Albert Pujols produced a career-first as he blasted his 690th home run with a pinch-hit grand slam in the St Louis Cardinals' 13-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
The 42-year-old slugger, who will retire at the end of this season, came off the bench to deliver the slam at the bottom of the third inning to extend the Cards lead to 10-0.
The 374-foot blast was Pujols' 11th home run of the season and his 16th career grand slam, tying him with Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Dave Kingman at 10th overall, but it was his first ever as a pinch-hitter.
Pujols drove in five for the game, with two hits from three at-bats, as the Cards flexed their muscle with their fourth win in a row and 12th from their past 13 games.
The victory improved the Cards' record to 66-51, to lead the Milwaukee Brewers (63-54) by three games in the National League Central division.
Right-hander Adam Wainwright helped shut out the Rockies on the mound with seven strikeouts across seven innings, allowing only three hits.
Bregman career-high in Astros barrage
Alex Bregman led the way as the Houston Astros made an emphatic statement with a 21-5 barrage over the Chicago White Sox.
Bregman had a 12-total base day, going four-for-six at-bats with two home runs and two doubles, with a career-high six RBIs.
Houston scored in seven of the nine innings and tied a franchise record with 25 hits, while the 21 runs was joint second-most in Astros history.
Springer and Vlad lead Jays past Yankees
George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr starred to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-2 win over the slumping New York Yankees in a key victory for their American League Wild Card hopes.
Springer went five-for-five with two runs and one RBI, while Guerrero blasted a three-run homer in a five-run second inning as the Jays improved to 63-54.
Jose Berrios impressed on the mound with nine strikeouts across six-and-two-third innings, allowing two runs as the Yankees lost for the 13th time in their past 17 games.
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was limited to five games last season, and it is looking like he may not be able to even match that total this upcoming season.
Price, 35, underwent knee surgery last summer and sought help from the NHLPA/NHL player assistance program in October for substance abuse.
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said the news about Price’s knee is "discouraging" and that the veteran goalie may not play this season.
"The news about Carey’s knee is pretty discouraging in the sense that there hasn’t been any improvement throughout the rehab process," Hughes said. "All last season it obviously continued to create problems for him. This summer he went through the process of a shot to the knee, seeing if that would help. It did not.
"At this point, we don’t expect Carey to be available for the start of the season, quite frankly I don’t know if there’s a path for Carey to return this season through the rehab process."
Hughes said that Price will likely require surgery in order to play again, and that rehab work alone won’t be enough. Hughes expects to have further information on Price’s playing status next month.
Price made his season debut on April 15, 2022 and lost his first four starts before finishing the season 1-4-0 with a 3.63 goals-against average.
He is the Canadiens’ all-time wins leader with 361 and ranks third with 49 shutouts.
Keegan Bradley rode a hot putter to the outright lead after 18 holes of the BMW Championship, finishing Thursday's play with a seven-under 64.
Bradley entered the week ranked 44th in the FedEx Cup standings, outside the top-30 who will qualify for next week's Tour Championship, but put himself in a great position thanks in large part to his work on the greens.
He collected six birdies on the front nine, and according to Data Golf's strokes gained stats, Bradley was the top overall putter in the opening round, picking up 4.00 strokes with the flat stick, while also coming in seventh in the approach category (2.02 strokes gained).
It was a similar story for Adam Scott in outright second at six under, finishing third in putting (3.30 strokes gained) and 11th in approach shots (1.82 strokes gained).
In a tie for third at five under is the trio of Harold Varner III, Shane Lowry and Justin Thomas – but they all made it there in different ways.
Varner excelled in the tee-to-green category, putting a gap on the field as he gained 5.28 strokes, with Lowry in second-place at 3.32. While Varner was the third-best driver on the day, Lowry was actually a negative off the tee, but led the field in the approach category.
Meanwhile, Thomas was solid just about everywhere, finishing on the fringe of the top-10 in tee-to-green, around the green and putting categories – despite lipping out a four-footer for his only bogey on the 15th hole.
