Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed Gabon’s game against Ghana at the AFCON 2021 due to heart lesions, Gabonese FA has said. Two other Gabon players Mario Lemina and forward Axel Meye have the same problem. Aubameyang and Lemina were ruled out of Gabon’s first game at the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 in Cameroon […]
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CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are bringing back former guard José Calderón as a special adviser in their front office, the team announced Friday.
Calderón played 14 seasons in the NBA, spending the 2017-18 campaign in Cleveland as the Cavs made their fourth straight trip to the Finals. The 40-year-old was with the Detroit Pistons in 2018-19.
After retiring, he worked with the National Basketball Players Association as an assistant to NBPA executive director Michele Roberts and a senior management team on union strategy and issues relevant to current players.
With the Cavs, Calderón will assist Koby Altman, the team’s newly named president of basketball operations.
“We are thrilled to add someone of José Calderón’s background and experience to our front office,” said Altman, who received a contract extension this week. “His accomplishments as a basketball player and familiarity with our organization will be invaluable.
“We look forward to his insights and perspective on how we can continue moving this team forward and enhancing our efforts towards sustainable and long-term success here in Cleveland.”
The Cavs are 24-18 after winning just 22 games last season. They play in San Antonio on Friday.
Calderón averaged 8.9 points and 5.8 assists in 895 career games. He played on four Olympic teams for Spain, winning two silver medals and a bronze.
He played six pro seasons in Spain before breaking in with Toronto in 2005. He spent eight seasons with the Raptors and also played for the Pistons, Mavericks, Lakers, Knicks and Hawks before signing a one-year deal with Cleveland.
We all know what transpired in the aftermath of that crazy night at Yas Marina Circuit, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen deservingly winning the title and Hamilton undeservedly losing it the way he did. Hence the latter’s social media silence and vanishing.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff did the saga no favours by claiming (truthfully or not) he was unsure Hamilton would return or at least implying he did not know, in recent soundbites.
With Sebastian Vettel already being suggested as a replacement, be sure Toto’s phone has been busy…
But 1996 F1 World Champion, Hill does not believe the ‘quit’ speculation and told Sky F1: “Lewis is getting to the end of his career, well, it may be many years off, but he’s got a lot in the bank and he might just think: I’ve done all I can do.
“But I’m sure that eighth title is just too tempting. I’m sure he’ll want to come back and have it and put all of this to rest. I think, ultimately, the Lewis Hamilton fans feel very aggrieved, the way the decision went disadvantaged them and they felt robbed, so there’s a lot of ill-feeling,” explained Hill of Hamilton’s decision to go off the radar.
Sky F1 expert Martin Brundle is also not on-side with the ‘Lewis Quits’ headlines waiting to be written: “Absolutely not, I don’t buy any of it, to be honest.
“I’m sure Toto has been asked by Lewis, ‘what are you doing about this?’ But Formula 1 is fantastically successful for the Mercedes-Benz brand, while Lewis is 37-years-old and we know he’s driving at his peak, incredibly determined and competitive,” reckoned Brundle.
Hamilton is reportedly worth $285-million and will get substantially richer thanks to a two-year extension deal he inked, in July last year, that sees him with Mercedes until the end of the 2023 F1 season; the extra two years said to be worth $100-million.
Walking away from such a chunk of income, plus the fact that Hamilton is an A-Lister thanks to his F1 genius and remarkable achievements, should he decide to leave the sport, of which he is King at the peak of his prowess, there is simply so much to lose it would be outright daft.
Most of all the spotlight Hamilton uses to highlight social injustices and related issues around the globe will be dimmed, as nothing he does outside of F1 will ever give him the exposure he rightfully enjoys. Quitting now, with still so much he can do and achieve will be tantamount to sporting suicide. He is smart, he knows that. He’ll be back.
Thus when the “Big Sulk” is over, I expect a fired-up Lewis at his very best, throwing all he has at being an eighth time F1 World Champion and with it setting the wrongs, of Abu Dhabi, right – at least in his book.
Also worth noting, for Lewis especially, is the fact that his contemporaries Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen all quit only to find the sport remained irresistible for them; all returned for another shot – Alonso still in the mix.
