Kyrie Irving has undergone surgery on a broken hand, but is expected to be fit for the start of next season.
Irving was part of the Dallas Mavericks team that reached the NBA Finals, only to go down to the dominant Boston Celtics.
The 32-year-old sustained his injury while training earlier in July, and has now gone through surgery to fix the issue.
Posting on X, Irving wrote: "Tribe, Thank you for all the messages and prayers. God truly knew that I needed to take a break from basketball after the long season and give myself some time to heal.
"I am in love with getting better at my craft, but now I must rest and recover."
While the Mavs did not confirm a timetable for Irving's return, it has been reported he is anticipated to return to action in around two and a half months.
The 2024-25 season is set to begin in October.
Irving averaged 25.6 points per game in the regular season across 2023-24.
The Mavs have brought in Klay Thompson as a free agent this off-season.
Alexander Zverev cruised into the second round of the Hamburg Open with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Jesper de Jong.
The top seed took one step closer to defending his title with a 6-2 6-2 victory on Wednesday.
De Jong took the opening game, but Zverev dominated after that, winning the next five in a row, before holding off the Dutchman's late fightback to take the first set.
The second was a carbon copy of the first, as De Jong was broken twice and given no way back in as Zverev closed out the match to set up a meeting with Hugo Gaston in the next round.
Data Debrief: Defending champion starts strong
After clinching the title on home soil last year, Zverev was always going to come out fighting in his defence.
He hit 29 winners and twice went on five-game winning runs to take the match away from De Jong before he could get any real foothold.
Patrick Mahomes has challenged the Kansas City Chiefs to "get better" as they aim to win an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl.
In February, the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy for a second consecutive year.
However, it did not look like they would even reach the showpiece match at times due to their inconsistent offense.
Mahomes threw 14 interceptions, the most in a single season in his career, while his receivers dropped 25 catchable passes, the most by any such group since the 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Chiefs entered the postseason as the number three seed in the AFC, their lowest since Mahomes became the starter in 2018.
Though they still got the glory in the end, the quarterback, who is entering his eighth year, is eyeing some big improvements to ensure they are in a better position to lift the trophy again this season.
"It's time to get better," Mahomes said at the start of the Chiefs training camp. "Every season starts differently.
"You've got to come in with that same mentality you had the year before, even with a higher intensity, and even though we won the Super Bowl last year, we felt like we didn't play our best football, especially offensively.
"So, it's our goal to be better that way and coming in with that mentality every single day.
"The end result [last season] was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth.
"It wasn't fun every single week having to try to just continue to get better and better and the results not paying off the way you wanted to.
"It wasn't a lot of fun. We have a lot of those same guys back, and they know how that felt, and so we're going to try to prepare ourselves better this year so that we can play better throughout the season and obviously try to end with the same result."
While the offense were not at their best last season, the defense defined their run to the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs had the second-best defense in the league, allowing an average of just 17.3 points per game in the regular season, and Mahomes is confident they will play a part in improving the level of the squad.
"We added a lot of speed," Mahomes added. "What's better than going against our defense?
"It's the best defense in the NFL, and we get to go against them every single day and really show where we're at and how we can get better."
The Chiefs will kick off the new season against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5.
Thiago Monteiro pulled off a shock in the second round of the Swedish Open, beating Casper Ruud in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.
The Brazilian took just an hour and a half to see off the second seed 6-3 6-3 in Bastad on Wednesday.
Ruud successfully defended two break points in the opening game but could not gain the upper hand as Monteiro charged forwards, getting two breaks to take the set.
Monteiro continued to dominate in the second, though he only needed one break this time, and comfortably held off the Norwegian in the final game to make it into the next round, where he will face either Pavel Kotov or Duje Ajdukovic.
Data Debrief: Monteiro comes out on top
Monteiro did not give Ruud any sort of opening, winning all of his service games, and 75% of his service points (38/51).
The number two seed did not win more than one game in a row, and he will be hoping to put this result behind him quickly ahead of his doubles quarter-final with Rafael Nadal later on.
The fourth and final major of 2024 is here, as Royal Troon hosts the 152nd edition of The Open Championship.
Following his remarkable near-miss at the U.S. Open, the event offers Rory McIlroy one last chance to stop his major drought from stretching into an 11th year.
Bryson DeChambeau edged McIlroy out at Pinehurst and should again be among the contenders, while world number one Scottie Scheffler is targeting an improvement after a disappointing showing on home soil.
Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa – who won the 149th Open three years ago – are also eyeing glory, while Tiger Woods will play his first Open at Troon in 20 years.
Here, we run through the best Opta stats and storylines surrounding the main contenders.
Can McIlroy bounce back?
