Tag: Sports retirements

US Open 2023: With Serena and Federer retired, Alcaraz-Djokovic symbolizes a transition in tennis

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Based on the reactions on social media, it seems everyone in the world of tennis was riveted by Novak Djokovic’s victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the last tournament for both ahead of the U.S. Open.

It was a titanic, 3½-hour-plus showdown between the two titans of the men’s game at the moment — the third time they’ve played each other in Djokovic’s past three events, each on a different surface — and set the stage for what will be an expected meeting to determine the champion at Flushing Meadows, where play begins Monday and finishes on Sept. 10.

Last weekend’s contest at the hard-court Cincinnati Masters, in which Djokovic, who is 36, saved a championship point in the second set and Alcaraz, who is 20, saved four in the third before succumbing 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4), also served to symbolize the state of change the sport currently finds itself in, a year removed from Serena Williams’ farewell match in New York and Roger Federer’s retirement announcement soon thereafter.

Alcaraz is The Next Big Thing, the winner of the 2022 U.S. Open who grabbed his second Grand Slam title last month at Wimbledon by beating — yes, that’s right — Djokovic. And Djokovic, the owner of 23 major trophies, is the only member of The Big Three competing nowadays, what with Federer (who has 20) done and Rafael Nadal (22) out since January with a hip problem but eyeing a return for one last hurrah in 2024.

“For so many years, the game has been dominated by legends of the sport, but Father Time is undefeated. Everyone has to kind of go on to their next stage and they have to put the rackets down. We’re seeing that unfortunately with Serena, with Roger, with Rafa. There is going to be a bit of a transition period,” said Chris Eubanks, a 27-year-old from Atlanta who reached the Wimbledon men’s quarterfinals. “It leaves a lot of parity and it leaves a lot of opportunities for other players in the men’s and women’s games to kind of make a name for themselves.”

No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek, who is 22, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, 25, and No. 4 Elena Rybakina, 24, appear poised to stay near the top of the women’s game — Swiatek already has won four Slam titles, including the 2022 U.S. Open; the others have one apiece — and No. 6 Coco Gauff, just 19, might be ready to etch her name on one of the four most prestigious trophies in tennis.

Still, none has established herself as a definitive heir to Williams.

“There is a shift,” said France’s Caroline Garcia, who reached the semifinals in New York a year ago. “There are young players coming, like Alcaraz and Iga.”

The sport’s leaders hope someone will step forward.

“For those of you who have long wondered about the future of tennis as we transition out of a golden age where you have had some of the best men and women of all-time competing against each other simultaneously,” said Lew Sheer, the CEO and executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association, the national federation that runs the U.S. Open, “we saw 2022 as a year of emerging stars.”

Perhaps. It’s true there were 10 first-time Masters 1000 champions on the men’s side over the past three seasons, a group that includes Alcaraz, of course, but also another 20-year-old, Holger Rune, and Jannik Sinner, 22.

“We’re starting to see new faces at the Grand Slams and Masters. It’s kind of the last step to dethrone players like Djokovic and Nadal — and it’s coming,” said Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 23-year-old Canadian who was a U.S. Open semifinalist two years ago. “Carlos probably is beginning a bit of a switch of the guard. But Djokovic probably hasn’t said his last word.”

That certainly appeared to be Djokovic’s message in Cincinnati, where he ripped off his shirt and roared after finally dispatching Alcaraz.

All in all, it was perfect preparation for Djokovic as he returns to the U.S. Open after being unable to travel to the United States last year because he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19.

Djokovic said facing Alcaraz reminded him of taking on Nadal in their primes — which was quite some time ago.

“Boy, you never give up, man. Jesus Christ,” Djokovic said, drawing a laugh from Alcaraz not long after the Spaniard was crying into a towel.

“I mean, I love that about you, but sometimes I wish that you’d maybe play a few points just like this, you know?” Djokovic continued, waving his right hand without purpose.

Alcaraz offered nice words, too.

“I learned a lot,” he told Djokovic, “from a champion like you.”

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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August 23, 2023
Brother of ex-NFL star Aqib Talib’s pleads guilty to murder, prosecutors say

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Prosecutors say the brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib has pleaded guilty to murder in the 2022 shooting death of a coach at a youth football game in Texas

DALLAS — The brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib has pleaded guilty to murder in the 2022 shooting death of a coach at a youth game in Texas, prosecutors said.

Yaqub Salik Talib, 40, pleaded guilty Thursday to the charge in the shooting of 43-year-old Michael Hickmon, according to Claire Crouch, a spokesperson for the Dallas County District Attorney’s office. She said Talib agreed to a sentence of 37 years in prison and that he will be sentenced in August.

A lawyer for Talib did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment Friday.

Last August, police said witnesses saw Talib pull out a gun and repeatedly shoot Hickmon during a brawl among adults at a youth game in the Dallas suburb of Lancaster. Police said the fight was prompted by a disagreement between the opposing coaching staffs over calls made by the officiating crew, but an official with one of the teams later said it began when Hickmon went to pick up a and someone kicked it away.

The sons of both Talib brothers played on one of the teams and Hickmon’s son played on the other, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Yaqub Talib left the field following the shooting and later turned himself in to police. His lawyer said at the time that his client “regrets the tragic loss of life” but was surrendering to “have the chance to say his side of the story.”