Life after F1 is not what they expected, and, more importantly, neither of the trio should have ‘quit’ when they did in the first place…
DETROIT (AP) — Trey Lyles scored 21 points, Cade Cunningham and Hamidou Diallo each added 18 and the Detroit Pistons extending their surprising stretch by beating the Toronto Raptors 103-87 on Friday night.
The Pistons are 5-3 in 2022 after finishing 2021 with 18 losses in their last 19 games.
Josh Jackson had 13 points off the bench as the Pistons held Toronto to 32.2% shooting. With three starters spending much of the night in foul trouble, Lyles and Jackson came off the bench to play an important role in the win.
Fred VanVleet had 24 points and 10 assists for Toronto, but shot 6 for 21 from the floor. Pascal Siakam added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost two straight after winning six in a row.
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Detroit built a 56-43 halftime lead — its largest of the season — by holding the Raptors to 28.6% shooting, including 2 for 9 for VanVleet. The Pistons also had a 22-7 edge in bench points for the half, including 15 from Lyles.
Detroit extended the lead to as many as 18, but had several key players in foul trouble. The Raptors got within 69-60, but their continued offensive struggles meant they trailed 83-66 at the end of the third.
Jackson started the fourth with a 3-pointer, giving the Pistons their first 20-point lead of the season, but VanVleet’s 3-pointer made it 91-83 with 3:39 to play. Cunningham put the margin back to 11 with a 3-pointer with 2:41 left, and Detroit clinched the game from the free throw line.
TIP INS
Raptors: Toronto was starting a five-game road trip and a stretch of eight of 10 games away from home. … VanVleet came into the game having made at least four 3-pointers in a franchise-record nine straight games, the longest streak in the NBA this season. He missed eight of his first 11 attempts, but extended the record with a 3-pointer with 7:06 to play.
Pistons: Detroit has won five of its last eight, but all three losses have been by at least 29 points, including a 133-87 defeat by the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Pistons: Host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday in a game originally scheduled for Jan. 12.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
HONOLULU — Russell Henley set the target Friday in the Sony Open by making a 30-foot eagle putt to cap off a big finish, and nobody could catch him.
Nine years after Henley began his rookie season on the PGA Tour by winning the Sony Open, he played his final six holes in 6 under and posted a 7-under 63 for a three-shot lead over Haotong Li of China. Only two other players were within five shots of the lead.
So much of the morning was up for grabs after 18-hole leader Kevin Na began to fade, with as many as five players having at least a share of the lead.
Henley holed a greenside bunker shot for eagle on the par-5 18th hole, only to miss the green long and into a back bunker for bogey on the tough first hole. And then he couldn’t miss. He birdied both par 3s on the front nine from inside 10 feet, made a pair of 12-foot birdie putts and finished with his eagle.
“Nice to finish like that,” Henley said. “I don’t remember the last time I had two eagles in the same round, but it’s definitely exciting.”
That put him at 15-under 125 in another week of low scoring with very little wind at Waialae. And it was a daunting mark for those trying to stay in range.
“The last time I looked before I started it was at 11 [under], so I was like, ‘That’s doable,'” Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama said through an interpreter. “But then halfway through I realized it was 15. Yeah, that’s tough row to hoe when you’re that far back.”
Matsuyama had a 65 and was in the large group at 9-under 131 that included Keita Nakajima, the No. 1 amateur in the world who had a 64, and Brandt Snedeker (65).
“It’s hard not to press,” said Snedeker, who was 11 shots behind when he teed off. “But you realize it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
The cut was at 5-under 135, tying the Sony Open record set in 1998. Among those who missed by one was Rory Sabbatini, the Slovakian silver medalist at the Olympics, who missed a 6-foot birdie putt on his last hole.
Matt Kuchar, who has been in Hawaii since four days before Christmas and sounds like he is in no hurry to leave, had a 65 and was four shots back. Michael Thompson played in the afternoon and posted a 67 to get within five shot at 10-under 130.
Waialae is where it all started for Henley. He began his rookie season in 2013 at the Sony Open by setting a 36-hole record at the time at 126 and outlasting Scott Langley in a weekend duel to win. Henley previously had won on the Nationwide Tour when he was still at Georgia.
Easy game, right?
“Didn’t take me very long to realize it’s really hard,” Henley said, who has three career victories as he starts his 10th year on tour. “Had a lot of up-and-downs my first year, second year, I mean, every year. After this first one, I remember thinking it might be easier than I thought.”
