I Dig Sports
KD shrugs off trade talk: 'Part of the business'
PHOENIX -- Kevin Durant is still with the Phoenix Suns and ready to get back on the court after last week's eventful trade deadline full of speculation that the franchise was open to dealing the 15-time All-Star.
"It's just part of the business," Durant told reporters at practice Monday. "Everybody's bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for auction, so I understand that. It's just about getting back on the court and trying to go out and play the game that I love.
"It's part of the business though -- we've all got to understand that."
The Suns ended up having a relatively quiet trade deadline, dealing disgruntled center Jusuf Nurkic to the Charlotte Hornets but keeping the rest of their core intact. The team's big three of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal is still together as the franchise tries to gain ground in the standings.
Phoenix entered Monday night with a 26-26 record and tied with the Sacramento Kings for ninth place in the Western Conference.
Durant and Beal were the subject of rampant trade rumors before last week's deadline. Phoenix general manager James Jones didn't offer many clues to how seriously he considered moving either player when asked Friday.
"It always gets noisy when you're not winning," Jones said. "And we're not winning."
The 36-year-old Durant has sat out the past three games because of a sprained ankle but hopes to return for Tuesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Suns are just 2-11 this season when the 6-foot-11 forward is out of the lineup.
Durant is still one of the game's elite scorers, averaging nearly 26.9 points on 52.4% shooting. The veteran is under contract with the Suns next season and said his goal has always been to play out his deal.
"It's not a bad thing that people around the league want me to play for them," Durant said. "It's not a bad thing my organization here is fighting off people to keep me on the team or even dangle me in a trade.
"It's part of being in high demand."
Doncic upgraded to probable for game vs. Jazz
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic was upgraded from questionable to probable for Monday night's home game against the Utah Jazz.
Doncic's much-anticipated debut since last week's stunning trade has been delayed as he rehabs from a left calf strain. Doncic last played on Dec. 25 and had been targeting a return before the All-Star break.
The Lakers, who are taking a five-game winning streak into the matchup with Utah, will be giving away Doncic's No. 77 jerseys at the arena. Doncic also announced Monday that his foundation will be donating $500,000 to help recovery efforts from the wildfires that ravaged L.A. last month.
A message from @luka7doncic to Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/fhoa30nIjY
Luka Dončić Foundation (@LD77Foundation) February 10, 2025
Dalton Knecht, whom the Lakers sent to Charlotte as part of the Mark Williams trade that has since been rescinded, was also upgraded to probable for Monday night. Cam Reddish, who was also part of that trade, is listed as out due to personal reasons.
LeBron James is listed as probable with a left forearm strain.
Panel rules for Lore, A-Rod in Timberwolves sale
In a split decision announced Monday, a three-person arbitration panel has sided with prospective Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez in a sales contract dispute against current owner Glen Taylor, allowing them to continue the process to become the majority ownership group.
The ruling sets up a high-stakes vote among fellow NBA owners to decide control of the franchise. The board of governors vote is expected to be timed with the close of sale and final payments.
The arbitrators determined Taylor had violated terms of the sales agreement when he announced last March 28 that Lore and Rodriguez had missed a deadline for a $600 million payment that would've secured an 80% majority control of the teams. Taylor had agreed to sell to Lore and Rodriguez in 2021 for a $1.5 billion valuation with the purchase coming in three steps.
Lore and Rodriguez disputed Taylor's interpretation of the contract and believed they had the right to a 90-day extension, and the matter went to arbitration, which took place in a weeklong hearing in November. The investors had already bought about 36% of the team for more than $500 million in two previous transactions.
In documents since submitted to the NBA league office, Lore and Rodriguez showed they have raised an additional $950 million and placed it in an escrow account and are ready to finish the purchase and operate the teams, sources told ESPN. To help fund the deal, they have added billionaire former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt as partners, among others.
However, no team can change hands until at least 23 of the 30 current governors approve a transfer. Usually a formality, this vital step would require the NBA's board of governors to weigh the unprecedented question of whether to approve a sale if the incumbent owner is against it.