Aqib Talib is a five-time Pro Bowler who announced his retirement in 2020. He was named last year as a contributor for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” but left the role following the shooting.

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July 21, 2023
McIlroy says he’d retire if LIV Golf was the only place to play

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GULLANE, Scotland (AP) — Rory McIlroy laughed off a Saudi-backed idea that he and Tiger Woods own LIV Golf teams, saying Thursday he would retire if playing for LIV was the only option.

The concept came from an April document titled, “The Best of Both Worlds,” provided to Congress ahead of a Senate subcommittee hearing Tuesday on the PGA Tour’s agreement to partner with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

“LIV is proposing that Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods would own teams and play in at least 10 LIV events. This and the participation of other leading players is subject to further discussions,” one item in the proposal said.

Golf’s major championship season comes to a close at the British Open. It’s the last chance of the year for Rory McIlroy to end his nine-year drought in the majors.

Rory McIlroy is going on nine years without winning a major and the questions won’t stop. For most players, the question is when they’ll finally win their first major.

Wyndham Clark is the U.S. Open champion and certainly played the part. All he did was hold his nerve against a world-class collection of contenders.

Rory McIlroy got the sort of break most players need to win a U.S. Open. If only he could’ve made a putt or two to go with it.

That was brought to McIlroy’s attention after his opening round of the Scottish Open, and he looked bemused.

“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it,” McIlroy said. “I’d play the majors. I’d be pretty comfortable.”

That was part of several pie-in-the-sky proposals in the eight-page presentation geared toward finding a compromise between the golf circuits. It was produced by Amanda Staveley of British-based PCP Capital Partners. She helped broker the Public Investment Fund acquiring Newcastle United of the English Premier League and is advising the Saudis in golf.

Other proposals included LIV players being able to have PGA Tour playing rights restored, world ranking points from LIV events applied retroactively and for Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, to have an Augusta National membership.

McIlroy has left little doubt how he feels about the rival league, even before LIV Golf was formed. He was the first top player to declare loyalty to the PGA Tour in early 2020. A month ago, after the surprise announcement about the deal, McIlroy said, “I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away.”

McIlroy said he watched only a little of the Senate hearing because there wasn’t much information he didn’t already know.

“There was going to be some new information for other people,” he said. “As I said, I’ve almost been too close the last year and a bit. So nice to be able to try to distance myself a bit.”

McIlroy had said he learned of the agreement from Jimmy Dunne, a PGA Tour board member involved in the negotiations, about four hours before the June 6 announcement.

One email in the trove of documents released Tuesday indicated McIlroy had met in November with Al-Rumayyan in Dubai for a conversation described as “cordial and constructive.”

He did not indicate how much he knew about the tour talking with the Saudi group. One complaint from PGA Tour players was being left in the dark, particularly because the tour is a member organization. McIlroy is among five players on the PGA Tour board. None was involved, along with three independent board directors.

Xander Schauffele said on Wednesday that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had lost some of his trust, while Jordan Spieth said Monahan had “quite a bit” of trust issues to navigate when he returns to work next week.

McIlroy said trust issues with Monahan were not as serious for him.

“Because I sort of knew what was going on, so I wasn’t quite as in the dark as some of the other guys,” McIlroy said. “But yeah, people felt blindsided by it, and I can obviously understand why Jordan and Xander and a lot of other guys would feel that way.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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July 14, 2023
Megan Rapinoe says she’ll retire after the NWSL season and her 4th World Cup

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe is ready to retire after an illustrious career in which she won an Olympic gold medal, two World Cups and never shied away from using her platform to spotlight social issues.

Rapinoe, 38, announced Saturday her fourth World Cup will be her last and she’ll officially retire with the OL Reign at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season.

Rapinoe and the U.S. team are aiming for a third consecutive title when the Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand. The U.S. plays Wales in a final tune-up match Sunday in California before leaving for the World Cup.

“I’m just really grateful to be able to do it in this way,” Rapinoe said in San Jose, California, ahead of the match. “I understand that it is incredibly rare for athletes of any stature to be able to go out in their own way, on their own terms, at the time that they want, in a way that feels really peaceful and settled for them.

“So just wanted to do it now and honestly kind of get it out of the way before we go down to New Zealand so we can focus on the task at hand, which is winning another World Cup.”

At the 2019 World Cup in France, Rapinoe scored six goals over the course of the tournament, including a penalty in a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the final. She also finished with three assists and claimed the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for the best overall player. Rapinoe also took home the Ballon d’Or and the Best FIFA Women’s Player awards — the game’s top individual honors — for her play in 2019.

Rapinoe is tied with Abby Wambach for third all-time in assists for the U.S. Women’s National Team and is one of only seven players in team history with more than 50 career goals and assists. She first played for the U.S. senior team in 2006.

Rapinoe has played her entire 11-year NWSL career for the Reign. She has scored the sixth most goals in league history with 48.

An outspoken advocate for equal pay in women’s soccer and supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, President Joe Biden last year awarded Rapinoe the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Rapinoe was the first white athlete and first female to kneel during the national anthem in solidarity with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, according to U.S. Soccer.

She is engaged to be married to women’s basketball icon Sue Bird.