McIlroy won his third major title at The Open in 2014, beating Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia by six shots at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. One month later, he made it four by winning the PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Who would have thought that 10 years on, the Northern Irishman would still be yet to add another major title to his glittering trophy cabinet?
Perhaps his most gutting near-miss to date came at last month's U.S. Open. Neck-and-neck with DeChambeau at the top of the leaderboard as the final round drew to a close, McIlroy missed two putts from within four yards in the final three holes.
The world number two took three weeks off after that disappointment before struggling on the greens again at last week's Scottish Open, finishing tied for fourth as Robert MacIntyre triumphed on home ground.
McIlroy has had five top-10 finishes in his last seven Open Championship appearances, though, including finishing in the top five on each of his last three Open outings on Scottish soil.
He also finished in a share of fifth at his only previous Open at Troon in 2016, and produced his best Open performance of the last decade when the event was last held in Scotland, finishing third and two shots adrift of Cameron Smith at St. Andrews in 2022.
With 21 top-10 finishes in 37 majors since his 2014 PGA Championship win, McIlroy has generally put himself in contention on the big stage – an improvement he referenced at Tuesday's pre-tournament press conference.
The key, as he earlier told reporters after the Scottish Open, will be getting his putter to "cooperate" when it matters most.
Double bubble for Bryson?
Not since Woods completed his memorable 'Tiger Slam' has any player won the U.S. Open and The Open Championship in the same year.
Woods, of course, captured both titles as he won three straight majors to round off 2000, then kick-started 2001 by triumphing at The Masters.
Tom Watson (1982), Lee Trevino (1971), Ben Hogan (1953), Gene Sarazen (1932) and Bobby Jones (1926 and 1930) are the other players to have won both in the same year.
DeChambeau will attempt to write his name into the history books this week, though his record at The Open leaves plenty to be desired.
Only in 2022 (T8) has he finished higher than 33rd at the event, a placing he managed in both 2017 and 2021. Across his six participations, he has also missed the cut twice and finished in a share of 60th last year.
The American has really turned up at the majors this year, however, finishing T6 at The Masters and second at the PGA Championship before claiming his second U.S. Open title.
PGA Championship victor Schauffele is the only other player to finish inside the top 10 at each of this year's three majors to date.
Indeed, DeChambeau is 28 under par across this year's opening three majors (-2 at The Masters, -20 PGA Championship, -6 U.S. Open), a better aggregate score than any other player. Write him off at your peril.
Scheffler to stay on top?
Victory at Augusta seemed to be paving the way for a dominant year in the majors for world number one Scheffler, though that has not quite been the case, even if he is enjoying a fantastic season nevertheless.
His arrest on the eve of the PGA Championship was far from ideal preparation for that tournament, and it was followed by a disappointing showing at the U.S. Open.
Will he get back to form at Royal Troon, and become the ninth player to win both The Masters and The Open in the same year, and the first since Woods in 2005?
Scheffler's best finish at The Open was a tie for eighth in 2021. But he has won six of his last 10 tournaments this year (Arnold Palmer Invitational, Players Championship, Masters, Heritage, Memorial and Travelers).
That marks the most wins on the PGA Tour in a calendar year since Woods in 2009.
The last six major tournaments have been won by American players. It is the USA's longest streak of major wins since 1982, and Scheffler is the very best of the bunch.
Can Harman hold onto the title? The other contenders and Woods is back
Four golfers have finished inside the top 10 at each of the last two editions of The Open: McIlroy, Cameron Young, Tommy Fleetwood and Brian Harman, who won the Claret Jug last year.
Harman comes into The Open as the world number 13, though it is worth noting he has only finished in the top 10 in three majors (U.S. Open 2017, The Open 2022 and The Open 2023).
Scottish Open champion MacIntyre is one of only three multiple winners on the PGA Tour this year (he won the Canadian Open in June), along with Scheffler and McIlroy.
Home favourite MacIntyre is aiming to become the first Scottish winner of a major since Paul Lawrie in 1999.
In his three Open Championship appearances so far, Morikawa has either won (2021) or missed the cut (2022, 2023). He is one of two players to win The Open at the first attempt this century, alongside Ben Curtis in 2003.
What about Schauffele? He finally ended his wait for a major title at the PGA Championship earlier this year. Since the 2022 edition of that tournament, the world number three has played in 10 major tournaments and has never finished outside the top 20.
And, finally, Troon will welcome back Woods after a two-decade absence.
The 15-time major champion bit back at a suggestion he should be considering retirement, and will be out to prove his doubters wrong.
That being said, the last time he made the cut at The Open was in 2018, at Carnoustie (T-6th), and he failed to make the weekend at both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship this year.
Having also finished last of any player to make the cut at this year's Masters, Woods may be up against it at Royal Troon, though is firing on all fronts after Colin Montgomerie's retirement comments.
