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TORONTO (AP) — Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner of the Maple Leafs shined in the NHL All-Star 3-on-3 tournament on home ice in Toronto on Saturday. Matthews scored twice, including the game-winner, and had an assist and Marner added a goal to beat reigning MVP Connor McDavid’s team 7-4 in the final. Toronto's face of the franchise, Matthews was named All-Star MVP surrounded by thousands of cheering Leafs fans. Matthews, Marner and fellow Leafs players William Nylander and Morgan Rielly were teammates again at All-Star Weekend. The success of the Leafs quartet came a day after McDavid stole the show by winning the skills competition he played a big role in altering.

Persons: — Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Matthews, Marner, Connor McDavid’s, Team Matthews, ” Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Quinn Hughes, ___ Organizations: TORONTO, Maple Leafs, NHL, Team, Leafs Locations: Toronto

NEW YORK (AP) — A collection of sneakers that superstar Michael Jordan wore as he and the Chicago Bulls won six NBA championships has fetched $8 million at auction, setting a new record for game-worn sneakers, Sotheby's said. The six Air Jordan shoes — one apiece from the last games of the 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998 championship series — sold Friday. The auction lot included photos of Jordan wearing a single shoe as he celebrated the 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1998 wins. The pair he wore in the second game of the 1998 NBA Finals was sold through Sotheby's last April for $2.2 million, a record for a pair of sneakers. The highest auction price for any Jordan memorabilia was $10.1 million for his jersey from the first game at that series, according to Sotheby's, which sold it 2022.

Persons: Michael Jordan, Sotheby's, Air Jordan, —, Michael Jordan’s, Wachter, Sotheby’s, ”, Jordan, David Stern Organizations: Chicago Bulls, NBA, Air, longtime Bulls, Jordan, Nike, Bulls, Heritage

☆ Nikola Jokić triple-double powers Denver Nuggets to 120-108 win over Portland Trail Blazers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Patrick Sung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić led the way for the Denver Nuggets in their 120-108 victory over the lowly Portland Trail Blazers to bring the defending champions within half a game of the No. Denver ran out to a big early lead, outscoring Portland 33 to 20 in the first quarter, but the Trail Blazers fought back in the second. The two teams then traded the lead until the Nuggets pulled ahead by four at the half. Jokić said afterwards he was pleased that the Nuggets are still hungry for more success this season. It’s not like won a championship and now we’re gonna go easy,” Jokić said postgame.

Persons: Nikola Jokić, Jokić, –, Michael Malone, laud, ” Malone, “, he’s, – he’s, Scoot Henderson, Denver’s, David Zalubowski, It’s Organizations: CNN, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Ball, NBA, Blazers, Denver, Portland, Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks Locations: Serbian, –, Portland, Denver

TORONTO (AP) — NHL players are returning to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade. The world's top hockey league will allow its players to participate in the Games in 2026 in Milan and in 2030 under an agreement announced Friday by the NHL, the NHL Players’ Association, International Ice Hockey Federation and the IOC. NHL players have not been at the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi. "There is a recognition of how important this is to the players," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said at a news conference during All-Star Weekend. “Extremely badly want to play in the Olympics,” McDavid said Thursday.

Persons: Gary Bettman, Luc Tardif, “, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Adam Fox, Sidney Crosby, Connor Bedard, ” McDavid, haven’t, Bettman, Tardif, Charlie McAvoy, ” McAvoy, Ralph Lauren, Marty Walsh, ” Bettman, McDavid, MacKinnon, Matthews, Eichel, hasn't, Russia —, Pavel Datsyuk, Kirill Kaprizov, It’s, Sebastian Aho, ” Organizations: TORONTO, — NHL, Olympics, Games, NHL, NHL Players ’ Association, Ice Hockey Federation, IOC, ” IIHF, Beijing, IIHF, U.S, Hockey, Team North America, Olympic, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Locations: Milan, Sochi, McDavid, South Korea, North America, Pyeongchang, Beijing, U.S, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, France, Nice, Russia, Paris

