AP National Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams $20,000 for punching the ball into the stands during a game against the Golden State Warriors. Williams was assessed a technical foul and ejected for the incident. It happened with 1:52 remaining in the game Saturday night after play was stopped for

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — American midfielder Gio Reyna almost was sent home from the World Cup because of a lack of hustle in training, for which he later apologized. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter revealed the team’s concerns about a player when he spoke last week at the HOW Institute

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Fisk University women’s gymnastics program will debut at the Super 16 invitational on Jan. 6 in Las Vegas. Fisk is the first Historically Black College and University to offer women’s gymnastics at the NCAA level. The school, which is based in Nashville, launched its program in November 2022 and hired

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons are turning to Desmond Ridder at quarterback. Coach Arthur Smith confirmed that Marcus Mariota has been benched in favor of the untested rookie from Cincinnati. The move comes with the Falcons still in contention for a playoff berth despite a 5-8

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike will serve a third term as president of the WNBA Players Association after being re-elected over the weekend. The Los Angeles Sparks star has served as WNBPA President since 2016, first winning reelection in 2019. She was instrumental in negotiating for the ground-breaking

MARGARET STAFFORD Associated Press (AP) — The NCAA has placed Missouri Southern State’s football program on three years of probation after finding that its former coach acted as if compliance regulations did not apply to the program. The former coach, Jeff Sims, was hired by the school in Joplin, Missouri, shortly after one of his

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The Guardians added some major pop to their lineup. Cleveland officially signed slugger Josh Bell to a two-year, $33 million contract after agreeing to the deal last week during the winter meetings in San Diego. The AL Central champions were in the market for a big

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Pelé is doing better after having been hospitalized to treat a respiratory infection aggravated by COVID-19. Doctors at the Albert Einstein hospital say in a statement on Monday that Pelé is “conscious and has stable vital signs.” However, doctors do not know when he will be discharged. The only player

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Chris Osten scored 19 points, Vincent Brady II didn’t miss a shot and scored 17 and IUPUI beat Spalding 75-53 on Monday. Osten added five rebounds for the Jaguars (2-8). Brady made all seven of his shots with three 3-pointers. Daylan Hamilton went 5 of 7 from the field to finish with

GROVE, England (AP) — Team principal Jost Capito and technical director François-Xavier Demaison are leaving Williams after it finished last in the Formula One constructors’ championship. Capito led the team for two seasons after investment firm Dorilton Capital bought the struggling team in 2020 from the Williams family. No reason was given for Capito’s departure.

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer The leader of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee concedes it would be “impossible” to monitor which athletes have supported the war in Ukraine if a plan is devised to allow some Russians to compete as neutrals in international competitions, and potentially the Olympics. USOPC chair Susanne Lyons says

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer Purdue picked up wins over West Virginia, No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 12 Duke in consecutive weeks to win the Phil Knight Legacy tournament earlier in the season. Wins over Hofstra and Nebraska last week, combined with a loss by Houston, were enough to move the Boilermakers to No.

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams was one of three Southern California players selected to The Associated Press All-America team released Monday. Offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees and defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu joined their quarterback to give USC more players on the first team than any other school. The

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Luka Modric isn’t the only player for the big occasion in the Croatia squad. Ivan Perišić is another of the team’s veterans at the age of 33 and has scored more goals at major tournaments than any other Croatian. They are important goals. He scored

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer Iga Swiatek has won the WTA Player of the Year award for the first time. She was honored Monday after rising to No. 1 in the rankings in April and remaining there for the rest of the season thanks in part to two Grand Slam titles. Swiatek is a

By JIM VERTUNO AP Sports Writer AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas men’s basketball coach Chris Beard is facing a felony family violence charge. Travis County jail records show that Beard was arrested by Austin police before dawn Monday on a charge of assault on a family or household member. A woman told police Beard had

By LEE KEATH Associated Press DOHA, Qatar (AP) — It’s a rare moment in the Middle East when the public’s voice roars louder than those of the governments. But Morocco’s surprise string of wins at the World Cup in Qatar have stirred a joy and pride among Arab fans that have, at least for a