Just hours after reports came out detailing how Kevin Durant gave the Brooklyn Nets an ultimatum about his future with the franchise, team owner Joe Tsai has sensationally thrown his support behind general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash.
In a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, it states Durant had a meeting with Tsai on Monday where he reiterated his trade request, as well as the bombshell that he will refuse to remain with the team unless Marks and Nash are both fired.
Durant, 33, is about to enter the first year of his four-year, $198million contract extension with the Nets, meaning there is no way for the two-time NBA Finals MVP to literally force his way out. To leave Brooklyn, the team will need to trade him, and there is no guarantee that is in their plans, despite Durant's requests.
In a clear statement of where his loyalty lies, Tsai tweeted: "Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets."
The Athletic's report also revealed the Nets "engaged in conversations with almost every team in the league" after Durant's initial trade request, but no team has been able to meet their asking price, which is said to be one of the biggest in NBA history.
The Boston Celtics, the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat are mentioned as the three teams most likely to aggressively pursue a trade, with 25-year-old Celtics wing Jaylen Brown considered the best player being included in negotiations.
Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has joined the club's sporting director Marco Di Vaio in suggesting 33-year-old Manchester United target Marko Arnautovic will remain in Italy this season.
Arnautovic arrived at Bologna ahead of the 2021-22 campaign after three years with Shanghai Port in China, and it proved to be a savvy move from the Serie A side as he netted 15 goals in 34 appearances – eight more goals than any of his teammates.
Speaking before Bologna's Coppa Italia clash against Cosenza, Di Vaio said Arnautovic is at the centre of what he is trying to accomplish this season, and that "it's not a question of money, it's priceless for what it represents for us" before adding "he has no market value".
After the match, Mihajlovic told the media he believes the club will hold on to the big Austrian.
"If he were to go away it would be a great loss," he said. "I would be happy for him, but I think he will stay in the end.
"We talked to each other, surely if he stays here he will train well and do what he has to do. If he goes away we will see, but I don't think so."
United reportedly have had a €9million offer turned down, while Arnautovic's agent has confirmed "it's true that there is an offer from a well-known club."
Serena Williams thinks she is "getting closer" to the light at the end of the tunnel after winning her first singles match in 430 days at the Canadian Open on Monday.
The 23-time grand slam champion beat Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3 6-4 in the opening round in Toronto, securing her first singles victory since a defeat of Danielle Collins at the 2021 French Open.
Williams returned from a one-year absence at Wimbledon last month after recovering from injury, but was beaten by Harmony Tan in the first round.
The long-awaited win in Toronto was her first since turning 40 and it gave the American a timely lift ahead of the US Open.
"I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel," she said. “I don’t know, I’m getting closer to the light, so… lately that's been it for me. I can’t wait to get to that light."
When asked what "the light" means to her, she responded "freedom".
"I love playing though, so it’s like, amazing," she added. "But, you know, I can’t do this forever.
"Sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments, and do the best that you can."
Williams became just the fourth player since 2000 to win a WTA-Tour level main-draw match after turning 40, along with Martina Navratilova, Kimiko Date-Krumm and her sister Venus Williams.
It also gave her the all-time lead for wins at the Canadian Open in the Open Era, this being her 35th victory at the event to break her tie with Chris Evert.
With less than five weeks until the start of the NFL season, Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor isn't worried about when quarterback Joe Burrow will be back on the practice field.
Burrow, the 2020 top overall draft pick, underwent surgery last month to remove his appendix. While he has been seen on the sidelines at Bengals practices, Burrow has yet to resume football activities.
"He's starting to get better every single day," Taylor said of his star signal-caller. "Again, I don't want to put a timeline on when he gets out here and starts throwing and stuff, but it's been encouraging. He's back to himself in meetings so — looking good."
The Bengals' 2022 season opens on September 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, although Burrow is still expected to be healthy enough to start under center.
"He knows himself way better than we do," Taylor said. "I trust the communications with him when we're going to get him back out here.
"We've got plenty of time before the opener and I trust that we'll have a good process in place."
Burrow cemented his place among the game's best young quarterbacks last season, bouncing back from the knee injury that ended his rookie campaign to lead the Bengals to a 10-6 record as a starter in 2021.