A run of big draft hits in previous years, two trades for All-Pros and perhaps the greatest get out of jail free card in draft history. He's done all that while getting a salary of $870,000 this season, allowing San Francisco to spend big at other spots. San Francisco also invested heavily in McCaffrey and have the highest-paid fullback in the league in All-Pro Kyle Juszczyk. San Francisco added to the position by dealing a third-round pick at the trade deadline for a former No. San Francisco used a fourth-round pick on punter Mitch Wishnowsky in 2019.

Persons: Trey Lance, Lance, couldn't, Brock Purdy, “ It’s, Trent Williams, Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, Jed York, “ Kyle, ” York, George Kittle, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, Talanoa Hufanga —, Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Shanahan, ” Lynch, “, it’s, Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Francisco, McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Purdy, Aaron Banks, Colton McKivitz, Jake Brendel, Jon Feliciano, Lynch, Arik Armstead —, Javon Hargrave, San, Chase Young, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward, Ward, Robbie Gould, Jake Moody, Moody, Mitch Wishnowsky, ___ Organizations: San Francisco 49ers, 49ers, San Francisco, NFC, Kansas City Chiefs, Niners, NFL, Shanahan, Warner, Chiefs Locations: SANTA CLARA, Calif, San Francisco, Purdy, Washington, Francisco, Cleveland

TORONTO (AP) — Connor McDavid won the NHL All-Star Skills competition Friday night, taking home the $1 million prize while showing once again why he is considered the best hockey player in the world. "I thought it was a fun event," McDavid said. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesThree players from the Western Conference rival Colorado Avalanche also put on a show. The prize money was one of the new wrinkles at the redesigned skills competition that featured just 12 players. Nurse and Turnbull were among the players who took part in the PWHL 3-on-3 showcase Thursday night.

Persons: — Connor McDavid, McDavid, I’m, Leon Draisaitl, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Alexandar Georgiev, —, “, ” Draisaitl, ”, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, Kucherov, Doug Gilmour, Steve Thomas, Sarah Nurse, Blayre Turnbull, Turnbull, ___ Organizations: TORONTO, NHL, The Edmonton Oilers, ” Oilers, Western Conference, Colorado Avalanche, Leafs, Toronto Professional Women’s Hockey League, Canadian

☆ Patrick Mahomes Sr. talks to CNN about Chiefs star’s ‘natural dad bod’ and his generational talent
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Now, Mahomes’ dad, Pat Mahomes, admits he has to take some credit for it, while also backing up his son’s work ethic. “Patrick works really hard, he’s at the gym all the time, he works out three times a week,” said on “CNN This Morning” on Thursday. Mahomes Sr. pitches for the New York Mets in a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000. Mahomes walks out for warmups prior to the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28. For him to have the amount of success that he’s had this early on in his career is just surreal,” he told CNN.

Persons: Patrick Mahomes, hasn’t, –, Mahomes, ”, Pat Mahomes, “ Patrick, “, that’s, DK Metcalf, We’ve, Keith Torrie, ” Mahomes, I’ve, ‘, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady’s, It’s, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, Perry Knotts, he’s, Alex Rodriguez, Rickey Henderson Organizations: CNN, Super Bowl, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, AFC, Twitter, Major League Baseball, New York Mets, St, Louis Cardinals, New York Daily, Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Mahomes, Kansas City, T, – Locations: Japan, New, Las Vegas , Nevada, Las Vegas

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard's former team took a bit of the shine off his gala homecoming. Anfernee Simons scored 24 points, including a key floater with 17.1 seconds left, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday night. Lillard finished with 25 points for the Bucks in their second straight loss under new coach Doc Rivers. It was Lillard's first game in Portland since he was traded to the Bucks in the offseason. Then in the final seconds, the Blazers fouled Antetokounmpo, who missed both free throws to give Portland the win.

