The New York Yankees have added a key piece to their rotation by agreeing with left-handed free agent Carlos Rodon on a six-year, $162million contract.

The move bolsters the Yankees' starting rotation, which already had Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino – along with a variety of other depth options.

Rodon, 30, was named an All-Star in each of the past two seasons and played last year for the San Francisco Giants. He opted out of his deal with the Giants – which would have paid him $22.5m in 2023 – and declined the $19.65m qualifying offer a few days later to become a free agent.

Rodon played seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, the first six of which were marred by inconsistency and injury. Rodon broke out in 2021, his final year on the South Side.

Over the past two seasons with Chicago and San Francisco, Rodon has amassed a 27-13 record with a 2.67 ERA, averaging 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Rodon has a career 3.60 ERA and 56-46 record in 147 starts.

The Yankees are hoping that Rodon can help them improve on a 2022 season that produced a 99-63 record and an American League East title, but ended in the ALCS against the Houston Astros.

With the exception of Rodon, the Yankees plan on fielding largely the same team that fell just short of the World Series last season, with most of this offseason’s attention going toward retaining AL MVP and home run champion Aaron Judge for nine years and $360m.

Clint Capela will miss one to two weeks after an MRI on Thursday revealed the Atlanta Hawks center had suffered a strained right calf in Wednesday's loss to the Orlando Magic.

Capela, 28, is currently third in the NBA for rebounds per game (12.0), and his 63.3 per cent field goal percentage is the seventh-highest mark in the league.

His injury adds to a troubling list for the Hawks, who have been without starting forward John Collins for the past seven games as he deals with an ankle injury, while starting guard Dejounte Murray has missed a week of action with his own ankle injury.

Franchise centerpiece Trae Young was also absent for Monday's loss against the Memphis Grizzlies due to lower-back tightness, but returned to the lineup for Wednesday's loss.

With Capela and Collins still out, it will be a real opportunity for former top-10 draft pick Onyeka Okongwu to play starter's minutes.

Okongwu, 22, is averaging 21 minutes per game and has only made three starts from his 28 appearances this season, but he boasts per-36 minute figures of 14.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

The Boston Celtics will welcome back their defensive anchor on Friday when Robert Williams III makes his season debut against the Orlando Magic.

Williams, 25, is coming off a breakout campaign where he started all 61 of his appearances, averaging the fourth-most blocks in the league at 2.2 per game.

With Williams protecting the rim, the Celtics emerged as the best defense in the NBA, conceding just 106.2 points per 100 possessions, although that number rose to 109.8 in the 21 games he missed.

For his stellar play, Williams was awarded a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, but he is yet to suit up this season as he recovers from offseason surgery on his left knee, having played through a torn meniscus in the playoffs.

His return will be a welcome addition for the Celtics, who have seen their defense fall to the eighth-ranked unit in the league in his absence, but have remained the best team in the NBA – based on both record (22-7) and net-rating (plus 7.0) – due to their top-ranked offense.

Without Williams, the Celtics have leaned into their three-point shooting. They are tied for the league-lead with 16.3 made three-pointers per game, so it remains to be seen how new head coach Joe Mazzulla will incorporate a non-shooter like Williams into his system and what effect he will have on the offense.

Los Angeles Clippers All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will both sit out Thursday's highly anticipated home game against the Phoenix Suns on the second night of a back-to-back.

The duo, who have a combined 11 All-NBA selections, both played in Wednesday's 99-88 home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game where George posted his first triple-double in a Clippers uniform.

Leonard is yet to play in both legs of a back-to-back since returning from his long-term ACL injury, while George has played in all six games – including a back-to-back – since returning from his brief absence with a hamstring strain.

As a team, the Clippers sit sixth in the Western Conference with a 17-13 record, but they are 14-8 in games George is playing in, and an even more impressive 8-2 in games Leonard suits up for.

They will face a Suns team dealing with their own absences as starting center Deandre Ayton and backup point guard Cameron Payne are both out with injuries, as well as starting wing Cam Johnson, who has not played since November 4.

The Suns, at 16-12, are one spot ahead of the Clippers in the fifth seed, but are on a five-game losing streak after what was a promising 15-6 start to the campaign.

After this game, the Clippers should have their star tandem back for home games against the Washington Wizards on Saturday and the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, before embarking on a five-game road trip.

Steph Curry is expected to miss "a few weeks" following his left shoulder injury sustained during the Golden State Warriors' loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The four-time NBA champion was set for an MRI following his exit from Wednesday's 125-119 defeat, after he was ruled out of the fourth quarter.

Curry had posted 38 points to spark a fightback from a 74-54 half-time deficit, but saw his side struggle and slip to another road loss in his absence.

Reports from ESPN now indicate the 34-year-old will be out for the immediate future and likely into the new year.