The Bengals played in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 season but lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
Over his last eight games of 2021, including four playoff games, Burrow threw for 16 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 72 percent of his passes.
With less than five weeks until the start of the NFL season, Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor isn't worried about when quarterback Joe Burrow will be back on the practice field.
Burrow, the 2020 top overall draft pick, underwent surgery last month to remove his appendix. While he has been seen on the sidelines at Bengals practices, Burrow has yet to resume football activities.
"He's starting to get better every single day," Taylor said of his star signal-caller. "Again, I don't want to put a timeline on when he gets out here and starts throwing and stuff, but it's been encouraging. He's back to himself in meetings so — looking good."
The Bengals' 2022 season opens on September 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, although Burrow is still expected to be healthy enough to start under center.
"He knows himself way better than we do," Taylor said. "I trust the communications with him when we're going to get him back out here.
"We've got plenty of time before the opener and I trust that we'll have a good process in place."
Burrow cemented his place among the game's best young quarterbacks last season, bouncing back from the knee injury that ended his rookie campaign to lead the Bengals to a 10-6 record as a starter in 2021.
The Bengals played in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 season but lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
Over his last eight games of 2021, including four playoff games, Burrow threw for 16 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 72 percent of his passes.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are back in the India squad for the Asia Cup, but Jasprit Bumrah misses out due to injury.
Kohli, who has been so short of runs, has not played since the tour of England last month as he was given a rest.
The former captain will return in the Asia Cup, which will be staged from August 27 to September 11 in the United Arab Emirates with a Twenty20 format rather than the ODI for the 15th edition of the tournament.
Rahul has been sidelined by injuries and COVID-19, but will be vice-captain for the four-team competition.
Paceman Bumrah will play no part after reportedly suffering a back injury, while Harshal Patel unavailable due to a rib injury.
Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Deepak Chahar will be on standby.
India face fierce rivals Pakistan and a qualifying team in Group A, with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Group B.
India squad for the Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
Kevin Durant has doubled down on his stance that he won't play for the Brooklyn Nets, at least as the organisation is currently constituted.
In a meeting with franchise owner Joe Tsai, Durant demanded that either he be traded to another team or that the Nets fire the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash, The Athletic reported Monday.
Durant and Tsai spoke in London over the weekend, and The Athletic reported that the tone of the meeting was professional.
Durant has four years and $198 million left on the contract extension he signed last summer but made his trade demands public over a month ago on June 30.
The 12-time All-Star set the NBA world ablaze by demanding a trade, but no team has been able to pull off the massive deal to bring Durant to a new contender.
Earlier this summer, Durant said that he wanted to end up either with the Miami Heat or the Phoenix Suns, but the Nets now have some hope of keeping the two-time Finals MVP.
That is, if Tsai is willing to upend the franchise's leadership structure.
Durant, who will turn 34 before the start of next season, has played a total of 90 regular season games since signing with Brooklyn in 2019.
The much-anticipated trio of Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden played only 10 games together.
Harden was traded for massive question mark Ben Simmons, Irving's future is unclear, and now the Nets are now at a massive organisational crossroads.
Everton have announced the signing of England international Conor Coady from Wolves.
The 29-year-old defender joins Frank Lampard's side on a season-long loan, becoming the club's fourth signing of the window after James Tarkowski, Ruben Vinagre and Dwight McNeil.
Capped 10 times by England, Coady has captained Wolves for the past four seasons and will be hopeful of making Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
"It's incredible to join Everton. As soon as I heard the interest, from the manager but also the football club itself, I really wanted to be part of it straight away. I'm over the moon to join," he told the club's official website.
"I've grown up around the city, I know the football club, how big this club is and what it means to the supporters. I'm someone who was desperate to come here, to play for this club. I've got family and friends who are massive Evertonians.
"I'm here to give absolutely everything I've got for this football club. It's important I work as hard as I can to help my teammates, help the club move forward and make people proud."
Everton opened the Premier League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea but are set to strengthen their ranks further before Saturday's trip to face Aston Villa.
