Sports

By Ben Morse, CNN Shaquille O’Neal is many things, but you cannot say he goes back on his promises. Before Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship game, O’Neal bet fellow “Inside the NBA” panelist Ernie Johnson that Johnson’s alma mater, the Georgia Bulldogs, would not beat the Texas Christian University’s Horned Frogs (TCU). The stakes?

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN NFL quarterback Derek Carr announced his departure from the Las Vegas Raiders after nine years with the franchise in an emotional letter to the team’s fans. “It breaks my heart I didn’t get an opportunity to say goodbye in person,” Carr wrote. “We certainly have been on a roller coaster in

By Ben Morse, CNN Teenage sensation and high school student Alyssa Thompson was selected with the No. 1 overall pick of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft on Thursday. Thompson was picked by Angel City FC, who later described the 18-year-old as a “phenom and generational player.” “She’s a player who can make an

By David Close, CNN The NFL has announced Atlanta as the host city for the AFC Championship game should the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs meet in the conference title game. Previously, the NFL owners approved the unprecedented post-season plan to host a game at a neutral site following the cancellation of the Bills’

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN Defending champion Rafael Nadal will face English youngster Jack Draper in the opening round of the Australian Open in a bid to retain his 2022 crown and extend his grand slam tally. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz may be missing the tournament through injury, but with the return of Novak Djokovic

By Ben Morse, CNN The Boston Celtics became the first team in the NBA this season to reach 30 wins after beating the New Orleans Pelicans 125-114 at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday night, largely behind a combined 72 points from the team’s stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Brown scored season-high 41 points

By Ben Church, CNN Three years after fleeing Iran, chess referee Shohreh Bayat fears being further ostracized after challenging the game’s governing body and its president, Russia’s former deputy prime minister, over her choice of clothing at a tournament in October. Back in 2020, Bayat was criticized in Iran for not wearing the appropriate headscarf

By Ben Church, CNN Lionel Messi celebrated his return to Paris Saint-Germain with a goal in his first game back since lifting the World Cup. The 35-year-old only returned to training in the new year after taking some time off to celebrate and recuperate after Qatar 2022, where he finally won the trophy that had

By Angus Watson, Duarte Mendonca and Matt Foster, CNN Australia’s men’s cricket team has withdrawn from a series of upcoming matches against Afghanistan in protest over the ruling Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls’ education and employment, Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement Thursday. The teams were scheduled to play three One Day International

By Aya Elamroussi and David Close, CNN Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin has been discharged from a Buffalo medical center, his club said Wednesday, after more than a week of hospitalization due to a cardiac arrest he suffered during a “Monday Night Football” game this month. The 24-year-old Bills safety had been showing signs of

By Wayne Sterling, CNN The free-agent saga surrounding shortstop Carlos Correa has finally come to an end. The coveted World Series winner signed a six-year guaranteed contract to return to the Minnesota Twins, the MLB team announced Wednesday. The deal is reportedly worth $200 million, according to the salary tracking website Spotrac. Minnesota is the

By Will Rogan, CNN Atlético Madrid and Portugal forward João Félix has joined Chelsea on loan until the end of the 2022/23 season, the English Premier League side announced on Wednesday. “Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives, so I am very,

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN JJ Watt was in a flood of tears after being shown an emotional tribute video of family and NFL stars like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers ahead of his final NFL game. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year played the final game of an illustrious

By Ben Morse, CNN The Miami Heat set a new NBA record for perfection on Tuesday night, not missing a free throw during their win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at FTX Arena. The Heat went 40/40 from the free throw line in the 112-111 victory, with Jimmy Butler leading the way, remarkably not missing