🏠 News From Your Neighborhood
Miami, FL
Former Auburn guard signs $24 million contract
Guard Davion Mitchell re-signed with the Miami Heat on Monday, the NBA team announced.
A restricted free agent this offseason, Mitchell stayed with the Heat for a fully guaranteed, two-year, $24 million contract.
Mitchell joins 20-points-plus-per-game guards Tyler Herro and Norman Powell as options in the Miami backcourt for the 2025-26 season. Powell headed for the Heat on Monday from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade that also involved the Utah Jazz.
“We’re going to the championship,” Mitchell said after signing the contract.
Mitchell joined Miami in a trade with the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 6. With the Raptors, Mitchell started half of his 44 games and averaged 6.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 24.5 minutes per game. With the Heat, Mitchell started half of his 30 regular-season games and averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.6 minutes per game.
Mitchell made 35.9 percent of his 3-point shots with Toronto and 44.7 percent with Miami.
Mitchell scored 16 points, including nine in overtime, as the Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 123-114 in a play-in game to advance to the NBA playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the East. The Cleveland Cavaliers swept Miami in four games, with Mitchell averaging 15.0 points and 6.3 assists in the first-round series.
“I’m excited, a little bit nervous, obviously, but excited just to be back, just to play for the next two years,” Mitchell said. “I love the fan base, love the coaching staff, love everything that they do here in Miami. Feel good, real good. Glad to be back.
“After the trade deadline, we didn’t really have that much time to practice, but now that we have a training camp together and just do activities together, I feel like we’ll be more comfortable playing with one another. Just being there for one another, we kind of know each other more. We’ll just be a much better team, for sure.”
Mitchell played in 34 games at Auburn as a freshman in the 2017-18 season. He left the Tigers for Baylor. The Sacramento Kings selected Mitchell from the Bears with the ninth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Mitchell played his first three NBA seasons with the Kings before a trade sent him to Toronto last offseason.
In 301 NBA regular-season games, including 69 starts, Mitchell has averaged 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 22.1 minutes per game. Mitchell has earned the nickname of “Off-Night” because of his defensive ability to neutralize top scorers.
“I’m super happy that the fans love me,” Mitchell said. “I just try to go out there and just play as hard as I can. I don’t do nothing exciting, honestly. I just go out there and play hard and play hard for my team, so it’s just exciting that they’re actually paying attention and they actually know that he’s playing really hard for our team.”
In his first four seasons, Mitchell’s career earnings came to $21,001,517.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Miami, FL
‘Confident’ Bencic takes out Anisimova, eyes Gauff next in Miami
A “super clean and confident” performance from Belinda Bencic earned her an upset of one Top 10-ranked American at the Miami Open on Monday night — and she’s hoping that form carries over into another in less than 24 hours.
Miami: Scores | Draws | Order of play
The No. 12 seed led nearly wire-to-wire in a 6-2, 6-2 thumping of No. 6 seed Amanda Anisimova to put her through to a 12th career WTA 1000 quarterfinal, and second in Miami after she reached the 2022 semifinals. She’ll face another Florida resident, No. 4 seed Coco Gauff, on Tuesday night in the hopes of matching her tournament best from four years ago.
Bencic had good reason to praise her play against Anisimova, in a match that was projected to be a late-afternoon affair but ended up taking the court at 9 p.m. after three of the four matches preceding it on Grandstand stretched to three sets. She landed 87% of her first serves, winning 72% of those points, and hit 19 winners in 14 games to break a 2-2 head-to-head tie against the two-time Grand Slam singles finalist.
She saved the only break point she faced, too, which came when she was already ahead 6-2, 4-1.
Bencic next looks to complete a personal Sunshine Double of sorts against Gauff as she eyes back-to-back Top 10 victories on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
Though the American has won four of their previous six meetings, Bencic’s most-recent win came in the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open last year.
More to come…
Miami, FL
Miami-Dade trainer helps young athletes chase their next big opportunity
KENDALL, Fla. — With March Madness underway and Division I athletes back in the spotlight, the level of training it takes to compete at the top of college sports is getting plenty of attention.
In Kendall, one coach is working every day to help young athletes reach that level.
Kevin Lopez is the fitness director at D1 Training Kendall, where the focus is helping athletes get stronger, faster and more confident.
For Lopez, the work is personal. His own athletic career started with a similar opportunity growing up in Miami.
“I got trained by a guy down here in Miami who focused on strength and conditioning, specifically for athletes — for kids that are trying develop, improve and go to college,” Lopez said. “It allowed me to be one of the top receivers in that year for our district, which gave me opportunities to go play at Iowa.”
That experience changed his path and ultimately brought him back home.
Now Lopez says his mission is to give other athletes the same type of chance.
“I want to try and help out as many people as I can, to give them that same opportunity, or at least get them as close as they can to reach that if that’s a goal that they have for themselves,” he said.
Inside the gym at D1 Kendall, the training goes well beyond basic workouts.
“We focus on lateral movements, we focus on their agility, their quickness, we focus on building that upper body strength as well,” he said.
Just as important, he says, is helping athletes stay healthy and confident.
“A lot of kids are coming in to build their confidence,” Lopez said. “It’s not just to improve their speed, their agility, their quickness to transition over to the field or to the court.”
The gym has also become a place where athletes feel comfortable pushing themselves.
“We’re just trying to build a community around here,” Lopez said. “We’re trying to expand and touch as many people, as many athletes, as many adults as we can.”
“This is a home for them,” he added. “And they have somewhere they’re going to come, feel at ease, not feel intimidated.”
To learn more about D1 Kendall, visit their website.
Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
Miami, FL
Sebastian Korda stuns world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz at 2026 Miami Open | Tennis.com
Korda threatened to run away with the second set when he won three games in a row and earned a chance for a double-break lead. Alcaraz held on until it came time for Korda to serve for the match.
Keeping the pressure on, Alcaraz secured a love-break and reeled off five straight games to force a final set.
Undaunted, Korda snapped the streak to get back on the board and weathered some stellar play from Alcaraz to score the first break of the decider.
Down 3-5 for a third straight set, Alcaraz made another brave last stand to force Korda to serve for the match. Korda made no mistake this time, putting away a backhand to set up two match points. Alcaraz saved the first but Korda claimed the second with one last well-struck serve.
Standing between Korda and a return trip to the quarterfinals will be either No. 14 seed Karen Khachanov or Spanish qualifier Martín Landaluce.
-
Detroit, MI5 days agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Oklahoma1 week agoFamily rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash
-
Georgia1 week agoHow ICE plans for a detention warehouse pushed a Georgia town to fight back | CNN Politics
-
Science1 week agoFederal EPA moves to roll back recent limits on ethylene oxide, a carcinogen
-
Alaska1 week agoPolice looking for man considered ‘armed and dangerous’
-
Movie Reviews5 days ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Science1 week agoLong COVID leaves thousands of L.A. county residents sick, broke and ignored
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Turning Point USA Clubs Expand to High Schools Across America