Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his last: 'This is it'
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says his 22nd season in the NFL will be his last. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said “this is it” when asked Wednesday if he will retire at the end of the 2026 season. The 42-year-old did not expand on why he came to that conclusion. Rodgers signed a one-year deal to return to the Steelers just before the start of organized team activities. The four-time NFL MVP says the hiring of Mike McCarthy as coach played a factor in his decision to return to the Steelers after helping lead the club to the AFC North title last season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30, Thunder top Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 of West finals
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The MVP looked like the MVP again, and the Western Conference finals are knotted up. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from a subpar series opener to score 30 points, Alex Caruso added 17 off the bench and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 on Wednesday night in Game 2. Chet Holmgren scored 13 points and reserves Jared McCain and Cason Wallace each had 12 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished with a 57-25 edge in bench scoring, plus a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers. Stephon Castle scored 25 points for the Spurs, who got 22 points from Devin Vassell and a 21-point, 17-rebound, six-assist, four-block night from Victor Wembanyama.
Golden Knights roll to early lead, hold off Avs 4-2 to open Western Conference Final
DENVER (AP) — Dylan Coghlan scored his first Stanley Cup playoff goal to get Vegas rolling, Carter Hart made 36 saves and the Golden Knights opened the Western Conference final by holding off the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 on Wednesday night. Trailing 3-0 in the third period, Colorado made it a 3-2 game with 2:21 remaining on a power-play goal from Gabriel Landeskog. Nic Dowd sealed the win for Vegas on an empty-net goal with 44.5 seconds left. Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden also added goals for the Golden Knights, who took advantage of several defensive miscommunications by the Avalanche as they juggled their blue-line pairings with Cale Makar sidelined by an upper-body injury.
Cavaliers shrug off concerns about Harden as they try to even the East finals against the Knicks
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — Jalen Brunson against Donovan Mitchell was the matchup splashed across the screens to hype the Eastern Conference finals. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it turned into Brunson versus James Harden in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Brunson continuously attacked the matchup to spark one of the largest postseason comebacks on record, as the New York Knicks rallied from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 115-104 victory. As they prepare for Game 2 on Thursday, the Cavaliers are shrugging off concerns that one of the most accomplished offensive players in league history might be too poor of a defender to give them NBA Finals hopes.
Mavericks president Masai Ujiri says it was his decision to remove Jason Kidd as coach
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri says it was a difficult decision, and his alone, to remove Jason Kidd as the team’s coach after five seasons. A day after the Mavericks announced Kidd’s departure, Ujiri said Wednesday he felt like the organization needed a clean slate. The former Toronto Raptors executive took over as team president and governor of the Mavs two weeks ago. He says the decision to move on from Kidd had nothing to do with the February 2025 trade of Luka Doncic or anyone connected to that deal.
As CFP barrels toward 24 teams, the questions remain: Who's paying for this, and how much?
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) — The Big Ten is pushing to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams, but the question is who will televise it. Fox supports the idea, but concerns remain about how much networks will pay for games involving less popular teams. The current ESPN deal is worth $7.8 billion over six seasons. The Southeastern Conference prefers a 16-team playoff, while the Big Ten has support from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences for 24 teams. A larger playoff could eliminate conference title games, affecting revenue. The NFL's dominance in viewership is a factor in negotiations.
OKC guard Jalen Williams' hamstring issues return, he leaves Game 2 of Thunder-Spurs early
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder guard Jalen Williams, who missed six games earlier in these playoffs with a strained left hamstring, was ruled out for the second half of Game 2 of Oklahoma City’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night. The reason: Another hamstring problem, which the Thunder called tightness. Williams appeared to be getting treatment on the hamstring during the first half, then left the bench area and did not play in the second quarter.
Shohei Ohtani homers on first pitch, then throws 5 sharp innings in Dodgers' 4-0 win over Padres
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani homered on the first pitch of the game before throwing five sharp innings of three-hit ball in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres. Ohtani drove Randy Vásquez’s game-opening high fastball 398 feet to center for his eighth homer of the season and his 27th career leadoff homer. On the mound, Ohtani struck out four with two walks while lowering his ERA to 0.73 over eight starts. Four relievers completed a five-hitter as the Dodgers took two of three in the rivalry series. San Diego scored just five runs in the series, getting shut out over the final 15 innings.
NCAA infractions expert says Brendan Sorsby faces long odds challenging permanent ban for gambling
A former arbitrator of NCAA infractions cases says Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby faces an uphill fight trying to force the NCAA to stand down on enforcing the policy that permanently bans athletes who are found to have wagered on their own team. Sorsby filed a lawsuit in Lubbock, Texas, this week seeking an injunction allowing him to play for the Red Raiders this season. Balsam is director of the Sports Law Clinic at Brooklyn Law School. She said courts historically have sided with sports governing bodies when it comes to administering rules concerning integrity of the game.
Montreal Victoire win their first PWHL title, beating Ottawa 4-0 in Game 4
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Abby Roque scored twice, Ann-Renée Desbiens made 23 saves and the Montreal Victoire won their first PWHL title, beating the Ottawa Charge 4-0 on Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Walter Cup Finals. Maggie Flaherty and Lina Ljungblom also scored. Montreal opened the best-of-five series at home with two overtime victories, then fell 2-1 at Ottawa on Monday night. Home teams had won the last five finals games. The Minnesota Frost won the first two titles in league history, beating Ottawa in four games last year in the championship series. Montreal beat Minnesota in the semifinals this season. Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin was honored as the playoff MVP. She tied for the postseason lead with eight points on two goals and six assists.