The course
Royal Troon is hosting The Open Championship for the 10th time. It will become the eighth course to welcome the tournament on 10 or more occasions and only the fourth venue in Scotland to play host that many times, after St. Andrews (30), Prestwick (24) and Muirfield (16).
The first Open at Troon took place 101 years ago, in 1923, and the course has welcomed the tournament at least once in every decade since the 1950s.
The most recent Open to be held at the venue saw Henrik Stenson edge out Phil Mickelson by three strokes back in 2016.
At that edition of the tournament, Stenson set records both for the lowest final score at a 72-hole Open (264) and the lowest score to par (20 under), with Smith matching that latter achievement two years ago.
Does more history await this year?
Rory McIlroy has no issues with repeated talk over his long wait for another major crown, preferring to have many "close calls" rather than missing out entirely.
The Northern Irishman is preparing to tee off at The Open Championship on Thursday, playing alongside Tyrrell Hatton and American Max Homa in the first two rounds at Royal Troon.
Much of the discussion before the 152nd Open has revolved around McIlroy's near-miss at the U.S. Open, having squandered a late lead by bogeying three of his final four holes.
That collapse included two woeful putts from close range, with Bryson DeChambeau seizing the chance to take the Pinehurst major, and brought further questions over McIlroy's game.
Yet the 35-year-old, who has not won a major since 2014 at the PGA Championship, would rather be close again than not be in the race.
"It [talk about another major win] doesn't bother me," McIlroy said at Tuesday's pre-tournament press conference.
"I know that I'm in a good spot. If I think about 2015 through 2020, that five-year stretch, I seldom had a realistic chance to win a major championship in those five years.
"So I'd much rather have these close calls. It means that I'm getting closer.
"I'd love to be able to play golf and get one over the line, but as soon as I do that, people are going to say, well, when are you going to win your sixth? So it's never-ending."
Messages of support flooded towards McIlroy after last month's disappointment at the U.S. Open, with Rafael Nadal, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods all reaching out.
McIlroy was none the wiser about Woods' kind words, however, having changed his phone number after taking a break following the Pinehurst failure.
"Full disclosure, I changed my number two days after the U.S. Open, so I didn't get it until he told me about it today," McIlroy added. "I was like, 'Oh, thanks very much'.
"So I blanked Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing. Tiger has been nothing but incredible to me over the course of my career, in the good moments and the bad. He sent me an incredible message after St. Andrews in 2022.
"I met Tiger when I was 15 years old, and I've built up a great relationship with him, his whole family. He really enjoys spending time with my mum and dad as well. It means a lot that he reached out.
"It means a lot that he waited a few days to reach out, which if he hadn't waited that long, I probably would have got it. But I caught up with him earlier.
"It's always nice when your hero and the guy that you had on your bedroom wall is reaching out and offering words of encouragement."
Jarren Duran hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning and the American League scored five unanswered runs to defeat the National League 5-3 in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas.
Shohei Ohtani staked the National League to a 3-0 lead with a three-run homer in the third inning off Tanner Houck, but the American League answered in the bottom half with three runs of its own.
Juan Soto doubled home a pair of runs and scored on pinch-hitter David Fry’s hit one out later.
Hunter Greene opened the bottom of the fifth by getting the first two outs, but Anthony Santander singled and Duran sent an 0-1 pitch 413 feet into the right-center field seats to give the AL a 5-3 lead.
Duran was named All-Star Game MVP.
Mason Miller struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the win and Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Kirby Yates each worked one scoreless inning before Emmanuel Clase fanned two in the ninth for the save.
Paul Skenes, 22, became the fifth rookie to start an All-Star Game and pitched a hitless first inning. His 11 big league games are the fewest for an All-Star.
The AL has won 10 of the last 11 All-Star Games and improved to 48-44-2 all-time in the Midsummer Classic.
Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago are set to represent the Caribbean at next year’s Netball World Youth Cup, after securing the top three spots at the just-concluded Americas Netball World Youth Cup qualifiers in Guadeloupe.
The young Sunshine Girls, who went unbeaten in the tournament, were crowned overall champions following a 54-29 win over Barbados young Gems in Sunday’s final, while Trinidad and Tobago young Calypso Girls downed Grenada 61-39 in the third-place playoff to take the final qualifying spot.
Jamaica’s Head coach Phyllis Thompson lauded her team’s gritty showing, particularly in the semi-final where they produced a late rally to top their young Calypso Girls counterparts 40-33.
“I am super excited and elated for the girls. They did the hard work coming into the tournament and it showed on the court. Of course we weren’t always flawless, we made our fair share of mistakes along the way, but the most important thing was to secure the win here and then work on tighten up our play going forward,” Thompson said.
