Sports
LeBron James, Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant highlight US player pool for Paris Olympics
Later this year at the Olympic Games in Paris, the USA men’s basketball national basketball team will look to win its fifth consecutive gold medal. Ahead of the highly-anticipated Summer Olympics, Team USA unveiled the 41 basketball stars who are in the player pool.
NBA superstars LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant headline the list. But, in a somewhat surprising decision, Warriors forward Draymond Green was excluded.
Green was a member of the American team that earned gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. He also helped Team USA win the gold medal at the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during their game at Chase Center on October 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Green had expressed some interest last year in being part of the Paris-bound team. But, he missed 16 games spanning mid-December to mid-January while serving what was originally called an indefinite suspension following an altercation with Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkić. Green said he considered retiring and sought counseling before he was reinstated.
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Golden State head coach Steve Kerr will resume his Team USA head coaching duties for the upcoming summer competition, while Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra will serve as an assistant coach.
Los Angeles Clippers’ Tyronn Lue and Gonzaga’s Mark Few will also be on the bench and work as assistants. The final 12-man roster will be finalized in the coming months, with many of those decisions likely hinging upon player health and how deep their respective teams go in the NBA playoffs.
“The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game’s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,” men’s national team managing director Grant Hill said.
“It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity.”
January 31, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The 76ers defeated the Warriors 113-104. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
A total of 13 players in the pool already have Olympic gold medals, with Durant earning three and James having two under his belt. If he plays and the U.S. wins, Durant would be the first men’s player with four basketball golds.
“I will play in the Olympics,” Durant adamantly said last fall.
Curry has yet to represent the country in the Olympics, but he previously expressed interest in doing so.
“Definitely want to be there,” Curry said last fall. “Definitely want to be on the team.”
Also picked for the pool: Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Alex Caruso, Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Derrick White and Trae Young.
Mar 13, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (1) reacts with Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) during the second half at State Farm Arena. (Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, could have decided to play for France (he has dual citizenship) or even Cameroon, his birthplace, if it qualifies. He chose to play for the U.S. last fall instead.
The Philadelphia 76ers big man scored a franchise record 70 points during Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Multiple players ejected after brawl breaks out during Eagles-Commanders game
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An intense brawl broke out during the Eagles-Commanders game in the fourth quarter Saturday night, resulting in three ejections.
The fight began after Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley scored on a 2-point conversion to boost his team’s lead to 19 points with less than five minutes left.
Washington’s Javon Kinlaw and Quan Martin and Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen were disqualified after being flagged for unnecessary roughness.
There was some pushing and shoving and a lot of jawing, and officials threw six flags as the chaos ensued.
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Tyler Steen (56) of the Philadelphia Eagles and Mike Sainristil (0) of the Washington Commanders fight in the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Md. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Eventually, order was restored, and Barkley, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner spoke to each other.
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The Eagles won the game, 29-18, to clinch their second straight division title, becoming the first team to win back-to-back NFC East titles since the 2004 Eagles did it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
No. 4 UCLA closes nonconference play with a dominant win over Long Beach State
UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close could not have imagined a better way for her team to wrap up nonconference play than Saturday afternoon’s 106-44 trouncing of Long Beach State at Pauley Pavilion.
Coming off Tuesday’s 115-28 triumph over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — UCLA’s largest margin of victory during the NCAA era — the Bruins picked up where they left off, leading wire-to-wire for their fifth consecutive win since suffering their lone loss to Texas on Nov. 26.
“We’re growing … we had a couple of lapses today and we’re not there yet, but we’re heading in the right direction,” Close said. “I love the selflessness of this team.”
Senior guard Gabriela Jaquez led the way with 17 points and made five of six three-point shots. Angela Dugalic added 13 points while Gianna Kneepkens had 10 points and 10 rebounds. All 11 Bruins who played scored at least one basket.
UCLA forward Sienna Betts, top, and Long Beach State forward Kennan Ka dive for the ball during the Bruins’ win Saturday.
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
Playing their last game in Westwood until Jan. 3, when they will host crosstown rival USC, the Bruins (11-1 overall, 1-0 in Big Ten) looked every bit like the No. 4 team in the country, improving to 6-0 at home. They are ranked fourth in both the Associated Press and coaches polls behind Connecticut, Texas and South Carolina.
