Sports
'I took the time': Clippers' Kawhi Leonard is ready for Paris Olympics
Speaking to the media for the first time since his postseason was cut short in the first round of the playoffs, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said his injured knee was feeling good, allowing him to participate with Team USA in the upcoming Olympics.
Though the knee issues that caused him to miss the final three games of the Clippers’ series with the Mavericks were concerning enough that Leonard feared he could miss another Olympics, his return to the court over the last month have him reassured.
“I took the time,” he said Sunday. “I was able to turn [it] around over the last two weeks. I’m out here now and I’m having a good time.”
Leonard declined to comment about Paul George’s decision to leave the Clippers in free agency, initially saying he wanted to just answer questions about Team USA. Leonard later clarified that he didn’t have problems with George or his decision to sign elsewhere.
As far as his decision to play this summer in Paris, Leonard said the Clippers were supportive in allowing him to pursue something that he’s passionate about that he hadn’t been able to do previously when asked.
“I’m just able to play right now. So I’m happy to go out there … with these talented players and be able to learn something from them. … I’ve always wanted to play against other talent overseas and just other basketball styles and plays. It’s one of the reason why I love the game. We could all teach each other how to shoot a basketball, but all our jump shots are going to look different.”
Leonard, who has struggled with injuries throughout the second half of his career, said he’s disappointed he hasn’t been healthier, particularly last season when he tried “to play as much as possible.”
“[I] felt great and you know at a certain period of time I couldn’t go,” he said. “I tried the best that I could, but it’s just my journey. You know I don’t want to be in the situation that I [am] in, but I gotta take it for what it is. And you know a lot of people are watching. Supporters or doubters. But I motivate a lot of people.
“So I gotta keep doing what I’m doing.”
Sports
Ketel Marte frustrating Diamondbacks by opting to take days off with trade deadline looming: report
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Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte has reportedly been frustrating people within the organization with the MLB trade deadline looming.
Marte, a switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, is someone Arizona has tried to trade this past winter despite his talent and six-year extension that kicked in this season.
But USA TODAY reported Marte “continues to frustrate segments of the organization by opting to take days off.” Most recently, Marte decided to sit for last week’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where superstar Shohei Ohtani was pitching, and he then proceeded to hit a walk-off home run the next day for the D-Backs.
Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, on May 30, 2026. (Maddy Grassy/Getty Images)
The reason for Marte missing the game last Wednesday was a mixture of his decision as well as the second baseman dealing with lower-back and hamstring ailments, per Arizona Sports. Marte didn’t want to risk any further injury.
“We’re all human, and we all need a day here and there,” Marte said through a translator following the walk-off homer he hit on Thursday’s game.
KETEL MARTE RECEIVES STANDING OVATION FROM DIAMONDBACKS FANS IN FIRST HOME GAME SINCE CONTROVERSIAL HECKLING
This also isn’t new for Marte, who created some tension in the clubhouse due to absences and off-day requests near the All-Star break. It was reported that Marte’s teammates didn’t appreciate trying to time his off-days, leading to an apology later on.
Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, on May 30, 2026. (Maddy Grassy/Getty Images)
With Marte being involved in trade rumors in the past, they will certainly pick up with MLB’s trade deadline scheduled for Aug. 3 this year. It’s later than usual, but with teams dealing with injuries as well as trying to bolster their lineups, rotations and bullpens, players with Marte’s talent will surely lead to calls to those in the Arizona front office.
Marte should be sold at a high price, if at all, given he is under contract through the 2030 campaign at a relatively low price after signing his six-year, $116.5 million contract. He also has a player option for the 2031 season, where he will be age 37.
While second base is his usual spot on the field, Marte has played shortstop as well as center field in his 12-year career. The Dominican Republic product has earned three All-Star nods, including each of the past two seasons.
Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fourth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 23, 2026. (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
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This year, Marte is slashing .250/.304/.450 with a .754 OPS — the lowest mark since his 2022 campaign in Arizona (.727). He has hit 11 homers, driven in 37 runs and scored 37 times across 60 games.
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Sports
The Times’ softball coach of the year: Katie Stith of JSerra
Katie Stith, the softball coach at JSerra High, can finally take a bow and become the most famous Stith in the family — at least for a couple weeks.
Imagine being the daughter of legendary club softball coach Mike Stith (OC Batbusters), then going into coaching. Katie did just that and has earned the spotlight after guiding JSerra to its first Southern Section Division 1 championship.
She has been selected The Times’ coach of the year for 2026.
It was her eighth season, and if you want to play in Division 1 in Southern California, you have to go through the gauntlet of powerhouses, from Norco to Orange Lutheran to Murrieta Mesa.
JSerra navigated a difficult regular-season schedule, then avoided upsets in the playoffs. The team finished 25-8 and had wins over Norco, La Mirada, Oaks Christian, Orange Lutheran and Garden Grove Pacifica — all prominent programs.
She was able to rely on pitcher Liliana Escobar and catcher Annabel Raftery in those pressure-packed moments from the first game to the last.
Sports
Danish soccer star suffers medical scare during match years after on-field cardiac arrest
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Denmark’s Christian Eriksen collapsed during his team’s international friendly match against Ukraine on Sunday.
Eriksen, who has a history of collapsing on the pitch, did so again as help rushed out to meet him near midfield.
Thankfully, the Danish Football Union said in a statement that he was “conscious and feeling well under the circumstances.” The 34-year-old’s incident led to the game being abandoned.
Christian Eriksen of Denmark looks on during the UEFA International Friendly match between DR Congo and Denmark at Stade Maurice Dufrasne in Liege, Belgium, on June 3, 2026. (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)
Denmark was up, 2-1, on Ukraine in the 61st minute at the time of Eriksen’s collapse.
Eriksen previously starred for Tottenham and Manchester United in the English Premier League. He currently plays for VfL Wolfsburg in 2. Bundesliga.
SOCCER PLAYER DIES AT 21 AFTER COLLISION WITH OPPONENT DURING MATCH
During the European Championship between Denmark and Finland in June 2021, play was suspended after a terrifying scene where Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch in the first half of the game.
Play immediately came to a halt at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, where Eriksen was lying on the grass unresponsive. CPR was needed to resuscitate him, as medical staff and teammates made a circle around his body in clear distress, hoping for the best.
Denmark’s and Ukraine’s players accompany Christian Eriksen to an ambulance during a friendly match at Odense Stadium in Denmark on June 7, 2026, after he collapsed on the field. (Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
Eriksen received 10 minutes of medical care and was later taken off the pitch on a stretcher with an oxygen mask around his mouth. Images began to circulate on social media at the time, showing Eriksen awake and having a hand on his forehead.
Eriksen was later transferred to a hospital and was stabilized.
Since that moment, Eriksen was fitted with a heart-starting device called an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
Denmark’s team doctor Morten Boesen released a statement via multiple outlets, stating Eriksen’s “pacemaker is responding as it should.”
Christian Eriksen of Denmark looks on during a UEFA international friendly between DR Congo and Denmark at Stade Maurice Dufrasne in Liege, Belgium, on June 3, 2026. (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)
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“He was briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him,” Boesen’s statement read.
“He will not undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay.”
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