Every NBA championship-winning team has been led by a superstar, and at the centre, both literally and figuratively, of the greatest dynasty in not just the NBA, but in American sports history stood Bill Russell.

An 11-time NBA champion, a five-time league MVP and a 12-time All-Star during a 13-year professional career with the Boston Celtics, Russell is one of the United States’ most decorated basketball players.

He died on Sunday at the age of 88. His family confirmed the news on social media.

"Bill Russell, the most prolific winner in American sports history, passed away peacefully today at age 88, with his wife, Jeannine, by his side," a statement read.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a tribute that Russell was ''the greatest champion in all of team sports.''

Russell, six feet and 10 inches tall, helped revolutionise basketball, taking a hard-nose, defense-first mentality to the court, frustrating opponents with his vast wingspan. He is widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Born in Monroe, Louisiana on February 12, 1934, Russell and his family moved to Oakland, California when he was eight years old. His legend on the court began at McClymonds High School, where his menacing defense helped his team to back-to-back state championships in his junior and senior years.

Lightly recruited by colleges, Russell accepted a scholarship to the nearby University of San Francisco, where his game took off as he led the Dons to consecutive NCAA championships as a junior and senior. He was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1955 and the NCAA National Player of the Year in 1956.

One of the most highly coveted prospects of the 1956 NBA Draft, the Celtics acquired Russell in a draft-day trade with the St. Louis Hawks, who selected him with the second pick. A trade that would shape the NBA landscape for the next 13 years.

Before his Celtics debut, however, Russell helped the United States Olympic men's basketball team win the gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Games.

Once he joined Boston, he made an immediate impact, averaging 14.7 points and 19.6 rebounds during his rookie season in 1956-57 as Boston captured their first NBA title.

In 1958-59, he led the Celtics to the first of an unprecedented eight consecutive NBA championships, culminating with legendary coach Red Auerbach retiring after the last of those titles.

Russell then took over as player-coach, becoming the first African-American coach in the NBA. The Celtics' winning streak was interrupted in the 1966-67 season, before Russell helped guide Boston to two more titles in his final two campaigns in the NBA in 1967-68 and 1968-69, serving as coach in those seasons as well.

Russell ended his career with averages of 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds and his 21,620 total rebounds trail only Wil Chamberlain for the most in NBA history. When he was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on April 28, 1975 he became the first African American to be inducted.

For his postseason achievements, his legacy lives on as the NBA Finals MVP trophy was named the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2009.

While he may be most remembered for his dominance on the court, he is also regarded as a pioneer in sports activism.

A civil rights advocate during his playing days, Russell used his platform later in life to speak out against social injustices, and in 2011, President Barack Obama awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Russell is survived by his wife Jeannine. He had three children – Karen Russell, William Russell Jr. and Jacob Russell.

Sean Crocker said he knocked the door "clean off its hinges" after going wire-to-wire to win his first DP World Tour title

The American led through the first three rounds of the Hero Open at Fairmount St Andrews and he held off the challenge of Eddie Pepperell to triumph by a single shot on Sunday.

Pepperell carded a brilliant seven-under 65 to go back into the clubhouse on 21 under to apply the pressure, but Crocker was able to hold his nerve.

Having started the season by missing the cut in eight of the first nine tournaments he competed in – and retiring from the other one – the 25-year-old led by one at the turn and holed three birdies to start the back nine in fine fashion.

That gave him the breathing space required to avoid a play-off, as he parred each of the final five holes to card a 68 and claim a hard-earned triumph.

"Winning a golf tournament is not easy. And Eddie did not make that easy for me either," Crocker said. "After the three-putt par on the 15th I kind of thought I still had a little bit of room but they're not easy holes coming down that stretch.

"I thought I could make it pretty easy – it's a par five coming in – but I don't think it's ever easy to make a par to win a golf tournament. That was pretty special.

"I was nervous. I've felt pressure like that before but it's my first pro tournament win. That putt looked like it was 20 feet, that hole looked like it was half-an-inch wide. 

