Dallas Wings select Azzi Fudd of UConn No. 1 in WNBA draft with a $500,000 payday waiting
NEW YORK (AP) — Azzi Fudd is on her way to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft with a $500,000 payday waiting for the former UConn star. Fudd will pair again with former Huskies teammate Paige Bueckers, who was the Wings’ No. 1 pick last year. The new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last month gave huge pay raises to rookies. Fudd will make nearly seven-times what Bueckers earned last season as the top choice. UCLA had quite a night with five players drafted in the first round breaking the record held by the 2002 UConn team and six overall.
QBs taken No. 1 overall in the NFL draft this century have rarely experienced Super Bowl success
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to draft Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in the NFL draft. They hope he becomes their franchise quarterback. Recent history shows that quarterbacks taken first overall often face challenges. Only Eli Manning has won a Super Bowl with his original team this century. Just three others have even made the big game, each losing in their only appearance. Analysts say the pressure and lack of continuity can be tough on young quarterbacks.
Rory McIlroy a Masters champion again and the chase is on for more majors
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy has become the fourth player to win the Masters two years in a row, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods in this elite group. McIlroy reflected on the difficulty of winning the Masters, saying it’s a challenging journey. He struggled with motivation last year after achieving the Grand Slam. However, he's in a good place now, having won his sixth major. McIlroy emphasizes that this win is part of his ongoing journey. He plans to use a similar preparation strategy for future majors, inspired by Nicklaus. The next major starts May 15.
LeBron James must try to carry yet another team to playoff success with Lakers' Doncic, Reaves out
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James probably thought he was done playing this particular role. After so many seasons in which James valiantly carried otherwise ordinary teams to extraordinary achievements, the greatest scorer in NBA history was not even the Los Angeles Lakers’ focal point this year. And then Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both went down in the Lakers’ first game of April with significant injuries likely to sideline them for several weeks. Just like that, James was alone in the spotlight once again this month, the Lakers’ fading postseason hopes resting on the 23-year NBA veteran who has already done it all.
Patriots exec says 'Business as usual' for Mike Vrabel ahead of the NFL draft
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel didn’t make an appearance at the team’s pre-draft news conference Monday. But a front-office executive says the coach is going about his job as usual preparing for next week’s NFL draft despite the recent scrutiny regarding the nature of his relationship with a reporter. Last year Vrabel spoke with reporters in a news conference setting before the draft but opted not to on Monday. Though reporters did bump into Vrabel, who briefly greeted them, during a tour of the team’s new facility after Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf's news conference had concluded.
Tyrese Haliburton says it's shingles, not Achilles recovery, that will test him this offseason
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was prepared to spend this past NBA season in the shadows, fighting his way back from a torn right Achilles tendon. He never anticipated the long journey back would take a detour because of a bout with shingles. One day after the Pacers completed a 19-win season without their two-time All-Star ever suiting up, Haliburton told reporters Monday that while he’s ready to return from the injury, it’s the illness that he’ll be contending with this offseason.
Famed ESPN college basketball voice Dick Vitale facing another battle with cancer
Famed ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale is facing another battle with cancer. Vitale said Monday that biopsy results had confirmed a diagnosis of melanoma in his lung and liver cavity, which will have him starting immunotherapy. It marks his fifth battle with cancer. That fight sidelined him from the airwaves for two years before his return shortly before March Madness in 2025. In a statement from ESPN, the 86-year-old announcer affectionately known as “Dickie V” says he's “fully confident I'm going to make it 5 for 5" in beating cancer.
Mike Trout vs. Aaron Judge turns into starry slugfest of 3-time MVPs as Yanks edge Angels 11-10
NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Trout and Aaron Judge turned a baseball game into a slugfest, each hitting two home runs. Trout's second homer gave the Angels a two-run lead in the eighth inning, but the Yankees came back to win 11-10. Trent Grisham tied the game in the ninth with his second homer, and José Caballero scored on a wild pitch. This marked the first time in 70 years that two three-time MVPs each hit two homers in the same game. The Yankees ended a five-game losing streak, and Judge praised Trout's performance, calling him one of baseball's greatest players.
Tar Heels' Caleb Wilson makes 1-and-done leap official as top NBA prospect
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson is headed to the NBA draft after what he called “the most fun year of my life” playing for the Tar Heels. The program released a video statement Monday from the 6-foot-10 forward regarded as a top prospect in the June draft. That made Wilson’s one-and-done route official. The Associated Press second-team All-American averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds in a dynamic season cut short by injury. The first was a broken bone in his left hand. The second was a broken right thumb when he was nearing a return from the hand injury.
Rookies help bring Met Gala energy to the WNBA draft's orange carpet
Walking the WNBA draft’s orange carpet allows incoming rookies not only to express their personality with high fashion flair. The attention and detail given to the draft night outfits also is good preparation for the “Tunnel Fits” that have become a major part of WNBA marketing with how the players look arriving for games during the season. Monday night’s looks spanned the gamut from dressy business pantsuits to full-on Hollywood-style glamour with lots of designer labels. LSU guard and rapper Flau'jae Johnson said being confident helps someone pull off any look.
