In a 2018 interview on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the 41-year-old spoke about his basketball-loving daughter and her aspirations to play in the WNBA. “This kid, man,” Bryant said. “The best thing that happens is when we go out and fans will come up to me and she’ll (Gianna) be standing next to me and they’ll be like ‘Aye, you gotta have a boy. You and V gotta have a boy, have somebody to carry on the tradition, the legacy....

Speaking on the Grantland Basketball Hour, Bryant said he vetoed a trade to the Motor City that would have delivered LA Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson and a first-round pick. MORE: Kobe blames media for his lone MVP award | Garnett’s tough love | Bulls’ Gibson playing hurt From Detroit Bad Boys: Can you blame him? Bryant would have been on the floor with Chauncey Billups and Arron Afflalo and … not much else....

“I’m trying to see if I can prove to myself that I can be myself,” Bryant said. The Lakers are full of training-camp optimism about their superstar guard’s prospects of recovery from serious injury. Bryant is walking confidently on his left leg, and he’s already running and jumping better than new coach Byron Scott imagined would be possible on a surgically repaired Achilles’ tendon and the once-broken bone near his knee....

Lukaku moved two clear of Tottenham’s Harry Kane on 21 goals in the hunt for the Premier League’s Golden Boot award with two stoppage-time strikes at Goodison Park, adding to earlier efforts from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Enner Valencia. Wenger: I’ve decided my future Everton moved level on points with fifth-placed Arsenal thanks to the victory - having played two games more than Arsene Wenger’s side - and Koeman was quick to praise Lukaku after a week in which the striker refused to sign a new contract with the Merseyside club....

The Belgium international sits atop the Premier League scoring charts with 23 goals this season and has been linked with a return to former club Chelsea. Lukaku is under contract at Goodison Park until 2019, but Koeman revealed an extension beyond that looks unlikely. ‘Lukaku ready for big, big move’ “He told me he won’t sign a new contract,” Koeman told a news conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Burnley....

Everton are currently seventh in the Premier League, a spot that could secure continental football as long as United win the EFL Cup and a team above Koeman’s side in the table claim FA Cup glory. Koeman not interested in new deal The Dutchman swapped Southampton for Everton last year, but he will not be backing his former employers for Sunday’s final at Wembley as a result of the potential implications for Everton....

Captain Kompany put his injury woes behind him with a goal to lead high-flying City to a 3-0 victory over Arsenal in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Sergio Aguero and David Silva were also on target as Premier League champions-elect City claimed their first title of the season. The Premier League and Champions League are still on offer for Pep Guardiola’s side, who have earned plaudits from far and wide amid their stunning season....

It is a familiar situation, which will be partly why Pep Guardiola allowed himself only a brief moment of frustration before weighing up how to cope without his captain once more. Despite Kompany braving it for a short while, he was eventually taken off with 11 minutes on the clock. Guardiola’s decision to replace him with Gabriel Jesus speaks volumes for the football the Catalan has City playing, yet it is the centre of defence which will attract the immediate focus....

In front of a parochial Australian crowd, the 23-year-old didn’t have many issues as he dismissed the Austrian 6-4 6-4 in 98 minutes. The win means that De Minaur has beaten three Grand Slam winners in his last four victories - including Thiem, Rafael Nadal and Marin Cilic - in a perfect tune up for the Australian Open. MORE: Kooyong Classic LIVE: Scores, results, schedule, confirmed field, draw, how to watch, buy 2023 tickets...

That son has grown into a spitting image of his father. But unlike his father, it appears Kodie Stringer will leave football on his own terms and pursue his own passion. MORE: The sports figures we’ve lost in 2015 In a poignant story for ESPN, Kevin Seifert caught up with Kodie, who explained his decision to walk away from the sport his father he so resembles loved. “I’ve been playing football since I was 6 years old,” Kodie told ESPN....

