Chris Paul, the ‘Point God,’ retires as All-Star weekend begins, ending a 21-season NBA run
Chris Paul has announced he is retiring from the NBA after a 21-season career that stacks up as Hall of Fame worthy. He shared the news Friday during All-Star weekend at the Clippers’ arena in Inglewood. Paul finished the year in a strange way. The Clippers sent him home in December. They traded him to Toronto earlier this month, even though he never planned to play there. Paul said he wants to “show up for others.” He leaves as a 12-time All-Star and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He also ranks near the top in assists and steals.
American ‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin carries 5-point lead into the free skate at Milan Cortina Olympics
MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin enters the Olympic men’s free skate as the clear favorite, and he holds a strong lead after the short program. On Friday night at the Milan Cortina Games, he carries a five-point edge over Yuma Kagiyama and Adam Siao Him Fa. Malinin has gone more than two years without losing. The free skate also fits him better. It has more jumping chances, and he plans seven quad jumps. His rivals plan four. The other big question is his quad axel. He is the only skater who lands it in competition. Malinin also owns team gold, helping the Americans clinch their second straight title earlier during the Winter Games.
Norwegian cross-country skiing star Klaebo ties Olympic record by winning eighth career gold medal
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway has made history at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The cross-country skiing star surged to victory in the 10-kilometer interval start race, giving him a record-tying eight career gold medals at the Winter Games. Klaebo could soon have the all-time record to himself. He’s scheduled to race three more times in Italy. Elsewhere at the Games, Norwegian biathlete Strula Holm Laegreid earned a bronze in the sprint. Laegreid made headlines earlier this week when he confessed to infidelity after winning bronze in a different race.
A battered car forces William Byron into a backup for his Daytona 500 three-peat bid
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Byron chases an unprecedented third straight Daytona 500 win Sunday when he attempts to make NASCAR history. He’ll be trying to win NASCAR’s season opener for the third consecutive year in a backup car after he damaged his primary in a qualifying race. He starts near the back in 39th, but he says that does not scare him. Byron has won here with a backup before. He has also won by staying patient and avoiding trouble, not by leading lots of laps. The field also has big storylines. Kyle Busch starts on the pole while stuck in a long winless skid and Brad Keselowski races while recovering from a broken leg.
A healthy Shohei Ohtani eyes the one major award he hasn’t won — a Cy Young Award
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is a five-time All-Star, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a two-time World Series winner and a World Baseball Classic champion, giving him a sparkling baseball resume that no current player can touch. The only major honor he hasn’t won is a Cy Young Award. Given his track record, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the two-way Japanese star add that trophy to his collection in 2026. Ohtani is expecting to be a full-time, two-way player for the first time since 2023. An elbow injury kept him off the mound for the 2024 season and he returned to pitching midway though last year, going 3-0 with a 4.43 ERA in the postseason to help the Dodgers capture their second straight World Series title.
Bad Bunny offered to pay for Puerto Rican star Carlos Correa’s WBC insurance
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Bad Bunny really wanted to see Carlos Correa play for Puerto Rico at home in the World Baseball Classic. Correa, the infielder for the Houston Astros, was left off the WBC roster over insurance coverage. He told reporters that the music superstar and fellow native of Puerto Rico offered to pay for a policy. Correa has a $200 million contract through 2028. Correa says the insurer provider proposed by Bad Bunny wasn’t approved by Major League Baseball, the Astros or Correa’s agent, Scott Boras. Puerto Rico is hosting pool play games in the WBC next month.
Prediction markets love sports, but the feeling isn’t exactly mutual
CHICAGO (AP) — Sports are a big part of prediction markets. So big that even sportsbooks have moved into the business. While some leagues are cashing in, others are taking a more cautious approach. The rapid growth of sports offerings on prediction markets — called event contracts — has captured the attention of the four major North American sports, along with the NCAA and other organizations. Kalshi and Polymarket are the two biggest platforms, but they have plenty of company. More are on the way, too. Almost eight years after a Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for legalized sports gambling across the country, the increased presence of prediction markets has received a mixed response in sports.
Lindsey Vonn hopes to go home after another surgery following crash in Olympic downhill
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn says she will have another surgery on her broken left leg Saturday at the Italian hospital treating her “and then I can potentially leave and go back home.” Vonn posted a video message on Instagram following her horrific crash in the Olympic downhill at the Milan Cortina Games. She says “it has been quite a hard few days in the hospital here. I’m finally feeling more like myself. I have a long, long way to go. Tomorrow I’ll have another surgery and hopefully that goes well and then I can potentially leave and go back home, at which point I will need another surgery.”
LeBron James returns for his record 21st All-Star Game, still in the NBA’s midseason spotlight at 41
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — For two solid decades, LeBron James was a main attraction at every NBA All-Star weekend. He was a 20-year-old starter in his All-Star debut back in 2005, and he became the youngest MVP of the game just one year later. Never begging off due to injury or exhaustion while his less-accomplished teammates enjoyed their breaks from the season’s grind, James dutifully appeared in every midseason showcase until 2025. Now 41, James will be back this weekend for the All-Star Game at Intuit Dome south of central Los Angeles, spending another Sunday in February under the spotlight while extending his records for the most All-Star selections and All-Star appearances.
Surprise! US women’s curling team beats Canada for first time at an Olympic Games
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — The U.S. women’s curling team was surprised to learn that their defeat of Canada marked an Olympic first. Taylor Anderson-Heide, a curler from Minneapolis, said that if that was true, the team played a really good game. This year’s American curling team is exceedingly approachable yet ambitious and competitive. Alongside Anderson-Heide and Peterson, the team includes skip Tabitha Peterson, who’s Tara’s older sister, as well as cool-as-a-cucumber Cory Thiesse, who has already won the silver medal in the mixed doubles event.
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