AP Sports Digest
The highlights of the AP Sports report. An up-to-the minute listing of all stories planned, including games and events, is available in Coverage Plan on AP Newsroom, https://newsroom.ap.org/coverageplan. You can also find a link to Coverage Plan on the left navigation of the Newsroom home page, https://newsroom.ap.org. Sports content can be found at http://newsroom.ap.org/page/APSports.
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ADVISORIES
AP coverage plans for the upcoming Paris Olympics can be found here: https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/pronto/57d3a768edff36e3e1b369fa8fa2ce4d
Find Olympics stories, photos, videos and interactives on the Olympics hub in APNewsroom.
All times EDT
TOP STORIES
OLY--DESTINATION PARIS
The Associated Press spent time with five Olympians and one Paralympian to see what it takes to reach the pinnacle of their sport. For a few, 2024 is about climbing to the top after coming oh-so-close in years past. Here’s a look at the road these athletes traveled on their way to Paris. UPCOMING: Stories scheduled to move by 6 a.m.
— OLY--Destination Paris-The Woodhalls
— OLY--Destination Paris-Ryan Murphy
— OLY--Destination Paris-Abbey Weitzeil
— OLY--Destination Paris-Jordan Chiles
— OLY--Destination Paris-Fred Richard
OLY--BKO-MEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
USA Basketball is favored to win a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games, though there’s no shortage of teams that believe they can grab the title including host France. To them all, U.S. guard Devin Booker has a message: “We have a lot of respect for those guys, but basketball still lies here.” His point: the Americans are going to Paris with some swagger. By AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 11 a.m.
TEN--WIMBLEDON-MEN'S SEMIFINALS
LONDON — Carlos Alcaraz plays Daniil Medvedev, and Novak Djokovic faces Lorenzo Musetti in the Wimbledon men’s semifinals on Friday. By Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich. Play starts at 8:30 a.m. EDT. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos.
With:
— TEN--WIMBLEDON WOMEN'S FINAL PREVIEW: LONDON — Barbora Krejcikova had a bad back and just a handful of wins before this year’s Wimbledon tournament. So, yeah, she’s pretty surprised to have reached Saturday’s final at the All England Club to face No. 7 Jasmine Paolini, who is equally amazed to be one step away from becoming a Wimbledon singles champion. By Ken Maguire. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.
— TEN--WIMBLEDON GUIDE: Everything you need to know about Wimbledon. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos.
CYC-TOUR DE FRANCE
PAU, France — Stage 13 gives sprinters another chance to collect valuable points for the green jersey contest, on a 165.3-kilometer (102.5-mile) route from Agen to the southwestern city of Pau on the Pyrenees mountains’ northern edge. UPCOMING: 350 words, photos by 1530 GMT (11:30 a.m. EDT).
BKL--REESE-DOUBLE DOUBLE STREAK
NEW YORK — Angel Reese was happy to able to keep her record streak alive, she just wished it would have resulted in a win. The Chicago Sky’s sensational rookie extended her WNBA record with a 15th consecutive double-double Thursday night in the team’s 91-76 loss to the New York Liberty. By AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg. UPCOMING: 400 words, photos by 6 a.m.
SOC--US COACH SEARCH
NEW YORK — Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin thinks the search for Gregg Berhalter’s successor as U.S. coach doesn’t need to be complicated. Curtin says that if Jürgen Klopp is available, he’s the guy. Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Marcelo Bielsa also are among those being speculated about as candidates to lead the Americans into the 2026 World Cup. By Ronald Blum. SENT: 600 words, photo.
NOTABLE
FBN—OBIT-KIFFIN
TAMPA, Fla. — Monte Kiffin, the longtime NFL and college assistant coach whose Tampa Bay defenses routinely ranked among the league’s best, died Thursday. He was 84. One of the architects of the ultra successful Tampa 2 defensive scheme, Kiffin spent 13 seasons as defensive coordinator of the Bucs under former coaches Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden from 1996 to 2008 and helped the franchise win the first of its two Super Bowl titles. SENT: 420 words, photos.
BBO—PRE-ARBITRATION BONUSES
NEW YORK — Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson is projected to receive the largest amount from this season’s $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool based on his regular-season statistics. Henderson is on track to get $1,325,021, according to WAR calculations through July 7 that Major League Baseball sent to teams, players and agents in a memo Thursday that was obtained by The Associated Press. By AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum. SENT: 480 words, photos.
And:
— BBO—ALL-STAR REPLACEMENTS
Marcus Semien of the host Texas Rangers will replace Houston’s Jose Altuve as the American League’s starting second baseman for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night. SENT: 320 words, photos.
US-NCAA--PLAYER SALARIES LAWSUIT
PHILADELPHIA — A U.S. appeals court in Philadelphia has ruled that some college athletes may qualify as employees under federal wage-and-hour laws. The court says a test should be developed to differentiate students who play college sports for fun from those whose effort “crosses the legal line into work” that benefits the school. By Maryclaire Dale. SENT: 790 words, photos.
With:
— US NCAA MEETINGS: INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis will host championships for all three NCAA divisions and the NIT in 2026. SENT: 340 words, photo.
BKN—76ERS-LOWRY
PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Lowry says he is re-signing with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. The six-time All-Star guard announced his decision on Instagram on Thursday. ESPN reported that the 38-year-old Lowry is agreeing to a one-year deal. SENT: 260 words, photo.
US-TRANSGENDER SPORTS-WEST VIRGINIA
CHARLESTON, W. Va. — West Virginia and Idaho are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review rulings that blocked the enforcement of state laws prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in sports. It’s unclear when the high court would decide whether to take up the cases. By Leah Willingham. SENT: 540 words, photo.
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Friday's EDT Time Schedule
L.A. Dodgers at Detroit, 6:40 p.m.
Oakland at Philadelphia, 6:40 p.m.
Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 6:50 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.
Colorado at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.
Kansas City at Boston, 7:10 p.m.
Miami at Cincinnati, 7:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.
Texas at Houston, 8:10 p.m.
Washington at Milwaukee, 8:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.
Seattle at L.A. Angels, 9:38 p.m.
Atlanta at San Diego, 9:40 p.m.
Toronto at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.
Minnesota at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m.
WNBA
Las Vegas at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
Phoenix at Indiana, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle, 10 p.m.
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