“We have a very talented and determined group of girls and it showed in the semi-final against Trinidad when we were down two goals, I reminded them that we are still in the game and they went out and gave it their all to come out victorious. So I am very proud of them and like I said we will go back to the drawing board and work on what we need to for the World Cup next year,” she added.
While they were unable to upstage Jamaica in the final, president of the Barbados Netball Association, Dr. Carmeta Douglin struck a positive tone.
She admitted that closing the gap with world class teams like Jamaica is no easy task but, in the same breath, insisted that improvement is possible with the right structures.
The young Gems brushed aside Grenada 63-45 in the semi-final.
“Our Under-21 is not a bad team, but they still need a lot of work to get to the world-class level, as you can see. So we are looking to build on Under-14, to move to Under-16, to move to Under-21, to move to seniors. So we are looking at an Academy, where we have players in training all year round, and moving up through the age groups. So this is something we are planning,” Douglin said.
“Jamaica has been there, they have done that, and they are getting a lot more practice, a lot more exposure, because this Jamaica Under-21 team would obviously be playing in their Super League and playing with their seniors, who already have a really good start. So we need to get there, and it’s a building process, and we are working towards it,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s Head coach Kalifa McCollin-Lopez welcomed the third-place finish by her team.
“I am very excited for the girls. They would have worked hard to reach here and I know they are really happy right now,” she said.
Though the losses against Barbados, earlier in the tournament, and Jamaica in the semi-final, were hard to take, McCollin-Lopez said they served as lessons for their improved performance in the third-place contest.
“Through those losses, we would have had to learn and grow from them; not to put themselves down too much because we had the game following, but to tidy up the mistakes (and) stick to (the) task. I think that is what we went out there and tried to do,” she shared.
The three Caribbean teams now join pre-qualified teams New Zealand, Australia, England, Fiji, and host nation Gibraltar for the Netball World Youth Cup, a competition for emerging Under-21 players, scheduled for September 19–28 next year.
A total of 20 teams will compete in the event. South Africa, Malawi, and Zambia qualify from Africa, and Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka qualify from Asia. The remaining six teams are yet to be decided.
Tiger Woods aimed a swing back towards Colin Montgomerie after the Scottish golfer suggested the American should have already retired ahead of The Open Championship.
The former world number one missed back-to-back cuts at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open but is on course to play all four majors in a year for the first time since 2019.
Woods, a 15-time major champion, also finished last of those to make the cut at The Masters this year.
Montgomerie referenced Woods' struggles in an interview before the 152nd Open at Royal Troon, asking whether he should call time on his playing career.
Woods intends on continuing to play until he no longer deems his game as competitive, however.
"I'll play as long as I can play and feel like I can still win the event," Woods said when Montgomerie's comments were questioned at Tuesday's pre-tournament press conference.
"As a past [Open] champion I am exempt until I'm 60. Colin is not as he's not a past champion, he's not exempt.
"He doesn't get the right to make that decision. I do. When I get to his age I get to make that decision. He doesn't."
Following that jibe at Woods' media duties in South Ayrshire, Montgomerie sought to ease the tension.
"If golf writers want my thoughts on Tiger please ask me direct, rather than taking a quote from an interview out of context," the 61-year-old posted on X.
"Wishing Tiger an enjoyable and successful week."
Woods is set to play the first two rounds with this year's PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and former FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay.
The 48-year-old also played a practice round with fellow Americans Justin Thomas and Max Homa on Monday, with that showing leaving no doubts in his mind over his physical capabilities.
"I've been training a lot better," Woods said. "We've been busting it pretty hard in the gym, which has been good.
"Body has been feeling better to be able to do such things, and it translates to being able to hit the ball better.
"I can't quite stay out there during a practice session as long as I'd like, but I'm able to do some things that I haven't done all year, which is nice."
Scottie Scheffler is aiming for Open Championship success at Royal Troon but had no idea about the potential of matching Arnold Palmer's piece of history this week.
The world number one has won six times on the PGA Tour this year, with the last player to do so by this stage being Palmer, way back in 1962.
Palmer coincidentally secured his seventh title of that year at the same Troon course in South Ayrshire, with Scheffler out to match that feat when starting on Thursday.
Scheffler will play in all-American three-ball with 2017 champion Jordan Spieth and 2022 runner-up Cameron Young, though admitted that Palmer's history had slipped his mind.
"That would be great [to match Palmer]," the 28-year-old said at Tuesday's pre-tournament press conference.
"No [I wasn't aware]. I try to stay off the internet as much as possible. I like to, when I'm at home, be at home and be present.
"I love the history of the game, and there's certain things that I know and certain things that I don't.
"That was something that for some reason I just never stumbled across, so I had no idea that that was a thing."
Scheffler has two major honours to his name so far, both at The Masters in 2022 and 2024, but finished all four rounds over par at last month's U.S. Open.