Persons: — Damian Lillard's, Anfernee Simons, Lillard, Doc Rivers, Giannis Antetokounmpo, ” Simons, “, we've, Chauncey Billups, ” Billups, Matisse, Simons, Malcolm Brogdon, Jerami Grant, Antetokounmpo, floater, Brook Lopez, Grant, ” Deandre Ayton, ” Rivers, Rivers, Adrian Griffin, Scoot Henderson, ” Lillard, ___ Organizations: Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks, Bucks, Blazers, NBA, Portland, Bucks ., Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee, Boston, Eastern Conference, Western Conference, Dallas Mavericks, . Trail Blazers Locations: PORTLAND, Portland, Bucks . Milwaukee, Bucks, Rivers ., Milwaukee, UP

Winning the Super Bowl would be another major step for either quarterback. Brady won his third of seven Super Bowl rings in his fourth season as a starter at age 27. There’s a reason why no team has repeated since Brady led New England to two Super Bowl victories in a row in the 2003-04 seasons. The two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP has built an impressive resume and is working toward being in the GOAT conversation. You’ve got Mahomes, what he does, their team, they’re special,” Purdy said.

Persons: Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Brock Purdy, Joe Montana, Mahomes, Purdy, it’s, Brady, “, you’ve, ” Mahomes, we’re, ”, Andy Reid, he’s, That’s, Brett Veach, Steve Young, Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance, Kurt Warner, He’s, Joe Cool, He’d, You’ve, ” Purdy, They’ve Organizations: Kansas City Chiefs, Bowls, San Francisco 49ers, NFL, Patriots, Steelers, Chiefs, Super, The Patriots, Pro Football Hall of Fame, 49ers, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Philadelphia, NFC, AP NFL, Niners, AP, Toyota Locations: Las Vegas, New England, Kansas, It’s, San Francisco, Montana

TORONTO (AP) — Court documents show five players from Canada’s 2018 world junior team have been charged with sexual assault. McLeod is facing an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault. Lawyers for all five players last week confirmed their clients were charged with sexual assault and denied wrongdoing. Two members of that gold medal-winning team who were not charged or implicated were asked about the situation when NHL All-Star Weekend began in Toronto. “That’s all I’ve got for you.”Philadelphia All-Star Travis Konecny was asked repeatedly about Hart, and a team employee told reporters questions about Hart were not allowed.

Persons: Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, Dillon Dube, Alex Formenton, McLeod, Hart, Formenton, Foote, Dube, Cale Makar, Makar, ” Makar, ” St, Louis, Robert Thomas, “ I’ve, ” Thomas, “, Travis Konecny, I’m, ” Konecny, Rob Gillies, ___ Organizations: TORONTO, —, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, NHL, The Associated Press, . London Police, Avalanche, Stanley, Hockey Canada Foundation, Philadelphia, Press Locations: London , Ontario, Toronto, London, ”

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are aiming to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champs in 19 years when they face the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. The Packers dominated the Chiefs in the first Super Bowl on Jan. 15, 1967, winning 35-10. It was the second of four Super Bowl losses for Minnesota in a seven-year span. The Steelers returned to the Super Bowl following the 1978 season and again defeated Tom Landry, Roger Staubach and the Cowboys 35-31. Montana had 297 yards passing and five TDs to earn his third Super Bowl MVP award.