The signing of 20-year-old midfielder Amadou Onana from Lille is expected to be announced imminently for Everton, meanwhile, Wolves will use the sale of Coady to help fund their move for Valencia's Goncalo Guedes, which was also confirmed by the Spanish club on Monday.
#welcomeCoady pic.twitter.com/7yx1IMdAc9
— Everton (@Everton) August 8, 2022Gary Player has accused his son and former manager, Marc Player, of putting "several" of the nine-time major champion's trophies and valuable golfing memorabilia up for auction without his permission.
In a social media post, Player alerted the public to the fact that he has not authorised any sales of his belongings and has taken action to recover them.
"I would like to draw the public's attention to the fact that several trophies and other pieces of memorabilia that form part of my legacy have been put up for sale by my son and ex-manager, Marc," he wrote.
"These items belong to me and I have taken action to recover them. I have placed no items for sale – whether by auction or otherwise."
The legendary South Africa had trophies from all four of the majors he won listed on the Golden Age Auctions website in 2020 without his permission. They eventually sold for just under £450,000.
Between 1959 and 1978, Player won The Masters three times, The Open three times, the PGA Championship twice, and the U.S. Open once.
While most established starters typically sit out the NFL's Hall of Fame Game, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs saw plenty of action last Thursday night.
Jacobs touched the ball on seven of the Raiders' first 12 plays – rushing five times for 30 yards and catching two passes for 14 yards – leading some to believe the team was deliberately giving him a larger workload so there would be more tape on him for a potential trade.
Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels quashed those rumours on Monday, dismissing the idea of the team looking for a trade.
"We have a lot of confidence in J.J. And, you know, he did well with his opportunities, which we hoped he would," McDaniels said. "But no, we have no desire to do that at all."
Some of the speculation that the Raiders want to trade Jacobs stems from the fact he is entering the final year of his rookie contract after the team decided not to pick up his fifth-year option this past offseason.
He was one of the bigger names on the Raiders not to get a contract extension under the new regime led by McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler after quarterback Derek Carr, edge rusher Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow all received big paydays.
Jacobs has led the Raiders in rushing each of his first three seasons in the league with his 3,087 rushing yards ranking fifth in the NFL since his 2019 rookie season.
He is expected to be Las Vegas' starting running back again this season, though the team did draft Zamir White out of Georgia in the fourth round of April’s draft, signed veteran free agent Brandon Bolden and will get Kenyan Drake back from a broken right ankle that cut short his 2021 season.
White led the Raiders with 75 all-purpose yards in Thursday’s 27-11 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Drake ran five times for nine yards.
"As I said after the game, I really do believe that the backs, don't really get to simulate what's going to happen during the course of the regular season," McDaniels said. "And so, giving them an opportunity to actually get tackled, take care of the football and get acclimated to a new system, quite honestly, I think is the goal. Each man's different.
"We'll try to do what's best for the team. We felt like that was a good thing, a good opportunity for all our backs that played."
Bologna sporting director Marco Di Vaio has warned Manchester United off a move for "priceless" forward Marko Arnautovic.
United are widely reported to have made an approach to try and bring Arnautovic back to the Premier League, where he previously represented West Ham United and Stoke City.
Erik ten Hag is short of options to lead the line, with Cristiano Ronaldo's future uncertain and Anthony Martial injured, but luring Arnautovic from Bologna will not be an easy task.
Speaking ahead of the Coppa Italia clash against Cosenza, Di Vaio made it clear that the Serie A club are not willing to negotiate over a deal.
"It is not easy to play in the market phase, there is a lot of talk, our will is to retain Marko. He is at the centre of our project," he told Italia 1.
"This interest makes us proud above all because it is an idea born by Sabatini [Walter, Bologna's former sporting director] and carried out by the club to realise a dream that was to bring him here after two three years in China.
"It was a bet won, he responded on the field and we want to move forward with him. Our will is not to sell, but to strengthen the team to make an important season."
Pressed over whether the club's stance would change if a significant offer was presented, Di Vaio suggested that would not be the case.
"It's not a question of money, it's priceless for what it represents for us," he explained.
"We want to move forward with him because we are convinced that he can do better and help us grow. He is always the first in training to spur others, he has no market value."
Serena Williams secured her first singles win since the 2021 French Open on Monday as she beat Nuria Parrizas-Diaz at the Toronto Open.
