(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Cleveland 117, San Antonio 115
Portland 134, Brooklyn 127
New Orleans 133, Sacramento 100
Orlando 117, Atlanta 110
Dallas 115, Minnesota 108
Denver 131, Detroit 114
Memphis 121, Phoenix 115
Toronto 133, Golden State 118
LA Lakers 106, LA Clippers 103
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Washington 4, Los Angeles 3
Chicago 4, Calgary 3
Winnipeg 6, Arizona 2
Detroit 3, Anaheim 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Cincinnati 31, Cleveland 14
Detroit 30, Minnesota 20
NY Jets 17, New England 3
New Orleans 48, Atlanta 17
Tampa Bay 9, Carolina 0
Tennessee 28, Jacksonville 20
Dallas 38, Washington 10
Green Bay 17, Chicago 9
Kansas City 13, LA Chargers 12
LA Rams 21, San Francisco 20
Las Vegas 27, Denver 14
NY Giants 27, Philadelphia 10
Seattle 21, Arizona 20
Buffalo 21, Miami 14
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Milwaukee 125, San Antonio 121
Denver 130, Golden State 127
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Florida 4, Vegas 1
Detroit 4, Los Angeles 3 (SO)
Winnipeg 2 San Jose 1
NY Rangers 4, Chicago 1
Buffalo 6, Montreal 1
Pittsburgh 6, Boston 5
Columbus 3, Philadelphia 2 (SO)
St. Louis 2, Vancouver 1
Tampa Bay 4, Minnesota 1
Calgary 6, Nashville 3
Colorado 5 Dallas 4 (OT)
NY Islanders 5, Arizona 1
Seattle 4, Ottawa 1
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Arizona 97, Colorado 50
Memphis 78, Tulsa 75
James Madison 68, Louisiana-Lafayette 61
Gonzaga 86, Pepperdine 60
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Sacramento 138, Orlando 135 (OT)
Cleveland 140, Washington 101
Indiana 142, Milwaukee 130
Atlanta 141, Oklahoma City 138
New Orleans 117, Minnesota 106
Toronto 116, Memphis 111
Houston 112, Brooklyn 101
New York 116, Chicago 100
Dallas 126, Portland 97
LA Clippers 131, Phoenix 122
Utah 154, Detroit 148 (OT)
Miami 110, LA Lakers 96
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
New Jersey 6, Washington 3
Toronto 2, Anaheim 1 (OT)
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Miami 95, Clemson 82
Seton Hall 61, Providence 57
Former Houston Texans linebacker Christian Kirksey (left) with the 2022 Coyotes senior captain Justyn Rendon in Uvalde, Texas. (Houston Texans)
(UVALDE, Texas) — Roland Ramirez was shocked when he saw the headlines coming out of his hometown, Uvalde, Texas. As director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer for the NFL’s Houston Texans, Ramirez was living across the state when he learned that 19 children and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School.
Ramirez told ABC News that he knew some of the victims’ families, and that a former classmate’s daughter was injured in the shooting and underwent difficult surgeries. He wanted to help, and, almost immediately, Ramirez would feel the full support of his NFL affiliation.
“When tragedy struck his hometown in May 2022, our players immediately started gathering money to support the grieving community in honor of Roland. They raised $200,000 and, in support of their generosity, we matched their gift,” said Hannah McNair, vice president of the Houston Texans Foundation. “That was really what started the special relationship we have with the team and the entire Uvalde community.”
In a season where the players faced extreme adversity, Ramirez was able to be the connective tissue introducing the Houston Texans into the small, rural community of Uvalde. The Texans met student-athletes and gave back to the youth athletic programs, but he would soon learn the impact extended beyond the high school players.
Former Texans linebacker Christian Kirksey told ABC News, “They look at us as superheroes, but I looked at them. Sometimes during football, we get so caught up in wins and losses, who didn’t score this many points or who didn’t, you know, make these tackles, and you look at life, and life still goes on, and people still have things going on in life.”
