MAGIC JOHNSON FOCUS OF NBA’S TAMPERING PROBE
The NBA is investigating whether Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson and the organization tampered with all-star forward Paul George while he was under contract with the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers asked the league to open the probe.
There is no known timetable for the completion of the investigation being conducted by the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
George is a four-time all-star and Los Angeles native who was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason. The Pacers traded him after George told them he planned to leave Indiana as a free agent next summer.
If the Lakers are found to have tampered, the NBA could issue any combination of fines, forfeiture of draft picks or suspensions of those who were deemed to be involved. Tampering, the league has said, can be either direct or indirect — and an interview that Johnson did this year on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” did little to quell speculation about George’s potential future in Los Angeles.
In that interview, Kimmel asked Johnson what constitutes tampering, and if he would be allowed to speak to George if they happened to cross paths.
“We’re going to say hi because we know each other,” Johnson said. “You just can’t say, ‘Hey, I want you to come to the Lakers,’ even though I’m going to be wink-winking. You know what that means, right?”
Liberty clinches playoff berth.
YORK» Tina Charles scored 19 NEW points, Epiphanny Prince added 15 and the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx 70-61 to clinch a playoff berth.
The Liberty has won five straight, beating the WNBA’s top three teams in the past three.
Ragan Smith rolls to title.
CALIF.» Ragan Smith embraced ANAHEIM, the role of heavy favorite coming into the U.S. gymnastics championships.
Thrust into the spotlight for the first time in her career, the 17-yearold hardly appeared intimidated by the stage. Smith pulled away from the field to claim her first national title, posting a score of 115.250, more than three points clear of Jordan Chiles in second place and Riley McCusker in third.
Lewis’ goal propels N.Y. City FC.
YORK» Jonathan Lewis scored in NEW stoppage time to help New York City FC beat the New England Revolution 2-1 for its third straight victory.
The 20-year-old rookie has scored his only two MLS goals in back-toback games.
• Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t missed by his team as Gareth Bale scored one goal and set up another to help Real Madrid start its defense of the Spanish league title with a 3-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.
Firsts for Muguruza and Dimitrov.
Garbine Muguruza defeated Simona Halep 6-1, 6-0 for her first Western & Southern Open title, needing only 56 minutes to extend her run of success. She also denied Halep yet another chance to move up to No. 1 in the WTA rankings.
On the men’s side, seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov beat Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 for his first ATP Masters title, emerging from a bracket decimated by injuries to top players.
Footnotes.
Three-time Olympic medalist J.R. Celski and Maame Biney were the men’s and women’s America’s Cup overall winners at the conclusion of the three-day U.S. Speedskating Short Track World Cup qualifier. … Leah Pritchett won the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway for her fourth top fuel victory of the season. … Qatar World Cup organizers presented plans for the 40,000-seat stadium that will be used in 2022. — The Associated Press