Pelicans’ Williamson out; has family matter

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The New Orleans Pelicans say rookie Zion Williamson—the top overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft — left the club on Thursday to attend to an urgent family medical matter.

The Pelicans say Williamson intends to rejoin the team in the Orlando area for the resumption of the season, but did not specify when he’d be able to return or whether he’ll miss any games. Williamson will have to quarantine again when he returns to Central Florida. athletics: A group of track and field champions is spearheading The Athletics Association, a new organization designed to give athletes a greater voice in their sport. Colleges: Men’s and women’s college basketball coaches are proposing the NCAA eliminate standardized testing requirements from initial-eligibility standards, calling exams such as the SAT and ACT “longstanding forces of institutional racism.” ... The NCAA says college football players should be tested for COVID-19 at least 72 hours before a game, players with high-risk exposures to the coronavirus should be quarantined for 14 days and everyone on the sideline should wear a mask.

Figure skating: The Peggy Fleming Trophy will be a virtual event streamed by U.S. Figure Skating beginning Friday night. Each of the 18 skaters was asked to film a program of 3 minutes, 30 seconds.

Soccer: Real Madrid won its first Spanish La Liga title since 2017, taking an insurmountable sevenpoint lead over Barcelona after beating Villarreal 2-1. wnba: Commissioner kathy Engelbert says the league has no plans to insist that Atlanta Dream co-owner kelly Loeffler sell her stake in the team. Loeffler, a Republican U.S. senator running for re-election in Georgia, objected to WNBA initiatives to honor the Black Lives Matter movement, asking Engelbert to scrap plans for players to wear warmup jerseys with “Black Lives Matter” and “Say Her Name” and instead put an American flag on apparel.