He laughed before adding, “But it’s not.”
It felt easy at times on another gorgeous day along the Pacific, with minimal wind and an abundance of tropical warmth, and pure greens. The flat stick can be his best club in the bag, and Henley was just as deft with the 6-foot putts as some of his birdies.
Li has had a few big moments in his career, most notably at Harding Park in 2020 when he became the first player from China to hold the lead after any round in a major. He was two ahead in that PGA Championship until fading on the weekend.
He also was at the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne at the end of 2019, though that didn’t go so well, starting in the practice round when his fill-in caddie got lost and decided to head into the clubhouse for coffee as Li played on out of another player’s bag. He lost both his matches.
Ditching contact lenses for designer glasses, he was steady in his round of 65, leaving him in contention for the weekend while playing on a sponsor exemption.
Na opened with a 61 and was 10 shots worst the next day. He didn’t make a birdie until his ninth hole and kept burning the edges on putts. On Thursday, some of those putts he narrowly missed were for birdie in his bid for a sub-60 round. On Friday, they were for par, and it sent him from a one-shot lead after the opening round to seven shots behind Henley.
Jim Furyk, now 51 and a Sony Open winner in 1996, also had a 10-shot differential. He opened with a 62 and didn’t make a birdie until his final hole for a 72.
World number 20 Aslan Karatsev produced a masterclass Saturday to power past Andy Murray in the Sydney Classic final, signalling his intent of making another deep run at the Australian Open.
The No.1 seed won 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 31 minutes, hitting 29 winners in a near-flawless performance that left the three-time Grand Slam champion out of answers.
“Thanks to my team we are doing an amazing job,” Karatsev said during the awards presentation.
Karatsev created history at last year’s Australian Open after becoming the first Grand Slam debutant to reach a semi-final since the Open era began in 1968.
After his emphatic victory, the 28-year-old will be confident entering Melbourne Park having stymied Murray’s bid to win a title for the first time since 2019.
“First time back in a final for three years, it’s been a long road,” an emotional Murray said at the presentation.
Murray, who has been given a wildcard into next week’s Australian Open, had been encouraged by his play heading into a Grand Slam where he has finished as runner-up five times.
But Murray, who had undergone career-saving hip surgery, was blown off the court by the red-hot Russian.
His serve was under immediate pressure as Karatsev muscled him around the court to gain the break in the opening game.
Karatsev continued to stand and deliver, piercing the lines to run Murray ragged.
A double fault from the Scot handed Karatsev the first set and the Russian then stormed to a 3-0 lead.
Murray showed trademark fight and had opportunities to break in an epic fifth game but Karatsev held on and then motored to victory.
Karatsev, who had knocked out Murray’s British compatriot Dan Evans in a three-set semi-final thriller on Friday, plays world number 72 Jaume Munar of Spain in the first round of the Australian Open.
Murray has an intriguing opener against 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili who he beat in three sets in the round of 16 in Sydney.
In sports, victory has many associates, just as defeat is an orphan. Before the kick off of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroun, not many football fans in Africa gave the Super Eagles the chance of winning their opening game against the Pharaohs of Egypt, considering the shoddy preparation Nigeria had before the tournament.From the furore over the sack of former coach, Gernot Rohr, to appointment of Augustine Eguavoen on interim basis, as well as the refusal by some European clubs to release some key players, the Super Eagles was seen as a team that will only make up the numbers in Cameroun.
But that impression seems to have changed. Now, the Super Eagles have suddenly become one of the most sought-after teams in Cameroun. At the team’s training session in Garoua on Thursday, fans, including some foreign scouts, scrambled to see the players.
Only a few now pay attention to Egypt and Liverpool dangerman, Mohammed Salah.
For football fans in Garoua, the focus is on Nigerian stars, particularly the duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Moses Simon.
With the game against Pharaohs now history, the Super Eagles say their approach to today’s clash with Sudan won’t be different.
In fact, Iheanacho, whose lone strike sent the Egyptians to beds early on Tuesday, has vowed to do the damage against the Sudanese this afternoon.
If their pre-match boast are anything to go by, today’s match in Garoua will produce many goals, as the Super Eagles say they will deploy every mechanism to render the Sudanese helpless.