Curry injured himself attempting to strip Jalen Smith with just over two minutes left in the third quarter and will be a major loss for the Warriors.

They have picked up zero wins from three games in his absence so far this campaign, during which the point guard has averaged 29.6 points.

The Warriors stay on the road through to the festive period now for a four-game stretch, starting with a trip to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

They then return to Chase Center to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day, before rounding out the year with a further three games at home.

The Dallas Mavericks will be without Maxi Kleber for the foreseeable future after the German forward tore his right hamstring in practice on Tuesday.

The Mavericks released a statement on Thursday saying treatment options are being considered and there is no timetable for Kleber's return.

Kleber has appeared in 22 of Dallas' 28 contests this season and is averaging 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game off the bench.

He had been playing well since missing four games last month due to a lower back contusion sustained on a hard fall against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 15.

In nine games since returning, Kleber was averaging 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots while shooting 59.6 per cent from the field and 46.9 per cent (15 of 32) from three-point range.

Kleber appeared in all 18 playoff contests for the Mavericks last season during their run to the Western Conference finals, averaging 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game during that stretch.

Dallas (14-14) currently sit in third place in the Southwest Division and ninth in the West.

Serena Williams may return to the court "one more time," former world number two Tommy Haas believes.

The 23-time grand slam singles champion Williams declared her intention to "evolve" away from tennis prior to the US Open in September, with many thinking her third-round defeat to Ajla Tomljanovic signalled the end of her illustrious career.

Although, the 41-year-old hinted she may return in a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, suggesting she may follow the example of another American sporting great.

"Tom Brady started an amazing trend," she said when asked if her competitive career may resume. "That's what I want to say."

Speaking to Eurosport Germany's tennis podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball, Haas said: "Serena had an incredible, long and strong career. 

"But I have the feeling that she is going to come back and say, 'I'm going to play one more time.' 

"She came so close to playing really well again and going far, so I think deep down it really annoys her.

"She might really be thinking about whether she wants to try again. I may be wrong because I'm not that close [to her].

"It will mostly depend on how it looks mentally, how she feels physically and whether she has the desire to torture herself like that again after achieving so much."

Trevor Lawrence has described the Jacksonville Jaguars' London Series loss to the Denver Broncos as the result that "flipped a switch" to inspire his remarkable turnaround in form.

The 2021 draft's number one pick initially struggled to deliver for the Jaguars, who headed to Wembley Stadium in late October with a 2-5 record for the season.

Lawrence disappointed in London as the Broncos sealed a comeback win, but the quarterback has since guided his team to three wins from their last five games, providing some of the best displays of his career.

The ex-Clemson graduate feels that defeat triggered something in him, claiming his improvement stemmed from the frustration of coming up short across the Atlantic Ocean.

"[We] should have won that game," Lawrence said. "I remember I never forgot how I felt in that locker room, so I don't want to feel like this anymore.

"I'm going to one, start taking care of the ball, but two, I just want to be the player that I know I can be.

"I think that kind of flipped a switch in me and honestly, I think I have a little bit more of a chip on my shoulder now.

"Last year and a half, I don't really forget what's been said and what people have written. Now you see people change their minds after a couple of weeks, but I remember everything.

"I don't use that necessarily as my only fuel, but [I] definitely use that, and I think that's something this team's done.

"We remember what people were saying when we lost five in a row, and then we've won some big games now and people changed their minds quicky.

"So, we just have that same mentality that we want to prove how good we can be every week."

Co-owner John Mara believes the New York Giants are enjoying their "best vibes" for a long time under first-year coach Brian Daboll, as they look to push on for the postseason.

The Giants are bottom of the NFC East, but sit seventh in the conference standings overall after an impressive 7-5-1 campaign to date.

In what was anticipated to be a season of transition under Daboll, the Giants have continued to upset expectations, though they are winless in their last four to check their momentum.

Still, Mara is enjoying what he sees so far, though he is waiting to reserve judgement until the end of the year, as his team look to break a playoff drought that stretches back to the 2016 season.

"We'll see how it finishes out," he told NJ Advance Media. "But right now, I feel good about the team, the direction we are going.

"You are always disappointed if you don't make the playoffs, but we are trying to take it one week at a time at this point.

"I know that sounds like coach-speak, but that's really the only way you can look at it right now.

"I just know the vibe in the building is the best that it has been in a long time. People are all pulling in the same direction."

The Giants - who posted their lone draw of the season during their last four matches - will look to get back to winning ways when they face the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

With both teams tied in the standings, the winner will see a boost for their playoff hopes at the expense of their rivals.

Andy Murray has been named the winner of the ATP's Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for the second time after he donated his prize money for 2022 to Ukraine.