“I don’t even think there are words to say what she’s meant to the growth of soccer in this country, and not just this country, worldwide,” U.S. forward Sophia Smith said. “She is a legend. … So it is a really sad and bittersweet time. But I’m excited to be able to go on this last journey with her in the World Cup and see all the great things that she does after her career.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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July 8, 2023
Pregnancy and sports a challenging combination for female professional athletes

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LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pro soccer player Jess McDonald was traded across six teams in her first five years as a single parent, making it difficult to find, let alone afford, child care in new cities. She and her then-8-month-old son were often forced to share a hotel room with a teammate — and sometimes she had no choice but to bring him with her to practice.

“If I’d have a bad game, you know, my kid would be blamed for it at times, and it was just like, ‘Oh, was your kid up late at night?’” the U.S. Women’s National Team player said in a recent interview.

Arizona State basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne had three children without taking maternity leave. And New York Liberty head coach and former WNBA player Sandy Brondello — acknowledging the difficulties that she would face if she got pregnant — waited to have kids until she retired as a player at age 38.

Juggling the demands of parenthood with those of a professional sports career is just one of myriad challenges female athletes face in an industry that also has been rife with pay disparities, harassment and bullying in the 27 years since the WNBA, the first women’s professional sports league, was formed.

The issue once again drew national attention right before the season began, when WNBA player Dearica Hamby said she had been harassed by her coach for getting pregnant during the season.

Las Vegas Aces Coach Becky Hammon, one of the league’s marquee figures and a six-time WNBA All-Star, denied bullying Hamby; she said the player wasn’t traded to the Los Angeles Sparks because she was pregnant. The trade, she said, had “everything to do with freeing up money to sign free agents.”

Still, Hammon said she may have made a “misstep” by asking Hamby at one point about her pregnancy, and she indicated that the rules in the WNBA “regarding pregnant players and how that looks within an organization” have to be better defined, shining a light on the balancing act of having a family and maintaining a professional sports career.

Women have never been formally banned from the WNBA for getting pregnant; in fact, the first player to sign with the league in 1997, Sheryl Swoopes, was expecting when she did so. But pregnant athletes have encountered attitudes ranging from ambivalent to outright hostile from leagues, coaches, fellow players and sponsors throughout the years.

As recently as 2019, Olympic runners Allyson Felix and Kara Goucher spoke out against Nike for slashing their pay and then dropping them for becoming pregnant. And it’s taken years for professional women’s leagues to provide their athletes with the support systems they need to balance their family and career obligations.

“I’ve been walking on eggshells as a mom in this league since Day 1,” said McDonald, who last week announced her second pregnancy.

McDonald said that back in 2012, she trained up until two weeks before giving birth; it wasn’t until last year that players in the league were guaranteed paid maternity leave. Arizona State’s Thorne told the AP she once returned to work just two days after giving birth.

“We’re light years ahead of where we were, you know, 20-some years ago in terms of people understanding that they have to support women’s rights,” Thorne said. Still, “there is pressure on you as the athlete, as the coach, as that person, that woman either starting their family or having kids, to get back to their job” soon after giving birth.

Under the WNBA’s most recent collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified in 2020, league members receive their full salary while on maternity leave, though each player has to individually negotiate the length of her leave. During the season, players with children under 13 can receive up to $5,000 a year for child care, and a paid-for two-bedroom apartment.

A small number of elite, veteran athletes who have played eight or more seasons can be reimbursed up to $20,000 per year for costs directly related to adoption, surrogacy, egg freezing or other fertility treatments. Per player, the amount is capped at a total of $60,000. Compared to other industries, this is a progressive offering that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ athletes.

“We’ve made strides and everything,” Thorne said, but she added that the leagues still have a long way to go to support athletes who become mothers.

“There’s always this little asterisk, that it has to be after your eighth year of service to get” fertility benefits, said four-time WNBA All-Star Breanna Stewart, who plays for the New York Liberty and has a 2-year-old daughter with her wife. Stewart’s wife is pregnant with their second child now.

Stewart said child care stipends aren’t dispensed freely without requiring something in return: She said she and other players have to submit itemized receipts for such necessities as diapers and babysitters. “If you don’t go to them, they don’t give it to you,” Stewart said. “You have to go and send invoices and it’s a little bit more complicated than it seems.”

Facing these challenges, many women in sports, like Brondello, decide to have kids after they retire — or to forgo parenthood altogether.

“Female athletes shouldn’t have to give up motherhood because they want to be an athlete,” said Dr. Kathryn Ackerman, a sports medicine physician based in Boston and the co-chair of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s women’s health task force.

Ackerman said there’s a fear that when female athletes become parents, they may not value being an athlete as much. She said that is a fallacy.

The record books are replete with examples of female athletes who became parents and continued to perform at the highest level.

Former tennis star Serena Williams famously won a grand slam when she was about eight weeks pregnant. Professional swimmers, runners and basketball players have all competed while pregnant: Beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings even won Olympic medals.

Mothers “often are better athletes because they learn how to manage their time better, they understand their bodies better,” Ackerman said. “And they may be peaking even later in life.”

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AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg in New York contributed to this report.

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May 29, 2023
Iowa AD Gary Barta announces retirement after 17 years at Big Ten school

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa athletic director Gary Barta will retire on August 1 after 17 years at the university, the school announced Friday.

Barta, 59, is one of the longest tenured athletic directors in a Power Five conference. He was hired by Iowa in 2006 after being the AD at Wyoming.

An interim director will be announced next week, Iowa said.

In September, Iowa hired former Ball State athletic director Beth Goetz to be deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer, putting her in position to possibly succeed Barta.