The logjam at four under includes Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young, and there is a star-studded group one further back at three under featuring Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. McIlroy will be left ruing a calamitous showing at the par-three 15th hole, where he found the water to triple-bogey when he was one stroke off the lead.
U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick headlines the group at two under, Hideki Matsuyama and Will Zalatoris are at one under, and recent 20-year-old winner Joo-hyung 'Tom' Kim is at even par.
Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm will be disappointed with their rounds at two over, and the previously red-hot Tony Finau is likely out of the hunt as only two players shot worse than his six-over 77.
Promoter Bob Arum is "confident" Tyson Fury will come out of retirement to face the winner of Saturday's heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua.
Fury retained his WBC world title with a victory over Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April and stated that was his last fight.
The Brit appeared to backtrack this month by stating he would be returning to the ring and wanted to face Dereck Chisora for a third time, having already been victorious over his compatriot in 2011 and 2014.
Fury then announced once again that he has retired in a social media post on his 34th birthday last week.
Joshua and Usyk will do battle once more this weekend in Saudi Arabia, after the former undisputed cruiserweight champion took the Brit's IBF, WBA and WBO belts with a unanimous decision victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September.
Arum believes the 'Gypsy King' can be tempted back into the ring to face whoever comes out on top.
He told Sky Sports: "Absolutely - it's really the only fight that makes sense for Tyson Fury.
"I've discussed this with my co-promoter of Fury, Frank Warren, and once this fight is over we're going to put together a total unification match between the winner and Tyson Fury.
"Now, if Usyk wins the fight, which I expect, that will be quite easy to do because we're very close to the Usyk people as they're the same people who manage Vasyl Lomachenko who fights for us. If Joshua wins, Eddie Hearn is his promoter. We've talked many times with Hearn about various matches and I'm sure we'll be able to come together on this one.
"I've talked with him [Fury] and every day is different, but he's a fighter and if the right fight is there then Fury will be up for that fight. The right fight is the unification fight against the winner of Usyk and Joshua and I think - based on my conversations with Fury - he'll be up for that challenge.
"How much longer he will go after that, god only knows and I'm not sure, but I'm confident at least that he'll answer the bell for that major fight."
New York Jets coach Robert Saleh laid it out bluntly when addressing Zach Wilson's availability for the NFL season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens on September 11.
In his first public comments since Wilson had successful arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday in Los Angeles to repair a torn meniscus, Saleh did not rule out Wilson taking the field against the Ravens.
''If Zach is ready to play, he's going to be the Week 1 starter,'' Saleh said on Thursday. "'If he's not, Joe [Flacco] will. That's no secret."
Wilson was injured while scrambling in the Jets' preseason opener last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the original diagnosis was he would be sidelined for two to four weeks.
The timeline remained the same after the surgery, and his availability will come down to if he is healthy enough to take the field.
"It's really going to dictate on how he feels and when he's ready to go," Saleh said. "We're going to make sure we do right by him in terms of making sure that he's 100 per cent healthy. Whenever that is, that's when he'll hit the field."
The Jets plan to be cautious with the 23-year-old, who they selected second overall in last year's draft, as they hope he will be the franchise's long-term answer at quarterback.
When Wilson hurt his knee last Friday, some feared his injury could miss the upcoming season. However, he has already returned to the team facility after a cross-country flight and eager to get back to work.
'"Zach flew back last night and he's here today,'" Saleh said. "'He's already walking. He's in really good spirits. And he's champing at the bit to get to rehab."
Anthony Joshua insists he will not be driven into retirement if he fails to defeat Oleksandr Usyk in his world heavyweight title rematch this Saturday.
Joshua, 32, suffered only the second defeat of his 26-fight professional career when he met Usyk for the first time last September, going down in a convincing unanimous decision to the talented Ukrainian.
While it was considered an upset, Usyk dominated the Brit in a masterclass to claim the IBF, WBA and WBO belts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Usyk has built a 19-0 professional record, including a perfect 7-0 in cruiserweight world title fights before deciding to move up to heavyweight.