Knowing this showdown was possibly coming, Lore and Rodriguez have met with dozens of team owners in recent months in an attempt to win support in the event of a vote, sources told ESPN. Taylor, meanwhile, has been a majority owner since 1994, has a long-standing relationship with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and is a past chairman of the board of governors.
"We are extremely pleased with today's decision," Lore and Rodriguez said in a statement. "We look forward to working with the NBA to complete the approval process and close this transaction so that we can turn our attention to winning championships in Minnesota for our incredible fans and the Twin Cities community."
In his statement, Taylor did not make it clear whether he would continue to fight a sale.
"[Wife] Becky and I were disappointed by this 2-1 decision by the panel," Taylor said. "We will review this decision thoroughly prior to making any further comment."
The $1.5 billion price that Taylor agreed to sell the team for in 2021 would now be considered below market value. Four teams have changed controlling shares and reset the market since then.
In 2023, the Phoenix Suns sold for $4 billion, and in 2024 the Dallas Mavericks sold for $3.5 billion. Closer in market size to the Wolves, the Charlotte Hornets sold in 2023 for $3 billion, and a co-controlling share of the Milwaukee Bucks sold in 2023 for a $3.5 billion valuation.
Taylor has twice before put the Wolves up for sale only to change his mind and withdraw them from the market. When announcing he was pulling his team off the market last year, Taylor didn't cite the valuation changes but instead the positive direction of the team.
"We've got a really good team, we've got a lot of good things going for us, I enjoy it and I'm healthy enough to do this," Taylor told The Associated Press. "I don't need the money, so I think I'll just keep running it and enjoy it."
CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds will wear a No. 14 patch on the sleeve of their jersey this season to honor hometown star and career hits leader Pete Rose, the team announced Monday.
The Reds posted a photo of the patch on X with the message "14 on our side all season" and a heart emoji.
Rose, who died in September 2024 at the age of 83, played 19 of his 24 major league seasons with the Reds. He finished his playing career in 1986 with 4,256 hits.
The player known as "Charlie Hustle" was a 17-time All-Star and member of three World Series championship teams. He was National League MVP in 1973, and he won three batting titles and two Gold Gloves.
He also was a polarizing figure. Rose was found to have wagered on baseball, which prompted Major League Baseball to banish him in 1989. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame adopted a rule making people on MLB's permanently ineligible list barred from consideration for election to the Hall.
Exec Zaidi returns to Dodgers as special adviser
The Los Angeles Dodgers have hired Farhan Zaidi, the former president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, to their front office as a special adviser, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reports.
Zaidi will also assist Dodgers owner and chairman Mark Walker in Walker's other sports ventures.
Zaidi was fired by the Giants last September. He took over in San Francisco in 2019 and during his tenure, the Giants didn't have a winning record in five of six seasons. The lone exception was 2021 when San Francisco won 107 games to finish first in the National League West but lost to the Dodgers in a five-game NL Division Series.
Zaidi was hired by the Giants after spending four years with the Dodgers as the team's general manager, working under L.A. president Andrew Friedman.
Before that, Zaidi worked for the Oakland Athletics as an assistant general manager.
CC to have Yanks logo in HOF; Astros for Wagner
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- CC Sabathia will have a New York Yankees logo on the cap of his Hall of Fame plaque and Billy Wagner will have the symbol of the Houston Astros.
The hall announced the decisions Monday for all five of this year's inductees. Ichiro Suzuki will have the cap of the Seattle Mariners, Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Dick Allen of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Players and their families give input on the choices to the hall, which makes the final decisions.
Inductees could make the pick through the 2001 induction, and the hall took over the decision ahead of the 2002 vote. The change followed reports in 1999 that Tampa Bay offered to compensate the newly retired Wade Boggs if his plaque bore a Devil Rays logo. Boggs was inducted in 2005 and his plaque has a Boston Red Sox logo.