"It's awesome. It just shows you that you just don't know what this game is going to bring you.

"We go out there every day trying our hardest and we can play terrible for a long time and then all of a sudden you have a week like this where every bounce seemed to go my way.

"I hope I keep putting myself in this position. That door has been locked shut for me for almost five years. To go wire-to-wire I think I knocked the door clean off its hinges, which is nice."

Pepperell, who had eight birdies in his final round but was ultimately left to lament a bogey on the ninth, finished alone in second, two shots clear of David Law and Adrian Otaegui.

The Seattle Mariners can breathe a sigh of relief as general manager Jerry Dipoto said X-rays taken on Julio Rodriguez’s right hand were negative after the All-Star rookie was hit by a pitch in a 5-4 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday. 

Dipoto told SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio on Sunday that the team would continue to assess Rodriguez’s hand, saying “Julio appears to be okay.” 

Rodriguez was hit on the back of the hand in top of the eighth inning as he struck out while swinging. He completed the inning in the field before being pinch-hit for in the ninth. 

The front-runner for AL Rookie of the Year honours, Rodriguez is batting .271 and lead the Mariners with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs in 96 games this season. 

He is a big reason why Seattle (55-47), in the midst of a 21-year playoff drought, entered Sunday’s MLB action in the second wild-card position in the AL. 

Caroline Garcia claimed her ninth WTA Tour singles title with a 6-4 6-1 win over Ana Bogdan in the final of the Poland Open on Sunday.

Garcia needed just one hour and 21 minutes to see off first-time WTA finalist Bogdan and claim her second title in five weeks after her triumph at the Bad Homburg Open.

Fifth seed Garcia had seen her world ranking slip to 79 in May – her lowest position since 2014 – but she has been in fine form since then, winning 18 of her past 21 matches.

The Frenchwoman wasted little time asserting her authority against Bogdan, ranked 108th in the world, racing into a 3-0 lead.

Bogdan fought back to get back on serve at 5-4, yet a fierce return from Garcia in the next game wrapped up the first set.

Garcia, who defeated world number one Iga Swiatek in the last eight, earned the first break of the second set to move 3-1 ahead, before winning final consecutive games to get her hands on the trophy with the minimum of fuss.

Charles Leclerc has questioned Ferrari's strategy for the Hungarian Grand Prix after dubbing his sixth-place finish as a "disaster".

A decision to put on the hard-compound tyre brought an abrupt end to Leclerc's hopes of winning the race, conceding position to Red Bull's Max Verstappen – who now sits 80-points clear in the championship standings after another victory.

Performances from others on the grid had already shown that the hard compound tyre was not competitive in Sunday's race but Ferrari, having used the medium compound twice, elected to take the hard rather than push out a longer stint before taking the softs.

That decision proved to be the undoing of Ferrari's hopes in what was an afternoon to forget, with neither driver finishing in the podium spots despite starting second and third on the grid.

Leclerc, who took full responsibility for his crash in the French Grand Prix a week ago, was asked whether he could explain the team strategy and says questions will be asked during a debrief.

"We need to speak with the team and understand the thought behind putting on the hard because I felt very strong on the medium, everything was under control," he told Sky Sports.

"For some reason, I don’t know what, we needed to go on the hards. I said on the radio that I was very comfortable on the medium and I wanted to go for as long as possible on those tyres because the feeling was good.

"I don't know why we took we took a different decision. Honestly, the pace on my side I was pretty happy with.

"The only thing is that obviously everyone will remember the last part of the race which was a disaster for me, especially the hard, that's why I lost the race.

"I lost 20 seconds with the pit, another maybe six seconds on five laps on the hard because I was all over the place with this tyre and yeah, that's where we lost our race."

Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz was equally disappointed and says he simply did not have a car capable of mounting a challenge.

"We clearly struggled as a team. Today, we're a bit puzzled because we expected to have good race pace coming from Friday, but it's clear that these lower temperatures, the track condition changes, there was something going on with the car and the tyres," he told Sky Sports.