Persons: Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Brady, Seattle Seahawks —, hasn't, GREEN BAY PACKERS Vince Lombardi’s, Bart Starr, Jake Scott, Larry Csonka, Minnesota . PITTSBURGH STEELERS Chuck Noll, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh’s, Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, Bradshaw, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Rice, DALLAS COWBOYS Jimmy Johnson, Jerry Jones, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Aikman, Marv Levy, Jim Kelly, Smith, John Elway, Brett Favre, Terrell Davis, Elway, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Brady, Bill Belichick, Adam Vinatieri, Andy Reid’s, Terrell Owens, ___ Organizations: NFL, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl, San Francisco 49ers, Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, New York Yankees, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NHL, Tampa Bay Lightning, Super, GREEN BAY PACKERS, Packers, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City, Oakland, MIAMI DOLPHINS, Dallas, Dolphins, Washington, The Dolphins, Vikings, Minnesota, Minnesota . PITTSBURGH STEELERS, Steel Curtain, Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, AFC, The Steelers, Cowboys, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles Rams, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 49ers, Niners, Cincinnati, Bengals, The 49ers, Denver, DALLAS COWBOYS, Lombardi, “, Buffalo, DENVER BRONCOS, Broncos, Green, Atlanta, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, Carolina, Andy Reid’s Philadelphia Eagles, Deion Branch, Eagles Locations: Las Vegas, Super, Montana, New England

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is undergoing an MRI after the reigning MVP hurt his left leg Tuesday in a 119-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Embiid scored 14 points in that game before limping to the locker room with 4:04 remaining after Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga fell on the 7-footer’s left leg. He is the NBA’s leading scorer with 35.3 points per game and also is averaging 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He had a franchise-record 70 points to go along with 18 rebounds on Jan. 22 in a 133-124 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The 76ers next play Thursday at Utah to cap a five-game trip in which they have gone 0-4.

Persons: Joel Embiid, Embiid, Golden, Jonathan Kuminga, footer’s, Nikola Jokic —, Nick Nurse, “ They’re, what’s, ” Embiid, ___ Organizations: FRANCISCO, — Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Saturday, Denver, ” 76ers, NBA, San Antonio Spurs, 76ers Locations: Portland, Utah

Alabama has had Super Bowl success at quarterback with the first three MVPs being Crimson Tide products, along with Super Bowl 11 winner Ken Stabler. Joe Namath won MVP for the Jets in Super Bowl 3 against the Colts without scoring or throwing for a TD. COMEBACK KIDSSan Francisco reached the Super Bowl thanks to an epic comeback against Detroit in the NFC title game. The only other comeback that big in either a Super Bowl or NFL championship game was the Patriots' rally from 28-3 down to beat Atlanta 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl 51. That didn't stop them from becoming a dominant traveling show on the way to a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons.

Persons: Washington's Curt Knight, DeVonta Smith, Jalen, Ken Stabler, Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Stabler, Patrick Mahomes, Mahomes, Joe Montana, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Drew Brees, Jeff Hostetler, Tony Eason, San Francisco's Brock Purdy, Josh Allen, Alex Smith, ___ Organizations: NFL, Alabama, Crimson, Chiefs, 49ers, Miami, Penn State, Notre Dame, Coast Guard Academy, Super, Press, Crimson Tide, Kansas City, Raiders, Jets, Colts, Oakland, Minnesota, San, Detroit, NFC, The 49ers, Niners, Atlanta, Cincinnati, New England, Bowl, Patriots, Lions, ROAD, Buffalo, Baltimore, AFC, Giants, Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh, Broncos, Super Bowl Locations: Alabama, Florida, California, Philadelphia, Oklahoma, Green Bay, Super, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Green, San Francisco , Kansas City, Tampa, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Denver

Jokic spoiled Rivers' debut as Milwaukee coach by recording his 14th triple-double of the season to help the Denver Nuggets surge by the Bucks, 113-107. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe game was a chance for Rivers to size up his built-to-win-now club. Embarking on his 25th season as an NBA head coach, Rivers alternated between arms folded, hands on his knees and hands on hips in moving up and down the sideline. “I mean, that’s why I play — to play these kinds of games, to play under the pressure, to play tight games,” Jokic said. The Bucks feature several holdovers, led by Antetokounmpo, from the team that won the NBA championship in 2020-21.

