sport world

The Lakers appear set to retire Kobe Bryant’s jersey on Dec. 18, less than two years after he last doed it in a dazzling and dramatic 60-point sendoff. The only question will be which number hangs from the rafters: No. 8? No. 24? TMZ reported early Tuesday moing that the Lakers had informed season-ticket holders to “hold on to tickets” for the Dec. 18 game against Golden State for a “special e...

RODEZ, France >> Fabio Aru was dropped in the last 500 meters of Stage 14 of the Tour de France won by Michael Matthews and relinquished the yellow jersey to Chris Froome on Saturday. Aru lost touch with the leaders in the final short, sharp ascent of the Cote de Saint Pierre in the town of Ro...

INDIANAPOLIS >> Tamika Catchings was known as a hard worker during her playing career. But as hard as she worked in 16 seasons for the Indiana Fever, she had a tough time keeping up with her dad on Saturday night. Former NBA player Harvey Catchings helped his daughter raise a baer with her N...

LONG BEACH >> The second-seeded Sparks are hoping that the WNBA playoffs end with a championship team trophy. Wednesday night at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid, they began the postseason with some individual hardware. Nneka Ogwumike was awarded the WNBA’s MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony and then spent the next 40 minutes proving why she deserved it as she led the Sparks to a 95-75 win over the fourth-seeded Chicago Sky. “It was great,” she said. “It’s been nothing but love the last few days. It’s been awesome, and this was a great way to start off our run.” Ogwumike, who finished the regular season with the second-highest shooting percentage in WNBA history (66.5 percent) was sens...

LOS ANGELES >> The best basketball player in Los Angeles began Friday night’s game with a steal and a layup. She ended Friday night’s game with a simple rim-run, from baseline to baseline, so she could finish a fast break, when her team led by only one point. The Sparks beat San Antonio, 71-65, and ended the WNBA regular season with a 26-8 record. Coach Brian Agler was asked his choice for MVP of the league by people who already knew the answer was Nneka Ogwumike. “First, she’s having a historic offensive season, the most efficient season in the history of the league,” Agler said. “Then you take the things I see with her leadership every day. “Then she’ll probably be All-Defense on to...

MONT VENTOUX, France — On Bastille Day, fans created havoc at the Tour de France like never before. Storming the road on France’s national day, the crowd prompted a crash involving race leader Chris Froome and it wasn’t until hours after the wacky 12th stage concluded that organizers decided the British rider could keep the yellow jersey. “Mont Ventoux always throws up something different and today was no exception,” Froome said. “You always have to expect the unexpected at the Tour.” In a complete embarrassment for cycling’s biggest race, Richie Porte crashed headfirst into a motorbike carrying a TV camera, and Froome, who was right behind his former teammate, also hit the pavement in the f...

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Candace Parker added 11 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Chicago Sky 77-67 on Wednesday. Ogwumike was 10 of 11 from the field for her fifth consecutive game with at least 20 points. She also had four blocks as the Sparks tied a season high with eight. Kristi Toliver had 13 points, Jantel Lavender added 12 points and Essence Carson scored 10 for Los Angeles (19-1), the top-ranked team in the AP power poll. The Sparks had 28 assists on 33 field goals. Los Angeles led 68-53 until Allie Quigley’s 3-pointer started a 13-4 Chicago run to pull to 72-66 with 2:17 left. But the Sky missed shots...

Ogwumike, Sparks too much for Sky 77-67 AP Photo ILNH111, ILNH110, ILNH109, ILNH108, ILNH107, ILNH106 ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Candace Parker added 11 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Chicago Sky 77-67 on Wednesday. Ogwumike was 10 of 11 from the field for her fifth consecutive game with at least 20 points. She also had four blocks as the Sparks tied a season high with eight. Kristi Toliver had 13 points, Jantel Lavender added 12 points and Essence Carson scored 10 for Los Angeles (19-1), the top-ranked team in the AP power poll. The Sparks had 28 assists on 33 field goals. Los Angeles led 68-53 until All...

SAINTE-MARIE-DU-MONT, France >> Mark Cavendish can finally wear the yellow jersey. The British cyclist won a sprint in the crash-marred Tour de France opening stage that finished on Utah Beach, where Allied troops landed on D-Day in 1944, and took the overall lead on Saturday. It was Cavendish’s 27th stage win in the French classic — third on the all-time list behind Eddy Merckx (34) and Beard Hinault (28) — but he had never won the opening leg, which is often a time trial. Cavendish has already wo the leader’s jerseys at the Giro d’Italia and the Spanish Vuelta. “It’s going be a special day tomorrow to ride a stage in yellow,” Cavendish said. “There was no better place to achieve thi...

LOS ANGELES >> Nneka Ogwumike had 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and Candace Parker scored on back-to-back possessions late to help the Sparks beat the Coecticut Sun 80-73 on Sunday at Staples Center. The win moves the Sparks (13-1) into first place in the Weste Conference, a half-game ahead of the Miesota Lynx (13-2), who lost to the Washington Mystics 87-63. The Sparks handed the Lynx their first loss of the season 94-76 on Friday night. Parker and Essence Carson scored 10 points apiece for the Sparks on Sunday. A 3-pointer by Alex Bentley pulled Coecticut (3-12) within five with 2:12 to play, but Parker answered with two baskets to ignite a 7-2 spurt that gave the Sparks an 80-70 ...

Nneka Ogwumike had 27 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double, and the Los Angeles Sparks set a franchise record with their 10th straight season-opening win in a 98-85 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night. Ogwumike was 6 of 6 from the field in the first half to extend her WNBA record to 23 straight made field goals over the past three games. She missed her first shot of the second half, a 3-pointer from the wing, and finished 12 of 14. She entered as the league leader in field-goal shooting at 67.9 percent. Candace Parker had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Los Angeles (10-0), which is ranked No. 2 in the AP power poll. The Sparks host Phoenix on Friday an...