"We were not fast. It's something to analyse, to look back, regroup, see what we did wrong for these kinds of conditions and come back after the summer break with a better package."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff defended Ferrari's tyre strategy and believes it was the only call they could have made.

"I think they had no option. They had only hard and soft left, for the soft it was too early, so it was only the hard," he said to Sky Sports.

"The mistake I think happened on Friday or Saturday, not to carry over a new medium."

Max Verstappen celebrated a "crazy" success at the Hungarian Grand Prix, after coming from 10th to take a surprise win.

Reigning world champion Verstappen looked unlikely to challenge for victory on Sunday following a frustrating qualifying session.

The Dutchman had looked ominously fast but a power unit issue on his out lap ahead of a second flying effort ended hopes of pole.

Yet Verstappen will head into Formula One's break with an 80-point lead in the championship standings after powering to a hugely impressive win that sees him equal Nigel Mansell's record of the most F1 triumphs for a single team.

Rain threatened to cause late drama but Verstappen held firm to seal a famous victory for Red Bull, despite at one point spinning on the track.

"It was a crazy race, very happy that we won it," said Verstappen, who finished over seven seconds ahead of second-placed Lewis Hamilton and more than 12 seconds quicker than third-placed George Russell.

"I was of course hoping I could get close to a podium. Very tricky conditions out there but we had a really great strategy, really reactive, always pitching at the right time and then even at the end, with the 360 [spin], we won the race."

Explaining how he had lost control of the car during his 360-degree spin, Verstappen said: "I was struggling a bit with the shifts and the clutch and we had to change a few things around that to not basically burn the clutch.

"That cost me a bit of performance and it caught me out on that corner. Luckily, to do a 360, so I only lost one spot.

"It was very good. I was battling a lot of guys so it was a lot of fun out there."

Lewis Hamilton is confident Mercedes are "closing the gap" on their rivals following another impressive drive from the Briton at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton, starting seventh, benefited from a strong strategy by his team to work his way through the order, overtaking Ferrari's Carlos Sainz for third and then leapfrogging his team-mate George Russell.

The result secured back-to-back podium finishes for Hamilton who, surprisingly, has achieved more top-three finishes this season than title hopeful Charles Leclerc, who has seen his bid to take Max Verstappen's crown crumble.

Ferrari's main challenge in the final nine races of the season after the upcoming break may now come from Mercedes, who sit just 30 points behind in the constructors' championship, and Hamilton believes there is a solid platform to build on.

"I was definitely struggling at the beginning of the race and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to catch the guys up but bit by bit, I was more comfortable with the balance and had a really good start as well," he said on the grid.

"I really want to acknowledge my team who have pushed and never given up in this tough year so far.

"To be on the podium, for both cars to be on the podium twice, it is pretty special for us and really unlucky for George today.

"The other guys still have a bit of an edge but we are clearly closing the gap and this is just an amazing way to go into the break knowing that we have this performance. 

"Hopefully we can bring some more into the second part of the season and start fighting with the guys up front."

Russell started the race in pole position after his surprising Q3 session on Saturday but was unable to stay ahead and admitted he thought the race was there to win in the early stages.

"When it started spitting and we were on the soft tyres at the start I thought we were on," he said. 

"Towards the end on the mediums with the slightly heavier rain I really struggled."

Having secured back-to-back third-place finishes, Russell also praised the improvements shown by his team after what was a poor start to the 2022 season.

"Amazing job by the team. Pole position yesterday and a double podium - we're definitely making progress, so really proud of the work we've done," he added.

Andy Murray set his sights on a deep run at the Citi Open to bolster his fundraising for war-hit Ukrainian children, as Hollywood actor Ben Stiller sent a message of support.

Three-time grand slam winner Murray has a 19-11 win-loss record in 2022 and wants to improve that substantially before the year is out.

