Kyrie Irving reportedly wants out of Cleveland
Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving has asked the Cavaliers to trade him, reportedly making the request last week to owner Dan Gilbert.
Irving’s appeal was first reported Friday by ESPN.
A four-time All-Star, Irving has spent six seasons with the Cavaliers, who selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2011.
He’s under contract for two more seasons with Cleveland, but the revelation about a trade request adds to what has been a tumultuous offseason for Cleveland following its loss in five games to Golden State in the NBA Finals.
General manager David Griffin parted ways with the club after failing to work out a new contract with Gilbert and, while other teams have been active in signing free agents, the Cavaliers have been limited in their ability to revamp their roster because of salary-cap issues.
Also, the Cavaliers courted former NBA star Chauncey Billups but couldn’t get him to join their front office. WALL SIGNS EXTENSION >> Point guard John Wall has agreed to a $170 million, four-year contract extension with the Washington Wizards that will start with the 2019 season.
The four-time Eastern Conference All-Star was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Kentucky.
College football
MISSISSIPPI COACH RESIGNS
>> The man whom Hugh Freeze replaced as Mississippi’s football coach was at least partially responsible for Freeze’s stunning downfall.
It was a recently filed civil lawsuit from Houston Nutt who coached Ole Miss from 2008 to ‘11 against the university that unearthed the phone records that revealed Freeze’s school-issued cellphone had dialed an escort service on at least one occasion in 2016.
Freeze, 47, resigned Thursday after university officials found that the coach engaged in a “pattern of personal misconduct” that was unacceptable. His phone records might never have been researched if Nutt hadn’t sued the university earlier this month.
The lawsuit claims a breach of his severance agreement because of false statements he says school officials made to try to pin blame for the NCAA investigation on Nutt.
There are 21 allegations in the NCAA’s case against Ole Miss. Four of them occurred in relation to Nutt’s tenure while 17 happened under Freeze.
Golf
COLLINS JUST MISSES 59
>> Chad Collins missed a chance for the 10th sub60 round in PGA Tour history, parring the final two holes for an 11-under 60 on Friday in the second round of the Barbasol Championship in Opelika, Ala.
Collins is at 15-under 127 for a four-stroke lead over Grayson Murray (64) and Cameron Tringale (66). PILLER STAYS OUT FRONT >> Gerina Piller followed her opening 8-under 63 with a 68 to maintain a one-stroke in the Marathon Classic.
Lexi Thompson had a 65 to move into a tie for second with Nelly Korda, InKyung Kim and Peiyun Chien. Soccer
SPAIN LEAGUE FACES CRISIS
>> Spain’s sports authority is seeking the temporary removal of the president of the Spanish Football Federation after his arrest and imprisonment in an anticorruption investigation.
The Higher Council for Sports said it will ask Spain’s administrative court for sports to open a disciplinary procedure against the executives of the Spanish soccer federation, which has been headed by president Angel Maria Villar for almost three decades. ATLANTA BLANKS ORLANDO
CITY >> Hector Villalba scored in the 86th minute for Atlanta United, which beat Orlando City, 1-0, in an MLS game Friday night in Orlando.
Atlanta (10-7-3) has won four straight games. Orlando (8-8-5) has just one win in its last eight home matches.