MILWAUKEE, WI — After weeks of speculation on who will be his running mate, Donald Trump announced that Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance is his choice to run as vice president on the 2024 Republican ticket, CNN reported. The campaign confirmed the choice.

“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Vance, 39, served in the U.S. Marines, graduated from Yale Law School and wrote the bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was one of three top contenders for the job, along with North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Vance. All three men are expected to speak this week at the convention, as is former rival Gov. Ron DeSantis, The Associated Press reported.

The announcement came on the heels of an assassination attempt on the former president during a Saturday rally in Pennsylvania that left an innocent bystander and the shooter dead, and two others hospitalized.

In 2022, Rubio won his third term in the U.S. Senate, defeating Democrat U.S. House Rep. Val Demings. He is the first Florida Republican to win three terms in the U.S. Senate, according to NBC News.

Rubio is also the longest-serving Hispanic elected official in the state.

In the weeks ahead of the GOP national convention, which began Monday in Milwaukee and runs through Thursday, Rubio was called a top contender for the VP selection by political watchers.

The vice-presidential pick is set to speak on Wednesday, according to the convention schedule.
Trump has said he planned a dramatic reveal of his vice president at the convention to make it more “exciting.”

“It’s like a highly sophisticated version of ‘The Apprentice,’” he quipped in a radio interview last week, referring to the show he once hosted that featured him firing contestants on camera.

One complication with Rubio joining the ticket would have been that the Constitution requires presidential and vice presidential candidates to come from different states, meaning Rubio might have to change his official residency, Florida Politics reported.

Laurence Tribe, professor emeritus of constitutional law at Harvard University, told ABC News that “none of Florida’s 30 electoral votes may be cast this December for both Trump and Rubio unless Rubio or Trump ‘ceases to be an inhabitant’ of Florida before Dec. 17, 2024,” which is when the electoral college votes.

Tribe said Rubio could still keep his Senate seat even if he does change his Florida residency because the Constitution says a senator must be an “Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen,” and Rubio lived in Florida when elected in 2022.

Some pundits have suggested Rubio could change his residency to Florida, where his family lived when he was a child.

Rubio, 53, the son of two immigrants from Cuba, was born in Miami. Before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, Rubio served as a city commissioner in West Miami and as speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

Rubio married his wife, Jeanette, in 1998. They have four children: Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominick.

He is the vice chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Relations.

The consideration of Rubio to the Trump ticket seems to signal their contentious relationship during the 2016 presidential race, when the former president regularly called the shorter senator “Little Marco,” has been set aside.

Rubio then told supporters at a rally that Trump was always calling him “little Marco” but that Trump has disproportionately small hands. “Have you seen his hands? … And you know what they say about men with small hands,” Rubio said. “You can’t trust them.”

Trump then brought up the comment at a televised debate on March 3, 2016, AP reported.

“Look at those hands. Are they small hands? And he referred to my hands — if they’re small, something else must be small. I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee you,” he said.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were boat raced in their Vegas opener against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, dropping their Summer League record to 2-2 after a 2-1 stint in the Salt Lake City Classic. Already down Ousmane Dieng, the Thunder have not announced if any other players will be shut down for Monday’s contest against the Miami Heat.

On Saturday, the Toronto Raptors enjoyed a wire-to-wire win over the Thunder – Oklahoma City did make a second-half comeback to trim a 25-point deficit down to single digits before ultimately falling in that contest.

On the flip side, the Miami Heat earned a NBA 2k25 Summer League opening win against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, pulling out a 119-114 victory, led by Jamie Jaquez Jr. who dropped 29 points in what should be his final ever Summer League game.

KEYS TO THE GAME: 

Finding any sort of creator besides Ajay Mitchell and Dillon Jones. This team is an offensive eye sore with Ousmane Dieng on the sidelines as they struggled to get open looks and create for themselves and others. On Saturday, it was Mitchell and Jones headling the band with the other members playing out of tune.

Finding a way to limit Ke’el Ware will be a tough task for the Thunder who only bring two big men with them to Summer League in Kylor Kelley and KJ Williams, the Heat’s top rookie has a chance for a big game.

Another chance for Keyontae Johnson to showcase his skillset as he remains an NBA Free Agent after an impressive G League season a year ago for the OKC Blue.

RECORDS: 

Oklahoma City Thunder (2-2) vs. Miami Heat (1-0)

WHEN: 

Monday, July 15, 2024 at 5:00 PM CT

LOCATION: 

Cox Pavillion – Las Vegas, NV

TV/RADIO: 

ESPNU, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal

Live Stream: fuboTV (Start Your Free Trial)

FINAL WORD:  

Stay tuned for updates on who will and will not be available in this contest, if the rookies do play they will be the show stoppers for the Thunder.

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Lionel Messi was hoping to sign off at the Copa America 2024 in style, but instead his tournament ended in a tearful goodbye, as injury forced him out of the final.

The Inter Miami star led Lionel Scaloni’s side to back-to-back titles in their last two major tournament appearances: the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Despite turning 37 in June, Messi has continued to be a vital player as the captain of Scaloni’s team, alongside a strong first year in Miami since arriving in MLS in July 2024.

