James left out of Irving video
Kyrie Irving did not mention LeBron James, now his former teammate, while thanking Cleveland Cavaliers fans after his trade to the Boston Celtics was finalized.
Irving, now officially a member of the Celtics after the teams completed a blockbuster deal that had stalled, posted a lengthy thank-you note and video on his Instagram account.
While somewhat vague about his intentions, the All-Star guard explained some of the reasons that led to his requesting a trade after six seasons with the Cavaliers and three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. In a meeting last month with Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, Irving said he wanted out.
Irving apparently felt it was time to get out from under the colossal shadow cast by James. The pair won an NBA championship together — the first title for any Cleveland team since 1964 — in 2016.
A group opposing a $140-million renovation to Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena dropped its petitions for a city referendum, clearing the way for the project to be approved. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert this week pulled out of paying for half of the makeover to his team’s 20,000-seat arena. However, Greater Cleveland Congregations, which didn’t want tax dollars going toward the project’s funding, withdrew petitions challenging the deal and Gilbert vowed to never move the team from Cleveland.
Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph has been charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession and resisting arrest after an incident Aug. 9 when a large gathering became unruly at the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Los Angeles, prosecutors said. The two-time NBA All-Star and onetime Clipper had initially been arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana with intent to sell — a felony — but prosecutors instead charged Randolph with misdemeanor drug possession.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick to move past Pele on the list of all-time international goalscorers in Portugal’s 5-1 victory over Faero Islands in a World Cup qualifier at Porto, Portugal. Ronaldo moved into second place on the list of Europe’s all-time scorers with 78 goals, six behind Hungary’s Ferenc Puskas. Pele scored 77 goals for Brazil.
Pete Rose will not return to Fox Sports as a baseball studio analyst, the Hollywood Reporter reported. The status of Major League Baseball’s alltime hits leader had been in doubt since recent allegations surfaced of a sexual relationship four decades ago between Rose and a girl allegedly younger than 16, the age of consent in Ohio. The allegations came to light as part of a defamation suit Rose filed in 2016 against John Dowd, the attorney who led an investigation that resulted in Rose’s ban from baseball in 1989 for betting on games he managed.
An arrow was fired into the Oval cricket stadium in London, landing on the field of play and forcing an English league game to be abandoned. More than 1,000 spectators were told to take cover before the venue was evacuated by police. Officers believe the object was launched from outside the stadium.