6:15 PM ET ESPN staff The 2021 NHL draft is here, and we’re tracking all 224 picks over two days and seven rounds, starting with the Buffalo Sabres‘ selection at No. 1 overall. Follow along live Friday and Saturday for each selection. Plus, Greg Wyshynski will take a closer look at how each first-rounder fits
4:01 PM ET METAIRIE, La. — Replacing Drew Brees just got a whole lot more difficult. New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas is likely to miss the start of the 2021 season after having ankle surgery in June, which means whoever wins the QB battle between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill will be without their
7:51 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers extended a qualifying offer Friday to center Jarrett Allen, making him a restricted free agent. The team had until Aug. 1 to make the offer to Allen, a 23-year-old acquired last season in a trade from Brooklyn and viewed as one of Cleveland’s core pieces. The
8:36 AM ET Associated Press PARIS — The home of the French Open tennis championship will host boxing matches in September, 75 years after French great Marcel Cerdan fought and won there. The French Tennis Federation said Wednesday that French boxer Tony Yoka and other boxers will fight on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros on
11:07 PM ET ESPN staff The news this week that Texas and Oklahoma have expressed interest in joining the SEC shook the foundation of the Big 12 conference and caught many high-ranking officials in college athletics off guard. Now, it has their full attention, as commissioners and athletic directors from coast to coast are preparing
6:39 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Ryan Garcia has resumed training after a sabbatical to address his mental health, and his return fight is already being planned. That comeback bout could come this fall against Joseph Diaz Jr., multiple sources told ESPN. It will be a clash of Mexican Americans from Southern California. The fight, if
5:35 PM ET World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next month’s U.S. Open tune-up event in Toronto, Tennis Canada said on Friday. A four-time champion in Canada, Djokovic is at the Tokyo Olympics where he will try to keep alive his hopes of achieving a ‘Golden Slam’ — victories at all four Grand
6:18 PM BST The British & Irish Lions have issued a complaint to the Irish Independent after one of its columnists, former Ireland forward Neil Francis, made an “offensive” remark about fly-half Marcus Smith’s skin colour. Francis described the Harlequins and England star as having a “David Beckham haircut and an Oompah Loompa tan” during
2:00 PM ET Caitlin Murray It was bad enough that the U.S. women’s national team lost 3-0 to Sweden to open its Tokyo Olympics. But the way the USWNT lost made the result feel somehow worse and more significant. Now, the question USWNT fans will be asking — and that the USWNT players might be
1:22 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State coach Ryan Day thinks that while college football’s highest-profile players will have immense earning opportunities through name, image and likeness, there should be consideration to sharing money among other players. Day, speaking Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium, was asked about Alabama coach Nick Saban’s recent comment that Crimson
4:12 PM ET Spain’s Nacho Elvira ended Day 2 with a two-shot lead over joint overnight leader Vincent Norrman as he carded 67 at the Cazoo Open on Friday. Elvira built upon a superb opening-round 64 to take a solo lead at Celtic Manor. The 34-year-old made six birdies as he set the halfway target
1:24 PM ET As the rest of the powerbrokers in college athletics monitor the unfolding story of Oklahoma and Texas inching closer towards a possible membership in the SEC, new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff told ESPN on Friday that his conference isn’t actively seeking new members, but they’re open to discussions with potential candidates. “I
9:00 AM ET The CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals are upon us, with defending champions Mexico and fellow co-favorites United States navigating some stern tests during group stage action. Joined by Jamaica, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Canada, and invitees Qatar in the knockout round, El Tri and the USMNT will face further challenges if they
Opener Wesley Madhevere top-scored with 73 as Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 23 runs on Friday to keep alive hopes of winning the three-match Twenty20 series. Zimbabwe made 166-6 before bowling Bangladesh out for 143 with one ball remaining in Harare, enabling the hosts to avenge an eight-wicket defeat in the first match on Thursday. It
12:07 PM ET Associated Press EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — South Korean golfer Jeongeun Lee6 tied the men’s and women’s major record for the lowest round when she carded a 10-under-par 61 at the Evian Championship on Friday. Her 36-hole score of 127 is also the lowest total in men’s or women’s major history, beating the 128
10:07 AM BST British & Irish Lions’ assistant coach Robin McBryde has said World Rugby showed a lack of thorough planning after the appointment of South African Marius Jonker as the Television Match Official (TMO) for the first test against the Springboks. Jonker is a late replacement for New Zealander Brendon Pickerill, who did not
Max Verstappen’s crash with Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix cost Red Bull at least $1.8m (£1.3m), team principal Christian Horner says. The figure is more than one percent of the team’s total budget this season, following the introduction of Formula 1’s budget cap at $145m this year. Horner said the loss “has massive
9:51 AM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Known as the Indians since 1915, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team will next be called the Guardians. The ballclub announced the name change Friday with a video on Twitter narrated by actor Tom Hanks, ending months of internal discussions triggered by a national reckoning by institutions and teams