Persons: Doc Rivers, Nikola Jokic, Rivers, “, ” Rivers, ” Jokic, Jamal Murray, —, Khris Middleton, “ It's, we’ve, Adrian Griffin, clapped, Joe Prunty, Brook Lopez, Aaron Gordon, Damian Lillard's, Michael Malone —, ” Malone, Giannis Antetokounmpo, ”, would’ve, didn’t, Joel Embiid, Antetokounmpo, Lopez, Lillard, ___ Organizations: DENVER, Milwaukee, Denver Nuggets, Bucks, Nuggets, NBA, Ball, Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Locations: ”, Philadelphia, Portland

The San Francisco 49ers finally climbed back up the playoff mountain to return to the Super Bowl only to find a familiar foe waiting for them. When the Niners get a second shot at a Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs it will be a rare title game rematch in this short of a span. Here's a look at the other times there was a Super Bowl rematch within five seasons of the first meeting. COWBOYS vs. BILLSDallas and Buffalo had the only Super Bowl rematch in consecutive seasons, meeting at the end of the 1992 and 1993 campaigns. Pittsburgh won again three years later in the first Super Bowl rematch ever to deny Dallas back-to-back championships.

Persons: Nick Bosa, Patrick Mahomes, They’re, Mahomes, Andy Reid, “, ”, Kyle Shanahan, “ They’ve, Bosa, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Arik Armstead, Kyle Juszczyk, Mitch Wishnowsky, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Harrison Butker, Mecole Hardman, James Winchester, Nick Allegretti, Blake Bell, San Francisco, Charvarius Ward, Ross Dwelley, Richie Hames, Derrick Nnadi, Austin Reiter, Mike Pennel, PATRIOTS Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Manning, David Tyree's, Plaxico, Troy Aikman, James Washington, Emmitt Smith, Lynn Swann, Dallas, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Smith, Roger Staubach's, ___ Organizations: San Francisco 49ers, Super, Niners, Kansas City Chiefs, 49ers, Chiefs, Kansas City, GIANTS, PATRIOTS, Giants, The Patriots, Dolphins, COWBOYS, The Cowboys, STEELERS, COWBOYS The Cowboys, Steelers, Dallas, Minnesota, Rams, Steel, Pittsburgh, Super Bowl Locations: Miami, ” San Francisco, San, New York, New England, Dallas, Buffalo

"But we move on.”The Ravens head into the offseason lamenting an opportunity that got away. Baltimore didn't seem outclassed in its 17-10 loss to Kansas City, but the Ravens were way too mistake-prone after falling behind early. This season was the first time the city hosted the AFC championship game since 1971. The Ravens have a star quarterback in Lamar Jackson, a star linebacker in Roquan Smith and a star in Hamilton who just finished his second season. “They can say he’s the best quarterback ever one week, and then the next week, say whatever they want to say.

Persons: OWINGS MILLS, Kyle Hamilton, ”, Baltimore didn't, doesn't, hadn't, Kevin Zeitler, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Roquan Smith, “, Jadeveon Clowney, Patrick Queen, Justin Madubuike, Jackson, Clowney, Odell Beckham Jr, Nelson Agholor, Gus Edwards, Dobbins, Achilles, he'd, Hamilton, ” Hamilton, Lamar, Justin Tucker, Kansas City's Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Patrick, ” Tucker, Travis, I’m, it’s Organizations: AFC, Ravens, Baltimore, NFL, Kansas, Chiefs, Kansas City, Cincinnati, AIR Ravens Locations: Md, ”, Baltimore, Kansas City, Buffalo , Cleveland, Houston, Miami, Hamilton, J.K

Worse, Lamar Jackson bore little resemblance to the quarterback who deftly maneuvered through the season playing like a consensus MVP. We were one win away from the Super Bowl, what I’ve been talking about all season, my team has been talking about all season,” Jackson said after Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Jackson went 20 for 37 for 272 yards, but made few big plays beyond two throws to rookie Zay Flowers for 30 and 54 yards. While he muffled some of the talk about his shortcomings in the playoffs during a 34-10 rout of Houston, the multifaceted star remains in search of his first Super Bowl appearance. Asked what he'll remember about this team, Jackson said, “How hard we fought.