Joshua has shown his ability to respond to adversity before when he successfully reclaimed his belts from Andy Ruiz Jr after the Mexican had pulled off a stunning stoppage victory six months prior, with that rematch also taking place in Saudi Arabia.
The Englishman has dismissed suggestions he may have to quit if he fails to dethrone Usyk this weekend.
"It’s up to me at the end of the day, it’s not up to anyone else what I do with my career," he said. "I don’t have to do this. Why do I do it? It’s because it’s all I know.
"This is also my 12th consecutive world title fight. I’ve been in world title fights back-to-back 12 times.
"It happens – if you’re fighting people at world level, you’re meeting people of world-level quality. I’m not fighting people who are below par."
Madison Keys stunned top seed Iga Swiatek 6-3 6-4 to book her place in the quarter-finals of the Western & Southern Open on Thursday.
Keys arrived in the contest seeking a first career victory over a reigning world number one in six attempts, having failed to win a set in each of the previous five.
The 2019 champion had also lost her previous two showdowns with Swiatek, including a resounding 6-1 6-0 defeat in the Indian Wells Open quarter-finals earlier this year.
After the first games went with serve, Keys went into overdrive; reeling off nine successive games to take full command of the contest at 6-3 5-0.
Swiatek rallied as she rescued match point to avoid the bagel, winning 11 of 12 points to reduce the second-set deficit to 5-3.
The winner of six WTA titles this season, the Pole saved a further match point in the ninth game before claiming what appeared to be another crucial break of serve.
However, former US Open finalist Keys responded magnificently to make it third time lucky against Swiatek, who is now 4-4 since her 37-match winning streak ended with defeat by Alize Cornet at Wimbledon.
Last Thursday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Tom Brady was taking some planned time off and was scheduled to re-join the team after their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
A week later, Bowles admitted he didn't know exactly when the future Hall of Fame quarterback would return.
"We'll see. We'll talk about it next week," Bowles said, via The Athletic. "I'm not concerned about it right now. We're trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said sometime after Tennessee. There's no definitive date for me. We'll keep in touch and find out."
That update seemed to contrast what Bowles said a week ago, when he revealed Brady left training camp to "deal with some personal things" and implied everything was worked out.
"This is something we talked about before training camp started," Bowles said last Thursday. "We allotted this time because [Brady] wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp."
Brady was not slated to play in Tampa Bay's first preseason game against Miami last weekend or the Titans matchup, so the absence isn't entirely shocking for a 45-year-old quarterback who has had plenty of practice reps over a pro career that began in 2000.
However, Bowles' uncertainty as to when his first-choice QB will return is somewhat curious.
Brady famously retired briefly this past offseason before announcing in mid-March that he would return for a third season with Tampa Bay and 23rd in the NFL after leading the league with a career-high 5,316 passing yards in 2021, while also ranking first in passing touchdowns with 43.
He led the Buccaneers to a 13-4 regular-season record and NFC South crown last year, but their season ended with a 27-20 loss to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Tampa Bay begins this season at Dallas on September 11, and Bowles said last week Brady's absence would not affect the seven-time Super Bowl champion's availability for the opener.
Jamaica Karate will send its first ever delegation to the XXXI U21 Pan-American Karate Championships set to take place in Mexico City from August 25-27.
Twenty-one national sport federations have entered their best youth athletes to compete for the continental title. Amelia Stephenson, Shafan Leslie and Rasandre Evans will compete at their first Junior PKF Championships and the first for the Jamaica Karate Federation. They will face competitors from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Following the tournament, they will also participate in an international training camp organized by Panam Sports and the Pan-American Karate Federation – a first of its kind.
They will train for 10 days at the Mexican Olympic Training Centre along with an internationally renowned Coach Salah Mesnaoui of Belgium and some of the best international athletes in their weight and age categories.
“This competition and training camp aligns with our long-term strategic goal to expose our youth athletes to more international tournaments and training in an aim to improve competition readiness for key qualification events preceding the 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the 2028 Olympic Games,” the Jamaica Karate Federation (JKF) said in a statement.
