fr Page 134 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Lakers Really Want You To Know They Don't Want J.R. Smith
You would have been forgiven for wondering, even assuming. LeBron likes his guys, those role players he has repeatedly gathered around him at every stop in his role as shadow GM. J.R. Smith is one of his guys. Yes, even after that....

Wout van Aert Has Conquered The World And Now He's Conquering The Tour de France
There’s no other rider at the Tour de France like Wout van Aert. Jumbo-Visma’s 24-year-old Tour debutante has built a multi-discipline resumé that would make anyone in the peloton blush, and this morning, he confirmed his potential as an all-around road destroyer by taking on an entire class of spec...

The Texans Are Stiffing Jadeveon Clowney
It has been a relatively quiet offseason for the NFL, which comes as a real pleasure for everyone, but that’s just about ended. For folks thirsty for football-adjacent events, we’re less than a week out from the start of training camps, and just hours away from the deadline for players slapped with ...

The AFCON Final Is Set Thanks To A Late Winner Off A Free Kick And One Unfortunate Goalkeeping Boner
The Africa Cup of Nations is nearing the end of its summertime debut, with the final officially set to feature Algeria going up against Senegal. Both semifinal matches were played on Sunday, and both featured some wild finishes that will certainly left the supporters of both losing nations absolutel...

The NBA Offseason Doesn't Get Better Than This. Unfortunately.
And now, the longer view on the Russell Westbrook–Chris Paul deal that you haven’t seen yet:...

Marcus Morris Wipes Out Thousands Of Acres Of Transaction Market Confidence, Dumps Spurs For Knicks
In a move that has been described by some as a ruinous assault on, uhh, confidence in the transaction market, Marcus Morris has officially reneged on his verbal agreement to join the San Antonio Spurs in free agency, in order to sign a more lucrative contract with the New York Knicks....

We Need To Talk About Russell Westbrook
We’re officially in the slowest part of the sports calendar: There is no real basketball on (get out of here, we’re not counting Summer League), soccer just wrapped up its summer tournaments, baseball is in the dead zone between the All-Star Game and September, and so on. But the streets demand the ...

Jacoby Brissett Asks A Cosmic-Brained Question About The Cosmos
The summer offseason is a time for NFL football players to get away from the game, rest, heal, and pursue various forms of personal fulfillment. For Colts backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, this is a time for pondering the big questions of, literally, the universe. Like, for example, whether the Su...

Does Rob Manfred Even <i>Like</i> Baseball?
Baseball giveth, and baseball taketh away. In these perilous times when every little moment is a referendum on whether the game will survive until Christmas, and every act of untrammeled joy comes with two asterisks that scream, “Yeah, but they’ll screw it up because it’s baseball and only old peopl...

Kawhi Leonard Signs For Only Two Guaranteed Years With Clippers, Can Continue Wandering The Barren Plain, Searching, Always Searching
After the long journey to get back home to California, and the incredible finesse in free agency to secure Paul George, it seemed safe to assume that Kawhi Leonard would set down roots in Los Angeles. He’s 28, in the prime of his Hall of Fame career, signing his third contact. After a sour exit from...

Until There's A Contract, There's No Contract
Here is some weapons-grade stoogery, from The Athletic’s Jared Weiss:...

MLB Blaming Its Own Players For Not Being More Popular Is Now An Annual Event
Remember last year, during the All-Star break, when commissioner Rob Manfred responded to questions about MLB’s struggles to promote the historically great Mike Trout by shifting blame onto Trout himself? Remember how Manfred said Trout would have a “very big” brand if he’d work more with MLB, which...

Rob Manfred Says Owners Don't Much Enjoy The Rising Tide Of Dingers
Commissioner Rob Manfred was prompted Tuesday to respond to comments from American League All-Star starting pitcher Justin Verlander, accusing Major League Baseball of deliberately juicing baseballs in order to goose offensive production. To no one’s great surprise, Manfred maintained once again th...

Justin Verlander Says MLB Is Juicing Baseballs To Goose Up Offense
Astros pitcher and American League All-Star Justin Verlander is convinced that baseball’s ongoing surge of home runs is not only the result of a more aerodynamic baseball, but is the result of a baseball that has been intentionally juiced during manufacturing in order to produce more offense. Verlan...

No Rider At The Tour de France Has More Panache Than Julian Alaphilippe
After two days on a Dutchman’s shoulders, the Tour de France’s yellow jersey is back with the French for the first time in five years. The question now is how long it will stay there....

Kawhi Leonard Is The NBA's Executive Of The Year
Kawhi Leonard dynamited what remained of the premise of the Executive of the Year Award, and in doing so redefined the meaning of such staples as: the Friday night news dump; the value of holding onto non-human playing assets; and even patriotism. Now if that’s not a full day’s work for an adult-siz...

KawhiWatch: Holy Shit, Kawhi Leonard Is Going To The Clippers
Reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is heading to the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting, and he’ll be joined by MVP finalist Paul George. The news ends weeks of speculation about which team might woo the two-time Finals MVP, coming off an amazing postseason, away from re...
![70-Year-Old Disqualified Marathon Runner Found Dead In The L.A. River [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/ybwmggvu9v3qso6nqx8w.png)
70-Year-Old Disqualified Marathon Runner Found Dead In The L.A. River [Updated]
Frank Meza, the 70-year-old distance runner who had his age group–record time at the L.A. Marathon disqualified on Monday after officials deemed that he had cheated, was found dead in the Los Angeles River on Thursday morning, according to local TV station ABC 7....

Soccer Idiots Agree: The USWNT Is Cool, VAR Is Not
It’s Independence Day, the day on which every American feels especially proud to be American, which also now means every taking it upon yourself, as an American, to make sure that every other American is behaving in a suitably proud way re: how American they are. In real life, this holiday mostly re...

Miscommunication Leads To Kevin Pillar Taking The Slowest Possible Hit-By-Pitch
Kevin Pillar wanted to call time during Wednesday’s game in San Diego, but home plate umpire Jeff Nelson didn’t grant it to him. That ended up benefitting the Giants outfielder, because Padres pitcher Luis Perdomo threw a hilariously soft pitch which ended up “plunking” the batter....