Persons: Lamar Jackson, “, I’ve, ” Jackson, didn’t, That’s, I’m, Jackson, Zay Flowers, ”, John Harbaugh, “ He’s, Flowers, “ It’s, it’s, Roquan Smith, they'd, Smith, Todd Monken, we’ve Organizations: BALTIMORE, Super, Baltimore Ravens, NFL, Houston, Kansas City Chiefs, AFC, Ravens, Jackson, Super Bowl, “ Defense, ” Ravens, Baltimore, Chiefs, Miami, Kansas City, Baltimore . Kansas City Locations: Houston, Buffalo, Kansas, Baltimore . Kansas, Las Vegas

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Todd Helton and Joe Mauer will become just the sixth pair of players inducted together into the Hall of Fame after spending their big league careers with one organization. “A lot of things had to go right,” Helton said Thursday during a news conference in the Hall’s plaque gallery alongside Mauer and fellow electee Adrián Beltré. You try to make the team better and you lead, and if they want you there, great. Just 58 of 273 players elected to the Hall spent their entire career with one team. Helton was nervous meeting the Hall of Famer Brett, but is eager to spend time with him, Mike Schmidt and other members this summer.

Persons: — Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, ” Helton, Mauer, Adrián, …, Helton, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Johnny Bench, Carl Yastrzemski, George Brett, Robin Yount, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez, Keli McGregor, ” Mauer, “, ”, It’s, Chip, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Jim Leyland, Juan Marichal, ” Beltré, Marichal, Pedro Martínez, Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, Albert, Pujols, Felipe Alou, Ralph Avila, Pablo Peguero, Larry Walker, of Famer Brett, Mike Schmidt Organizations: of Fame, Rockies, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Cal, Cal Ripken Jr, Red Sox, Boston, Baseball Writers ’ Association of America, Helton, Dominican, Dodgers, Hall, of Famer Locations: COOPERSTOWN, N.Y, Colorado, St, Paul , Minnesota, Dominican

But perhaps there's a lesson to be learned from Detroit's approach — and from the other three teams remaining in the NFL playoffs. The Lions, Ravens, 49ers and Chiefs have all reached this point after making significant investments at positions that aren't always prioritized around the league. He's the highest-paid running back in the league based on average annual value, according to overthecap.com. “The middle of our defense especially are great players,” Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald said. The Lions took Jack Campbell — a middle linebacker.

Persons: Dan Campbell, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, “ I’m, Brad Holmes, it’s, ” Campbell, Gibbs, aren't, that's, Christian McCaffrey, McCaffrey, He's, ”, Kyle Shanahan, Jadeveon, Kyle Van Noy, Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen, Mike Macdonald, “, Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Clyde Edwards, Joe Thuney, Jack Campbell —, He’s, Baltimore's Lamar Jackson, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Macdonald, Josh Dubow, Larry Lage, ___ Organizations: Detroit Lions, Lions, NFL, The Lions, Ravens, 49ers, Chiefs, Detroit, San, ” 49ers, Baltimore, ” Ravens, Bowler, Kansas City, Chiefs ’, San Francisco, AP Pro Football, AP Locations: San Francisco, Kansas, Detroit, Smith

Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey and Dak Prescott are finalists for The Associated Press 2023 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards. Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb are the other two finalists for Offensive Player of the Year. Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns and also ran for 821 yards and five scores. Cowboys edge Micah Parsons and cornerback DaRon Bland, Raiders edge Maxx Crosby and Steelers edge T.J. Watt join Garrett as finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik also are finalists for Assistant Coach of the Year.