In March, the Scot pledged to donate the rest of his season's winnings to UNICEF's Ukraine mission, as the country endures a heavy toll of death and destruction during Russia's invasion.

A disappointing second-round loss to John Isner at Wimbledon was followed by a quarter-final exit to Alexander Bublik at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, with those results not meeting Murray's expectations.

He is being driven by his own hunger for better results, but also an eagerness to put together a big pot of money for UNICEF's appeal.

Citi Open chairman Mark Ein announced his foundation would match Murray's winnings this week and commit that sum to the effort in Ukraine.

"You can't just forget about this," Murray said of the war. "It's still going on. People are still getting killed, children are still having to flee their homes, and are in really, really tragic situations.

"I think it's important that the media continues to shine a light on it, keep talking about it. Hopefully what the tournament is doing here can help a little bit with that.

"I just want to try and win as many matches as possible and raise as much money as I can. It will be a significant amount hopefully by the end of the year. Hopefully it makes a difference."

Stiller is a big tennis fan and has often been seen in front-row seats at the sport's top events.

He tweeted: "So much respect for ⁦@andy_murray⁩ shining a light on the millions of people - and children - still affected by this senseless war in #Ukraine."

The Reality Bites, Zoolander and There's Something About Mary actor has been a long-time Murray fan, meeting him at the 2013 US Open, a year after the British star took the Flushing Meadows title.

Murray, 35, begins his challenge at the Citi Open, staged in Washington, DC, against Sweden's Mikael Ymer on Monday.

He hailed Ein's Ukraine pledge as "brilliant", adding: "I think it really helps. It shows when the players and the tournaments work together, that really good things can happen." week.”

Max Verstappen extended his championship lead even further with a stellar drive in Hungary to claim victory having started 10th on the grid.

The Red Bull capitalised on more woes for Ferrari to leave Verstappen heading into the break with an 80-point lead, while Mercedes enjoyed a second race in a row with both drivers finishing on the podium.

Ferrari, having started second and third on the grid, had a race to forget with both drivers finishing outside of the podium spots - with Carlos Sainz in fourth and Charles Leclerc coming home sixth.

At the start, pole-sitter George Russell was immediately put under pressure by the Ferraris behind him but maintained his advantage following the first corner, then opening a two-second window following an early virtual safety car after contact between Alex Albon and Lance Stroll.

With soft tyres losing speed, Russell pitted from the lead at the end of lap 16 and Sainz, on the medium, made an overcut attempt one lap later but remained behind the Mercedes.

Verstappen benefited during the first round of pit stops to continue his charge up the grid, taking fourth on lap 21, while Leclerc came out ahead of team-mate Sainz after his stop.

Still in the lead at the start of lap 28, Russell's performance meant Mercedes had led more laps in the race than they had in the entirety of the season prior to this weekend and Russell, though defending aggressively, was overtaken at turn one by Leclerc on lap 31.

Verstappen blinked first in the second round of pit stops and completed an undercut on Russell, then overtaking Leclerc twice, either side of a spin, with Ferrari unable to find the pace on the hard compound as another strategy decision cost the Monegasque, who inevitably had to take a third stop to swap to the softs.

Hamilton's strategy worked much better and saw him stand as the biggest threat to Verstappen's lead heading into the latter stages, overtaking Sainz at the start of lap 63 and then taking team-mate Russell on lap 65.

Late rain threatened to cause drama on the final lap but Verstappen was able to cruise home for a 28th career win - equalling Nigel Mansell's record of the most F1 wins for a single team.

Ferrari, meanwhile, will now be looking over their shoulder after the break with their advantage over Mercedes in the constructors' championship now standing at just 30 points.

Ferrari's frustrating calls

Plenty of scrutiny has been directed towards Ferrari for questionable calls made during the 2022 Formula One season and the Hungarian Grand Prix added further fuel to that particular fire.

Having seen Alpine's own woes on the hard compound, which saw both Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso tumble down the field, Ferrari bemusingly still opted to put Leclerc on that tyre.

