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Long wait is over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and other draft prospects about to join the NFL

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter and 12 other prospects will walk the red carpet at Lambeau Field before going backstage at the NFL draft theater to wait for their name to be called Thursday night. All their hard work paid off. It’s time to enjoy the moment before joining their new teams to work even harder. Ward shouldn’t wait long. The Tennessee Titans are poised to select the Miami quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick. Hunter, the two-way star and Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado, is likely heading to the Cleveland Browns with the second pick. Carter, a premier edge rusher out of Penn State, is a favorite to go third to the New York Giants.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is ready for more celebratory hugs that can turn into heavy lifting

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Nobody lifts more weight at the NFL draft than Commissioner Roger Goodell. His celebratory hugs with excited first-round picks originated 15 years ago and endured through his back surgery last year. Some players squeeze Goodell so hard they end up lifting him up in the air. Sometimes, the roles get reversed and Goodell does all the carrying. That’s hard work for a 66-year-old man, even one who is in shape. Last year, Goodell had surgery on his back a few weeks before the draft. He walking around gingerly in the days leading up to it and his chiropractor joined him in Detroit. He just had his one-year checkup after back surgery and is cleared for lift-off.

Former Phillies slugger Ryan Howard makes pitch for Negro Leagues Baseball Museum expansion

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard and San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt announced their plans Thursday to join the Negro Leagues’ “Pitch for the Future” in bringing greater awareness to the legacy of the Negro Leagues with a museum expansion. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is fundraising for a new 30,000-square-foot facility and campus, aimed at advancing the museum’s mission of preserving the rich history of Negro Leagues baseball and its impact on social progress in the United States. The museum in Kansas City, Missouri, is trying to raise $30 million and open in 2027.

Alcaraz blames ‘demanding sport’ for Madrid withdrawal but should be fit for French Open

MADRID (AP) — Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Madrid Open because of muscle injuries. The third-ranked Spaniard says he doesn’t want to risk making things worse ahead of the French Open. Alcaraz says he has not fully recovered from the upper leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final last Sunday. He also says he has a left leg injury. His first appearance at the Caja Magica in the Spanish capital was scheduled for Saturday. Alcaraz is a two-time champion in Madrid, having won in 2022 and 2023. The third-ranked Alcaraz was the second seed and in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic.

Chippiness heating up in the NBA playoffs. Familiarity breeds contempt in Bucks-Pacers series

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The chippiness and chirping is beginning to heat up as it usually does during the NBA playoffs. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton gave a succinct explanation for what fans have seen in their playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks. These teams simply don’t like one another. It doesn’t seem there is much love lost between Golden State and Houston, or the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota. But for Milwaukee and Indiana, the animosity is about more than just one series. The Central Division rivals already have met 17 times over two seasons, including first-round matchups each of the past two years.

NBA set to announce defensive player of the year award winner

The NBA is set to announce this season’s defensive player of the year on Thursday night, with Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels, Golden State’s Draymond Green and Cleveland’s Evan Mobley the three finalists. Green won the award in 2017 and is bidding to become the 11th player in NBA history to win it at least twice. Daniels and Mobley have not previously won the award; Mobley finished third in the voting in 2023. Green is assured of a fifth top-three finish in the voting.

WNBA training camps opening. Here’s why not every draft pick will make her team’s roster

NEW YORK (AP) — WNBA training camps are set to open this weekend and there’s no doubt that No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers is primed for a pro career in the league. Not all 38 selections from this year’s draft will have such assurances. The WNBA has potentially 156 coveted roster spots among 13 teams. Other options for pro careers in women’s basketball either in the U.S. or overseas are scarce. Teams can have up to 12 players on their rosters if they fit under the league’s salary cap, but most franchises carry only 11.

Spire Motorsports releases crew chief Rodney Childers after 9 races of NASCAR season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Spire Motorsports has parted ways with championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers after only nine races with the team. Childers is one of the winningest active crew chiefs in the Cup Series and won the 2014 championship with Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing. When that team closed at the end of last season, Childers moved to Spire to crew chief Justin Haley. The team is 23rd in the Cup standings and Haley’s best finish this year is 10th at Homestead. The team announced Thursday that competition director Ryan Sparks will be Haley’s crew chief for the rest of this season.

NBA great Jason Kidd joins ownership group of Premier League soccer club Everton

NBA great Jason Kidd has entered the soccer world by joining the ownership group of English Premier League club Everton. The Hall of Fame point guard and current Dallas Mavericks coach says he is “honored” to join Roundhouse Capital Holdings, which is part of the Friedkin Group that took control of Everton last year. The group also owns Italian team Roma. Everton executive chairman Marc Watts says Kidd’s “knowledge and winning mentality will be an incredible resource” for a nine-time English champion which is without a major trophy since 1995 and has been battling relegation in recent years. Watts says Kidd “is a respected leader and household name for many sports fans.”

Jamie Vardy leaving Leicester after 13 years and club hails its ‘greatest ever player’

Jamie Vardy is leaving Leicester following its relegation from the Premier League to end the striker’s 13-year stay at a club he famously helped to win the English title in 2016. Leicester says the 38-year-old former England international will depart at the end of the season. The announcement came two days after Vardy took to social media to express his “anger and sadness” at a season he described as a “total embarrassment.” Leicester was consigned to relegation with five matches to spare. Vardy will go down as a Premier League great. He has 143 goals to put himself at No. 15 on the competition’s all-time list and once netted in a record 11 straight games.