palmer.

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  • ‘Monday Night Football’ telecast in which Hamlin collapsed was most watched in ESPN’s history | CNN Business

    ‘Monday Night Football’ telecast in which Hamlin collapsed was most watched in ESPN’s history | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    The NFL showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, which was postponed in the first quarter after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field, was the most-watched “Monday Night Football” telecast in ESPN history, averaging 23.8 million viewers, according to preliminary ratings.

    Nielsen said Wednesday that the broadcast had an average of 23,788,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 from approximately 8:30 pm to 10:09 pm. The massive audience makes it the most-watched “Monday Night Football” broadcast since the NFL moved the series to ESPN in 2006, surpassing the previous record of 21.8 million viewers for a Packers-Vikings game in 2009.

    Monday’s high-profile game, however, was suspended when Hamlin collapsed in the first quarter just moments after an open field tackle of Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin had his heartbeat restored on the field and is currently in critical condition at a Cincinnati hospital.

    During game play, ESPN averaged 21.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings. That audience then grew to 23.9 million viewers between 9 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. when ESPN aired news coverage of Hamlin’s collapse.

    An ESPN spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday that, given the special circumstances around Monday’s game, it was not clear whether the viewership numbers would be factored into the season average or used for historical purposes.

    Following Hamlin’s injury, ESPN quickly cut to a commercial break and continued the broadcast for more than an hour, reporting on Hamlin’s injury as it awaited word from the NFL on if the game would resume.

    While ESPN has received praise for its calm and measured reporting that avoided speculation on the cause of Hamlin’s horrifying injury, the network notably chose not to interview medical professionals about what millions of viewers had witnessed.

    Veteran “SportsCenter” anchor Scott Van Pelt, who anchored the program following the game, told CNN a decision was made to focus strictly on the facts of what had occurred.

    “My personal preference was that I didn’t want to bring in a physician to speculate,” Van Pelt said. “I totally see the other side, where a well-trained eye of a physician might recognize something that might totally make sense. But I just didn’t want to be speculating.”

    Before Hamlin’s devastating injury, the game was expected to be among the most-viewed Monday Night Football games in ESPN’s history. The Bills (12-3) faced off against the Bengals (11-4), the defending AFC champions, with both teams hoping to secure the number one seed in the division.

    The NFL has not yet announced when the teams will continue the postponed game.

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  • Opinion: I understand what Damar Hamlin’s teammates are going through | CNN

    Opinion: I understand what Damar Hamlin’s teammates are going through | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: Coy Wire is a sports anchor and correspondent for CNN. The views expressed here are his own. Read more opinion on CNN.



    CNN
     — 

    She couldn’t understand why.

    She’d just seen his body convulse on the field, then players huddling around him in prayer on bended knee.

    “How in the world were we living in a world where a player was tragically paralyzed during a game, and minutes later, the whistles blew, and the game played on as if nothing had happened?”

    That’s what my wife asked me in 2007, after she witnessed a tragic scene at a game in which I was playing for the Buffalo Bills. She saw my teammate Kevin Everett fall limp to the turf after a collision during a kickoff resulting in a severe spinal cord injury. She was one of the 70,000+ fans in the stadium who watched on in silence as Kevin fought for his life. An emergency procedure likely saved his life. He never played again.

    But our team played on that day.

    At the time, I had to tell my wife, who did not grow up with any familiarity with sports or sport culture, “Injuries are part of the game and, when they happen, we players say our prayers, then move on … and play on.”

    I reiterate, she couldn’t understand why.

    Now that I’m removed from the game, I feel much differently about injuries, and players’ health, than I did when I was a player. Every day, I’m reminded of the brutal nature of the sport I love, feeling the physical pains from my nine seasons in the NFL. I have a titanium plate and four screws in my neck. I had multiple concussions, including one in Buffalo where I had no recollection of what happened until I watched the game during film sessions the next day. I remember vividly how scary injuries can be.

    That’s why, as the horrific scene unfolded on Monday night – when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed to the turf, and as tears came pouring down players’ faces as they prayed around him on bended knees – I started to feel nauseous just like my wife did that day in Buffalo years ago. Mental wounds were reopened as haunting memories came flooding back in.