All 26 players (bar the injured defender Chidozie Awaziem) were on duty on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with Head Coach Augustine Eguavoen telling the boys clearly that they are yet to win anything, but on the way to doing great things if they keep level heads.
The vive and enthusiasm is indeed palpable. At the pre-match press conference yesterday, Eguavoen maintained his trademark calm mien and assured that his boys will go out to play positively to win on Saturday, with discipline and focus being the watchwords for them within the 90 minutes.
Eguavoen’s 51 caps for Nigeria did not include a run-out with Sudan, but he played against other North African countries, and as coach, led the Super Eagles to snatch their best-ever result in that region when they defeated the Fennecs of Algeria 5-2 in Oran, in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying match on September 8, 2005.
“We saw the game between Sudan and Guinea Bissau on Tuesday and what I can assure you is that we will not be under-rating them. We are taking it one match at a time and will approach this game differently from how we set up against Egypt. We will throw in our very best.”
Victory will not only assure the Eagles of a place in the Round of 16, but also brings closer the possibility of topping the group and therefore retaining the familiar surroundings of Garoua as venue.
Washington Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, and assistant Pat Delany is taking over as acting head coach starting with Saturday night’s game against Portland.
The Wizards announced Unseld’s absence Friday.
Unseld is in his first season coaching the Wizards, who are 22-20 and have won three in a row. Delany said he spoke at length with Unseld on Friday morning, and that he’s feeling OK.
Delany said he still expects Unseld to provide feedback, even though he won’t be there physically. Delany has head-coaching experience from the G League.
Delany said star guard Bradley Beal is still in health and safety protocols after missing the last two games.
After another scintillating year of boxing in 2021, the heavyweight scene has headed into the New Year in good shape with the prospect of some eagerly-anticipated bouts set to take place over the next 12 months.
The one fight on every boxing fan’s lips though is of course the all-British mega match-up between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
The two heavyweights were set to meet in the ring in 2021, however a court ruling ensured Fury was required to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time bringing an end to any chances of the Gypsy King’s £200million bout with Joshua.
And AJ”s hopes of a Fury fight also took a huge blow for obvious reasons.
However, a new year now brings new opportunities. So, will 2022 finally be the year Britain’s two top heavyweights finally face off?
Like any marquee heavyweight fight, there are plenty of complications that could stand in the way of the all-British blockbuster, however the fight is definitely not out of the equation.
After defending his WBC world title in October, Fury’s first challenge in 2022 will most definitely not be Joshua, as he is set to take on mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte.
As well as this AJ has a priority of his own before an all-British matchup, as he sets his sights on a rematch with Ukrainian rival Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua dramatically lost all three of his heavyweight titles to Usyk last September, after he was convincingly beaten on points on home soil in London in their initial bout.
The Englishman however will get the chance to redeem himself – and his titles – after initiating the rematch clause, which is expected to take place in April.
Of course if Joshua does claim his former belts back from Usyk it seems the next logical stop for the 32-year-old would of course be to take on Fury, who currently holds the WBC title.
However a big complication that could well stop the chances of the all-British blockbuster in its tracks is if Joshua loses to Usyk for a second time.
Defeat would once again drop AJ right down the pecking order. Fury has a history of wanting to fight the sport’s best, and if Usyk is the man who holds WBA (Super), IBF, WBO belts then he would most likely be the Gypsy King’s next target.
Fury himself has already openly admitted he would like to take on the Ukrainian fighter, and his camp reportedly offered Team Joshua a fee to step aside and let the Gypsy King be the man who challenges Usyk this April.
Whilst Joshua has supposedly turned this offer down, it may not have been all bad for British boxing fans, as Fury’s promoter Bob Arum revealed that his fighter would then have opted to fight AJ after taking on Usyk if the step-aside offer was agreed.
He told iFL TV: “If Joshua decides not to exercise his rematch against Usyk and decides to step aside, the fight we would like to make is between Usyk and Fury.
“Then Joshua can fight the winner of the undisputed fight. That’s what Tyson would like. And I represent Tyson. That is his preference.”
Another aspect that could well work in the favour of the potential British-bout’s chances is the Gypsy King’s reported 2022 schedule.
Of course Fury fights have been few and far between in recent years, no doubt down to the implications of his agreement with Wilder, as well as the impact of the Covid pandemic.
