NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Wizards selected forward AJ Dybantsa, who led the nation in scoring in his one season at BYU, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, highlighted by a 43-point effort that broke BYU’s freshman scoring record. At 6-foot-9 and 217 pounds, Dybantsa has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant, who happens to be his favorite player. Durant grew up in the Washington area, and Wizards fans can only hope Dybantsa can live up to the comparisons.
The players selected in Tuesday's first round of the 2026 NBA draft. BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa went with the No. 1 overall pick to the Washington Wizards. The Utah Jazz followed by choosing Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 pick. Memphis took Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer at No. 3 after Boozer was named AP national player of the year. Chicago took North Carolina freshman forward Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick. National champion Michigan saw forwards Morez Johnson Jr., and Yaxel Lendeborg join big man Aday Mara in going in the top 12 picks.
MIAMI (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo is 31 years old. He has a history of injury issues, including calf strains. He played in only 36 games for the Milwaukee Bucks this past season. And he will be expecting an extension that could pay him nearly $1 million per game a few years from now. Some of these things could be considered red flags. Not to the Miami Heat. If the parity era — eight different NBA champions in the past eight seasons — has taught teams anything, it’s to be aggressive when opportunity presents itself. And that's why Antetokounmpo is headed to Miami.
NEW YORK (AP) — After his team got rained out two days in a row, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell sounded a little miffed about the second one. Hours later, he was criticizing a major league rule that led to his ejection. Chicago’s series opener Monday night against the Mets in New York was postponed because of poor weather and rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday at Citi Field. Counsell, however, says it was dry enough to play and the game “did not need to be rained out.” The Cubs also got washed out back home at Wrigley Field on Sunday, when they were supposed to wrap up a series against the Toronto Blue Jays. That game will be made up Aug. 6.
Argentina's Lionel Messi has been mesmerizing. France's Kylian Mbappé has been, well, magnifique. Two of the biggest stars of the World Cup are setting records with history-making goals in a sizzling start that has even the most casual soccer fans in the U.S. taking notice. Other goal scorers like Norway's Erling Haaland are making their marks as well in a World Cup on a record goal-scoring pace. But Messi and Mbappé are the maestros making this World Cup their personal symphony. It’s one they’ve been writing since the 2022 final in Qatar.
The NCAA adopted a new eligibility model for Division I athletes allowing five seasons of competition over a five-year period beginning upon initial college enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The Division I Cabinet approved the change from the longstanding tenet of college sports that gave athletes five years to complete four seasons of competition with their eligibility clock starting at the time of enrollment, regardless of age. It eliminates waivers for extended eligibility except for pregnancy, religious missions or active-duty military service. No longer will extensions be considered for athletes who are injured.
Brendan Sorsby will have to wait until 2027 to begin his NFL career. The NFL informed the 22-year-old quarterback on Tuesday that it will not hold a supplemental draft this year, and encouraged him to focus on preparing for possible entry into the league through the regular draft next year. The league told Sorsby of its decision in a letter that was obtained by The Associated Press. Sorsby had applied for the supplemental draft after a legal battle with the NCAA, which had declared him ineligible for making thousands of bets on sporting events worth at least $90,000 during his college career.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL is exploring expansion to Texas, focusing on Houston or Austin, with a framework agreed upon with billionaire Dan Friedkin and his family. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday that the Board of Governors executive committee endorsed the plan for the next six months. The total investment, including an expansion fee and building a new arena, would be $3.5 billion. Discussions initially centered on Houston before Austin joined the conversation. This move could make the NHL the largest professional sports league in North America. The league last expanded with the Seattle Kraken in 2021.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — In a landmark legal win for female soccer players Maja Göthberg has been awarded salary compensation from Lazio Women after the Italian club ended contract talks when it knew she was pregnant. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has ordered Lazio to pay Göthberg more than $79,000, says the global soccer players’ union FIFPRO. Former Sweden youth international Göthberg took her appeal to CAS after losing her initial claim at a FIFA tribunal. She helped Lazio win promotion to the top tier in the 2023-24 season. She then discovered she was pregnant and told the club during contract talks.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Zack Gelof carried a 24-game hitting streak into the Athletics' matchup with the Giants. It came to a quick and painful end Tuesday night. Gelof flied to right as the leadoff hitter in the Athletics’ 3-1 loss. Then in the second inning, Matt Chapman hit a liner off the left field wall to bring home Willy Adames. Chapman tried for a double, but the throw from Tyler Soderstrom to Gelof was in time to nail Chapman. But Chapman inadvertently stepped on Gelof’s right hand as Gelof was applying the tag. Gelof quickly left the field in obvious pain. Manager Mark Kotsay said X-rays were negative and Gelof did not need stitches.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Seattle 3 Pittsburgh 2
Final Miami 6 Texas 4
Final L.A. Dodgers 12 Minnesota 3
Final Boston 5 Colorado 2
Final San Francisco 3 Athletics 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Houston 9 Toronto 7
Final Kansas City 12 Tampa Bay 5
Final N.Y. Yankees 4 Detroit 3
Final Chicago White Sox 2 Cleveland 1
Final L.A. Angels 5 Baltimore 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Milwaukee 2 Cincinnati 0
Final Philadelphia 14 Washington 9
Final Chicago Cubs 9 N.Y. Mets 6
Final Arizona 4 St. Louis 3
Final San Diego 7 Atlanta 6