“The Jamaica Karate Federation is working in unison toward a vision aiming to put Jamaican karate on the world map. This initial step would not have been possible without the generous support of the Jamaican Olympic Association, the Sport Development Foundation, McKay Security and CEO Jason McKay.”
The athletes will be supported by senior national team members Khalil Gordon and Valentyna Zolotarova, who attained their international coaching licenses at the Senior Pan-American Championships last year. Zolotarova has also attained a WKF Coaching license at the 2021 World Championships in Dubai and has served in the role of Technical Coordinator since being awarded a Qualification of Distinction in the Post-Graduate Program in International Sport Management at the University of London in June 2022.
This achievement is an excellent testament to the kinds of opportunities that are made available to members of sport federations affiliated with the Jamaican Olympic Association. As a JOA member, Zolotarova received a full scholarship from the Commonwealth Games Federation and the World Academy of Sport.
In addition to the achievements of Jamaican youth karate-ka, Vice-President Keith Edwards will also make history as the first judge to attend a Pan-American Championship on behalf of Jamaica Karate.
“The Jamaica Karate Federation President Tony Robinson has made tremendous efforts to maximize opportunities for our delegation and all members are deeply thankful for his leadership and care. Good luck to our athletes in the initial steps toward our unified long-term goals.”
The prize pot for this year's US Open will top $60million for the first time in the competition's history, event organisers have announced.
The 2022 edition at Flushing Meadows gets under way on August 29 and runs for just under two weeks.
It was revealed on Thursday that $60m will be up for grabs, topping the previous record of $57.5m from last year, with both singles champions to receive $2.6m.
Players will be given $80,000 for making the main draw and $121,000 should they make it to the second round. Runners-up in the singles will pocket $1.3m.
In the doubles, the champions will receive $688,000, the runners-up $344,000 and the semi-finalists $172,000.
Deshaun Watson apologised for "any pain this situation has caused" before the Cleveland Browns quarterback insisted that was not an admission of guilt on any level over the accusations of sexual misconduct made against him.
Watson has received an 11-game suspension and a $5million fine after the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) reached an agreement over his punishment.
The 26-year-old faced 24 civil lawsuits over sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and settled 20 of 24 lawsuits in June, with a further three settlements reported ahead of a hearing verdict early this month.
Watson was given an initial six-game suspension and no further fine after a disciplinary hearing conducted by former US district judge Sue L. Robinson. However, the NFL formally appealed against that ruling in order to seek further punishment, agreeing to the new sanctions with the NFLPA.
Watson's first game back is scheduled to be on December 4, against his former team the Houston Texans.
Having denied any wrongdoing after the accusations were made, Watson last week apologised to "all of the women that I have impacted".
A similar message came on Thursday in a statement from the Browns, in which Watson said he wished to "apologise once again for any pain this situation has caused".
"I take accountability for the decisions I made," Watson's statement added. "My focus going forward is on working to become the best version of myself on and off the field and supporting my team-mates however possible while I’m away from the team."
Just minutes later, Watson faced the press and said he would continue to "stand by my innocence".
Watson said it was important to swallow the punishment, stating: "My whole life has to be able to move forward."
He spoke of needing "to grow as a person", but refused to offer a view on the level of punishment dished out.
"I can't speak on the fairness," Watson said. "The NFL did what they had to do, and the NFLPA communicated with the legal side. I'm going to keep my opinion to myself."
Watson was not mincing his words when he added: "I'm moving on with my career and my life, and I'm continuing to stand on my innocence. Just because a settlement's been paid, it doesn't mean a person is guilty for anything."
When asked about whether he would tell all at some point, Watson said: "That's definitely the plan, that's definitely the goal. I've felt like through this whole process I've been trying to tell my side of the story, but a lot of people didn't really pay much attention to it."
He said he needed "to do what's best for Deshaun Watson" and said he could not control public opinion.
On top of the ban and fine, Watson will be required to commit to an evaluation with behavioural experts while also following a mandatory treatment programme. He says he wants to prove himself to the Cleveland community.