However, it seems the 33-year-old is set to up his outings this calendar year according to co-promoter Arum, who revealed Fury is planning to fight ‘at least three times’ in the next 12 months.
He told TalkSport: “What I would like to see, and this is what he would like to see, is getting in the ring at the end of February or March and doing at least three fights in 2022.
“Hopefully that is how it will all roll out, Fury is ready to fight anybody.”
It is expected that the bout in ‘February or March’ will be against mandatory challenger Whyte, leaving at least two vacant spots which, looking at the current heavyweight scene, point towards the direction of Usyk and of course Joshua.
Whilst there are plenty of ifs and buts surrounding the Fury-Joshua match up, the one thing the numerous implications do highlight is that 2022 is set to be a bumper year of heavyweight boxing.
It is clear that Fury’s result against Whyte and Joshua’s against Usyk could well be key to setting up the British bout.
However those results turn out though, the fact both Joshua and Fury remain arguably the two biggest names in the division seemingly puts the fights chances in good stead for the near future.
The new announcement followed another one earlier where the team set February 10 as the date to launch their 2022 F1 car the AMR22.
With Marcin Budkowski leaving Alpine, rumors were circulating that he would be heading to Aston Martin with Otmar Sazafnauer replacing him at the French outfit.
The announcement of Krack now settles matters at least from Aston Martin’s side with Szafnauer’s future in F1 yet to be clear.
Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team is delighted to announce that Mike Krack has been appointed Team Principal.
Prior to joining Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, Mike Krack was leading BMW’s global motorsport operation, having worked for the Munich-based company since 2014.
In that role he was in charge of BMW’s Formula E, GT and IMSA programmes, as well as its planned expansion into the new LMDh formula for IMSA & WEC, including the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Prior to that Mike worked in a senior motorsport role for Porsche. He has worked for a decade in Formula One before, for Sauber then BMW-Sauber.
Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, said: “It is a thrill and an honour to have been appointed to the position of Team Principal of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, and I am very grateful to Lawrence [Stroll] and Martin [Whitmarsh] for giving me such a fantastic opportunity.
“Aston Martin is one of the greatest automotive brands in the world, and to have been asked to play a leading role in delivering the on-track Formula One success that such an illustrious name so richly deserves is a challenge that I plan to embrace with energy and enthusiasm.
“I have been working in motorsport for over 20 years, and worked in Formula One with Seb Vettel in 2006 and 2007 when I was a BMW-Sauber engineer and he was the team’s test driver. I have huge respect for his speed and ability, and it will be fantastic to be reunited with him. Lance Stroll is a seriously fast and talented driver, too, with 100 Grands Prix starts to his name, and I am very much looking forward to working closely with him.
“Team Silverstone has always impressed me. It is full of talented people and real racers. That racer’s culture and values are what is required to succeed in motorsport – I know that and my new colleagues at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team know it, too. We will work incredibly hard. We want to win. Together, we will.”
Martin Whitmarsh, Group Chief Executive Officer, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, said: “Mike Krack is exactly the right kind of dynamic and modern Team Principal who, working with our other senior leaders under Lawrence’s [Stroll] and my overall direction, as well as with our ever-growing staff of skilled and committed employees, will deliver the Formula One World Championship success that we at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team are so determined to achieve.
“Having worked in very senior motorsport positions at both BMW and Porsche, backed by an engineering background in Formula One with Sauber, Mike possesses a blend of experience and expertise that makes him the ideal choice for us.
“He works well with drivers, having prioritised that aspect of his role at BMW in recent years, and also with engineers, since he speaks their language.”
Lawrence Stroll, Chairman, Aston Martin Lagonda and Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team, said: “Winning in Formula One is all about bringing together the best efforts of all the principal players – drivers, engineers, mechanics, everyone – and Mike is perfectly placed to do just that.
“We are hiring brilliant new people every week. Our new factory build is coming along very well. We have a fantastic roster of superb sponsor-partners. We are about to embark on year two of our five-year plan, the objective of which is to win Formula One World Championships.
“All the ingredients we require are coming together. Mike will play a central and leading role, reporting to Martin Whitmarsh and leading our technical and operational functions, our collective aim being to fulfil those lofty ambitions. We are on our way.”