Kirksey said he was inspired by the Coyotes, Uvalde High School’s football team, when he visited Uvalde — three months after the shooting — with the Texans’ owners, some coaches and players. He stayed in touch with Coyotes senior captain Justyn Rendon, offering support throughout the season. Rendon was selected among his peers to represent the jersey No. 21, honoring the 21 victims of the tragedy.
In continued support, Kirksey also gifted the team new custom Nikes in their school colors: maroon and gray.
“As a high school kid, you know, taking me back to when I was in high school, you always want to have a fresh pair of kicks,” said Kirksey.
As the 2022 season unfolded, a plethora of surprises were planned for the Coyotes program, including the Texans outfitting the team with new uniforms and cleats, inviting the student-athletes to the Texans season opener and, during that game, wearing “Uvalde Strong” decals on their helmets in solidarity, among others.
The Texans also nominated Coyotes coach Wade Miller for one of the highest high school coaching awards.
“Coach Miller exemplifies the best in high school coaching,” said McNair. “We nominated him for the NFL’s High School Coach of the Year Award in 2022 because he led and continues to lead the team with the highest character and integrity.”
The Texans gave Coach Miller and Justyn Rendon tickets to the Super Bowl in February. It was a trip of a lifetime for both of them.
Football, in Texas, became a rallying point amid a community immersed in grief.
“They fought together, … and for them to be able to at least enjoy some Friday nights, enjoy some football games and do things like that that are out of the norm each and every day. I hope those players will always carry some pride with him knowing that they help that community and help each one of those families that were suffering,” said Ramirez.
“21: Loyal and True,” from ABC News and ESPN Films, follows the 2022 season of the Uvalde Coyotes High School football team in the aftermath of tragedy. It premieres Jan. 3 on ESPN+, then streams on ABC News Live starting on Jan. 5.
The Uvalde High School Coyotes played and won their first home game of the season in Uvalde, Texas, Sept. 2, 2022. (Kat Caulderwood/ABC News)
(UVALDE, Texas) — From the roar of the crowd to the hot summer air, this football stadium could be any Texas town on a Friday night.
But this is a Friday night in Uvalde.
Uvalde’s Honey Bowl Stadium is just 2.4 miles from Robb Elementary School, where 19 children and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting on May 24, 2022, that shook the nation.
After the tragedy, the Uvalde High School football program helped uplift its grief-stricken community.
The team had a 2-8 record in 2021. But when the 2022 season started three months after the shooting, the Uvalde Coyotes games gave the community a reason to smile.
Supporters packed the stands and erupted in cheers as the players ran out onto the field each weekend, bringing happiness to those desperately seeking solace from their grief, anxiety and anger.
Heading into the season, senior linebacker Justyn Rendon said he was excited to help “bring the joy back to this town.”
“It’s gonna mean a lot more. … It’s gonna be very emotional, very exciting,” he said. “And hopefully those little kids get to come out and watch us win. And that they don’t have to feel scared, or have to be sad, but they get to feel the joy of being around their friends, their families.”
Rendon said nearly everyone in Uvalde was impacted by the massacre, including those on the football team.
One player lost his sister.
Rendon’s neighbor, bubbly 10-year-old Tess Mata, was killed.
“She was our light. She was our joy,” said Tess’ mom, Veronica Mata.
Rendon’s youngest brother was at Robb that day.
In honor of the 21 lives lost at Robb, the football players decided to start a new tradition, bestowing the No. 21 jersey to one deserving senior whose character made him a role model.
Rendon was selected by his peers for the inaugural 2022 season.
“It was an honor,” Rendon said.
But he added, “I felt a lot of pressure. … Running out on that field every Friday night and representing that number, it’s a big deal. It’s a lot of emotion at one time, especially for someone my age.”
“At the beginning I was a little skeptical [of the jersey number], because I didn’t want to take away from the tragedy,” said Justyn’s dad, Eluterio Rendon. “But I also know that the community has to begin to heal.”
Veronica Mata supported it, saying Justyn Rendon “represented our kids to the fullest.”