The 152nd Open in Scotland will pose a different challenge, yet one which Scheffler is relishing.
"I'm excited for the week. I think the golf course is great," the two-time major winner added.
"I feel like you have to be more creative here [with links golf] and I love that part of it. I feel this is really how golf was intended to be played.
"There's a lot more opportunity for shot-making and being creative around the greens. It really is fun to come over here and play."
Rory McIlroy has no issues with repeated talk over his long wait for another major crown, preferring to have many "close calls" rather than missing out entirely.
The Northern Irishman is preparing to tee off at The Open Championship on Thursday, playing alongside Tyrrell Hatton and American Max Homa in the first two rounds at Royal Troon.
Much of the discussion before the 152nd Open has revolved around McIlroy's near-miss at the U.S. Open, having squandered a late lead by bogeying three of his final four holes.
That collapse included two woeful putts from close range, with Bryson DeChambeau seizing the chance to take the Pinehurst major, and brought further questions over McIlroy's game.
Yet the 35-year-old, who has not won a major since 2014 at the PGA Championship, would rather be close again than not be in the race.
"It [talk about another major win] doesn't bother me," McIlroy said at Tuesday's pre-tournament press conference.
"I know that I'm in a good spot. If I think about 2015 through 2020, that five-year stretch, I seldom had a realistic chance to win a major championship in those five years.
"So I'd much rather have these close calls. It means that I'm getting closer.
"I'd love to be able to play golf and get one over the line, but as soon as I do that, people are going to say, well, when are you going to win your sixth? So it's never-ending."
Messages of support flooded towards McIlroy after last month's disappointment at the U.S. Open, with Rafael Nadal, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods all reaching out.
McIlroy was none the wiser about Woods' kind words, however, having changed his phone number after taking a break following the Pinehurst failure.
"Full disclosure, I changed my number two days after the U.S. Open, so I didn't get it until he told me about it today," McIlroy added. "I was like, 'Oh, thanks very much'.
"So I blanked Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing. Tiger has been nothing but incredible to me over the course of my career, in the good moments and the bad. He sent me an incredible message after St. Andrews in 2022.
"I met Tiger when I was 15 years old, and I've built up a great relationship with him, his whole family. He really enjoys spending time with my mum and dad as well. It means a lot that he reached out.
"It means a lot that he waited a few days to reach out, which if he hadn't waited that long, I probably would have got it. But I caught up with him earlier.
"It's always nice when your hero and the guy that you had on your bedroom wall is reaching out and offering words of encouragement."
Former undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis has expressed gratitude to former rival Hasim Rahman for participating in Lewis’ League of Champions Boxing Camp.
Rahman was among a number of high-profile names in the boxing world who helped coach youngsters at the camp which was held from July 8-13 at the Hopewell Sports & Community Centre in Hanover.
Rahman handed Lewis the second loss of his professional career to take his heavyweight titles back on April 22, 2001 in South Africa before, on November 17 that same year, Lewis got his revenge by knocking Rahman out in the fourth round in their rematch to regain his heavyweight titles in Nevada.
“Me and Hasim have come a long way from trading blows in the ring and the power of giving back to the youth is something that can even bring old foes like us together,” Lewis said in a post on Instagram on Tuesday.
James Ali Bashir, the former coach of current undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, as well as former WBC Super Bantamweight Champion Alicia Ashley and former CBF Welterweight Champion Sakima Mullings were also on hand to help out the youngsters at the camp.
“Giving back to the youth has become a central mission in my life but I can’t do it alone. I’m grateful to everyone who helps make it all possible,” Lewis said.
Brandon Aiyuk had been seeking a contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers.
Now he's seeking a trade.
Unable to reach a new deal, Aiyuk has reportedly requested a trade from the 49ers.
The news was first reported by NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo on Tuesday.
Aiyuk and the 49ers reportedly haven't discussed a contract extension since May, prompting the star wide receiver to ask the team to trade him.
Finding a trade partner could be difficult, however, seeing as he's presumably looking for a long-term deal that will pay him like one of the top receivers in the NFL.
He's also still under contract in 2024, due to make $14.1million in the option year of his rookie deal.
The 26-year-old is coming off a huge season, earning second-team All-Pro honours while ranking seventh in the league with a career-high 1,342 receiving yards. His average of 17.9 yards per catch ranked second in the NFL, while his 16 receptions of 25 or more yards trailed only Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins.
Since being drafted 25th overall in the 2020 draft, Aiyuk has 269 receptions for 3,931 yards with 25 touchdown catches in 62 games.
Rafael Nadal is through to the second round of the Swedish Open after holding out for a straight-sets win over Leo Borg on Tuesday.
In his singles return in Bastad, the Spaniard triumphed 6-3 6-4, to follow up his doubles win with Casper Ruud on Monday.