“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to serve in this role the past 17 years,” Barta said in a statement. “This decision didn’t come suddenly, nor did it come without significant thought, discussion, and prayer.”

“That said, I’m confident this is the right time for me and for my family.”

Iowa won four NCAA national team titles and 27 Big Ten team titles during Barta’s tenure. The women’s basketball team is coming off an appearance in the national championship game and the wrestling team is coming off a second-place finish at the NCAA championships.

Barta served as the chairman of the College Football Playoff committee in 2020 and 2021.

He faced heavy criticism over more than $11 million in settlements for lawsuits in recent years alleging racial and sexual discrimination within the athletic department.

Lawsuits filed by former field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum and associate athletics director Jane Meyer led to a $6.5 million payout.

Iowa had to pay $400,000 as part of a Title IX lawsuit brought by athletes after it cut four sports in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the agreement, Iowa reinstated the women’s swimming and diving program and add another women’s sport.

Iowa added women’s wrestling, the first among Power Five schools to compete this year.

A lawsuit brought by former players alleging racial discrimination within the program was settled for $4.2 million last March, which prompted state auditor Rob Sand to call for Barta’s ouster.

“Gary Barta’s departure is a long time coming given the four different lawsuits for discrimination that cost Iowa more than $11 million,” Sand posted on Twitter.

The university did not allow taxpayer money to be used for the settlement with the former players.

Barta led Iowa through $380 million of facility upgrades, including renovation of Kinnick Stadium, the construction of a new facility, a basketball practice facility and a training center for the wrestling teams.

Under Barta, Iowa has had just one head football coach (Kirk Ferentz), women’s basketball coach (Lisa Bluder) and wrestling coach (Tom Brands). All were in place when he arrived.

Barta has also come under scrutiny for allowing Ferentz to employee his son, Brian Ferentz, as offensive coordinator. To comply with the university’s nepotism policy, Brian Ferentz reports to Barta.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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May 26, 2023
Carmelo Anthony retires from NBA, after 19-year career, NCAA title, 3 Olympic gold medals

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Carmelo Anthony, the star forward who led Syracuse to an NCAA championship in his lone college season and went on to spend 19 years in the NBA, announced his retirement on Monday.

Anthony, who was not in the NBA this season, retires as the No. 9 scorer in league history.

Only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal scored more than Anthony, who finishes his career with 28,289 points.

“Now the time has come for me to say good-bye … to the game that gave me purpose and pride,” Anthony said in a videotaped message announcing his decision — one he called “bittersweet.”

Anthony’s legacy has long been secure: He ends his playing days after being selected as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history, a 10-time All-Star, a past scoring champion and a six-time All-NBA selection.

And while he never got to the NBA Finals — he only played in the conference finals once, with Denver against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 — Anthony also knew what it was like to be a champion.

He was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Final Four when he led Syracuse to the national championship, and he helped the U.S. win Olympic gold three times — at Beijing in 2008, at London in 2012 and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

His college coach at Syracuse, the now-retired Jim Boeheim, tweeted a “welcome to retirement” message to his former star.

“I am honored to have been a part of your legendary career, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for you,” Boeheim wrote.

Anthony played in 31 games in four appearances at the Olympics, the most of any U.S. men’s player ever. Anthony’s 37 points against Nigeria in the 2012 games is a USA Basketball men’s record at an Olympics, as are his 10 3-pointers from that game and his 13-for-13 effort from the foul line against Argentina in 2008.

“Carmelo Anthony is one of the NBA’s all-time great players and ambassadors,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “We congratulate him on a remarkable 19-year career and look forward to seeing him in the Hall of Fame.”

Anthony will remain part of international basketball for at least a few more months; Anthony is one of the ambassadors to the Basketball World Cup, FIBA’s biggest event, which will be held this summer in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

“I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more,” Anthony said. “But basketball was my outlet. My purpose was strong, my communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans that supported me along the way. I am forever grateful for those people and places because they made me Carmelo Anthony.”

Anthony was drafted No. 3 overall by Denver in 2003, part of the star-studded class that included James at No. 1, Hall of Famer Chris Bosh at No. 4, and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade — he gets officially enshrined this summer — at No. 5.

Anthony will join them at the Hall of Fame before long — the Hall of Fame said he will be eligible for the 2026 class. He averaged 22.5 points in his 19 seasons, spending the bulk of those years with Denver and the New York Knicks. Anthony has long raved about his time with the Knicks, and what it was like playing at Madison Square Garden, especially as a kid who was born in Brooklyn.

He was the NBA’s leading scorer with 28.7 points per game in 2012-13, when the Knicks won 54 games and the Atlantic Division title.

“The Garden,” Anthony said in 2014. “They call it The Mecca for a reason.”

Anthony spent his first 7 1/2 NBA seasons in Denver, becoming the third-leading scorer in franchise history. His Nuggets teams had seven consecutive winning seasons and earned seven playoff berths, but they advanced in the postseason just once, ending in that six-game conference finals loss to the Lakers in 2009.

“He wore that Nuggets jersey with pride and did a lot of great things while in a Denver Nuggets uniform, as well as all the other uniforms he wore in an illustrious career,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Monday before Denver faced the Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, hoping to clinch the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance. “When you think of Carmelo, you think of one of the more elite scorers in NBA history, a guy that from the D.C. metro area goes to Syracuse and wins a championship and comes into the NBA and was just a bucket-getter from Day One.”