Football was not only an outlet for the community, but also for the players.
Practice became “like a therapy,” Justyn Rendon said. “Everybody didn’t have to feel the sadness and the sorrow. They just were able to feel the comfort of the family that we have.”
“We didn’t want to put all this [pressure] on Justyn ’cause he’s [No.] 21,” added wide receiver Jarrett Hernandez.
So many of the team seniors came together to shoulder the weight.
Head coach Wade Miller commended the teens for the maturity and compassion they showed throughout the season’s uncharted waters.
“I don’t know how many kids would’ve handled it the way these guys have,” he said.
“Winning football games keeps me employed,” Miller said. “But to me, my job is to make sure that these guys [become] good husbands and fathers and citizens.”
After a losing 2021 season, the Coyotes racked up a mix of wins and losses in 2022.
Pushing through a maze of overwhelming emotions, the resilient Uvalde Coyotes finished their transformative year 5-5 and made it to the playoffs, where they lost in the first game.
“It’s nice to know that you’ve taken what is, quite possibly, one of the bottom 10 teams in the region, and you got ’em in the playoffs the next year,” Miller said. “As we get better and as this program grows — and I have no doubt it will grow and get better — you can look back at this football season and [these seniors] as leaders. They’re the building blocks.”
It was the way they led with grace and united the community that made it a winning season, their coaches said.
“They took the time to honor our kids and honor our two teachers every chance that they had when they were out on that field,” said Veronica Mata. “I’m proud of them. We really appreciate everything that they did for us.”
After the 2022 season concluded, the team, including seniors ready to move on to their next chapters, gathered one last time to clean out their lockers.
“To say that we’re proud of you would be an understatement,” Miller told the players in the locker room. “You guys have done things that’ve gone way beyond football.”
“21: Loyal and True,” from ABC News and ESPN Films, follows the 2022 season of the Uvalde Coyotes High School football team in the aftermath of tragedy. It premieres Jan. 3 on ESPN+, then streams on ABC News Live starting on Jan. 5.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Philadelphia 110, Chicago 97
New Orleans 112, Brooklyn 85
Oklahoma City 127, Boston 123
Memphis 106, San Antonio 98
Charlotte 111, Sacramento 104
Golden State 121, Orlando 115
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Detroit 5, San Jose 3
Toronto 3, Los Angeles 0
Boston 4, Columbus 1
Carolina 6, NY Rangers 1
Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3
Winnipeg 4, Tampa Bay 2
Calgary 3, Minnesota 1
Nashville 3, Chicago 0
Montreal 4, Dallas 3
Edmonton 5, Philadelphia 2
Colorado 5, NY Islanders 4 (OT)
Florida 4, Arizona 1
Vancouver 6, Ottawa 3
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Purdue 67, Maryland 53
UConn 85, DePaul 56
Tennessee 87, Norfolk St. 50
North Carolina 70, Pittsburgh 57
Illinois 96, Northwestern 66
Colorado St. 76, New Mexico 68
Duke 86, Syracuse 66
FAU 79, East Carolina 64
Baylor 98, Cornell 79
Wisconsin 83, Iowa 72
Auburn 88, Penn 68
(NEW YORK) — LeBron James turned 39 on Saturday, and he continues to dominate in the NBA while being the oldest current player — and shows no signs of slowing down.
According to James, the key to success is consistency.
In a 2018 interview with author and podcaster Tim Ferriss, James said he’s “very consistent with training my body, rehabbing my body, eating, having my body be very clean throughout this journey because I’ve always wanted to have a long career, or as long as I could be in this space.”
A 2020 study done on the effects of age and the performance of athletes in the NBA found that players over 30 covered much less distance during games compared to younger players.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward ranked ninth in minutes played per game in the 2022-23 season despite being the oldest player in the league. He is currently ranked 38th in average minutes per game this season. The average age of the players ranked above James this season is more than a decade younger than him.
