Owner: Minnesota Timberwolves are no longer for sale
The ownership transfer of the Minnesota Timberwolves slammed to a halt when Glen Taylor declared on Thursday he won't take the final step of his drawn-out $1.5 billion deal to hand Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez the majority stake because they didn't meet all of the deadlines in the sale conditions.
Lore and Rodriguez, who agreed to the purchase nearly three years ago, strongly disputed Taylor's stance. They said he simply had cold feet about letting go.
“We went through the process, and I spent a lot of time. We've got a really good team, we've got a lot of good things going for us, I enjoy it and I'm healthy enough to do this,” Taylor said in an interview with the Associated Press after the announcement.
“I don't need the money, so I think I'll just keep running it and enjoy it. I like my coach. I like my staff. This way everybody gets to keep their jobs, and I'll be happy.”
Lore, the e-commerce entrepreneur, and Rodriguez, the former Major League Baseball star, issued a joint statement expressing disappointment in Taylor and contending that they've upheld their end of the deal that was to also include the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx.
“We have fulfilled our obligations, have all necessary funding and are fully committed to closing our purchase of the team as soon as the NBA completes its approval process,” the partners said. "Glen Taylor's statement is an unfortunate case of seller's remorse that is short sighted and disruptive.”
Baylor’s Jakus headed to Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic is hiring Baylor associate head coach John Jakus as its coach, a move that comes four days after Dusty May capped his six-year run with the Owls and took over at Michigan.
Jakus and the school have agreed on a five-year contract. Details were not released.
NFL: Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has agreed to a contract with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, a person with knowledge of the contract told the Associated Press. The 23-year-old Rees-Zammit, one of the best wingers in rugby, announced in January that he was leaving the Welsh national team to pursue a dream of playing in the NFL.
Tennis: Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina defeated No. 27 Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2) in Thursday's semifinals of the Miami Open. Rybakina will face No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova or unseeded Danielle Collins in Saturday's final.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev reached the men's semifinals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over unseeded Fabian Marozsan. Zverev will play top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz or No. 11 Grigor Dimitrov on Friday.
Cycling: Belgian cyclist Wout van Aert has undergone surgery after suffering multiple fractures in a crash which has put his Giro d'Italia entry in doubt, his team said Thursday. Van Aert crashed during the Dwars Vlaanderen race. He suffered a broken sternum, collarbone and ribs.