NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Josh Allen wanted to leave New Orleans with different hardware. Still, he’s happy to be recognized for his accomplishments. Allen edged two-time winner Lamar Jackson for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award in the closest race since Matt Ryan beat out Tom Brady in 2016. “I wish we weren’t hoisting this trophy. I wish we were hoisting the Lombardi — and we’re going to keep working until we do,” Allen said Thursday, referring to winning a Super Bowl. Allen, who led Buffalo to a fifth straight AFC East title, got 27 first-place votes to Jackson’s 23 and finished with 383 points. He received 22 second-place votes and one third. The Bills fell short of playing on Sunday, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game. Jackson, who led the Ravens to a second straight AFC North championship, got 26 second-place votes and one fourth for a total of 362 points.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Age is more than just a number to LeBron James. It’s also a target. The 40-year-old James became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game Thursday night, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38 days removed from his 40th birthday last Dec. 30 — and it seems highly unlikely this will be the last time he hits the mark, since the top scorer in NBA history is still playing phenomenal basketball deep in his record-tying 22nd NBA season.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered Thursday to pay $18 million in restitution, with nearly $17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the IRS. He was also sentenced to three years’ supervised release on top of the prison sentence and ordered to surrender to authorities by March 24. “The magnitude of the theft — $17 million — in my view, is shockingly high,” U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb said upon issuing the sentence.
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says he is getting emails from fans concerned over the sport’s lack of a salary cap following an offseason spending spree by the Los Angeles Dodgers that sparked increased attention over the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement in December 2027. “This is an issue that we need to be vigilant on,” Manfred said Thursday following the end of an owners’ meeting. “We need to pay attention to it and need to determine whether there are things that can be done to allay those kinds of concerns and make sure we have a competitive and healthy game going forward.” Baseball’s biggest spender in 2024 won the World Series: The Dodgers had a $353 million luxury tax payroll and had to pay a $103 million tax. The Athletics had the lowest luxury tax payroll at just under $84 million. “The Dodgers are a really well-run, successful organization,” Manfred said. “Everything that they do and have done is consistent with our rules. They’re trying to give their fans the best possible product. Those are all positives. I recognize, however, and my emails certainly reflect that there are fans in other markets who are concerned about their team’s ability to compete. And we always have to be concerned when our fans are concerned about something. But pinning it on the Dodgers, I’m not in that camp.”
THURSDAY SCORES
NCAA MEN TOP 25
Ohio State 73, No. 18 Maryland 70
NCAA WOMEN TOP 25
No. 2 South Carolina 74, Georgia 42
No. 3 Notre Dame 96, Stanford 47
No. 4 Texas 87, No. 24 Vanderbilt 66
No. 19 Tennessee 80, No. 5 UConn 76
No. 6 LSU 71, Missouri 60
No. 10 Duke 74, Clemson 55
No. 15 Oklahoma 66, Ole Miss 56
No. 16. Maryland 79, Oregon 61
No. 17 Georgia Tech 70, SMU 69
Louisville 70, No. 21 California 63
No. 22 Florida State 101, Virginia 68
No. 23 Alabama 84, Florida 66