The Briton announced in March that his winnings earned throughout the rest of the year would be donated to UNICEF, for whom he is an ambassador.

Ukraine was invaded by neighbour Russia in February, escalating an ongoing conflict that saw players from the latter nation barred at Wimbledon this year amid sanctions.

After previously being presented with the honour in 2014, Murray revealed earnings of approximately £510,000 would be donated from his season.

"There are 7.5 million children in Ukraine and after more than nine months of increased conflict, 5.2 million of them are in need of assistance," he said. 

"When you see images of children on the news who were impacted by things like this, that makes it even more difficult to stomach.

"I have four young children who are really fortunate that everything is fine with them. But being a parent, it affects you differently.

"You try to put yourself in their shoes. If something like that happened with your own family, how difficult would that be? It is hard to fathom."

Carlos Alcaraz was meanwhile named the Most Improved Player of the Year, after the Spaniard claimed a maiden grand slam at the US Open and reached number one in the ATP Rankings.

"Everything has come so fast," the teenager added. "I didn't think at the beginning of the year that I'm going to have the year that I'm having right now.

"I always believe in my team and in my work, so this is something that came with the hard work that I put in every day. Everything pays off."

Boris Becker could be deported from the United Kingdom after the tennis legend was released from prison on Thursday.

The 55-year-old was sentenced to two-and-a-half-years in jail at the end of April for breaking insolvency laws.

Six-time grand slam champion Becker served just eight months of his sentence and it was confirmed by his lawyer, Christian-Oliver Moser, that he has returned to his native Germany - where he is subject to any restrictions.

The former world number one was found guilty of hiding £2.5million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying debts when he was declared bankrupt in 2017.

Becker reportedly started his sentence in London's Wandsworth Prison, before being moved to Huntercombe Prison in May.

He lived in London before being sent to prison but could be prevented from returning to live in the UK.

Becker does not have UK citizenship and the Home Office have confirmed any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity.

He covered tennis in a broadcasting career before he was sentenced.

The French National Rugby League (LNR) has called on the French Rugby Federation (FFR) to hold new elections after its president Bernard Laporte was found guilty of corruption.

Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby as an act of "self-suspension" after he was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

It came after an investigation which examined a number of decisions that favoured Mohed Altrad, the president of Top 14 side Montpellier, including the award of a shirt sponsorship deal for the France national team to Altrad's construction business.

Laporte, who was France's head coach between 1999 and 2007, also received a €75,000 fine and a two-year ban from involvement in rugby by the Paris Criminal Court on Tuesday.

With France hosting the Rugby World Cup next year, the nation's sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera stated Laporte should be replaced as FFR president, and the LNR has now echoed those sentiments.

An LNR press release said: "The LNR Office took note of the decision pronounced Tuesday by the Paris Criminal Court and of the position of the Minister of Sports.

"Faced with this unprecedented situation which is weakening the institution, and after consultation with the presidents of Top 14 and Pro D2, the LNR Board considers that it is appropriate to restore appeasement within French rugby through the organisation of new elections by the FFR, as requested by the Minister of Sports.

"This approach will allow the governance appointed at the end of these elections to move forward serenely towards the major deadlines facing French rugby. 

"Whatever happens, the priority of the LNR and the Top 14 and Pro D2 clubs will remain over the coming months to mobilise all the energies of professional rugby for the success of French rugby, especially as the big goal approaches of the 2023 World Cup."

The French National Rugby League (LNR) has called on the French Rugby Federation (FFR) to hold new elections after its president Bernard Laporte was found guilty of corruption.

Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby as an act of "self-suspension" after he was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

It came after an investigation which examined a number of decisions that favoured Mohed Altrad, the president of Top 14 side Montpellier, including the award of a shirt sponsorship deal for the France national team to Altrad's construction business.

Laporte, who was France's head coach between 1999 and 2007, also received a €75,000 fine and a two-year ban from involvement in rugby by the Paris Criminal Court on Tuesday.

With France hosting the Rugby World Cup next year, the nation's sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera stated Laporte should be replaced as FFR president, and the LNR has now echoed those sentiments.

An LNR press release said: "The LNR Office took note of the decision pronounced Tuesday by the Paris Criminal Court and of the position of the Minister of Sports.

"Faced with this unprecedented situation which is weakening the institution, and after consultation with the presidents of Top 14 and Pro D2, the LNR Board considers that it is appropriate to restore appeasement within French rugby through the organisation of new elections by the FFR, as requested by the Minister of Sports.

"This approach will allow the governance appointed at the end of these elections to move forward serenely towards the major deadlines facing French rugby. 

"Whatever happens, the priority of the LNR and the Top 14 and Pro D2 clubs will remain over the coming months to mobilise all the energies of professional rugby for the success of French rugby, especially as the big goal approaches of the 2023 World Cup."