Nadal raced into a 4-1 lead in the first set, and though Berg was able to peg him back to 5-3, the former world number one served to love in the final game to seal it.
He got another vital break in the opening game of the second, which was enough to help him hold off the Swede's attempted fight back to book a place in the next round, where he will face Cam Norrie.
Data Debrief: Running back the clock
Nadal last played in Bastad in 2005, winning the clay tournament as a 19-year-old.
And he made a strong start to the tournament this time around; he won 41 of his 53 service points (77%), but got a vital break in either set to put him out of Borg's reach.
Finals series are defined by big moments.
Across the history of the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League, successful sides have had players who stand up when those big moments come along and Adelaide Thunderbirds, West Coast Fever, Melbourne Vixens, and Sunshine Coast Lightning are all equipped with such quality.
Throughout the 2024 season, these players made it their mission to push not only themselves, but also their teammates towards ultimate glory, and with the business end of the campaign now on the horizon, nothing less is expected.
In fact, it would be hard for many to disagree with the fact that these four players—Shamera Sterling-Humphrey, Kiera Austin, Alice Teague-Neeld, and Steph Fretwell—will be key in shaping their respective team’s chances in the bid to be crowned 2024 champions.
The top two teams, Thunderbirds and Vixens, will lock horns in the major semi-final, while Fever and Lightning will cross swords in the minor semi-final. Both are scheduled for Saturday.
Shamera Sterling-Humphrey
There is no denying the Adelaide Thunderbirds have the best defence in the competition, marshalled by one of the world's best, Shamera Sterling-Humphrey.
Sterling-Humphrey has been sending shivers down shooters’ spines for years, but has become the games ultimate x-factor in recent times as she gains more big game experience.
She played a crucial role in Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls success at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and decided to make that a habit in 2023.
The superstar defender was named the 2023 SSN Most Valuable Player and played a starring role in the Thunderbirds unlikely premiership, finishing the finals series with 13 gains, 9 deflections, 6 intercepts, 5 rebounds, 4 pick-ups and 158.5 Nissan Net Points across two inspirational wins.
Jamaica went deep in the 2023 World Cup, going down to Australia by three goals in a nail-biting semi-final. Sterling-Humphrey had 4 gains, 2 rebounds and 2 intercepts as she tried to push her side into their first ever World Cup final. But it wasn’t to be.
She hasn’t slowed down in 2024, leading the league in gains (108), deflections (96), intercepts (44), and defensive rebounds (36), contributing to the Thunderbirds standing as the number one goals from gain side in the competition.
The 28-year-old’s presence behind the ball is intimidating, with sides forced to alter their ball movement in an attempt to nullify her influence on the game.
Sophie Garbin and Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard are likely opponents for Sterling-Humphrey and her dynamism not only allows to negate their influence, but also start the Thunderbirds attacks through flying intercepts and outrageous deflections, an integral part of the Adelaide side’s push for back-to-back championships.
Kiera Austin (right) prepares to shoot under pressure from Jamaican Kadie-Ann Dehaney of West Coast Fever.
The World Cup final is the biggest stage in netball, and in 2023, Kiera Austin owned it.
After not experiencing any court time in the Diamonds semi-final win over Jamaica, Austin was thrown on mid-way through the second quarter of the final against England, with Australia holding a one-goal lead.
The Vixens superstar was unstoppable, finishing the game with 15 goals from 17 attempts, 18 feeds, 16 assists, one gain and one deflection in a player of the match performance, combining beautifully with now Vixens teammate Sophie Garbin in attack.
However, SSN glory has evaded Austin to this point in her career, but she still has plenty of SSN finals experience to go alongside her big game credentials with the Diamonds, having appeared in both the 2022 and 2023 finals series.
Austin is the most complete goal attack in the competition, if not the world, with her elite work rate allowing her to influence the game in both defence and attack.
She’s the highest ranked in her position across the SSN in 2024 for intercepts (11), and gains (18), while only Sophie Dwyer (25) has more deflections this season than Austin (22).
Austin is still one of the biggest attacking threats in the competition, sitting 8th for goals scored (293), 4th for super shots (55), 15th for goal assists (192) and 15th for feeds (265), as she has seemingly saved her best performances for the big sides this year.
The 26-year-old is averaging 23.7 goals, 4.7 super shots, 17 feeds, 12.5 assists, 2 deflections, one gain and one intercept per game against the Thunderbirds and Fever, two sides she’ll likely have to face along the way to the ultimate prize.
Alice Teague-Neeld
When you think West Coast Fever, you think about Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard. How could you not? But the Jamaican superstar can’t do much without the ball, and Fever's wing attack, Alice Teague-Neeld, is her main source.
Fowler-Nembhard’s abilities mean that most of the time, Teague-Neeld doesn’t get the credit she deserves.