Also her first victory since turning 40, Williams looked impressive as she beat her Spanish opponent 6-3 6-4 in just under two hours.
She even earned a standing ovation when facing break point in the fourth game of the second set, as she worked hard to stay in the point before smashing a trademark forehand winner to save the game.
Williams, whose last grand slam title came in 2017 at the Australian Open, will face either number 12 seed Belinda Bencic or Tereza Martincova in the second round.
She is competing in the tournament as part of preparations for the US Open, and sealed her first win since splitting with coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
The duo had worked together for 10 years, before Mouratoglou revealed they had gone their separate ways in April after Williams decided not to compete at the French Open, with Mouratoglou moving on to train Simona Halep instead.
Williams returned to action after almost a year away from the game in the WTA event in Eastbourne in June in the women's doubles, before competing in the singles at Wimbledon, losing to Harmony Tan in an exciting first round contest on Centre Court at SW19
The 23-time grand slam champion has been named on the entry list for the US Open having pulled out of last year's tournament with a torn hamstring, entering with a protected ranking of 16.
A quarterback facing a suspension amid an NFL disciplinary case over sexual misconduct allegations and a running back demanding a trade after the team nixed his request for a long-term contract extension is all part of a normal training camp, as far as Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is concerned.
After the Browns opened camp with QB Deshaun Watson being suspended for six games – which the NFL is appealing to seek a harsher penalty – running back Kareem Hunt sat out practices over the weekend while wanting a new deal. That request was denied, prompting Hunt to ask to be traded.
There is no shortage of drama at the Browns' camp, but Stefanski believes it is par for the course.
''We are working, there is no distraction,'' Stefanski said on Sunday. ''I understand there are things that happen that certainly get attention, and that's OK... This is normal. This is NFL football, as far as I know.''
Hunt, who is in the final year of a two-year, $13.25million extension, did return to practice on Sunday, while Watson continues to train and is currently available to play in Cleveland's pre-season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday.
"I would tell you, respectfully, we really do focus on what we can control,” Stefanski added. “I understand that there are things that happen that certainly get attention, and that is OK.
"This is a great game. I know our fans love this game and follow every step along the way.
"For us, we really are focused on trying to get better. We are not where we need to be, and we have a lot of work to do. That is what we are focusing on."
Limited to just eight games in 2021 due to calf and ankle injuries, Hunt had 1,145 scrimmage yards and 11 total touchdowns for the Browns in 2020, while appearing in all 16 games.
Cleveland made the playoffs that season with Hunt and Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb forming a solid one-two punch.
The NFL's rushing leader in 2017 with Kansas City, Hunt joined the Browns in 2019 but sat out the first eight games that season after being suspended for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy while playing for the Chiefs.
Watson, who was acquired by Cleveland in March, was suspended for the first six games of the upcoming season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
The league, however, is seeking a longer penalty after two dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct during massage treatments while he played for the Houston Texans.
Frank Lampard has been dealt a blow as Everton have confirmed Ben Godfrey will be out for "around three months".
Godfrey was stretchered off just 18 minutes into the new Premier League season after a challenge with Chelsea's Kai Havertz at Goodison Park on Saturday.
The Toffees went on to lose 1-0, with Jorginho scoring the only goal from the penalty spot, but Lampard's main concern after the game was his mounting injury list, as Yerry Mina also picked up a knock.
Everton on Monday revealed that Godfrey had undergone successful surgery on a fractured fibula, but could not yet provide a length of absence for Mina, who suffered an ankle ligament injury.
"Ben Godfrey underwent successful surgery this morning on the fractured fibula he sustained during Saturday's Premier League opener against Chelsea at Goodison Park," the statement read.
"The defender will now begin rehabilitation at Finch Farm under the care of the club's medical team and is expected to be out for around three months.
"Meanwhile, Yerry Mina sustained an ankle ligament injury in the second half of Saturday's match and will see a specialist this week to discover the full extent of the problem before undergoing treatment at Finch Farm."
Lampard could be getting a defensive reinforcement before the trip to Aston Villa this weekend, with Conor Coady reportedly close to signing on a loan from Wolves.
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