“I’m really proud of our nonconference schedule. Not many local teams are willing to play us, so I want to compliment Long Beach State,” Close said. “Our starting guards [Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice] combined for 17 assists and one turnover. We have depth and balance and that’s a great luxury to have.”
Jaquez scored nine of the Bruins’ first 12 points. She opened the scoring with a three-pointer from the top of the key and added triples on back-to-back possessions to increase the margin to eight points. Her fourth three-pointer, from the right corner, extended the lead to 21-5.
Sienna Betts’ jumper in the lane put UCLA up by 19 at the end of the first quarter. The sophomore finished with 14 points and senior Lauren Betts added 17. The sisters’ parents, Michelle and Andy, played volleyball and basketball, respectively, for Long Beach State. Sienna wears her mom’s No. 16 while Lauren dons her dad’s No. 51.
Rice’s steal and layup made it 46-18 with 3:28 left in the first half and Leger-Walker’s tip-in at the buzzer gave the Bruins a 34-point advantage at halftime. Rice had a complete game, contributing 15 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals and one block.
The result continued the Bruins’ recent dominance against the Beach. UCLA has won six straight head-to-head meetings, including a 51-point blowout in the schools’ previous matchup last December, when Close became the all-time winningest coach in program history by earning her 297th victory to surpass Billie Moore (296-181). Long Beach State has not beaten the Bruins since 1987 under Joan Bonvicini, who posted a 16-1 record versus UCLA in her 12 seasons at the Beach from 1979 to 1991.
The Bruins’ primary focus on defense was slowing down sophomore guard JaQuoia Jones-Brown, who entered Saturday averaging 17.2 points per game. She scored 10 of the Beach’s 11 points in the first quarter but was held scoreless the rest of the way. She has scored in double figures in nine of 10 games. Guard Christy Reynoso added six points for Beach (0-10 overall, 0-2 in Big West).
The Bruins travel to Columbus on Dec. 28 to face No. 21 Ohio State (9-1).
Sports
Nick Saban questions Texas A&M crowd noise before Aggies face Miami in playoff
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Despite dropping their regular-season finale to in-state rival Texas, the Texas A&M Aggies qualified for the College Football Playoff and earned the right to host a first-round game at Kyle Field.
Nick Saban, who won seven national championships during his storied coaching career, experienced his fair share of hostile environments on road trips.
But the former Alabama coach and current ESPN college football analyst floated a surprising theory about how Texas A&M turns up the volume to try to keep opposing teams off balance.
A view of the midfield logo before the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers at Kyle Field on Oct. 26, 2024 in College Station, Texas. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
While Saban did describe Kyle Field as one of the sport’s “noisiest” atmospheres, he also claimed the stadium’s operators have leaned on artificial crowd noise to pump up the volume during games.
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“I did more complaining to the SEC office—it was more than complaining that I don’t really want to say on this show—about this is the noisiest place. Plus, they pipe in noise… You can’t hear yourself think when you’re playing out there,” he told Pat McAfee on Thursday afternoon.
Adding crowd noise during games does not explicitly violate NCAA rules. However, the policy does mandate a certain level of consistency.
A general view of Kyle Field before the start of the game between Texas A&M Aggies and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Kyle Field on Oct. 12, 2019 in College Station, Texas. (John Glaser/USA TODAY Sports)
According to the governing body’s rulebook: “Artificial crowd noise, by conference policy or mutual consent of the institutions, is allowed. The noise level must be consistent throughout the game for both teams. However, all current rules remain in effect dealing with bands, music and other sounds. When the snap is imminent, the band/music must stop playing. As with all administrative rules, the referee may stop the game and direct game management to adjust.”
General view of fans watch the play in the first half between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Ball State Cardinals at Kyle Field on Sept. 12, 2015 in College Station, Texas. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Regardless of the possible presence of artificial noise, the Miami Hurricanes will likely face a raucous crowd when Saturday’s first-round CFP game kicks off at 12 p.m. ET.
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