CNN – Sports

By Jacob Lev, CNN (CNN) — Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokić was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player on Wednesday, marking the third time he has been awarded the honor in four seasons. The 29-year-old Serbian averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game this season – all in the top 10

By Steve Almasy and Cheri Mossburg, CNN (CNN) — The former interpreter and longtime friend of MLB megastar Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to illegally transferring almost $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account, according to a news release from the US Department of Justice. Ippei Mizuhara will plead guilty to

By Jill Martin and George Ramsay, CNN (CNN) — Following an investigation of a racist slur directed at the Utah women’s basketball team in Idaho ahead of the NCAA tournament, the Coeur d’Alene prosecutor’s office opted not to file charges related to the incident. Chief deputy city attorney Ryan Hunter said in a written decision,

By George Ramsay, CNN (CNN) — Diego Maradona’s Golden Ball trophy from the 1986 World Cup, which had gone missing in contested circumstances for decades, has reappeared and is anticipated to sell for millions of dollars at auction next month. The trophy, presented to the best player at each World Cup, will be sold by

By Sam Joseph, CNN (CNN) — The Boston Celtics continued to put on a show in the NBA Playoffs, dominating the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 in Game 1 of their second-round series. Star wing Jaylen Brown scored 32 points in front of the home crowd at the TD Garden as the No. 1 seed Celtics showed

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Borussia Dortmund continued its “incredible” run in this season’s Champions League, reaching the final after stunning Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the semifinal second leg on Tuesday. The German side took a 1-0 advantage from the first leg into the match at the Parc des Princes and somewhat rode its

By George Ramsay, CNN (CNN) — Scroll through the athlete profiles on the USA Cycling website and you’ll find someone whose favorite movie is listed as “Interstellar” – Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed sci-fi adventure released in 2014. “I love realistic space movies … I’m definitely a nerd,” reads Chris Birch’s answer on her profile page. That

By Heather Chen and Andrew McNicol, CNN (CNN) — A star player for Malaysia’s soccer team is in “critical but stable condition” after an acid attack that left him with fourth-degree burns, officials said late Tuesday. Malaysian soccer officials said Faisal Halim’s movement and speech had been affected and he would require more surgery. On May

By Thomas Schlachter, CNN (CNN) — Denver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray has come under criticism after he was spotted throwing a heat pack onto the court during the reigning champions’ 106-80 playoff loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. While on the bench toward the end of the second quarter, Murray could be

By Matias Grez, CNN (CNN) — The Minnesota Timberwolves opened up a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals thanks to a stunning 106-80 blowout in Game 2 on Monday. The defending champion Nuggets had no answer for the electric Minnesota duo of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, who

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Manchester United’s season reached a new low on Monday after being thrashed 4-0 by Crystal Palace in the Premier League, a result which heaped more pressure on a club in crisis. The scoreline could have been more emphatic had United’s opponent been more clinical, but the defeat was still

By George Ramsay, CNN (CNN) — Brittney Griner feared that her plane would be shot down after she was released from detention in Russia, the WNBA star said in a new interview with The Cut. Speaking with former US soccer icon Megan Rapinoe in an interview published in The Cut on Monday, Griner recalled the

By Kevin Dotson, CNN (CNN) — Weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko, who competed for Ukraine at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has died while fighting in his country’s war with Russia, according to statements from the Ukraine Olympic Committee and the Ukraine Weightlifting Federation posted Monday. “On May 5, an honored master of sports of Ukraine Oleksandr Pielieshenko

By Kevin Dotson and Steve Almasy, CNN (CNN) — San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, the first player from France to ever win the honor. The 7-foot, 4-inch, 20-year-old was a unanimous selection for the award, topping Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brandon Miller

By Matias Grez, CNN (CNN) — The Cleveland Cavaliers fought back from an 18-point first-half deficit to beat the Orlando Magic 106-94 in a thrilling Game 7 and book a spot in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. After training 49-31 towards the end of the second quarter, Cleveland’s fightback in the second half

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — German team Bayer Leverkusen extended its miraculous unbeaten run to 48 games on Sunday after thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Bundesliga. Unlike many matches this season, Leverkusen never trailed and had five different scorers – Granit Xhaka, Patrik Schick, Exequiel Palacios, Jeremie Frimpong and Victor Okoh Boniface –

By Ben Morse and Thomas Schlachter, CNN (CNN) — Lando Norris won the first race of his Formula One career, storming to victory at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday in front of a crowd flooded with celebrities. The McLaren driver began the race fifth on the grid, but after claiming the lead, took advantage

By Issy Ronald, CNN (CNN) — Jude Bellingham celebrated winning his first ever La Liga title with his mother, posting a picture on Instagram of the two hugging with the legendary Santiago Bernabéu Stadium stretching out behind them. Such an unassuming image is befitting of how the 20-year-old presents himself to the world, how he

By Issy Ronald, CNN (CNN) — Real Madrid sealed a record-extending 36th La Liga title on Saturday after rival Barcelona suffered a second-half collapse against Girona, succumbing to a 4-2 defeat which ensured that Los Blancos cannot be overtaken at the top of the table. Real had secured a 3-0 victory over Cádiz earlier in