AP National Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has announced Charlotte Hornets forward PJ Washington and Toronto Raptors forward Justin Champagnie have been fined $15,000 apiece for their roles in an on-court altercation on Tuesday. On the play before the confrontation, Washington knocked Champagnie to the floor with a hip check. On the next possession, Champagnie shoved

NEW YORK (AP) — Katie Taylor will defend her lightweight titles against Amanda Serrano on April 30 in what organizers say will be the first women’s boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden. Taylor (20-0 6 KOs) is the 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Ireland and owns all four titles in the 135-pound division. Serrano

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer Ernie Francis Jr. has been hired to drive in Indy Lights this season in a move that could promote him into IndyCar as part of the series’ Race for Equality & Change initiative. Francis is a Florida native of Haitian descent who has been fast-tracked in IndyCar’s ladder

By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — Fans of German soccer club Schalke have unveiled a memorial to commemorate the deportation of more than 500 Jews from the local area to a ghetto in Riga, Latvia, 80 years ago. The fans have been working with the club, the city of Gelsenkirchen, local historians

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House Oversight Committee will hold a roundtable next week with former Washington Football Team employees about workplace misconduct and sexual harassment. The discussion is set for Feb. 3, a day after Washington reveals its new name. Five former employees are scheduled to be a part of the roundtable. The NFL

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer Canada is among the gold-medal contenders at the Olympics even though the NHL is not sending players to Beijing. The hockey-crazed country won men’s hockey gold in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014 when the NHL participated. Canada walked away with bronze four years ago in Pyeongchang. There

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Basketball Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — You can bet that Texas saw what Kansas State forward Ayoka Lee did to Oklahoma last weekend. It didn’t seem to help a whole lot. Sure, the ninth-ranked Longhorns managed to shut down the rest of the No. 25 Wildcats in a 66-48 victory

By The Associated Press China has finalized its roster for the men’s hockey tournament at the Beijing Olympics. The team includes a dozen players from North America. Forward Brandon Yip and others on the roster have Chinese ancestry. Arizona State University’s Peter Zhong was born in Beijing and began playing hockey in the U.S. He

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Having missed a chance of emulating his idol Thierry Henry by playing for Arsenal in the English Premier League, Stephy Mavididi is now making a name for himself in French soccer. The 23-year-old forward is doing well with Montpellier and will be leading his side’s bid

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Stanley Johnson for the rest of the season after the Orange County native’s strong performances over the past month. The deal also includes a team option for next season on Johnson, a seven-year NBA veteran. The Lakers signed Johnson to a 10-day contract

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer Tara Lipinski was a sprightly 15-year-old ballerina-on-ice when she won figure skating gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Sarah Hughes but a year older when she did the same thing four years later in Salt Lake City. In fact, six of the past seven Olympic champions in women’s figure

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Iran became the first team from Asia to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Qatar with a 1-0 win over Iraq in Tehran. Medhi Taremi’s goal early in the second half at the Azadi Stadium secured a third straight World Cup appearance for Iran with three Group A games

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Lee Smith plans to build a gym and mentor young athletes after announcing his retirement from the NFL. The 34-year-old tight end spent 11 seasons in the league, playing for the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. He was known mostly for his blocking skills, finishing his career with

MANCHESTER England (AP) — Manchester United has sent Amad Diallo on loan to Scottish champion Rangers for the remainder of the season. The 19-year-old winger joined United from Atalanta in January last year and has made nine appearances in all competitions. Only one of them has come this season. That was in the Champions League

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger’s NFL career is over. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has announced his retirement. In a video message, Roethlisberger said it was “time to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats” after 18 seasons, two Super Bowls, countless team records and a likely spot

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — There’s something about playing in Dubai that brings the best out of JB Hansen. The No. 110-ranked Dane shot a bogey-free, 7-under 65 and held a two-stroke clubhouse lead in the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic. Hansen won the Dubai Championship three months ago for the second

BEIJING (AP) — For the thousands of athletes, journalists and others descending on Beijing for the Winter Olympics, China’s strict pandemic measures are creating a surreal and at times anxious experience. China is isolating everyone coming from abroad from any contact with the general public for the duration of the Games, which open next week.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Australia and Japan both put pressure on Group B leader Saudi Arabia in Asian World Cup qualifying. Australia beat Vietnam 4-0 in Melbourne and Japan defeated China 2-0 in Saitama. Australia is in third place in Group B. Japan is one point behind. Saudi Arabia plays Oman later Thursday. The