Caitlyn Holroyd

Rams expected to have big fan turnout for wild-card game in Arizona

For Victor Wembanyama, being back in his home country of France this week for the NBA Paris Games carries a lot of significance."There are a lot of emotions, seeing familiar people, whether from the club or even from the city," he said, according to The Athletic's Joe Vardon. "It's a bit like two worlds meeting. It's special, you don't expect that in a career. It's a bit my way of making people happy who will never have the opportunity to go to the United States. It's very important to me. We've only been here for a few hours, but it's already incredible."The San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers will meet Thursday and Saturday at Accor Arena, marking the first time that the NBA has played two regular-season games in Paris in the same campaign. Wembanyama expects it to be an emotional two nights."We'll see how it goes, but there are a lot of emotions," he said. "Playing in front of the French public, it galvanizes me, but there's no reason to overdo it. I know that the public will be there and noisy. It's certainly a strength that I will be able to use, but it will only be a bonus."

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledges he's surprised by how well his first season with the team has played out so far.Atkinson told reporters Monday that after going winless in the preseason, he never could've predicted the Cavs would own the best record in the NBA at the midpoint of the season."After the preseason we had, I was wondering, like, 'Oh, my gosh, are we (in trouble?),'" Atkinson said, via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. "Seriously, that's how we think as coaches. 'Remember how bad we were in preseason?'"Atkinson recalled how concerned he was before the final exhibition game in October against the Bulls."I think even the Chicago game, we tried to play our guys - our main guys - just to try to get a win to get us some confidence," he said. "So if you would've told me after that game we were gonna (have the best record), I thought it was going to be a fight, a struggle."Obviously we wanted to improve, but there were no signs, right? I knew we had a good training camp, and I knew we were working, but there was no confidence that this thing was gonna go this way ... ultimate surprise, really."It didn't take the Cavs long to turn things around, starting the regular season with a 15-0 streak. They currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings at 36-6 with a 6.5-game lead over the second-place Boston Celtics.

McCollum: 'I'll be able to shoot when I'm 40'

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is among those who don't want to see the Kansas City Chiefs go on another Super Bowl run.

Lonzo: Clippers' new arena has best away locker room I've been in

Nick Saban has some regrets about his decision in 2004 to leave LSU to become head coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Kevin Durant still feels at the top of his game.The Phoenix Suns star shot down the notion of being burnt out in an interview with Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill, saying he's different from other players his age."I ain't a regular 36-year-old," Durant said. "I condition my mind, my body, to be a pro. So what else am I gonna do? Burn out?"How many people playing at this level at my age? So you can't compare me to anybody who've burnt out. It could happen, but does it look like it right now?"Durant has shown no signs of slowing down, averaging 27.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game this season while shooting 52.3% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point range.The 17-year veteran is in his second full campaign with the Suns and is under contract with the team through the 2025-26 season.

A racket Roger Federer used during his 2004 Wimbledon win and later signed for longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is up for auction.The racket, which is being sold through Prestige Memorabilia, is confirmed to be the one used by Federer to clinch the championship point against Andy Roddick and claim his second Wimbledon title. It's the first photo-matched racket from one of Federer's Grand Slam victories to ever be auctioned off, according to the auction house.The Swiss tennis legend autographed the side of the racket for Wintour and her daughter, Bee Shaffer, writing, "To Anna and Bee." Prestige MemorabiliaFederer won a record eight Wimbledon titles over the course of his career, with his last coming in 2017. He retired from tennis in 2022.Bidding on the racket runs until Feb. 9 and it's believed that the final bid could surpass $100,000, according to TMZ Sports.The current record for a racket sold at auction belongs to Rafael Nadal's 2022 Australian Open racket, which fetched $139,700.

Travis Kelce had a lot of fans in the U.K. rooting for him this season.The Kansas City Chiefs tight end led all NFL players in jersey sales in the U.K. for 2024, according to a list released Thursday by the league.Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love came in at No. 2, with Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rounding out the top five.Kelce's brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, also landed on the list at No. 7. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NFL UK (@nfluk)The Chiefs have played games in London, Mexico, and Germany as part of the NFL International Series but didn't leave U.S. soil this season.Travis Kelce caught 97 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season while helping lead the defending Super Bowl champions to a 15-2 record.