Bryant, 37, played only 16 minutes Tuesday, and left the Staples Center without speaking to reporters. MORE: Five NBA teams with massive holes to fill | Kobe’s retirement tour is about brand “I don’t know the extent of it, but obviously, it must be bothering him pretty bad,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said (via ESPN.com). His current problem, in his final NBA season, comes almost two years after he suffered a season-ending torn left Achilles in April 2013....

Yet Bryant on Team USA for the 2016 Olympics makes sense. If that comes at the expense of a young star, so be it. MORE: Biggest disappointments of the early NBA season | Kobe explains how he’s teaching young Lakers “I would like to play,” Bryant told The Associated Press. “I think it’d be awesome. A beautiful experience. I’m a global kid. I grew up in Italy, I know a lot of athletes from different parts of the world, from different sports....

The English top flight is suffering from increasing numbers of people buying set-top boxes that have software installed allowing them to watch games without paying a subscription to official rights holders. These boxes often run the legal Kodi media player and are then loaded with third-party add-ons that provide users with access to the illegal streams, as well as pirated films and TV shows. What the future holds for illegal streaming...

Ibrahimovic will look to condemn Koeman’s Everton side to defeat on Sunday when Manchester United visit Goodison Park. Leipzig coach in Arsenal talks The Swede has 11 goals in all competitions in his first season at Old Trafford, joining United in the close-season having won league titles in Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France. It was with Ajax that he won his first major honours, helping them to two Eredivisie crowns after making the move from Swedish side Malmo as a 19-year-old in 2001....

Liverpool injuries, suspensions & line-up vs Everton The Dutchman is riding high after an impressive 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Tuesday, in which Ashley Williams netted his first Everton goal with an 86th-minute winner. And Koeman believes there is a unique element to the derby at Goodison Park, adding he is hopeful the Toffees can halt their 12-match winless streak in this fixture. “Of course it’s not a normal match, but from my position it’s about preparing the team,” he said in Friday’s press conference....

Stones pulled his hamstring in the first half of City’s comfortable 2-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday and looks set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines. City 6/1 to beat Feyenoord 3-0 Kompany, who has endured a torrid time with injuries over the past few seasons, made his latest comeback in the game at the King Power Stadium after almost three months out and put in a commanding display....

During the game, fans started an obscene chant while he was at the free throw line. MORE: Carmelo Anthony to sign with Trail Blazers He was also heckled during the national anthem, according to ESPN’s Malika Andrews. The 24-year-old forward, who spent three-plus seasons in New York before being traded in January to the Mavericks, was expecting the reaction. “It’s normal that they feel that way,” Porzingis told reporters Wednesday....

Thursday, racing officials announced Tony Gibson was fined $10,000 and placed on probation for the remainder of the year for an unapproved body modification. Monday, Busch was told to vacate the 15th position on the starting grid and start the Pennsylvania 400 from the rear. MORE: Sprint Cup’s road warriors | Brad Keselowski fears The Glen Tony Gibson and Kurt Busch (Getty Images) Initial reports didn’t specify what happened to the right rear quarter panel of Busch’s car, the No....

“Sometimes preferential treatment can go the wrong way," Busch said during NASCAR Media Day. MORE: NASCAR suspends Busch | Court’s decision | Driscoll attorney responds | Busch attorney: Driscoll trespassing Pressed on what he meant, Busch said, “Normal situations like this take 30 minutes and we are close to Day 100 now so we all have to be patient and we all have to understand that there is a process that we have to respect....

It was Busch’s second win this season and the third of his career at Michigan. Busch was 1.016 seconds ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished second, when a downpour prompted the final red flag at 5:40 p.m. ET. Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano concluded the top five, respectively. MORE: Must-see Quicken Loans 400 photos | Kahne: Sprint Cup qualifying has gotten tougher Busch took the lead after Kyle Larson strategically opted to pit for fuel just before the fourth delay, a move deemed advantageous had the race continued....

The popular videos feature seven-year-old singer Caleb C rapping about events that take place in NASCAR. The June edition features Busch rapping with Caleb and Sammy C, the four-year-old who regularly appears in the videos and is a fan of Busch, who at Sonoma won his first race of the season last Sunday. MORE: Daytona schedule | Chase continues for Busch | Weekend preview | NBC’s debut video The video covers each of the races in June, Kyle Busch’s return and several other events that took place....

Busch won for the fifth time this season and 68th time in his career in NASCAR’s second-tier series. He led 101 of the 200 laps on the mile concrete track for the season sweep. MORE: Harvick wins pole | Stewart may may give up sprint cars | Alexis DeJoria winnng in NHRA Polesitter Joey Logano was second. Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher and Elliott Sadler completed the top five. Elliott maintained his grip on the points lead with five races left....

In the final session early Saturday afternoon, Kyle Larson led the pack with a lap of 198.424 mph. That session was conducted where just the air temperature was about 10 degrees more than the morning session, where Jimmie Johnson posted a top speed of 202.054 mph. MORE: Michigan lineup | Picks | Schedule Larson was fast, too, in the first 50-minute session as he was fourth overall among a group of 18 drivers that cracked 200 mph....

Rick Fox, meanwhile, couldn’t help but point out that Lowry had dragged his crotch across the back of Bryant’s neck – on a live mic, no less. MORE: NBA figures under pressure this season | Blazers are true contenders | Cavs = ratings Oops! Bryant, meanwhile, was locked in and couldn’t be bothered. Good thing the Lakers wound up beating the Raptors in OT, 129-122. Source: @cjzero

Lowry agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal with the Raptors on Wednesday night, his agent confirms. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski was first to break news of the deal. MORE: Carmelo still undecided, sources say | Heat targets The eight-year pro confirmed the signing soon after with a post on his personal Instagram account. Lowry’s deal includes an early termination option after the third year, which would allow the 28-year-old to again become a free agent, according to the report....

Essentially, the “not guilty” decision allows Rittenhouse to “walk out of the door,” Julie Rendelman, a New York City-based defense attorney and former homicide prosecutor, told Newsweek. Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Kyle Huber and injured Gaige Grosskreutz on August 25, 2020, in Kenosha. He was charged with five felony counts, including intentional, reckless and attempted homicide, and reckless endangerment. After jurors sided with Rittenhouse’s attorneys’ claims of self-defense, the prosecution is now left with no other charges to bring against him....

Rittenhouse—who, aged 17, fatally shot two men and wounded a third during riots back in 2020, and was later found not guilty of homicide and attempted homicide—has been keen to share details of his new relationship on social media with posts and photos. However, the 19-year-old was hit by so many comments branding his girlfriend, Skyler Bergoon, a “gold digger” that he lashed out online and directly addressed the trolls’ claims....

When Garoppolo went down, it was seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy’s turn to command the offense. The transition was so seamless that the 49ers haven’t lost a game since. GAMING SURVEY: Complete short survey for chance to win international football shirt of your choice! How many coaches would be able to fight through this adversity and still remain a Super Bowl contender? The list isn’t long. Kyle Shanahan has overcome lean years to cement himself as not only one of the NFL’s top young offensive minds, but also one of the NFL’s best head coaches....

The rookie quarterback was sacked by his own guard and almost immediately after threw an interception in the first quarter of the Cardinals-Lions matchup Sunday. Murray, the No. 1 overall draft pick, was said to be Arizona’s savior along with newly minted head coach Kliff Kingsbury. As the game played out, that became the case — kind of — for now. He was just shy of completing the comeback as Arizona tied Detroit 27-27 in overtime....