"Counselling is definitely a big part of that," Watson said. "I'll continue to show my face and show people who I really am."
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam issued a joint statement in which they spoke of "a real opportunity to create meaningful change", saying they were "committed to investing in programmes in Northeast Ohio that will educate our youth regarding awareness, understanding, and most importantly, prevention of sexual misconduct and the many underlying causes of such behaviour".
Deshaun Watson has received an 11-game suspension and a $5million fine after the NFL and NFLPA reached an agreement over the Cleveland Browns quarterback's punishment.
The 26-year-old faced 24 civil lawsuits over sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and settled 20 of 24 lawsuits in June, with a further three settlements reported ahead of a hearing verdict early this month.
Watson was initially given a six-game suspension and no further fine after a disciplinary hearing conducted by former US district judge Sue L. Robinson.
The NFL formally appealed against that ruling in order to seek further punishment, and they have now agreed an extended suspension and fine with the NFLPA.
Watson will additionally be required to commit to an evaluation with behavioural experts while also following a mandatory treatment program.
The ban means that Watson's first game back is scheduled to be on December 4, against his former team the Houston Texans.
Watson denied any wrongdoing after the accusations were made. He then last week apologised to "all of the women that I have impacted."
The Texans traded the three-time Pro Bowler to Cleveland in March, and the Browns promptly signed Watson to a five-year, $230m extension that is entirely guaranteed.
Elite 1 Horizon and Elite 1 Waves both secured wins on day three of the P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League at the National Arena in Kingston on Wednesday.
In the first game, the Waves got past the Elite 1 Rivers by a score of 91-75 to close the preliminary round with a 1-2 record and confirm a winless preliminary round for their opponents.
Forward Xander Bowers was named man-of-the-match after leading the way for the Waves with 21 points, four steals, three assists and three blocks. Gemaal Davis also contributed 20 points for the winners.
“Just playing at our pace,” was Bowers’ response when asked what the key to victory was for his team.
“Our coach has been preaching playing at our pace, staying patient and taking care of the ball,” he added.
When asked about his own performance, he felt he could’ve been even better.
“I thought I did okay. I could’ve been a little more aggressive in the second and third quarters. I feel like I started off well and I ended well.”
The same two teams will square off in the third-place playoff on Saturday and Bowers says more of the same should result in a win for the Waves.
“We have the confidence and we know we can beat them now. The key is going to be playing at our pace and being able to take care of the ball and get good shots,” he said.
The second game of the day was a preview of Saturday’s championship game between the unbeaten Horizon and Elite 1 Storm.
What was expected to be a tight encounter proved to be anything but as the Horizon produced a suffocating defensive display to send a message to the Storm ahead of Saturday with a comprehensive 106-84 victory.
Forward Anton Ivey was man-of-the-match with 23 points and eight rebounds while guard Bobby Gray also chipped in with 19 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.
Ivey credited his team’s defense as the catalyst for this statement-making win.
“Our gameplan was defense and we picked it up in the second half,” he said.
He then made no secret of the plan going into Saturday’s finale.
“Same gameplan, defense. We have to do the same things but execute better in the first half,” Ivey said.
The Horizon finished the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record while this loss means the Storm finish 2-1.
The Los Angeles Lakers will honour Spanish legend Pau Gasol when they retire his number 16 jersey next year.
A ceremony will take place on March 7, 2023 when the Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies.
Gasol played for the Lakers between 2008 and 2014, having arrived from Memphis, appearing in three NBA Finals and winning two championships alongside Kobe Bryant.
Three of his six All-Star appearances came during his time in Los Angeles, before he left for the Chicago Bulls in 2014.
After time with the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks, Gasol returned to Europe for a second spell with Barcelona, where his career had begun, before retiring in October last year at the age of 41.
Following the announcement, Gasol took to Twitter to thank his former franchise, writing: "Beyond thankful and honoured!!!"
Gasol had an average of 17.7 points per game during his time with the Lakers, as well 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks in 429 appearances.