Sabathia spent the last 11 seasons of a 19-year big league career with the Yankees (2009-19) after pitching for Cleveland (2001-08) and Milwaukee (2008).
Suzuki played for the Mariners in 14 of 19 seasons (2001-12, 2018-19) and also for the Yankees (2012-14) and Miami (2015-17).
Wagner pitched for Houston for his first nine seasons (1995-2003), then played for Philadelphia (2004-05), the New York Mets (2006-09), Boston (2009) and Atlanta (2010).
Parker spent his first 11 seasons with Pittsburgh (1973-83), then played for Cincinnati (1984-87), Oakland (1988-89), Milwaukee (1990), California (1991) and Toronto (1991).
Allen played for the Phillies in nine seasons (1963-69, 1975-76) while also spending time with St. Louis (1970), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), Chicago White Sox (1972-74) and Oakland (1977).
Inductions will take place July 27. Plaques include an image of the person and list of accomplishments in about 90 words, including each team a person played for or managed.
O'Mahony thanks Murrayfield for 'complimentary' boos
Peter O'Mahony says being booed by Scottish fans was "one of the biggest compliments of my career" after he helped Ireland to a resounding Six Nations win at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Having been left out of the squad for Ireland's win over England, the Munster flanker returned to the Irish pack for a dominant victory in Edinburgh that keeps Simon Easterby's side on track for a third straight title.
And the 35-year-old was wholly unperturbed by the boos that greeted him as he exited the field while being replaced early in the second half.
"I don't know what it is," he told reporters on Sunday when asked why he relishes facing Scotland.
"It's competitive. Look, we've had the Glasgow thing [with Munster] for a long time. Every time it's a battle.
"I think someone said I got a fairly savage boo when I came off, potentially one of the biggest compliments of my career, in 111 Test matches, so thanks Murrayfield, I appreciate it."
When asked if he heard the boos at the time, O'Mahony - who also thanked Scottish fans in an Instagram post on Monday - added: "No, I didn't, but I'll take it."
O'Mahony has been one of the chief protagonists in Ireland and Scotland's rivalry in recent years and was at the centre of a fiery World Cup encounter in Paris in 2023.
He did not start any of Ireland's autumn Tests in November and said he "loved" his return to the team on Sunday as the Six Nations holders secured an 11th straight win over Scotland.
"I'm a broken record saying it's a huge honour to be picked for Ireland, but I loved that today I have to say, loved it," said the former Ireland captain.
"I thought we had a really good first half, first 10-15 minutes we spoke about our start. After the second half we felt like we were all over them so I enjoyed that."
A battle-hardened Test centurion with five Six Nations titles to his name, O'Mahony also knew better than to big up Ireland's chances with three games still remaining.
After visiting Wales on 22 February, Ireland host pre-tournament favourites France in Dublin on 8 March before finishing the campaign away to Italy a week later.
"Of course we know what's at stake," he said.
"As I spoke about [earlier], you get ahead of things and something goes wrong.
"We'll have an evening off and a few days off, then back in the camp and we've a big lead into another big game against Wales."
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. Cory Hall led all 35 laps of Sundays super late model feature that headlined competition during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.
Hall beat Derek Griffith to the checkered flag by .648 seconds to earn his first victory of the week at the half-mile race track.
Cole Butcher finished third, with Gavan Boschele and Carson Brown completing the top five.
Hunter Wright earned his second pro late model victory of the week, while Nickolas Hovey topped the 602 modified main event.
Cody Strickler won the Florida modified feature.
The finish:
Cory Hall, Derek Griffith, Cole Butcher, Gavan Boschele, Carson Brown, Conner Jones, Michael Hinde, George Phillips, Jake Finch, Paul Shafer Jr., Billy VanMeter, Max Reaves, Nicholas Naugle, Brad May, Derek Kraus, Bobby Kendall, Mike Hopkins, Austin Teras, Austin Nason, Kyle Steckly, Jeremy Davis, Chas Pinssoneault, Ty Fredrickson, Derrick Kelley, Dawson Sutton, Kasey Kleyn, Steve Weaver Jr., Gabe Sommers, Bubba Pollard, William Sawalich.