The poor performance of the compound was shown when Verstappen, who had overtaken Leclerc, spun to lose the position but was still able to chase down his title rival and reclaim the position without too much of a challenge.

Russell's run ends

Heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mercedes duo Russell and Hamilton were the only two drivers on the grid to have improved or maintained their starting position in every race this season.

Hamilton, starting seventh and finishing second, was able to maintain that sequence but Russell, on pole position, secured a third-place finish and saw his run of improvement come to an end.

However, that finish sealed back-to-back podium finishes for Russell at Mercedes, while it also marked the second race in a row with both Silver Arrows drivers on the rostrum.

IN THE POINTS

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +7.834

3. George Russell (Mercedes) +12.337

4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +14.579

5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +15.688

6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +16.047

7. Lando Norris (McLaren) +78.300

8. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) + One lap

9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) + One lap

10. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) + One lap

Drivers

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 258

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 178

3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 173

4. George Russell (Mercedes) 158

5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 156

Constructors

1. Red Bull 431

2. Ferrari 334

3. Mercedes 304

4. Alpine 99

5. McLaren 95

Anastasia Potapova proved no match for home favourite Marie Bouzkova in the final of the Prague Open, as the Czech triumphed in straight sets.

Making her fourth appearance in a WTA Tour-level final, Bouzkova ended her wait for a maiden title with a convincing 6-0 6-3 success on Sunday.

Bouzkova, ranked 66th in the world heading into her home tournament, wrapped up the first set in under 30 minutes.

Potapova hit back with two breaks in the second, but an overhit forehand down the line from the Russian handed Bouzkova the trophy in her second final of 2022.

"I just want to thank everyone, it's just a dream for me to win my first title here at home, I couldn't be happier," said Bouzkova, the fifth Czech to win on home soil since the event debuted on the WTA Tour in 2015, after Karolina Pliskova, Lucie Safarova, Petra Kvitova and Barbora Krejcikova. 

"I felt your support, even those who aren't here, it's a dream come true, playing in front of a home crowd. My first winner's speech, I'm sorry it's not the best!"

Bouzkova, 24, has now won both of her matches against Potapova, after defeating the 21-year-old in qualifying for the Miami Open earlier this year.

Jake Paul has called off his fight against Hasim Rahman Jr. due to a weight dispute less than a week before the bout at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The pair were set to clash in the ring on August 6 as part of a card that also featured Amanda Serrano, but Paul has now cancelled the bout after Rahman failed to meet the agreed weight of 200 pounds.

Paul's Most Valuable Promotions released a statement claiming Rahman had agreed to fight at 200lb, only for his team to later look to increase the weight limit to 215lb.

"Hasim Rahman Jr. has pulled out of the fight. This is not a joke, I am devastated, I can not f****** believe this. We just found out this news," Paul posted on Twitter.

"This is just another case of a professional boxer, like Tommy Fury, being scared to fight me. 

"It's clear as day that these guys have been so unprofessional to work with, looking for any excuse to suck more money out of this event, to coerce us into doing things.

"From the jump, I knew from the bottom of my heart that this guy didn't want to get into the ring with me. It's clear as day."

Rahman initially stepped up to face Paul as a replacement for Tommy Fury, who pulled out of a scheduled fight against Paul last year due to injury and then could not travel to the United States due to a visa issue.

While Rahman confirmed he was not able to meet the agreed weight, he disputed Paul's claims about money and said he would have fought for $5,000.

"I signed a contract to make 200 pounds within the three and a half weeks I had to do it, but I couldn't do it. My body simply would not let me do it, would not let me get down to 200 pounds," he said in a video message.

"But when in boxing do you see them cancelling fights a whole week in advance? I didn't even get my last week to get down as low as I could. 

"I told this man: 'If there’s penalties involved, keep the purse. I'll fight you for the $5,000 minimum.'

"That's how much it means to me and that’s how much faith I have in knocking him out."

Paul would have received a WBC ranking for the first time had he defeated Rahman.