He will join a number of legends, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant and Magic Johnson, in having his jersey retired by the Lakers.
Whenever people talk about the NBA, one name is rarely far away from any conversation.
LeBron James is once again the talk of basketball after reports emerged on Wednesday he had agreed a two-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth an eye-watering $97.1million.
The 37-year-old had been entering the final year of a contract worth $44.5m. His new deal includes a player option for the 2024-25 season according to ESPN, citing Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.
James' deal takes him to $532m in guaranteed career earnings, which would mean he is the highest-paid player in the history of the league, ahead of Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
Apart from having four NBA championships, four Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs, 17 All-Star selections and three All-Star MVPs, what has James done to earn such a lucrative deal?
Stats Perform has taken a trip down memory lane to remind ourselves just why he is still the hottest property in the NBA.
Breakout in Cleveland
As the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, it was hardly surprising that James impressed from the start with the Cavaliers, averaging 20.9 points per game (PPG) in his debut season from 79 games.
It was the 2005-06 season where he really exploded, though, averaging 31.4 PPG in the regular season, which remains his highest ever for a campaign, before recording 30.8 PPG in the playoffs, where the Cavs were eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals by the Detroit Pistons.
James took Cleveland to the postseason for five straight seasons, agonisingly losing the 2007 Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, before taking the mantel again in 2009 as he put up 35.3 PPG in 14 playoff outings before Conference final heartbreak against the Orlando Magic.
He had become a superstar in his home state of Ohio, though it seemed like championship glory was always going to elude him in Cleveland and so in 2010, it was time for a decision.
LeBron brings the Heat
The television event titled 'The Decision' did not go down universally well, it is fair to say, as James dramatically revealed he was leaving the Cavs for the Miami Heat.
However, it turned out to be the catalyst for him to reach the next step as he was undoubtedly surrounded by more talent in Miami, and before long, much-deserved silverware.
Linking up superbly night after night with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James reached the Finals every year in Florida, winning his first championship in 2012, before following it up in 2013 with another.
His numbers were ever so slightly lower at the Heat than they had been in Cleveland, though that clearly owed to having more help from the likes of Wade and Bosh.
James' first title win 2012 saw him average 30.3 PPG during the postseason, and led the way as he got some revenge on the Spurs in 2013, excelling in Game 7 to win his second championship.
The Cavalier returns home
In 2014, James came back to Cleveland with the desire to take his team to the promised land with him this time, and he did just that.
Just as he had in Miami, James went to the Finals every year of his second spell with the Cavaliers, and every year they played against the dominant Golden State Warriors.
After losing 4-2 in 2015, they returned to get revenge in 2016 as James starred on their way to an almost Hollywood-ending win against the Warriors, securing their first NBA championship.
They were unable to repeat the trick as the Warriors beat them in both the 2017 and 2018 Finals, but reaching four Finals in a row was still more than Cavs fans could have realistically expected.
Unfortunately for them, James was getting itchy feet again.
L.A. dreams not always what they are cracked up to be
James himself had a solid enough start to life in Los Angeles, posting 27.4 PPG for the Lakers in 2018-19, though injury issues sustained by him and several of his new team-mates led to a wobbly season, and therefore, no postseason for the first time for James since 2005.
Inevitably, he came roaring back the following year and in spite of the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, James and the Lakers returned to win the "bubble championship", the fourth title of his career with a third different team.
However, the 2020-21 campaign was one to forget as James recorded his lowest PPG for a season (25.0) since his rookie year, before the Lakers were dumped out of the playoffs in the first round by the Phoenix Suns.
Was it all over for LeBron? Not likely. He responded to that setback by scoring 1,695 points in just 56 games last season at an average of 30.3 PPG, his best regular season return since 2005-06.
James also reached a notable landmark in March, becoming the first player in NBA history to record 10,000 assists and 10,000 rebounds in a career.
Unfortunately for him, his team-mates were unable to match those efforts and the Lakers again failed to even make the playoffs, which could be why they were so desperate to find the funds to tie James' immediate future down.