Anthony also played for Portland, Oklahoma City, Houston and ended his career with the Lakers last season. He went unsigned this year, and now his retirement is official.

He said in his retirement address that he’s looking forward to watching the development of his son Kiyan, a highly rated high school shooting guard.

“People ask what I believe my legacy is,” Anthony said. “It’s not my feats on the court that come to mind, all the awards or praise. Because my story has always been more than basketball. My legacy, my son … I will forever continue through you. The time has come for you to carry this torch.”

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AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Los Angeles contributed.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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May 22, 2023
Husband of 2-time Olympic champion Justyna Kowalczyk killed in avalanche

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The Polish Mountaineering Support Foundation says the husband of two-time Olympic champion Justyna Kowalczyk has been killed in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps

FILE – Winner Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland skis during the ladies skiathlon 7.5 km classic and 7.5 km free event of the FIS Cross Country World Cup in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017. Poland’s Alpinism authorities say that climber Kacper Tekieli, husband of Justyna Kowalczyk, Polish multiple Olympic and World champion in cross-country skiing, has died tragically in Swiss Alps. The body of 38-year-old Tekieli was found Thursday, May 18, 2021 under an avalanche. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

The Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland — The husband of two-time Olympic champion Justyna Kowalczyk was killed Thursday in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps, the Polish Mountaineering Support Foundation said.

Sports climber Kacper Tekieli, who was 38, last posted on Facebook on Tuesday from Konkordia Hut in Fiescherthal, Switzerland.

“He was most wonderful,” a post on Kowalczyk’s official Facebook page said in Polish, followed by “He was the most beautiful person in the world” in English.

Tekieli was a climbing instructor who climbed in the Himalayas on the Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world, and on Broad Peak, as well as in the Alps. He married Kowalczyk in 2020. The couple have a 20-month-old son.

Kowalczyk, a cross-country skier who won gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Games, has retired from competition.

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May 18, 2023
Denny Crum, who coached Louisville to 2 NCAA titles, dies

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Denny Crum took everything he learned from legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, added his own touch and built his own sparkling legacy at Louisville.

Crum, who won two NCAA men’s basketball championships and built the Cardinals into one of the 1980s’ dominant programs during a Hall of Fame coaching career, died Tuesday. He was 86.

The school announced Crum’s death in a release after being informed by his wife, Susan. No cause was given, but Crum had battled an extended illness. He had a mild stroke in August 2017 while fishing in Alaska and another two years ago.

Nicknamed “Cool Hand Luke” because of his cool, unflinching sideline demeanor — legend has it he never uttered a curse word — Crum retired in March 2001 after 30 seasons at Louisville with 675 victories, which ranked 15th all-time then, and championships in 1980 and ’86. A disciple of the legendary Wooden, Crum often wore a red sport coat and waved a rolled-up program and stat sheet like a bandleader’s baton as he directed Louisville to 23 NCAA Tournaments and six Final Fours.

The second half of his tenure was not nearly as successful as the first, however, as Louisville endured two separate NCAA investigations and never returned to the Final Four after Crum’s second championship season. He accepted a $7 million buyout in March 2, 2001 — his 64th birthday — and was replaced by Rick Pitino, an eventual Hall of Famer who guided Louisville to a third NCAA title in 2013 that the governing body later vacated following a sex scandal.

Nonetheless, Crum was inducted into the Hall of Fame in May 1994, with Wooden, his college coach and longtime mentor at his side. Crum had 11 more overall wins and 55 more than his most influential advisor amassed at UCLA.

Crum remained a beloved, revered and respected presence around Louisville whose legacy has been recognized in many ways. He frequently attended Cardinals games played on the KFC Yum! Center home court bearing his name and signature. And Crum was present for the September 2022 dedication of Denny Crum Hall, a new campus dormitory for athletes and students.

“You try to remember all of the things that you did, things that happened,” Crum said at a February 2020 ceremony honoring the 1980 title team. “Some was bad, but most of it good. It just makes you really proud that you were a part of it.”

Crum had a front-row seat in March 2022 for the introduction of one of his former players, Kenny Payne, as Cardinals coach. There were plenty of the Hall of Famer’s other pupils present to not only support Payne, but enjoy another meeting with their mentor and friend on and off the court.

Payne expressed prayers for Crum’s family and called his former coach a true treasure who gave so much to the school and community.

“Today is a sad day for me personally, as well as the basketball world,” Payne said in a statement. “My thoughts go through all the lessons that he taught, not just to me, but every player he ever came in contact with. … Rest in peace, Coach. You touched so many. Well done.”

Former Cardinals great Junior Bridgeman echoed Payne on Crum’s impact on generations of players.

“He said if you are good at what you’re going to do, we’re not going to worry about what the other team is going to do,” said Bridgeman, who played for Crum from 1972-75. “That’s a life lesson that’ll carry you farther and in whatever area you go into.”

A native of San Fernando, California, Crum played guard for two seasons at Los Angeles’ Pierce Junior College before transferring to UCLA in 1956. The Bruins went 38-14 in Crum’s two seasons as a player.

He briefly served as a graduate assistant to Wooden before coaching Pierce in the mid-1960s.

Wooden hired Crum as his assistant and chief recruiter in 1968, when the Bruins were in the midst of their dynastic run to 10 NCAA championships. Crum is credited with luring Bill Walton to UCLA, and the Bruins went 86-4 and won three NCAA titles during Crum’s three seasons there.