Teague-Neeld was named wing attack in 2023 SSN Team-of-the-Year, after averaging 85.5 Nissan Net Points across the campaign, and she has carried that form into 2024, fulfilling the role of chief creative outlet for the Fever.
She is ranked second behind Diamonds captain Liz Watson for total feeds (494), assists (353), and a superior conversion rate, with 71.4% of her feeds resulting in goals.
Teague-Neeld also rates highly for centre pass receives, ranked second with 294, and second phase receives, ranked 7th with 146. Her other strength is her durability and reliability.
Interestingly, Teague-Neeld has recorded just 36 turnovers and only Fowler-Nembhard and Jess Anstiss have played more minutes for the Fever this season.
The 28-year-old has tasted success at SSN level before, as a member of the Fever’s victorious 2022 side, and was one of their most consistent finals performers over the past two seasons, averaging 76.7 Nissan Net Points, 36.3 feeds, 22 assists and 29.5 centre pass receives across four finals appearances.
Flair might not be her strong suit, but consistency is, and her Fever teammates love her for it.
Steph Fretwell
The Lightning have been well off the pace set by the top three this season, but they still pose a huge finals threat. Such is the match-winning quality on their list, headlined by World Cup winner Steph Fretwell.
Fretwell has an enormous amount of finals experience, having played in five straight national league grand finals from 2015 to 2019, winning back-to-back premiership in 2017 and 2018 with the Lightning.
Fretwell was as important to the Lightning then, as she is now, averaging 16.5 goals, 24.5 feeds, 18.5 assists and 22.5 centre pass receives in those dual premiership glories.
Known for being one of the best ball handlers in the competition, Fretwell’s ability to find space and remain calm under pressure makes her the perfect player for the big moments, something she displayed in the Diamonds 2023 World Cup semi-final against Jamaica.
Fretwell played the entire match and shot her 29 goals at 90.6%, as well as providing 14 assists and receiving 19 centre passes to help drag the Diamonds into another World Cup decider.
The 32-year-old remains one of the best sharpshooters in the league, sitting in the top 10 league-wide for one-point goals and super shots, as well as doing plenty of work out the front, contributing 175 assists (17th) and 234 feeds (17th).
Her connection with Liz Watson and Cara Koenen was built over a lengthy period of time, across multiple teams, and that synergy will come to the fore as the pressure intensifies across the finals series.
Simply put, if Lightning requires a last second super shot to ice the game, they would certainly want the ball in Fretwell’s hands.
Jon Rahm hopes he can "continue this stretch" of Spanish sporting triumphs with victory at the Open Championship this week.
Spain were given plenty of reasons to celebrate on the sporting front last weekend.
Carlos Alcaraz successfully defended his Wimbledon crown on Sunday, a few hours before Spain won Euro 2024 with victory over England, while Sergio Garcia won his first title in four years at LIV Golf Andalucia.
Rahm, who finished tied-second at this event 12 months ago, hopes he can continue the trend by going one step better this time at Royal Troon.
"A lot of history is being done, with Alcaraz being the sixth player to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year and [winning] four Grand Slams at a very young age, Spain winning the fourth European championship," the Spaniard told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.
"And Sergio and his team doing what they did on Sunday, quite special. Coming back to a venue like this with so much history, it would be quite incredible to earn an Open Championship on this golf course in this tournament.
"It's arguably my favourite week in golf. And to maybe even continue this stretch of great Spanish sports, it would be absolutely fantastic."
As a result of Spain's victory over England in Berlin, Rahm revealed he has subsequently received a warm welcome from the Scottish locals.
"I played all 18 holes yesterday and I think I got more congratulations for something that I didn't do than I ever have in my life," the two-time major winner laughed.
"I don't know what they've done, but anytime anybody plays against the English national team, every other country in Europe just unifies against them. I don't know why or what they've done. I'm not aware of the history.
"I think because we've heard 'It's Coming Home' so many times the last few years, that nobody wants to see it come home at this point."
Tiger Woods revealed he sent a message of support to Rory McIlroy following the Northern Irishman's heartbreak at the U.S. Open.
McIlroy suffered a remarkable collapse at Pinehurst, where he scored bogeys on three of his final four holes to hand victory to Bryson DeChambeau.
It meant the 35-year-old's wait for a major title goes on, having last triumphed at the PGA Championship in 2014.
Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal and NBA legend Michael Jordan both reached out to McIlroy, who finished tied-fourth on his return to action at last week's Scottish Open, in the aftermath of that disappointment.
And addressing reporters at a press conference ahead of this week's Open Championship at Royal Troon, Wood revealed he followed suit.
"I just sent him a nice text. That was it," the 15-time major winner said. "I waited a week before I sent it. I wanted to let it calm down, as I know he was being besieged by a lot of different things going on.