DETROIT The 2025 Blazer EV SS will pace the 67th Daytona at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway on Feb. 16, Chevrolet announced Monday.
The Blazer EV SS, set to go on sale later this quarter, is equipped with Wide Open Watts (WOW), which propels the vehicle from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and produces 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft torque. The pace car set for the Daytona 500 is a production vehicle with no performance upgrades and features custom graphics and embedded strobe lighting.
Chevrolet has a long history with racing its in our DNA and the Blazer EV SS is a testament to that, said Scott Bell, vice president of Chevrolet. Were excited for customers to watch the Blazer EV SS the quickest SS weve ever produced pace such an iconic race this weekend.
Were honored to have Chevrolet as a founding partner of Daytona International Speedway, and that the iconic brand chose to feature the all-new Blazer EV SS at the Daytona 500, said DIS track president Frank Kelleher. The Blazer EV SS is surely going to set the pace for another exciting race.
This marks the first time a Blazer has paced The Great American Race, the first time an EV has paced the race and the 16th time Chevrolet has led the Daytona 500 field to green.
Chevrolet will also debut its Blazer EV.R NASCAR Prototype ahead of the Daytona 500. The prototype represents a joint effort between NASCAR and OEM partners, with the intent of exploring new and emerging automotive technologies.
Our Chevrolet V8 engines continue to be an important part of NASCAR. Racing has always been an important platform for Chevrolet to test, learn and explore new technologies, said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president GM Performance & Motorsports.
Chevrolet will also pace the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck races at DIS that weekend.
- Corvette Stingray will be the pace car for the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 on Feb. 15.
- Chevrolet Silverado RST will be the pace vehicle for the Craftsman Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 on Feb. 14.
Chevrolet is extremely proud to be a part of NASCARs season openers by pacing all of the events this year at the famed World Center of Racing, said Campbell. We are privileged to continue our relationship with Daytona International Speedway again in 2025.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. After another stellar season full of wins and championships, TRD, U.S.A. has unveiled this years Toyota Driver Development (TD2) lineup.
Everyone at Toyota and TRD continues to see the value in investing in young drivers and helping them have incredible opportunities to showcase their talent with our partner teams across many different racing disciplines, said Trent Rodriguez, Manager, Driver Development, TRD. We are exceptionally proud of the current group of drivers we are supporting through the TD2 program and are very confident they will continue to deliver on track this season.
The accomplished program continues to spotlight up-and-coming talented drivers. Last year, graduate Christopher Bell finished in the top five of the NASCAR Cup Series point standings for the third straight season. Corey Heim delivered his second straight Championship 4 performance in the Truck Series, while also scoring impressive performances in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. On the dirt track, Cannon McIntosh became the second driver in midget racing history to claim two national midget titles POWRi and Xtreme Midget while coming up just short of the USAC title as well.
This seasons talented TD2 lineup is focused across three motorsports disciplines. Drivers representing Toyota include Jade Avedisian, Brent Crews, Jacob Denney, Tyler Gonzalez, Taylor Gray, Corey Heim, Buddy Kofoid, Cannon McIntosh, Kiko Porto, Isabella Robusto, Gio Ruggiero, William Sawalich, Gresham Wagner and Westin Workman.
Stock Car
Gray, 19, will compete for Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing. The New Mexico native made 13 starts for the team in 2024, with several strong performances including a third place run in his debut at Richmond Raceway and an additional top five at Pocono Raceway in July. Gray also competed full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series with Tricon Garage. In his first full-time season, Gray qualified for the Playoffs and closed the season with four consecutive top 10 finishes, including a runner-up result at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
Sawalich, 18, earned his second straight ARCA Menards Series East championship last season with a clutch performance at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. The Minnesota native won his first Truck Series pole at Talladega in October and picked up his first Xfinity Series pole one month later at the season finale in Phoenix. Sawalich will have a busy 2025 as he competes for Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JGR, while running in select Truck Series races with Tricon and several ARCA Menards Series starts with JGR.
