Lauri thanks McCain for getting him to U.S. Pack deal for ex-Bolingbrook LB
Before Lauri Markkanen became a key part of the Bulls’ rebuild, he was a young player from Finland trying to move to the United States to play college basketball. And when Markkanen needed help with his visa to enter the country, he found it from late Sen. John McCain, who died Saturday at 81.
On Sunday, Markkanen thanked McCain — known as an Arizona Wildcats fan — on Twitter for helping him accomplish his ‘‘dream’’ of playing in the United States.
‘‘Rest in peace @SenJohnMcCain, I will forever be grateful for you helping a kid from Finland get a visa to live out my dream of playing basketball in the States,’’ Markkanen tweeted.
Markkanen played his lone college season at Arizona, the state where McCain served as a U.S. senator for more than 30 years. He left Arizona after one season to enter the NBA Draft in 2017 and was drafted by the Bulls with the No. 7 overall pick.
‘‘There was some delay in getting him a visa,’’ McCain told ESPN in 2017. ‘‘Obviously, he had to have a student visa, and there was a question about whether he was a student or not in Finland . . . . We just kind of weighed in and said, ‘Hey, how about expediting this?’ It was not as big a deal as I would like it to be.’’
The Packers acquired linebacker Antonio Morrison from the Colts for cornerback Lenzy Pipkins. Morrison, who played high school ball at Bolingbrook, led the Colts with 109 tackles last season.
The Packers were thin at inside linebacker after incumbent starter Jake Ryan suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during training camp. The Packers suffered another blow when Ryan’s replacement, rookie Oren Burks, hurt his shoulder Friday.
The Vikings acquired center Brett Jones from the Giants for an unspecified draft pick in 2019. The news came hours after Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said center Pat Elflein wouldn’t return to practice this week as he continues to recover from offseason surgeries on his ankle and shoulder.
The Broncos signed free-agent cornerback Adam ‘‘Pacman’’ Jones to a one-year contract. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. The move reunites Jones with Broncos coach Vance Joseph, who was one of his secondary coaches during his eight seasons with the Bengals.
Receiver Eric Decker said he is retiring after an eight-year career with the Broncos, Jets and Titans. Decker had been in camp with the Patriots this summer, but it wasn’t clear he would make the roster.
DeChambeau wins PGA event
Bryson DeChambeau closed with a 2-under-par 69 to earn a four-stroke victory over Tony Finau in the Northern Trust, the first tournament of the FedEx Cup playoffs in Paramus, New Jersey. DeChambeau completed 72 holes at 18-under 266.
Sebastian Vettel passed polesitter Lewis Hamilton on the first lap and went on to win the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. Vettel beat Hamilton to the finish line by more than 11 seconds.
Hawaii defeated South Korea 3-0 in the championship game of the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.