Sports
U.S. women’s basketball edges upset-minded France for 8th straight Olympic gold
It’s not easy making history.
The United States survived a scare from France to win an unprecedented eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal Sunday with a 67-66 victory at Bercy Arena. The Americans trailed by 10 in the third quarter, never led by more than eight and won by inches as French star Gabby Williams momentarily thought she knocked down a three-point shot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games
When referees said her toe was on the line, she covered her mouth in disbelief. Her eyes started filling with tears.
Brittney Griner pointed to the spot on the floor during the U.S. celebration with a relieved grin on her face.
A gold medal would have been the ultimate exclamation point on a triumphant Olympics for the host nation. France is already celebrating its largest medal haul in more than a century. But the home team was agonizingly close to its first Olympic gold in basketball with the men’s and women’s teams both advancing to the final. Despite basketball’s steady globalization, the United States asserted its continued dominance as the U.S. women remained undefeated in Olympic play since 1992, a streak of 61 games.
“History doesn’t earn you another one,” said Diana Taurasi, who earned her record sixth Olympic gold medal but didn’t play in the final. “You got to go and earn it.”
Led by Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson’s 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, the United States fended off an inspired French team that was fueled by the energy of a crowd hoping to win the nation’s first Olympic basketball gold medal.
France dictated the pace of play early with a suffocating defense. The United States looked frantic and frazzled. The Americans turned the ball over 13 times in the first half compared to eight made field goals. France ran off 10 consecutive points to begin the second half.
The team that had dominated teams for more than three decades looked lost with Wilson and Breanna Stewart missing point-blank shots. The leading scorers entered the game each averaging at least 18 points a game on a combined 62% shooting. The linchpins of U.S. basketball started Sunday’s game a combined three-for-16 from the field.
The Americans instead got a lift from new faces. After leading the United States to a 3×3 Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, Kelsey Plum scored or assisted on every point of an 8-0 third-quarter run. Olympic rookie Kahleah Copper changed the game with her grit and energy off the bench and finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Fellow Olympic rookie Sabrina Ionescu assisted Collier on two layups that helped the Americans reclaim a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Sabrina Ionescu celebrates after the United States’ win over France on Sunday.
(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
After the final buzzer, U.S. players celebrated with a star-studded courtside row that included U.S. women’s basketball legends Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie. Plum, who said she knows all the U.S. players who have worn her No. 5 jersey for the national team, shared a look with three-time Olympic champion and fellow No. 5 jersey Seimone Augustus, who watched from the stands.
In the mixed zone after the game, Taurasi passed an imaginary torch to Ionescu. Taurasi will not be back in the Olympics — the Chino native said she will attend the Los Angeles 2028 Games from the beach with a beer — but she knows players like Ionescu will be.
“I’m ready,” Ionescu said. “I think being able to learn from a lot of the veteran players here, knowing it’s kind of my time and a lot of our times, that this younger generation is able to kind of take this legacy and continue to push forward and go for nine.”
Sports
LIV Golf stars commit to staying put after Brooks Koepka’s departure, return to PGA Tour
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Brooks Koepka may have returned to the PGA Tour following a stint at LIV Golf, but do not expect the Saudi-backed league’s other biggest stars to join in.
Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith all committed to staying put when speaking to reporters on Tuesday at a preseason press conference.
“I had no idea, no idea that that would happen.” DeChambeau said. “No idea what the penalties would even be. Right now, I’ve got a contract. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do at LIV Golf this year.”
Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm walk to the eighth green during the first round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 2, 2022. (Adam Cairns/The Columbus Dispatch)
“I made a decision to come out here and spend more time at home, and I’m not giving that away. I’ll be on LIV for years to come,” added Smith, who won the 2022 Open Championship shortly before officially committing to LIV.
DeChambeau and Smith each left in 2022, but Rahm was perhaps the biggest surprise. Once very outspoken against LIV, he joined the league in December 2023.
In August 2024, he shut down rumors of buyer’s remorse to Fox News Digital, and that still appears to be the case.