Crum succeeded John Dromo as Louisville’s coach on April 17, 1971, but Wooden figured his former assistant would soon return to succeed him.

“Denny was so good that I knew I wasn’t going to keep him very long,” Wooden told the Courier Journal of Louisville back then. “I was pleased when he got the job at Louisville. I had always hoped when I retired that he’d be the one to succeed me, but he left and proved to be just what I thought he was.”

Louisville had enjoyed little postseason success before Crum’s arrival, reaching the 1956 NIT championship and the 1959 NCAA Final Four. The Cardinals lost Crum’s first game, 70-69 to Florida, before reeling off 15 consecutive victories.

They won the Missouri Valley Conference — the first of 15 regular-season league titles for Crum — then reached the Final Four, where they met Wooden and UCLA. The Bruins won 96-77 on their way to a sixth-straight championship.

The schools met again in the semifinals three seasons later with a similar result as UCLA won 75-74 in overtime. By then Crum employed much of Wooden’s fundamentally focused style, but with pressure defense and a fast-breaking flair. Instead of an offense built around a dominant center, Crum used athletic guards and forwards who could finish plays with the high-flying dunks Wooden eschewed.

His philosophy made the Cardinals perennial NCAA Tournament participants with 20 or more wins each season from 1975-1979. Their breakthrough came in the 1979-80 season, when homegrown star guard Darrell Griffith and the so-called “Doctors of Dunk” marched through the regular season 26-3 and won their second Metro Conference championship in three years.

Crum’s second-seeded Cardinals reached their third Final Four in nine seasons and encountered UCLA again, this time coached by Larry Brown. Louisville finally prevailed with a 59-54 championship-game win in Indianapolis led by Griffith, an All-American and Wooden Award winner known by his popular nickname of “Dr. Dunkenstein.”

“It means more to me probably than the other guys because I’m from Louisville and I’ve seen how we came so close so many times and were never able to get over the hump,” Griffith said in 2020. “And to be able to get over the hump, that means a lot to everybody, but to me in particular, an extra special reason.”

Crum’s second title followed in 1986 with freshman Pervis Ellison, Billy Thompson and Milt Wagner leading the way as Louisville beat Duke 72-69.

Tributes and condolences began pouring in, with U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky saying, “The Cardinal community loved their coach and will miss his calm leadership both on and off the court.”

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Former AP Sports Writer Chris Duncan contributed to this report.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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May 9, 2023
Horton-Tucker’s career-high 41 lead Jazz past Spurs 128-117

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SAN ANTONIO — Talen Horton-Tucker scored a career-high 41 points and the Utah Jazz defeated the Spurs 128-117 on Wednesday night in what could have been coach Gregg Popovich’s final home game in San Antonio.

Utah snapped a four-game skid to keep its fading playoff hopes alive in its first season under Will Hardy, who served five seasons under Popovich as an assistant coach.

“I’m probably not the right person to ask and, at this point, I’m not sure he’s the right person to ask either,” Hardy said about Popovich’s possible retirement.

Popovich has given no indication that he is retiring or even that he will return for his 28th season. The annual speculation has intensified, though, especially since the 74-year-old coach allowed his expected induction this summer into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame after years of refusing to even be nominated.

The Spurs have two home games remaining, but those will be played 73 miles away in Austin’s new Moody Center.

“It’s something that is real, but I try not to think about it too much,” Spurs point guard Tre Jones said. “I feel like he has time left, for sure, coaching. I don’t see him stopping anytime soon, but honestly, nobody really knows. Obviously, I hope he will be back coaching us next year.”

Popovich has overseen a young roster that has struggled with injuries, consistency, and defense — and that continued against Utah.

San Antonio (19-57) lost its fifth straight in its worst season since 1997, the year it drafted Tim Duncan with the No. 1 overall pick.

Rookie Malaki Branham led San Antonio with 21 points. Jones, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Devonte’ Graham each added 17.

The Jazz were without Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and Rudy Gay, while the Spurs were without starters Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell.

“It’s pretty much been like that all year, so we’re kind of used to it,” Popovich said. “As long as they’re giving effort, they’re all learning. They’re making mistakes, but overall, that’s what we’re trying to do. No matter who’s out, no matter who’s not playing, other guys are happy to get minutes.

“So, trying to get to learn how to play is what this is all about.”

Horton-Tucker responded by shooting 15 for 25 from the field, including 6 for 11 on 3-pointers.

“Just trying to get out in transition and get easy buckets,” Horton-Tucker said. “Usually when we have Lauri or JC (Clarkson) playing, (I’m) hitting them early in transition, getting them baskets. But, also for me, getting downhill early in the clock is something I feel is hard to guard for certain teams.”

Kris Dunn added 17 points and Udoka Azubuike had 12 points, both off the bench for the Jazz.

Utah remains in 12th place in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Dallas for 11th and 1 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City for the final berth in the play-in tournament.

TIP-INS

Jazz: Former Spurs first-round pick Luka Samanic had nine points and nine rebounds in his first NBA game since May 12, 2021. Utah recently signed Samanic to a 10-day contract.

Spurs: Veterans Doug McDermott and Gorgui Dieng were both active but did not play as Popovich opted to give his younger players extended minutes.

