Bryant among nba greats to be inducted into hall
Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are all expected to be officially announced as part of the 2020 class of enshrinees by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which typically reveals its annual selections at college basketball’s Final Four. This year, with sports shut down because of the global coronavirus pandemic, the announcement will be televised at 11 a.m. Saturday from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, with some elements of the show taped ahead of time.
Bryant, Duncan and Garnett, with a combined 11 championships and 48 All-Star seasons between them, are all first-time finalists and locks to be in this class.
Also, former Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton reportedly made the Hall. Sutton led Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State to the NCAA tournament. Kentucky reached the Elite Eight under Sutton, and he led both Arkansas (1978) and Oklahoma State to the Final Four (1995, 2004).
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Dayton’sToppinwinsNaismithTrophy
Dayton forward Obi Toppin was awarded the Naismith Trophy as college basketball’s most outstanding player. The 6-9 sophomore, who added to an award collection that includes AP national player of the year honors, led the Flyers to a schoolrecord 29 wins as they finished No. 3 in the final AP Top 25 poll.
Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu won the women’s award.
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Receiver Sammy Watkins reportedly is staying with the Chiefs after agreeing to restructure his contract. Watkins’ new deal has a maximum value of $16 million, including $7 million in incentives, and contains a no-trade clause.
♦ Former All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown was formally charged in an alleged January assault of a delivery-truck driver.
♦ The Lions agreed to terms with freeagent cornerback Darryl Roberts.
♦ The NFL’s move to a 17-game schedule could alter the plans for the 2024 Super Bowl in New Orleans because it would occur during Mardi Gras.
NHL
Hacker posts racial slur on fan chat
A hacker posted a racial slur hundreds of times in an online fan video chat Friday geared toward African American Rangers prospect K’Andre Miller. The team scrambled to disable the hacker on the Zoom chat with the 20-year-old former Wisconsin defenseman drafted No. 22 overall in 2018.
CORONAVIRUS CONCACAFsuspendsNationsLeaguesemis
The CONCACAF Nations League semifinals and final in June have been called off. The U.S. had been scheduled to play Honduras on June 4 in Houston, with Mexico meeting Costa Rica in the other semifinal.
♦ The Jazz reportedly are laying off nonbasketball personnel, and some employees are taking salary reductions.
♦ Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, as well as All-Star center Joel Embiid made a combined contribution of $1.3 million to Penn Medicine.
♦ Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper is donating $500,000 to help relief efforts in his hometown of LasVegas and in Philadelphia. ✶