Crews, 16, continued to excel on the track with victories in ARCA, CARS Tour, Super Late Model and Trans Am in 2024. The youngest TA2 champion in series history will continue to have a busy schedule in 2025. Crews joins JGR for a part-time run in the ARCA Menards Series, while also making his Truck Series debut for Tricon. He will also pursue a TA Class championship in Trans Am competition for Nitro Motorsports.
Heim, 22, will return full time to Tricon after back-to-back Championship 4 runs. The Georgia native led the Truck series in wins with six and set the record for the youngest driver in series history with 10 victories. Heim was also impressive in multiple starts for Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, matching the teams best-ever finish of third at Iowa, while also setting the teams best-ever starting position and single race laps led. He will be back behind the wheel of the No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, with additional starts in other NASCAR divisions to be announced at a later date.
Ruggiero, 18, was impressive in his starts across many divisions last season. He picked up a victory at Five Flags Speedway in ARCA East competition, while finishing second on three different occasions in the national ARCA tour. He also had several wins in Super Late Model competition. For 2025, the Massachusetts native is making the jump to full-time competition in the NASCAR Truck Series for Tricon as he looks to claim Rookie of the Year honors.
Robusto, 20, will look to make history as she competes full-time for Venturini Motorsports (VMS) for the 20-race national ARCA Menards Series schedule. Last year, the South Carolina native tied the all-time best finish for a female on the national tour with a runner-up result at Illinois State Fairgrounds before adding a pole at Kansas Speedway in September.
Avedisian, 18, the first female national dirt midget champion, will continue her transition to pavement racing as she competes in the late model ranks for Wilson Motorsports (WMS). In just her second late model start last season, she captured a victory on the final feature night at Hickory Motor Speedway. The California native will also compete in several TA2 races throughout the season as she continues to gain experience on road courses.
Grassroots Dirt
Kofoid, 23, returns to Roth Motorsports for a second consecutive full-time run in World of Outlaws. Powered by Toyotas 410 engine, Kofoid had one of the most impressive runs for a rookie in series history as he captured seven wins, 27 podiums and 53 top-10s on his way to a fourth-place finish in the final point standings.
McIntosh, 22, had an incredibly impressive season becoming the second driver to win two national midget titles POWRI and Xtreme Midget in the same season. McIntosh nearly won all three as he finished second in the final USAC standings, on the strength of three victories, including his first BC39 win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For 2025, McIntosh returns to Keith Kunz Motorsports for national midget competition.
Denney, 20, will be McIntoshs full-time teammate at KKM after achieving a notable victory at Port City Raceway last October with the team on a select schedule. The new Toyota Development Driver is a three-time winner on the national USAC tour and earned his best points finish fifth last season.
Sports Car
Gonzalez, 20, who won the inaugural Toyota GR Cup Series title in 2023, followed that with an impressive run of victories in 2024, including a GT4 win at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For 2025, he joins RAFA Racing Club (RAFA) competing in the GR Supra GT4 in SRO competition in the GT4 class.
Wagner, 27, joins the TD2 program after clinching his first Toyota GR Cup title in 2024 with Copeland Motorsports after an impressive ten-win season. Wagner will be Gonzalezs co-driver in SRO GT4 competition with RAFA in 2025.
Porto, 21, also is a new member to TD2 and will compete in GT4 action in the IMSA series for RAFA this season. Porto, who is a native of Brazil, has previous experience in Formula 4, Indy NXT and the USF Pro 2000 Championship.
Workman, 20, continues with Toyota for the second consecutive season as he will represent TRD partner Endava in the GR Cup for BSI Racing. The North Carolina native finished third in his rookie season of competition on the strength of several podium finishes.
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