MIC DROP

While Johnson and Sochan did not play, the team’s starting forwards addressed the crowd before the game during the Spurs’ Fan Appreciation Night.

After thanking Spurs fans for their support, Sochan said: “And any Utah fans here, you’re about to lose tonight. Go Spurs, go!”

The Spurs joked about Sochan’s bold words after the game.

“I don’t think we should ever do that again,” Jones said, laughing. “When he mentioned the other team, I was like ‘Oh, God. Where is this going?’”

UP NEXT

Jazz: At Boston on Friday.

Spurs: At Golden State on Friday.

—

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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March 29, 2023
Kevin Harvick to join Fox both as NASCAR analyst in 2024

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LOS ANGELES — Kevin Harvick won’t spend a single day in retirement when his NASCAR driving days are over: Fox said Sunday it has hired Harvick for its broadcast booth next season.

Harvick announced last month that he will retire from NASCAR competition at the end of the 2023 season.

He will then transition into a broadcast roll for Fox, which has used Harvick regularly as a guest analyst since 2015. He is scheduled to call four Xfinity Series and three Truck Series races this year for FS1, and next season he will join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer for Fox’s entire portion of the Cup schedule.

“I knew that this was something that I wanted to do because it gives you such a unique position to be able to talk about the sport and be able to use your knowledge and relationships to be able to give the fans and people a great perspective,” Harvick told The Associated Press.

“This has really been a conversation that’s been happening for several years, the timing just was never really right. Now it’s all worked out and it’s a great time to be able to transition and have a voice in the sport and remain a part of NASCAR racing on a weekly basis and talk about the things I love.”

Harvick was the centerpiece of Fox’s “Drivers Only” broadcasts that began in 2015. The network began using a combination of active drivers and crew chiefs to call lower-level races and Harvick, who has called more than 25 races for the network, was a natural fit from the very beginning.

He is so steady in the booth that many predicted Harvick would develop into a play-by-play announcer and lead a broadcast team. Harvick, who is beginning his 23rd Cup season, is the 2014 Cup champion and is tied for ninth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list with 60 career victories.

Harvick has 13 consecutive playoff appearances.

“The credibility is off the charts. His longevity in NASCAR will only help him explain to the viewers the evolution the sport has taken,” Fox Sports executive producer Brad Zager said. “For him, that next step of being in the booth is something that’s almost been fait accompli since he first stepped into the booth with us.”

Zager said the network had to do very little to prepare Harvick for the booth.

“We never want to try to convince somebody they should be a broadcaster, and with Harvick, we didn’t have to,” Zager said. “He is someone who has a passion for it already. We’re very excited about everything that he brings, and we think he will be the perfect third man for Clint and Mike with his style, his personality and his credibility.”

Fox primarily has been a two-man booth since Jeff Gordon stepped down at the end of the 2021 season. The network used guests in place of Gordon but has been content waiting for the right person to fill the role full-time.

For Harvick, it will be his third different job as a co-worker with Bowyer.

The two were teammates at Richard Childress Racing early in their career, were reunited at Stewart-Haas Racing and in 2024 will be side-by-side as Fox analysts.

“We obviously have totally different approaches in the things that we do and say, and I think that makes it fun,” Harvick said. “Clint and I became good friends over the years, and we have a good relationship, but we’ve never been able to have a relationship outside the car that’s not been competitive.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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February 5, 2023
Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet, dies at 84

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CHICAGO — When Bobby Hull got the puck, he was tough to stop. He had blazing speed, a hard slap shot and tons of confidence.

Long before today’s biggest stars took the ice, “The Golden Jet” put on quite a show.

Hull, a Hall of Fame winger and two-time NHL MVP who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961, has died. He was 84.

The Blackhawks and the NHL Alumni Association announced Hull’s death on Monday. There were no further details provided by either organization.

The Blackhawks said Hull “delivered countless memories to our fans, whom he adored. Generations of Chicagoans were dazzled by Bobby’s shooting prowess, skating skill and overall team leadership that led to 604 career goals, a franchise record that remains to this day. We send our deepest sympathies to the Hull family.”

Hull was one of the most prolific forwards in NHL history, scoring 610 times during his 16-year career with Chicago, Hartford and Winnipeg. Nicknamed “The Golden Jet” for his speed and blond hair, he also collected 303 goals while playing for the Jets in the World Hockey Association for seven seasons.

While Hull starred on the ice, he faced legal and family issues in his personal life.

Hull was convicted of assaulting a police officer who intervened in a dispute with then-wife Deborah in 1986. He also was accused of battery, but that charge was dropped after Deborah told authorities she didn’t want to testify against her husband, a state attorney told the Chicago Tribune.

Hull’s second wife, Joanne, accused him of abuse during an interview with ESPN for a 2002 show.

A Russian newspaper reported in 1998 that Hull said Adolf Hitler “had some good ideas.” Hull denied making the comment, calling it “false and defamatory.”

Hull was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and his No. 9 sweater was retired by the Blackhawks that same year. He was estranged from the team for a while before he was named a Blackhawks ambassador in a ceremony with former teammate Stan Mikita in 2008. Hull and Mikita have adjacent statues outside the United Center.

The franchise announced in February 2022 that Hull had retired from any official team role, calling it a joint decision.

“Bobby Hull will always be remembered as one of the greatest Blackhawks players of all time. He was a beloved member of the Blackhawks family,” team owner Rocky Wirtz said in a statement.