He was a big part of La Albiceleste’s run to the title decider against Colombia, but injuries have continued to crop up, and Messi’s minutes have had to be managed carefully to ensure he is fit for the most important matches.

His body, though, was not able to withstand one of the most important of them all, as he had to be withdrawn from the championship match in tears. 

The 37-year-old wasn’t able to conjure up his usual magic for much of the first half, blotted by a resolute system of man-marking enacted by Colombian manager Nestor Lorenzo.

Just as he appeared destined to get himself into the game, Messi was felled by a lower-leg problem near the end of the first half. He returned for the second period, and looked to be recovered, before crumpling to the turf again after tracking back to make a challenge, and was eventually forced off.

Messi’s Copa career is now over, having already said this will be his last continental tournament. But what about his time with Argentina more widely? The Sporting News looks at what he has said about retirement.

MORE: Relive the Copa America 2024 final Argentina vs. Colombia, as it happened

What happened to Lionel Messi in Copa America final? Icon makes tearful farewell

Like much of this tournament, Messi was never able to get going in the final.

In the 35th minute, he found space, being swept away in a delicate piece of interplay between him, Alexis Mac Allister, and Julian Alvarez.

Alvarez found the little magician with a sumptuous back heel, allowing Messi to run on to it as he scurried toward the touch line. Argentina’s No. 10 attempted to whip a cross into the penalty area before falling out of play. However, his effort was errant, in no large part due to the presence of his marker, Santiago Arias.

As Messi was bundled over, he appeared to get his lower leg caught underneath a stretching Arias. He proceeded to roll around on the ground before settling on the cusp of the goal line and the field, at which point Argentina’s medical personnel tended to his wounds.

MORE: Why was the Copa América final delayed? 

Messi remained on the deck for a fair bit of time. Coach Scaloni sent Copa America top scorer Lautaro Martinez to warm up while Messi was receiving treatment. However, the diminutive playmaker returned to the pitch shortly thereafter. He did, however, limp noticeably when the ball wasn’t at his feet.

After an extended mid-match break due to a halftime show by Shakira, Messi returned for the second half. But within 20 minutes he was back down on the turf, clutching his ankle, and he eventually had to be led off the field to be replaced by Nicolas Gonzalez.

Messi attempted to track back to contest Luis Diaz’s dribble into space. As he pulled up towards Diaz, however, Messi lost his footing. He crumpled to the ground in a heap, gesturing towards the bench as he laid on the turf.

Messi was visibly distraught after being withdrawn, and was shown on TV pictures in tears, unable to control his emotions at the end of his Copa America career.

Messi’s ankle 😳 pic.twitter.com/fdRxGID1Vx

— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) July 15, 2024

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MORE: Lionel Messi goals, assists: 2024 stats for Inter Miami, Argentina

When will Lionel Messi retire? 

Messi has been asked regularly about his plans for retirement and he is open to playing on for as long as he is able to compete at his current level.

“I know the moment that I know I’m not performing, that I’m not enjoying myself, that I’m not helping my teammates [I will retire],” he said previously.

“I’m very self critical. I know when I am good, when I am bad, when I play well, when I play badly. When I feel it is time to take that step and retire, I will take it without thinking about age.

“If I feel good, I will always try to continue competing, because it is what I like and what I know how to do.”

Messi has previously stated his desire to lead Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, held in North America, and that target appears to be on track. It remains to be seen whether injuries will interfere with that ambition.

Inter Miami will manage his game time in the coming months, following some minor muscle problems at the start of 2024, but he is not expected to make any indication over retirement at club level until at least 2025.

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami contract

As part of his free transfer move to Inter Miami in July 2023, Messi signed a contract that runs until the end of 2025.

The structure of his deal reflects the MLS season, which ends in the December playoffs, so he can compete until the end of next year.

A decision over a potential extension will be made from the start of 2025.

Will Lionel Messi play at the 2026 World Cup?

Messi remains committed to the Argentina cause and his objective had been to captain them at the 2026 World Cup, held in the USA, Canada and Mexico. It is not certain that he will do so, though.

He is fully expected to complete his contract at Inter Miami, after which there will be a six-month gap before the start of the World Cup. He will need to consider his best next step if he wants to keep playing before the tournament in North America.

Despite his enduring importance to Argentina, Messi’s injury troubles over the past year mean it’s hard to say for certain whether he will choose to walk away from national-team duty before the World Cup. However, if he decides to continue, it feels highly likely he will be in the squad for the 2026 finals.

There is a potential to sign a short-term deal at Inter Miami, which could stretch until the end of 2026, so he can continue training and playing in the build-up to the World Cup.

Lionel Messi Argentina stats

Messi is a true great of Argentinian and world football with a Copa America and World Cup title since 2021 capping his international career.

He is also the leading scorer and appearance-maker for Argentina, with 108 goals and 187 international caps, almost double the amount of the second-highest scorer Gabriel Batistuta (56).