And in February 2023, James set the record for most career points in NBA history, toppling Hall of Famer and fellow Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Experts say James’ consistency and dedication to nutrition, sleep and mental health are working to his advantage. According to nutritionists and fitness experts, anyone can benefit from some of James’ most-discussed health practices.
Here are tips from experts:
Focus on nutrition and fitness
LeBron told Ferriss he keeps his diet as “clean as possible throughout the season when I’m burning so much and trying to get the recovery back,” and tries to stay away from “artificial drinks, artificial sugars and fried foods” year-round.
Studies suggest that a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins can help people live longer.
Kate Patton, a sports nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic, compared the human body to a sports car to explain that to get longevity, “you need more expensive gas,” and for the body, that is “nutrient-dense food.”
For someone looking to improve their diet, she said eating more whole foods and “less processed foods” is very important to encourage muscle recovery and decrease oxidative stress on the body.
Things that are “nutrition powerhouses” such as whole grains, vegetables and beans should be a priority, Patton said.
“Ninety percent of any fitness goal is having the correct nutrition for your body type and goals,” Justin Bauer, a Cleveland, Ohio-based health and fitness coach, said, adding that “prioritizing nutrition will ensure that you’re getting the full benefit of your workouts.”
Experts say anyone can highlight nutrition and fitness in enjoyable ways. Doing what you enjoy both for nutrition and fitness is the best way to see results, Bauer added.
Prioritize sleep
James prioritizes sleep and gets between 8-9 hours a night, sometimes even 10, and has called it self-care. James uses sleep techniques such as keeping his room between 68-70 degrees, having a completely dark room and cutting out distractions, his trainer, Mike Mancias, told Ferriss in 2018.
Dr. Upneet Chawla, a sleep medicine specialist in the greater Chicago area, cited an American Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study from 2021 that showed poor sleep can negatively affect mental health and increase risk of injury in NBA athletes.
Adequate sleep allows for the body to recover “physically and emotionally” so that you’re ready to take on the next day at the “highest level,” James has said.
“Don’t sleep on sleep, make it a priority,” Chawla said, and suggested sleeping in a dark, cool room, which helps increase the sleep hormone melatonin.
Chawla also suggested sticking to a regular sleep-wake schedule during the week and weekends, and getting 7-8 hours of sleep consistently. Many studies have linked good quality sleep with improved health, she added.
Poor mental health can impact your physical health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
For James, protecting his mental energy is important. When he experiences a loss, he doesn’t “dwell on that loss,” but rather tries to “learn from that defeat” and finds ways to learn and improve, he said. He also talks in his 2018 interview with Ferriss about patience with his teammates, family and himself, and the importance of communication and understanding others’ mindsets.
Studies suggest poor mental well-being can weaken the immune system and cause an imbalance between the fight-or-flight and rest systems, which has been associated with heart disease and diabetes.
Kanithra Sekaran, M.D., is an internal medicine resident physician at MetroHealth Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Toronto 132, Washington 102
Philadelphia 112, Orlando 92
Milwaukee 144, Brooklyn 122
Phoenix 129, Houston 113
Oklahoma City 129, New York 120
Cleveland 113, Dallas 110
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
NY Rangers 5, Washington 1
Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2
New Jersey 4, Columbus 3
Ottawa 4, Toronto 2
Boston 4, Buffalo 1
Pittsburgh 7, N-Y Islanders 0
Minnesota 6, Detroit 3
St. Louis 2, Dallas 1
Carolina 5, Nashville 2
Chicago 2, Winnipeg 1
Arizona 5, Colorado 4
Seattle 2, Calgary 1
Anaheim 5, Vegas 2
Los Angeles 5, San Jose 1
TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Virginia Tech 41, Tulane 20
Southern Cal 42, Louisville 28
Oklahoma St. 31, Texas A&M 23
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York 129, Milwaukee 122
Denver 120, Golden State 114
Boston 126, LA Lakers 115
Miami 119, Philadelphia 113
Dallas 128, Phoenix 114
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Las Vegas 20, Kansas City 14
Philadelphia 33, NY Giants 25
Baltimore 33, San Francisco 19
