GYMNASTICS
Gabby Douglas’ long shot bid to make the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the Paris Olympics is over.
The 2012 Olympic all-around champion withdrew from the USA Gymnastics Championships on Wednesday, citing an ankle injury.
The 28-year-old Douglas, who also helped the U.S. win gold in the team competition at the 2016 Olympics, had been attempting a comeback after an eight-year layoff.
She returned to competition at the American Classic last month and made her first appearance at a major U.S. meet at the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, two weeks ago.
Douglas fell twice on the uneven bars in her first rotation, finishing her routine while the crowd chanted her name. She withdrew from the remainder of the meet but did not offer specifics.
Douglas qualified to compete in three events — vault, uneven bars and balance beam — but did not meet the minimum score standard to compete in the all-around, limiting her chances of making what will be a highly competitive five-woman U.S. team.
BASKETBALL
NBA: Bronny James is keeping his name in the NBA draft, with the hopes of joining his father in the league next season.
“He’s a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth,” Rich Paul, the CEO of Klutch Sports Group, told ESPN, which first reported the decision. Paul later confirmed the decision to The Associated Press.
LeBron James, Bronny’s father and the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, posted his reaction on his social media accounts, including one Instagram story that had the simple caption: “BRONNY STAYING IN DRAFT!” The decision was not unexpected, given that Bronny James had given no sign in recent weeks that he would exercise his option of returning to college and postponing his NBA plans.
• The Washington Wizards hired Brian Keefe as their coach, sticking with the man who led the team on an interim basis from late January until the end of the season.
Keefe was in his first season as an assistant coach for the Wizards when he was promoted to interim head coach on Jan. 25, replacing Wes Unseld Jr.
Washington was 7-36 at the time of the change and went 8-31 the rest of the way.
• Alex Karaban, a two-time national champion forward for UConn, announced his choice to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to the Huskies for a chance at a three-peat.
• The Los Angeles Clippers signed Coach Tyronn Lue to a long-term contract after winning a division title in his fourth season.
Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank didn’t disclose details in announcing the new deal. ESPN reported the new contract was worth about $14 million annually through the 2028-29 season, citing unnamed sources.
WNBA: Sabrina Ionescu scored 22 points and Jonquel Jones added 20 to help the New York Liberty beat the visiting Phoenix Mercury 81-78.
New York (5-2) trailed 74-71 late in the fourth quarter before going on a 9-0 run, including four points by Jones to take control.
• Allisha Gray scored 19 points, Tina Charles had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and the visiting Atlanta Dream beat the winless Washington Mystics 73-6.
Washington (0-7) is off to its worst start since 2007, when it set a franchise record with eight straight losses. The Mystics head on the road for games against the New York Liberty and the undefeated Connecticut Sun.
FOOTBALL
NFL: The New York Jets signed former Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen, who last played in the NFL in 2020 because of injuries.
The 28-year-old Cohen was an All-Pro as a kick return specialist in 2018 and was selected for the Pro Bowl. He broke his right leg and tore his ACL and MCL in 2020 and missed all of that season and the following season.
During the 2022 offseason, Cohen tore an Achilles tendon — similar to the injury suffered by Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers in last year’s season opener — and missed that entire season.
He was cleared to play last summer and signed with Carolina’s practice squad but spent most of the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was released by the Panthers on May 10.
• The San Francisco 49ers signed receiver Jauan Jennings to a contract extension through the 2025 season to get one of their two missing receivers back at practice.
The Niners had given Jennings a $4.89 million restricted free agent tender in March before signing him to a two-year deal that is worth up to $15.4 million with $10.5 million guaranteed, according to his agent Drew Rosenhaus.
The 49ers still are trying to get a long-term deal done with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has been skipping the voluntary portion of the offseason.
• Offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood will look to get his career back on track with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers signed the former first-round pick. Leatherwood was the 17th overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2021 NFL draft. He started all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, with 13 coming at right guard. He also started at right guard during the Raiders’ playoff game at Cincinnati.
Leatherwood was waived by the Raiders during the 2022 preseason. He was claimed by the Chicago Bears and played four games. He spent time on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad last season.
SOCCER
U.S. MEN: Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman was the only overage player selected for the United States’ 25-man training camp roster ahead of its final pre-Olympic friendly, against Japan on June 11 at Kansas City, Kansas.
The U.S. qualified for its first men’s Olympic soccer tournament since 2008 and will open against host France on July 24 and play New Zealand three days later, both at Marseille, then finish the first round on July 30 against Guinea at Saint-Étienne. Men’s Olympic soccer is limited to players under 23, with each team allowed three players over the age limit on its 18-man roster.
Zimmerman, 31, has 42 international appearances and played for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup.
HOCKEY
NHL: Longtime goalie guru Mitch Korn is back with the Nashville Predators to oversee their operation at the most important position in hockey.
The team named Korn director of goaltending, reuniting him with now-general manager Barry Trotz for whom he worked at several coaching stops around the NHL, including 15 seasons with the Predators from 1998-2014.
ECHL: The Florida Everblades and Kansas City Mavericks will meet in the Kelly Cup Finals beginning at 8:05 p.m. Friday in Kansas City.
Florida won the Eastern Conference in six games over the Adirondack Thunder, which eliminated the Maine Mariners in a seventh game in the North Division semifinals on May 1.
Kansas City ousted the Toledo Walleye in six games in the Western Conference.
AUTO RACING
NASCAR: Front Row Motorsports said it has purchased a charter that will expand the NASCAR team to three cars in the Cup Series in 2025.
Front Row did not reveal the seller, but the announcement comes one day after Stewart-Haas Racing said it was shuttering its four-car Cup team at the end of the season. Front Row did not disclose how much it paid for its charter; Spire Motorsports last year paid $40 million for one.
BOXING
OLYMPICS: The boxing governing body declared rogue by the International Olympic Committee said it will pay $50,000 in prize money to each gold medalist at the Paris Games.
The cash promise is doubly confrontational for the IOC, which severed ties with the International Boxing Association last year and excluded it from any role in organizing the tournaments in Paris.
The IOC also does not approve of governing bodies paying prize money to Olympic medalists.
The IBA said it has a $3.1 million prize money fund for each male and female boxer who reaches the quarterfinals in 13 total weight classes, plus their coaches and national teams.
The coach and national team of each Olympic boxing champion — who will fight for medals at the Roland Garros tennis complex — will both get $25,000, and the scale of payments goes down to $10,000 in total for each quarterfinalist place.
The source of the money was not specified but the IBA led by its Russian president Umar Kremlev has been supported by the country’s state energy firm Gazprom.
REMATCH: The heavyweight rematch between undisputed world champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will take place on Dec. 21 in Saudi Arabia, according to the advisor who organizes boxing events in the kingdom.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, confirmed the date of the fight on X, formerly Twitter. He said it will take place in Riyadh, the location of the first fight on May 19.
Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 2000 when he defeated Fury by split decision, earning a narrow win on two scorecards. The 37-year-old Ukrainian is the first heavyweight to hold every major title belt since Lennox Lewis.
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