    During my playing days at Stanford University, my teammate and fellow running back, Kerry Carter, collided with University of Washington player Curtis Williams, who ran up to make a tackle. Curtis was paralyzed from the neck down. Players cried, prayed, then played on. 18 months later, two days after his 24th birthday, Curtis died due to complications from the paralysis suffered that day. That collision still haunts my teammate to this day.

    In regard to Damar’s injury, Kerry told me: “It’s going to take some time for everyone involved to come to terms with what they just experienced. It’s crazy to look back now and think that we were able to continue playing.”

    As players, in the past, we were conditioned to compartmentalize physical and mental pain – our own and others’. We learned not to focus on the negative because it can hinder optimal performance. We were trained to fight on with a “next play” mentality anytime something bad happened. So, playing on, despite tragic injuries, was all we knew.

    But something powerful beyond measure happened Monday night during the Bills-Bengals game.

    The decision to call off a game in progress is not only unprecedented, it represents a paradigm shift that’s happening within the NFL in regard to player health and safety. No longer, perhaps, are we in the barbaric days of looking at players as disposable, replaceable pieces of meat.

    In the past, that Monday night game wouldn’t have been called off. Coaches would’ve said, “alright fellas, buckle up and get back on that field and lock in. Gotta play on.” But that didn’t happen.

    We can’t overstate how impactful it was for the head coaches, Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills and Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals, league commissioner Roger Goodell and others to make the decision to end that game. And we can’t yet comprehend the ripple effect that decision may have.

    Those coaches were cognizant of and concerned about their players’ mental health. After seeing the teary eyes and traumatized looks on their players’ faces, they determined it wasn’t worth trying to continue that game.

    It was a profound decision where the health and wellness of the players were truly prioritized over the outcome of a game or season.

    And the rest of the NFL – and everyone involved with the sport of football – was watching. College coaches, high school and youth coaches and parents were watching. Someday we may look back and see that this was the moment where it all changed – where statements about the importance of player safety no longer rang hollow, and it became clear that prioritizing players’ health, both mental and physical, truly is the right thing to do.

    Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins told CNN, “I’m truly blessed that we didn’t have to keep playing. Most people treat us athletes as superstars. Some people, like celebrities … but in that moment they treated us like people.”

    There are still some people, though, who think that the players should have continued playing. You don’t have to search very long on social media to find that some people care more about their fantasy football team’s performance than the health and well-being of their fellow man. I guess that’s to be expected. That’s the way it’s always been.

    But it was absolutely the right call to stop that game.

    The players should not have played on. And everyone should understand why.

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  • ‘One of the greatest performances in the history of the game.’ Donovan Mitchell scores record 71 points for Cavs to join elite NBA group | CNN

    ‘One of the greatest performances in the history of the game.’ Donovan Mitchell scores record 71 points for Cavs to join elite NBA group | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    It was a high-scoring night in the NBA on Monday as both Donovan Mitchell and LeBron James set points records.

    Mitchell scored 71 points – the highest single-game points total since Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant scored 81 against Toronto in 2006 – as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Chicago Bulls 145-134 in overtime.

    His career-high total is a franchise record and, according to the NBA, Mitchell is the seventh player to score 70-plus points in a game.

    Wilt Chamberlain owns the NBA record with 100 points for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962.

    “To be there in the record book with guys like Wilt is truly humbling,” said Mitchell, per ESPN. “I always believed I could be one of the best players in the league. I’m speechless and blessed to be in the company of that greatness.”

    Mitchell was soaked with water by his teammates at the end of the game, while his coach J.B. Bickerstaff described his performance as “one of the greatest performances in the history of the game.”

    “Every single play that he made was a play that was necessary,” said Bickerstaff, according to ESPN. “Donovan has never put himself above the team, so how can you not root for a guy like that? I told everyone else to get out of the way.”

    Mitchell (45) shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. (5).

    Mitchell broke James’ previous Cavaliers record of 57 points in a game. James had jointly owned that record with Kyrie Irving, though the NBA great also put his name in the history books on Monday.

    In scoring 43 points as the Lakers beat the Charlotte Hornets 121-115, James became only the second player aged 35 or older to record back-to-back 40-plus point games. The other being Michael Jordan.

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