SIMMONS FINISHED WITH SIXERS, WON’T REPORT TO CAMP
Ben Simmons may have missed his last playoff free throw with the Sixers.
Simmons will not report to Philadelphia 76ers’ training camp next week and prefers to continue his NBA career with another team, a person with direct knowledge of the player’s plans told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Simmons said after the season, “I love being in Philly.” Not anymore.
Simmons, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft, is a threetime All-Star who had been paired with Joel Embiid as the franchise cornerstones as the Sixers chase their first NBA championship since 1983.
Simmons, though, took the brunt of the blame for the top-seeded Sixers’ second-round exit in last season’s playoffs. He shot 34 percent from the free-throw line in the postseason and was reluctant to attempt a shot from anywhere on the floor late in games. That led to him spending critical minutes on the bench.
More basketball
J.J. Redick, the sharpshooter who was college player of the year at Duke before embarking on a 15-season NBA career, announced his retirement. His 1,950 career 3-pointers rank him 15th in NBA history in that category.
Following suggestions from the league’s competition committee, the NBA has spent time this offseason teaching its referees how to handle it when offensive players are making nonbasketball moves with hopes of drawing contact from defenders. Going forward, such plays will merit either a no-call or an offensive foul.
Soccer
Rose Lavelle thrilled her hometown fans with a goal and three assists in the first 15 minutes, Alex Morgan
scored three goals and the United States women routed Paraguay 8-0 in an exhibition in Cincinnati. The U.S. topped Paraguay by a combined score of 17-0 in the two-game series in Ohio, following Thursday’s 9-0 win in Cleveland.
Lavelle, a Cincinnati native, brought the crowd of 22,515 at TQL Stadium to its feet when she headed in a cross from Casey Krueger in the fourth minute.
• The United Soccer League is launching a professional women’s league that will compete as a second division below the toptier National Women’s Soccer League. The USL Super League will begin play in 2023. The USL is also launching a preprofessional WLeague for women next year.
• Bidding to win the English League Cup for a fifth straight season, Manchester City conceded a surprise opening goal at home to third-tier Wycombe Wanderers but scored three times before halftime, eventually easing to a 6-1 win.
• Hungary was ordered by FIFA to play one game without a crowd for the racist abuse of England players.
Hockey
The Minnesota Wild signed left wing Kirill Kaprizov to a five-year, $45 million contract, ending a stalemate between the team and the Calder Trophy winner just two days before the beginning of training camp.
• The Columbus Blue
Jackets signed goaltender Elvis Merzlikins to a fiveyear, $27 million contract extension.
• Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes will miss four to six weeks after he had abdominal surgery.
Also
• Smoke and flames shot up the side of the Superdome’s roof after a pressure washer being used to clean the roof of the New Orleans sports and entertainment arena caught fire. One person was transported to a hospital for “minor burns.”
• Medina Spirit, the Kentucky Derby winner who failed a postrace drug test, won’t run in Saturday’s $1 million Pennsylvania Derby. Embattled Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said he is going to keep the colt in California and run in the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes against older horses at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.