WATCH: Payet scores facing the wrong way Schmidt was dismissed on Sunday, 24 hours on from the 6-2 hammering at Borussia Dortmund that saw the club’s board lose patience and left Leverkusen trailing the top four by 11 points. Former Turkey international Korkut has been charged with steadying the ship, as Leverkusen at least attempt to haul themselves back into contention for European football. However, his appointment is not likely to result in a swell of anticipation with the 42-year-old’s two most recent jobs leaving a lot to be desired....

The star third base prospect will be called up by Chicago on Friday and make his major league debut later in the day against the Padres. MORE: Bryant scouting report | Fantasy matchups | Five things to know about Kris Bryant | The Cubs will win the 2015 World Series Bryant on Thursday confirmed an earlier report by ESPN that he was being promoted. Bryant led the majors with nine home runs in spring training, but the Cubs sent him to Triple-A Iowa, where he was dominant, batting ....

The organization announced the addition Tuesday after Humphries cleared waivers. The forward could be in uniform as early as Tuesday night when the Hawks visit the Warriors. MORE: Every team’s worst season since 1990 “As we explored opportunities to add to our team after the trade deadline, we felt is was important to prioritize experience and versatility,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Kris is a versatile veteran with playoff experience who fits well with our group and within our system....

The team stated that the 35-year-old is “not experiencing any lasting effects of the stroke and will continue to undergo a series of tests over the next week.” It is not expected to end his career. “Kris reported symptoms to the training staff on Monday and was immediately taken to the hospital for testing,” Hextall said in the Penguins’ press release. “The test results were shocking to hear, but we are grateful that Kris is doing well....

Letang missed eight games on LTIR, a stretch over which the Penguins wen 4-1-3. MORE: Marner on Babcock’s teammate list request: ‘I didn’t really know what to think’ The Penguins’ franchise leader in goals and points by a defenseman, Letang is is currently third on the team in points this season with 12 (four goals, eight assists). Despite the career numbers, the 32-year-old blueliner has only played a complete 82-game season once in 2010-11....

H.B. 1217 is vital legislation. We are seeing more and more instances of women being forced to compete in sports against men who identify as women, ignoring the reality that males are generally bigger, faster and stronger than similarly gifted and trained females. It’s biology—it’s science. A male’s belief about his gender doesn’t erase his physical advantage over women, and it isn’t fair to female athletes to pretend otherwise. To illustrate, in 2017 alone, 285 boys under 18 years old outran that year’s best women’s time in the 400 meters....

The policy platform, first reported by Newsweek, was shared with Biden officials Marcela Nunez-Smith and LaNiesha Dawson in a Zoom meeting before the inauguration. It also calls for Congress to fund a compensation program for victims and survivors of COVID-19, similar to the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund and the Crime Victims Fund, which would cover out-of-pocket medical costs, mental health counseling, funerals, pain and suffering, and loss of earnings, according to the document shared with Newsweek....

For the first full season under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have failed to qualify for the Champions League - their 3-1 home win over Everton proving irrelevant on Sunday after Liverpool defeated Middlesbrough at Anfield. While the financial consequences may not be particularly severe, the bigger picture is that attracting top level players to Emirates Stadium this summer could prove difficult due to the current instability at the club. Arsenal break 21-year CL record...

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his seventh career hat-trick in the competition to put the holders on the brink of a return to the final at their rivals’ expense. Kroos performed masterfully, both in open play and with his persistently challenging dead-ball deliveries, and the Germany international credited Zidane for undoing opposite number Diego Simeone. Atleti started with Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro in attack but were overrun in midfield behind the French duo, as Casemiro and Luka Modric patrolled central areas and Isco slotted in at number 10....

The recording, tracked down by KU associate professor Michael Zogry in the the Library of Congress archives as he researched a book, is an interview of Naismith on the radio program “We the People” from on Jan. 31, 1939, in New York. MORE: 10 greatest Kansas players of all time Naismith died later that year in Lawrence, Kan. In the roughly three-minute clip, Naismith talks about setting up the first basketball game in December 1891 in Springfield, Mass....