Persons: Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, CeeDee Lamb, Jackson, McCaffrey, Purdy, Myles Garrett, Kevin Stefanski, Joe Flacco, Jim Schwartz, QB C.J ., Will Anderson Jr, Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, Maxx, Watt, Garrett, Crosby, Parsons, Bland, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Nacua, Bijan Robinson, Jalen Carter, Kobie Turner, Joey Porter Jr, Devon Witherspoon, Anderson, Houston’s DeMeco, Detroit’s Dan Campbell, San, Kyle Shanahan, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, Deshaun Watson, Ryans, Campbell, Harbaugh, Shanahan, Schwartz, Ben Johnson, Mike Macdonald, Todd Monken, Bobby Slowik, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Tua Tagovailoa, Damar Hamlin, Rob Maaddi Organizations: Associated Press, 49ers, Dolphins, Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Houston, AP, Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, AFC, Prescott, NFL, NFC, Green Bay, San, Detroit Lions, The Cleveland Browns, The Houston Texans, New York Jets, Texans, Browns, Baltimore, Raiders, Maxx Crosby, Steelers, Lions, Rams, Falcons, Eagles, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Bills, Flacco, Voters, Twitter Locations: Dallas, Green, San Francisco, QB C.J . Stroud, Stroud, Detroit

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns are interviewing former Philadelphia offensive coordinator Brian Johnson to help bring out the best in quarterback Deshaun Watson, a person familiar with the team's plans told The Associated Press on Thursday. Stefanski fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt last week as part of an offensive shakeup. Johnson was ousted by Sirianni along with Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai after Philadelphia lost to Tampa Bay in the wild-card round. Stefanski has also interviewed Seattle offensive line coach Andy Dickerson, former Buffalo offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson for the coordinator vacancy. The Browns are hiring Duce Staley, fired last season in Carolina, as their new running backs coach and former Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to coach tight ends.

Persons: Brian Johnson, Deshaun Watson, Johnson, Nick Sirianni, Kevin Stefanski, Stefanski, Alex Van Pelt, Sean Desai, Shane Steichen, Jalen, Andrew Berry, Watson, Andy Dickerson, Ken Dorsey, Jerrod Johnson, Duce Staley, Tommy Rees, They'll, Stump Mitchell, T.C, McCartney, ___ Organizations: CLEVELAND, The Cleveland Browns, Associated Press, Eagles, Browns, Sirianni, Atlanta, AP NFL, Seattle, Buffalo, Texans Locations: Philadelphia, Tampa, Atlanta and Tennessee, Indianapolis, Carolina, Alabama

LeBron James joined yet another exclusive club, and he’ll have plenty of familiar faces alongside him at the NBA All-Star Game. James is an All-Star — and an All-Star starter — for the 20th time, with the league unveiling the results of this season’s starter balloting on Thursday night. Durant is a 14-time selection now, one of only 11 players in NBA history to be picked that many times. Tatum set an All-Star Game record last season, scoring 55 points in Salt Lake City on the way to MVP honors. This year’s All-Star Game goes back to the traditional East-vs.-West format, which was utilized in the first 66 NBA midseason classics.

Persons: LeBron James, James, —, Kareem Abdul, Jabbar, Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Dallas ’ Luka, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous, Alexander, Stephen Curry, Durant, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid —, Tatum, Milwaukee's Damian Lillard, “, ” Tatum, it’s, Curry, Boston's Jaylen Brown, York's Jalen Brunson, Atlanta's Trae, Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, Miami's Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Orlando's Paolo Banchero, Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox, Phoenix's Devin Booker, Kawhi Leonard, Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, ” Haliburton, I’ve, ”, Antetokounmpo, ” Durant, Adam Silver, Gordie Howe, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Howe, Aaron, Mays, Musial, Mickey Mantle, it’ll, SportsMediaWatch, ” Joe Dumars, ___ Organizations: NBA, Star, Western Conference, Golden State, Eastern Conference, Haliburton, TNT, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, NHL, Major League Baseball, Star Games, Kobe Bryant’s, League, TBS Locations: Indianapolis, Dallas, Dallas ’ Luka Doncic, Oklahoma, Salt Lake City, Miami, Indiana, Indy, U.S

