Marco Andretti returns to SRX to defend championship

Marco Andretti will attempt to defend the only professional championship of his career when he returns this summer to Superstar Racing Experience, the all-star series created by Tony Stewart.

Andretti was among five IndyCar drivers named Tuesday to the series, which last week confirmed Stewart would return to run the full six-race season. Stewart won the inaugural SRX championship in 2021.

Andretti, who also plans to enter the Indianapolis 500 again this year, is an original SRX full-time competitor and returns for the third season of the series. SRX raced its first two years on Saturday nights but moves to ESPN this summer on Thursday nights for a recreation of the network’s original “Thursday Night Thunder” motorsports programming.

The Ray Evernham-designed cars used in SRX are more suited for drivers with a NASCAR background, which is why it has taken all-stars from the open-wheel disciplines a bit longer to compete for wins. But it hasn’t stopped the interest, and the crop announced Tuesday includes current IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden, Indianapolis 500 entrant Tony Kanaan, former 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay and SRX resident villain Paul Tracy, who will return for a third season.

Helio Castroneves, a four-time winner of the Indy 500, had previously announced he’ll run three races.

Nneka Ogwumike re-signs with Los Angeles Sparks

Nneka Ogwumike not only wants to make the Los Angeles Sparks a championship contender again, but also to get the community excited about women’s basketball and other sports.

The former WNBA MVP re-signed with the Sparks last week, continuing her career with the franchise that drafted her No. 1 in 2012.

Ogwumike will once again team up with her sister Chiney, who also resigned with the Sparks last week.

“Understanding where Chiney is in her career, where I am in my career, there’s certainly more years behind us than in front of us,” said Ogwumike, who won the MVP in 2016. “For us to be in a situation where we’re on a team, the pieces are kind of coming together, I would say that was certainly signifying that something was really getting assembled here.”

Ogwumike, who is President of the WNBA Players Union, loved seeing the headlines about free agents signing in New York and Las Vegas this offseason. She took a different strategy with the Sparks.

LaMelo Ball breaks ankle, latest setback in rough season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball’s frustrating, injury-plagued season could be over after the point guard broke his right ankle in Charlotte’s 117-106 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Ball has already missed 27 games this season after he sprained his left ankle on three separate occasions, beginning in the preseason.

He and the Hornets (20-43) were playing their best basketball of the season before the point guard fell to the floor on a non-contact play in the third quarter.

X-rays revealed the fracture to Ball’s ankle.

“It sucks,” Hornets swingman Gordon Hayward said, shaking his head. “Injuries are the worst part of the game.”

Ball had entered the game with five straight double-doubles and appeared on his way to another with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists before leaving with 9:26 left in the period.

He was also shooting the ball extremely well from deep, having made 47.3% (27 of 57) of his 3-point shots over the last five games.

He was 6 of 7 from beyond the arc against the Pistons.

AP source: Lakers bracing for James to miss multiple weeks

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers may miss multiple weeks with an injury to his right foot, a person familiar with the situation said Monday night.

The full extent of the injury is not yet known and more test results were pending, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither James nor the Lakers announced anything about a long-term absence.

The Lakers had already ruled James — the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — out for Tuesday’s game at Memphis with what they called right foot soreness.

James played 37 minutes in the Lakers’ 111-108 win at Dallas on Sunday, helping Los Angeles rally from a 27point deficit. But he left the arena with a pronounced limp, with video from The Dallas Morning News showing how much the foot was bothering him.

He got hurt in the third quarter, grabbing at the ankle after spending some time on the floor in obvious pain. But he stayed in to finish the game, noting how important it was to the Lakers’ playoff hopes.

“It’s been better,” James said. “But I definitely wasn’t going to locker room and not finish the game.”