“When I assumed leadership of the organization upon my father’s passing in 2007, one of my first priorities was to meet with Bobby to convince him to come back as an ambassador of the team. His connection to our fans was special and irreplaceable.”

Hull’s brother, Dennis, played for Chicago for most of his 14 years in the league, and Bobby’s son, Brett, spent 19 years in the NHL. Bobby and Brett each won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, becoming the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat. Bobby won in 1964-65 and 1965-1966, while Brett won in 1990-1991.

Bobby Hull helped the Blackhawks return to the top of the NHL after they were one of the worst teams in the league for years before his debut during the 1957-58 season. He had 13 goals and 34 assists in his first campaign with the team, finishing second in the Calder Trophy race for rookie of the year.

It was a steady rise from there. Hull posted 13 consecutive seasons with 30 goals or more from 1959-72, becoming a perennial fixture at the All-Star Game and a regular candidate for the league’s top awards.

Hull and Mikita powered Chicago to the franchise’s third championship in 1961, beating Montreal and Detroit in the playoffs. Hull had two goals and five assists as the Blackhawks eliminated the Red Wings in six games in the final.

The Pointe Anne, Ontario, native remains Chicago’s career leader for regular-season and playoff goals. He is second to Mikita on the franchise points list with 1,153.

Hull left the Blackhawks after the 1971-72 season when he was selected by Winnipeg in the WHA draft. The Jets lured Hull away from the NHL with hockey’s first $1 million contract, according to his bio on the Hall of Fame website.

The NHL and WHA merged in 1979, and Hull played 27 games with Winnipeg and Hartford in his final season before retiring.

Hull had 560 assists in 1,063 regular-season NHL games. In addition to his two Hart trophies, he was a three-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy awarded to the league leader in points and took home the 1965 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship combined with stellar play.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement called Hull “a true superstar with a gregarious personality.”

“When Bobby Hull wound up to take a slapshot, fans throughout the NHL rose to their feet in anticipation and opposing goaltenders braced themselves,” Bettman said. “During his prime, there was no more prolific goal-scorer in all of hockey. … We send our deepest condolences to his son, fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Brett; the entire Hull family; and the countless fans around the hockey world who were fortunate enough to see him play or have since marveled at his exploits.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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January 30, 2023
Harris’ widow on field in Pittsburgh as his No. 32 retired

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Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II, left, and Franco Harris’ widow Dana, center, and son Dok, attend a ceremony to retire Harris’ No. 32 jersey at half-time of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. Harris, a four-time Super Bowl champion, passed away Dec. 21, 2022, at the age of 72. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

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December 24, 2022
Tennis ace Boris Becker recalls prison loneliness, friends

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BERLIN — Tennis great Boris Becker tearfully recounted the moment the door of his single-occupancy cell at Britain’s notorious Wandsworth prison closed for the first time, speaking publicly after serving eight months for bankruptcy offenses.

“It was the loneliest moment I’ve ever had in life,” Becker said in an interview with German broadcaster SAT.1 that aired Tuesday, recalling how hours earlier he had been unable to say farewell to his loved ones before being led downstairs to the courtroom jail.

The three-time Wimbledon champion was sentenced to 30 months in prison in April for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt. Becker would normally have had to serve half of his sentence before being eligible for release, but was released early under a fast-track deportation program for foreign nationals.

Becker, who was deported to his native Germany on Dec. 15, said he prayed daily in the three weeks between his conviction and sentencing, conscious that there was a chance he might not get away with a suspended sentence.

Arriving in Wandsworth, the 55-year-old Becker said he feared attacks by other inmates.

“The many films I saw beforehand didn’t help,” he said.

Becker said prison authorities appeared to have tried to ensure his safety, allocating him a single cell and getting three experienced inmates — or “listeners” — to guide him in his new life behind bars.

That included coping with the lack of food, Becker said, as prison fare was largely restricted to rice, potatoes and sauce. “Sunday roasts” consisted of a chicken drumstick, he said.

“I felt hunger for the first time in my life,” said Becker, who won the first of many millions of dollars as a player at the age of 17.

Violence was a problem, he said, recounting instances at Wandsworth and later at HMP Huntercombe where inmates threatened to harm him until others stepped in.

In November, fellow prisoners organized several cakes for his birthday, Becker said.

“I’ve never experienced such solidarity in the free world,” he said, adding that he planned to stay in touch with some of the people he’d met in prison.

For Becker, who rose to stardom in 1985 at age 17 when he became the first unseeded player to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, the prison sentence was a heavy blow.

Asked about the judge’s statement that Becker had shown “no humility,” he acknowledged in the interview that “maybe I should have (been) even more clear, more emotional.”

Becker also admitted fault.

“Of course I was guilty,” he said of the four out of 29 counts he was convicted on.

Still, Becker said he “it could have been much worse.”

After retiring from professional tennis in 1999, the six-time Grand Slam champion worked as a coach and television pundit while also engaging in a wide range of investments and celebrity poker games.

Now he hopes to turn a new page and avoid the mistakes he made in the past — many of which he blamed on laziness and bad financial advice received from others.

“For years I made mistakes, I had false friends,” he said. “I think this time in prison brought me back.”

Becker’s time outside the limelight likely won’t last long. Organizers of the annual Berlinale said Tuesday that next year’s film festival will feature the premiere of an as-yet untitled documentary about Becker by Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney.

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December 20, 2022