"It basically went, as you know, I'm your friend. I know this is a difficult moment. We've all been there as champions. We all lose.
"Unfortunately it happened, and the raw emotion of it, it's going to be there for, I'm sure, some time. The faster he's able to get back on a horse and get back into contention, like he did last week, the better it is for him.
"There's a lot of times I felt discomfort, absolutely. Nervous, shaky, uncomfortable, all of it. I've missed plenty of putts. I've missed plenty of shots.
"Just like [Michael] Jordan, when they said how many shots have you taken? You see all the game-winning shots, but he's also missed a ton of game-winning shots, too.
"The thing is you still take the game-winning shot, and I still want the last putt."
Woods also spoke of his decision to decline the Team USA captaincy for next year's Ryder Cup, with the role ultimately going to Keegan Bradley.
"The decision was very difficult for me to make," he added. "My time has been so loaded with the tour and what we're trying to accomplish - I'm on so many different sub-committees. It takes so much time.
"I just didn't feel like I could do the job properly. I couldn't devote the time. I barely have enough time to do what I'm doing now.
"TGL starts next year, as well as the Ryder [Cup]. You add all that together, along with our negotiations with the PIF - all concurrently going along at the same time - there's only so many hours in the day.
"I don't think I would be doing the captaincy, or the players and Team USA justice if I was captain. Keegan is going to be a great leader. He is very passionate about what he does and the event."
Bryson DeChambeau says winning the 2024 U.S. Open proves he can win more majors as he prepares for The Open Championship.
The American profited from Rory McIlroy's late collapse at Pinehurst, snatching the victory by a single stroke.
It was his second major win, having also won the U.S. Open in 2020, while he also finished as a runner-up at the PGA Championship and in the top 10 at The Masters this year.
However, DeChambeau has only finished inside the top 30 once in six tries at The Open - in 2022 - though he is aiming to change that at Royal Troon this week, drawing confidence from his recent success.
"2020 [U.S. Open] was a bit of me showing that I could do it," DeChambeau said. "It's always difficult to get that first major win.
"The second one [2024] was more about cementing my own comfort levels of knowing I can do it again and again. That's really cool.
"I can give myself more runs at majors... I've obviously played well at a lot of them this year."
DeChambeau finished tied in 60th place at The Open last year, his worst finish at the major.
He boasts the strongest form going into the tournament and is confident he can maintain that to put him in the running for the trophy.
"If I play well this week, I think I can give myself a good chance obviously," he added.
"I'm very confident, but it all depends on if I'm striking it well. I can come in here with the most confidence, off of a major championship win, but really what matters if I can continue to drive the ball as well as I have and continue to strike my irons the way I know I can and putt like I can. If I do those things well, I'll give myself a good chance.
"I know how to get the job done, it's just a matter of whether I'm as consistent as what I was at the U.S. Open."
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez edged local product Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals in the final round to win MLB's 2024 Home Run Derby on Monday night.
Hernandez had 14 homers in the final to hold off Witt, who grew up just minutes from the Texas Rangers' home stadium of Globe Life Field, the site of Monday's event as well as Tuesday's All-Star Game.
Witt just missed tying Hernandez on his final swing, but his last attempt hit the base of the wall in center field to give Hernandez the title.
Hernandez also narrowly advanced in the semifinals by winning a swing-off with Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm after both players finished their rounds with 14 homers. Each then received three additional swings, with Hernandez hitting two more homers to Bohm's one.
The 31-year-old Hernandez became the first Dodgers player to win the Home Run Derby. Joc Pederson reached the finals at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park in 2015 but was defeated by the Reds' Todd Frazier.
Witt advanced to the finals by outperforming Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez 17-12 in the second round and finished the event with 50 homers, one more than Hernandez's three-round total of 49.
The young shortstop was bidding to win the title at a venue located less than 20 miles from his hometown of Colleyville, Texas. Witt's father, Bobby Sr., pitched 11 seasons for the Rangers over two separate stints in the 1980s and '90s.
Pete Alonso's attempt to match Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three-time Home Run Derby champion came to an early end, as the New York Mets slugger recorded just 12 homers in the first round and failed to advance. Alonso won the event in 2019 and defended his crown in 2021 after the 2020 edition was not held due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Adolis Garcia of the host Rangers also had an early exit after hitting 18 homers in the opening round, one fewer than Hernandez for the fourth and final spot in the semifinals. Bohm and Ramirez had the most homers in the first round with 21 each, while Witt advanced by hitting 20.
Also eliminated in the first round were Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna.
Henderson's 28 home runs this season were the most of this year's participants, but the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year had the lowest total (11) in the first round. Ozuna managed 16 homers after entering the Derby with 26 for the season, the second-highest total behind Henderson.
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