They host the Detroit Lions, who haven’t reached this point in 32 years and have never played in a Super Bowl. 1 seeds are 34-14 in conference championship games, including 2-0 last season when the Chiefs went on to beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl. If the 49ers and Chiefs advance, it'll set up a Super Bowl rematch. The two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP has embraced the challenge and now faces the league’s stingiest defense. CHIEFS, 23-22DETROIT (14-5) at SAN FRANCISCO (13-5)Line: 49ers minus 7Jared Goff and the Lions are one win away from the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl.

Persons: Rob Maaddi, Patrick Mahomes, FanDuel, Mahomes, haven’t, it'll, Josh Allen, Justin Madubuike, Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen, Kyle Hamilton, Pro QB Lamar Jackson, Chris Jones, Trent McDuffie, Jackson, Gus Edwards, Hill, Taylor Swift, Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce, Jared Goff, Green Bay, Dan Campbell’s, Brock Purdy, Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, Goff, Ra St, Brown, Sam LaPorta, He’s, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa Organizations: AP Pro Football, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl, Chiefs, AFC, Ravens, Colts, Oakland Raiders, 49ers, NFC, Detroit Lions, Eagles, Super, Kansas City, KANSAS CITY, Buffalo Bills, Super Bowls, NFL, Pro QB, Dolphins, Mahomes, Houston, CHIEFS, SAN FRANCISCO, Lions, Green, Packers, All, 49ERS, Twitter Locations: Baltimore, KANSAS, BALTIMORE, Trent McDuffie , Kansas, DETROIT, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Philadelphia

But it was Green's recent history — two suspensions for on-court conduct this season — that Hill and USA Basketball couldn't ignore. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesGreen is one of four current NBA players with more than one Olympic gold medal. There are a slew of players in line to potentially make their first Olympic team, including reigning MVP Joel Embiid and four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry. All 41 players on the current list have expressed interest in playing; 24 have been All-Stars, with a combined 131 selections. That means, at minimum, 12 past All-Stars won't graduate from the pool to the actual Olympic team this summer.

Persons: Grant Hill, ” Hill, “, ” Green, Golden, Minnesota's Rudy Gobert, Phoenix's, Green, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Chris Paul —, didn't, Sean Ford, Steve Kerr, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry, ” ___ Organizations: Paris, Paris Games, men's, Golden State, Olympic, USA, USA Basketball, NBA Locations: United States, Hill, Las Vegas, Paris, Canada, paris

NEW YORK (AP) — Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer were elected to baseball's Hall of Fame on Tuesday while Billy Wagner and Gary Sheffield fell short. Beltré was picked on 366 of 385 ballots from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in his first ballot appearance for 95.1%. Helton received 307 votes for 79.7% in his sixth appearance, 18 more than the needed 289 for 75% after falling 11 votes short last year. Mauer got 293 votes for 76.1% and like Beltré was elected on his first try. Mauer was a six-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and the 2009 AL MVP during 15 seasons with Minnesota.

Persons: Beltré, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, Billy Wagner, Gary Sheffield, Helton, Mauer, Wagner, Ichiro Suzuki, Jim Leyland, Brooks Robinson’s, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramírez, Rodriguez, Chase Utley, David Wright, José Bautista, Bartolo Colon, Matt Holliday, Adrián González, Victor Martinez, Brandon Phillips, José Reyes, James Shields, ___ Organizations: baseball's Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers ' Association of America, Hall . Sheffield, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado, Coors Field, Minnesota, Voters Locations: Cooperstown, Hall, Seattle, Boston, Texas, Mauer, Minnesota

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