NBA=
The late Kobe Bryant is the marquee name of the nine chosen to be
inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with
his wife Vanessa telling ESPN that being enshrined was the “peak of
his NBA career.” Bryant, who died alongside his daughter Gianna in
a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, was a five-time NBA champion and
made the All-Star team 18 times in his 20-year career, all with the
Lakers. “Obviously, we wish that he was here with us to celebrate,”
Vanessa Bryant said on the ESPN broadcast of the class
announcement. “Every accomplishment that he had as an athlete was a
steppingstone to be here. So we’re incredibly proud of him.”
Other headliners being inducted into the Hall of Fame include a
pair of Bryant’s NBA contemporaries and rivals – Tim Duncan and
Kevin Garnett – with all three greats being honored in their first
year of eligibility. Duncan, a 15-time All-Star and five-time NBA
champion with the Spurs, squared off against Bryant in 30 playoff
games, with Bryant’s Lakers going 18-12 in those games. Bryant was
14-11 in playoff games against Kevin Garnett, a 15-time All-Star
and champion in 2008. WNBA great Tamika Catchings also was inducted
in her first year of eligibility. Two-time NBA champion coach Rudy
Tomjanovich, longtime Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, Barbara
Stevens of Bentley and three-time Final Four coach Eddie Sutton
also got their call. Former FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann
was selected as a direct-elect by the international committee.
CORONAVIRUS=
President Donald Trump held a conference call with all the major
American sports commissioners to discuss the effects of the
COVID-19 outbreak and told them he would like to resume competition
“as soon as we can.” Trump reportedly said that he expects the NFL
to be able to kick off with fans on its regularly scheduled Sept.
10 start date. Some commissioners, including the NBA’s Adam Silver,
said they would look for clearance from public health officials
before resuming games.
SOCCER=
Players in the English Premier League have rejected a proposal that
would cut their pay by 30 percent in an effort to help the league’s
teams survive the shutdown due to the coronavirus. The players’
union said that such a large cut would deprive the government of
nearly $250 million in tax revenue that could be directed toward
pandemic relief. The league has come under scrutiny after players
thought the EPL’s 20-million-pound donation to the National Health
Service could have been larger and after clubs have furloughed
employees despite receiving government aid meant to provide job
security.
Players have criticized the Spanish league’s decision to ask clubs
to put them on government furloughs during the coronavirus crisis.
The league and players’ associating have been in talks in an effort
to reduce the income lost from the length hiatus. Losses would
reach higher than $1 billion if the rest of the season can not be
played and salary cuts are not made. The players have agreed to
some cuts but not to the degree requested by the league and its
teams, which would make up for nearly $500 million in lost revenue.
While almost all of the world’s sporting events have been shut
down, the top soccer league in Tajikistan has kicked off its season
as scheduled, despite the warnings of international health
officials. Istiklol Dushanbe retained the Central Asian nation’s
season-opening Super Cup with a 2-1 win in an empty stadium.
Professional soccer is only continuing in a few countries around
the world, with Belarus, Nicaragua and Burundi among the holdouts,
attracting interest from foreign fans and international gambling
markets.
MLB=
Astros ace Justin Verlander and wife Kate Upton posted a video to
Instagram announcing that Verlander will be donating his paychecks
during the coronavirus shutdown to a different relief organization
each week. The AL Cy Young Award winner is among a group of major
leaguers getting $4,775 a day for 60 days, a total of $286,500.
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