Celts to retire Garnett’s No. 5
During the first timeout of the Celtics’ 141-133 double-overtime victory over the Clippers, the team surprised the Boston crowd with a video presentation to announce Kevin Garnett’s No. 5 will be retired during the 2020-21 season. It will hang in the open space next to the No. 34 of teammate Paul Pierce, who alongside Garnett led Boston to its most recent title in 2008.
Pierce’s jersey was retired by the Celtics in 2018. Garnett, in his first year of eligibility for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, is expected to be on the list of finalists when it it is unveiled during NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.
OSU NOT GUILTY PLEA
Two former Ohio State football players pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that they held a woman against her will and raped her this month.
Defensive backs Amir Riep and Jahsen Wint — who were kicked off the team Wednesday after they were charged — made an initial appearance in Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus, and their respective attorneys entered pleas of not guilty.
Judge Cynthia Ebner set bond at $100,000 for Riep and $75,000 for Wint and ordered that the men not have contact with the accuser or each other. They also were ordered not to discuss her on social media.
The case now will go to a grand jury, which will decide whether the men should be indicted.
Wint’s attorney, Sam Shamansky, declared his client innocent, pointing out that Columbus police waited seven days to arrest him.
ALL-STAR TRIBUTE TO KOBE
Jennifer Hudson is coming to the All-Star Game to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant with her voice.
The NBA has released a list of entertainers headed to AllStar weekend, the group headlined by Hudson — the twotime Grammy winner and Oscar winner — who, just before Sunday night’s player introductions, will perform a special tribute to Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the seven other victims of the helicopter crash that took their lives in Southern California on Jan. 26.
Other additions the NBA revealed Thursday: DJ Khaled, Quavo and Lil Wayne will join the previously announced Grammy winner and Chicago native Chance the Rapper during Sunday night’s halftime show; Queen Latifah will be joined by Chicago youth to perform Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today” during Saturday’s events; and the Chicago Children’s Choir will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the Rising Stars game on Friday night.
TRUMP AT DAYTONA
President Trump will give the command for drivers to start their engines before the Daytona 500.
Daytona International Speedway officials named Trump the grand marshal for NASCAR’s season opener, meaning he will deliver the most famous four words in auto racing. “Gentleman, start your engines,” a staple of races around the country and world for decades.