Griner named honorary WNBA All-Star starter
Brittney Griner will have a place at the WNBA AllStar Game, being named an honorary starter Wednesday by Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
Griner has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 after authorities at an airport outside of Moscow said she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her bag.
“During each season of Brittney's career in which there has been an AllStar Game, she has been selected as an All-Star,” Engelbert said. “It is not difficult to imagine that if BG were here with us this season, she would once again be selected and would, no doubt, show off her incredible talents. So, it is only fitting that she be named as an honorary starter today and we continue to work on her safe return to the U.S.”
The State Department in May designated Griner as wrongfully detained, moving her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, who is effectively the government's chief hostage negotiator.
Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson received the most votes from fans and were selected as co-captains for the event. They will be joined by Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles, who both have announced they will retire at the end of the season. Bird will set a record with her 13th All-Star appearance. Fowles, who is injured right now, was selected for her eighth game.
Stewart and Fowles will be paired up as co-captains, as will Wilson and Bird, and will choose their teams.
Joining Wilson, Stewart and Fowles in the frontcourt are Connecticut's Jonquel Jones, Los Angeles's Nneka Ogwumike and Chicago's Candace Parker. The starting guards, in addition to Bird, are New York's Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas teammates Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.
NBA PISTONS TRADE GRANT TO BLAZERS >>
A person with knowledge of the situation said the Detroit Pistons
have agreed to trade Olympic gold medalist Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers, with the biggest part of the return being a first-round pick in 2025.
Detroit gets the No. 36 pick in the draft Thursday and what would have been Milwaukee's first-round pick in 2025, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the agreement publicly.
Tennis
WILLIAMS SHARP IN SECOND MATCH >> Serena Williams might yet win a title in her comeback event.
The American star moved into the semifinals of the women's doubles at Eastbourne by partnering Ons Jabeur to a 6-2, 6-4 win over Shuko Aoyama and Chan Hao-ching.
And, ahead of playing in the singles at Wimbledon next week, there were signs that the 40-year-old Williams is regaining some sharpness after nearly a year out.
Like the back-to-back pick-up shots off her toes early in the first set. Like the three straight aces on break points in the second game of the second set.
Indeed, Williams' serve — the biggest the women's game has ever seen — was increasingly impressive when under the pump, and it was the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion who served out the match.
On the five break points she faced, she sent down four aces and one unreturnable serve.
Golf LIV TOUR MEMBERS CAN PLAY BRITISH OPEN >>
Players who have joined the new Saudi Arabia-funded league will still be allowed to compete at the British Open next month, organizers said.
The U.S. Open had allowed players who were banned by the PGA Tour for signing up to the LIV Golf series to play at last week's tournament.
“Players who are exempt or have earned a place through qualifying for the 150th Open in accordance with the entry terms and conditions will be able to compete in the Championship at St. Andrews,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said in a statement.
The world's oldest major championship begins July 14.
“The Open is golf's original championship and since it was first played in 1860, openness has been fundamental to its ethos and unique appeal,” Slumbers said.
Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson headlined LIV Golf's inaugural tournament held this month outside London and won by former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who collected $4.75 million. The league is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
Swimming
LEDECKY ADDS TO MEDAL COUNT >> Katie Ledecky has extended her record haul of medals from the world championships to 21, two more than any other female swimmer managed before.
All but three of them are gold.
The 25-year-old Ledecky claimed her 18th gold at a worlds on Wednesday as the United States won the women's 4x200 freestyle relay final, clocking the fastest split – 1:53.67 – to help the Americans triumph in a championship record 7:41.45.
Colleges
OKLAHOMA ADVANCES TO CWS FINALS >> David Sandlin held Texas A&M to one run and struck out a careerhigh 12 in seven innings, Jimmy Crooks' three-run homer in the first held up and Oklahoma advanced to the College World Series finals with a 5-1 victory.
Trying to complete a softball-baseball title sweep, the Sooners (45-22) have won three straight games at Charles Schwab Field by no fewer than four runs and will play for their first championship since 1994.
Motorsports SPEEDWAY FOUNDER DIES >>
O. Bruton Smith, who emerged from rural North Carolina and parlayed his love of motorsports into becoming a NASCAR Hall of Famer and one of its most eccentric and successful promoters, died Wednesday. He was 95.
His death was announced by Speedway Motorsports LLC, the company formed when he consolidated his entities in 1994. Smith made it the first public motorsports company to trade on the New York Stock Exchange three months later. Smith died of natural causes.