His PPG has been higher in the playoffs than the regular season at every team he has played barring the Heat, where it was identical (26.9), proving the extent to which he is a clutch player and why it is imperative that the Lakers reach the postseason next year to make the most of the time they have left with him.
Injuries permitting, it is also practically certain he will overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer next season (currently 1,325 points behind).
Now that his new deal is agreed, you can be sure when that landmark arrives, LeBron will be wearing the same Lakers jersey Kareem did so famously.
Primoz Roglic will set out on a mission to create cycling history as the Slovenian gets his Vuelta a Espana campaign under way on Friday.
The 77th edition of the Grand Tour starts in Utrecht, with the opening three stages taking place across the Netherlands before the caravan transfers to Spain.
It is only the fourth time that the Vuelta has started outside of Spain, after doing so in Portugal in 1997, the Netherlands in 2009 and France in 2017.
Spanish riders have won 32 of the previous 76 editions, but not since 2014 has a Spaniard triumphed, when Alberto Contador tasted glory.
It is the longest wait for a Spaniard champion in the race's history, and in the last three years, it is Roglic who has dominated.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Valverde, the 2009 champion, will bid goodbye to his home Grand Tour.
Roglic's shot at history
Roglic won his first Vuelta title in 2019 and successfully defended in 2020, despite his heartbreaking defeat to Tadej Pogacar at that year's Tour de France.
He crashed out of Le Tour in 2021 but bounced back in style, winning Olympic gold in Tokyo before clinching a third-straight Vuelta triumph to match the feats of Tony Rominger (1992 to 1994) and Roberto Heras (2003 to 2005).
Now, Roglic has history in his sights. Only Heras has won the Vuelta on four occasions, but no rider has ever won it over four successive years.
The 32-year-old Roglic's Tour de France again ended early this year, as he watched team-mate Jonas Vingegaard storm to success and set up a rivalry with Roglic's compatriot Pogacar that should enthral for years to come; but at the Vuelta, Roglic is Jumbo-Visma's main man.
Roglic has won the Vuelta in all of his three appearances, reaching nine stage wins in this period, more than any other rider (Fabio Jakobsen is the next best, with five to his name). He also claimed the points ranking in both 2019 and 2020, and could equal Erik Zabel (three) as joint-second on the all-time list for that classification, behind Sean Kelly, Valverde and Laurent Jalabert (four each).
"Of course the record gives me more motivation, it's special," said Roglic in a press conference on Thursday. "We're going to fight for that."
There are some concerns over his fitness after the injury he suffered at Le Tour, however.
Roglic said: "At certain moments I still feel some pain, but it is already much better than before. We'll see. If I get to the start here, it means I'm ready too. But I'll have to wait and see in the coming days and weeks to find out how it really goes."
Roglic could also feasibly set a record for the most stages wearing the red leader's jersey. He is currently level with Herras on 36, 12 behind Alex Zulle's haul of 48.
A last dance for Vuelta veterans?
Valverde, of Movistar, will be making his 16th Vuelta appearance. The 42-year-old has achieved more podium finishes in the general classification than any other rider, having done so on seven occasions, including his 2009 success.
If he completes the race, Valverde, who has won 12 individual stages at La Vuelta, will equal Federico Etxabe, Chente Garcia Acosta and Inigo Cuesta as riders who have finished the most times (14).
"To win a stage would be incredible," Valverde said on Thursday. "I don't believe I will be at the same level as the best during 21 days, but we do have a team-mate who can be among the top three or perhaps even win. What I see for myself is that I will try to win a stage."
Chris Froome, meanwhile, is a two-time Vuelta champion who is out to prove himself once more.
The seven-time Grand Tour winner has been struggling with COVID-19 in the build-up this time but is set to make his eighth appearance in the race, having finished on the podium four times, taking the 2011 and 2017 titles.
The first of those victories was only awarded to Froome in 2019 after original race winner Juan Jose Cobo was disqualified for a doping offence.
In a stellar career, Froome has become the first British rider to win all three of the biggest races in cycling.
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