“I’m not planning on going anywhere. Very similar answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best. As far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on the league and my team this year, and hopefully we can repeat as champions again,” Rahm said.
Koepka’s decision came weeks after he revealed he would be leaving the rival series.
“I want to thank my family and my team for their continued support throughout every step of my professional career,” he wrote on social media. “When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the @PGATOUR, and I am just as excited today to announce that I am returning to the PGA TOUR. Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.
Brooks Koepka, of the United States, acknowledges the crowd on the 5th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, July 17, 2025. (Peter Morrison, File/AP Photo)
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“I believe in where the PGA TOUR is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake,” he continued. “I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.”
Koepka said he planned to be at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open in the coming weeks.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Koepka’s return sparked the Returning Member Program for those who left the company and may decide to follow in Koepka’s footsteps.
Rolapp said Koepka agreed to a few conditions upon his return to the PGA Tour. It included a “five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program, representing one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history, with estimations that he could miss out on approximately $50–85 million in potential earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the growth of the Tour,” according to Rolapp. Koepka will also make a $5 million charitable donation to an organization yet to be determined.
Brooks Koepka during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow. (Aaron Doster/Imagn Images)
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Koepka became the first person to return to the PGA Tour after defecting for LIV.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Sports
Luka Doncic plays and scores 27 points as the Lakers rout the Hawks
Luka Doncic and LeBron James were listed as questionable for the Lakers’ back-to-back game Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic because of left groin soreness, James because of left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica.
Also, checking the stat sheet before the game, the Lakers were listed as one of the worst three-point shooting teams and one of the worst defensive shooting percentage teams in the league.
Well, Luka played and LeBron played and the Lakers shot lights-out from three-point range and were solid across the board on defense while i rolling over the Hawks 141-116 at Crypto.com Arena.
Doncic felt soreness in his groin when the Lakers played at Sacramento on Monday night and was unsure about playing Tuesday. But he played and delivered 27 points, 12 assists and five rebounds.
James didn’t play in the second game of a back-to-back game last week at New Orleans and San Antonio and said he will be listed as TBD, to be determined, in such scenarios. But James played against the Hawks and nearly produced a triple-double with 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Coming into the game, opponents were shooting 48.8% from the field and 37.4% from three against the Lakers, ranking them 28th and 26th, respectively, in the NBA.
The Hawks began the game ranked fourth in three-point shooting, making 37.4%, and they were ranked eighth in field-goal percentage, making 43.6%.
All of the above made for a bad recipe for the Lakers entering the game.
But when the game started, none of that mattered to the Lakers, who held the Hawks to 45% shooting and 28.3% from three-point range.
The Lakers shot 55.9% (19 for 34) from three-point range.
The Lakers’ big lead was sliced to 11 points in the fourth.
But back-to-back three-pointers by James and Marcus Smart, both off passes from Doncic, and a Doncic basket gave them a 19-point lead, and they never looked back.
The Lakers scored 81 points in the first half, a season-high for points in a half, a half in which they opened a 23-point lead and had the Hawks reeling from the beginning.
Doncic missed just one of his six three-pointers in the first half. Gabe Vincent came off the bench and missed just one of his four three-pointers in the first half.
Rui Hachimura had missed the previous seven games with a right calf strain but was back in action against the Hawks. He had seven points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.
ETC: The Lakers signed guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract Tuesday. The 6-foot-5 Bufkin played in seven games for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ G League team, where he averaged 28.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists over seven games. He has appeared in 27 career NBA games over two seasons with the Hawks. “You know, during the stretch, we’ll have opportunities during this 10-day,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said…. Backup center Jaxson Hayes didn’t play against the Hawks because of left hamstring soreness. Redick said Hayes got some “imaging” Tuesday on his injury and that the Lakers will have “more information” going forward.
Sports
Mike Tomlin stepping down as Steelers head coach: reports
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Mike Tomlin is stepping down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple reports.
Tomlin’s decision on Tuesday came after a blowout loss against the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs. It marked the Steelers’ seventh straight postseason defeat.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
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