(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Boston 5, Colorado 1
Carolina 4, Philadelphia 3 (OT)
Calgary 3, Winnipeg 1
Montreal 5, Toronto 2
Vancouver 5, Seattle 2
TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Baylor 66, Oklahoma St. 64
UCLA 66, Arizona St. 52
Ohio St. 80, Indiana 69
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(CLEVELAND) — Team LeBron and Team Durant were neck and neck throughout Sunday night’s NBA All-Star Game, with the winner being determined in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James hit a one-legged jump shot with just seconds to spare in the game to clinch a 163-160 victory against Kevin Durant’s team.
But James, an Akron, Ohio native, wasn’t the only player to shine in his home state. Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, also born in Akron, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after hitting a record-breaking 16 3-pointers and scoring 50 points.
Watch highlights from the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, which took place in Cleveland, below:
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(NEW YORK) — Erin Jackson made Olympic history in Beijing, becoming the first Black woman to ever win a gold medal in speed skating.
“It was amazing. After I crossed the line, I was like, ‘OK, I at least get a medal, but I came here to win gold. Let’s wait and see,'” she told Good Morning America of the anticipation after her race finished. “It was an amazing rush of emotions.”
Jackson’s individual gold in the 500-meter event comes 20 years after Vonetta Flowers made history as the first Black and African American to notch gold at the Winter Olympics for bobseld. Now, she hopes her story and win will inspire a new generation of athletes.
While Jackson felt “a lot of happiness and relief” post-win, she said there’s “excitement for the future — of Team USA and U.S. Speed skating, but also the winter sports and getting more people to try them.”
The 29-year-old from Ocala, Florida, made Team USA for the 2022 Winter Games with the support from teammate Brittany Bowe, who initially deferred her spot in the individual event after Jackson slipped on the ice and came in third place, one spot shy of what she needed to make the team.
Many American fans and celebrities were quick to celebrate the Olympian online, including an artist whose lyrics became a slogan for the speed skating star.
“I had some shout-outs from Samuel L. Jackson, Viola Davis, Michelle Obama, Gabi Union, Oprah and Gayle [King], a lot of really cool people, Vanilla Ice too,” she said. “At the last Olympics I had ‘ice ice baby on the back of my shirt.'”
Jackson, who catapulted to the top of her sport after coming up short in 2018 trials, said she had “a lot of good training” and explained that “the athletes can’t do it on their own for sure.”
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Friday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Team Barry 25 Team Isiah 20
Final Team Isiah 50 Team Worthy 49
Final Team Barry 50 Team Payton 48
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Carolina 5 Nashville 3
Final Florida 6 Minnesota 2
Final SO Dallas 1 Chicago 0
Final OT Los Angeles 4 Vegas 3
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(PITTSBURGH) — Brian Flores, the former Miami Dolphins head coach who is suing the NFL over discrimination claims, has found a new job with a new team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Saturday that Flores will serve as their senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach next season.
“Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement.
We have named Brian Flores as our senior defensive assistant/linebackers.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 19, 2022
Flores’ attorneys, Douglas H. Wigdor, of Wigdor LLP, and John Elefterakis, of EEP Law, said in a statement on Saturday that his lawsuit against the league will continue.
“We congratulate Coach Flores on his new position with the Steelers and thank Coach Tomlin and the organization for giving him this great opportunity,” the statement said. “While Coach Flores is now focused on his new position, he will continue with his race discrimination class action so that real change can be made in the NFL.”
Flores’ suit contends the league has discriminated against Black coaches for head roles, and cited an experience where he said he was offered an interview for a head coach spot with the New York Giants.
The 40-year-old was fired by the Dolphins last month after back-to-back winning seasons and was interviewing with other teams.
Flores said he texted with his mentor, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, about the upcoming meeting.
Belichick allegedly sent texts congratulating Flores on getting hired by the Giants before the interview took place, according to screenshots of the texts that were included in the lawsuit.
Belichick later allegedly texted back indicating that he’d made a mistake and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was actually getting the job — three days before Flores’ interview, according to the screenshots.
The league has denied any wrongdoing and said in a statement that Flores’ claims were “without merit.”
Flores told ABC News that the league’s response was “slap in the face” because there is only one Black head coach in the NFL –the Steelers’ Tomlin– despite the fact Black players make up 70% of the league.
“There’s a little bit of a fantasy land that would leave them to feel like, you know, these things are without merit,” he told ABC News.
The NFL this week said it hired former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the first Black female attorney general, to help defend itself in the suit.
ABC News’ Stephanie Wash contributed to this report.
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(BEIJING) — After missing the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony due to a positive COVID test, bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor will have her chance to wave the American flag at the closing ceremony on Sunday.
The four-time Olympian was elected by her peers on Team USA to be the closing ceremony flag bearer in Beijing, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced Friday.
She had been elected to be the opening ceremony flag bearer, alongside curler John Shuster, but was unable to participate in the ceremony because she tested positive for COVID shortly after arriving in Beijing and went into isolation. Instead, speedskater Brittany Bowe, who earned the second-highest votes among female athletes, served as flag bearer alongside Shuster.
“I was so honored to be named the Opening Ceremony flag bearer, but after not being able to carry the flag, it’s even more humbling to lead the United States at the Closing Ceremony,” Meyers Taylor said in a statement. “Congratulations to my fellow Team USA athletes on all their success in Beijing – I’m looking forward to carrying the flag with my teammates by my side and closing out these Games.”
Now, Meyers Taylor will have her chance to represent the United States — and this time around, she has some new metal to wear.
Earlier this week, she competed in the first Olympic monobob event, wherein athletes compete by themselves, pushing, driving and breaking a bobsled as a team of one.
Americans dominated in that event, with Kallie Humphries winning gold and Meyers Taylor winning silver. Humphries was competing for the United States in the Olympics for the first time after winning two golds for Canada in the two-person bobsled, so as former rivals, this time she and Meyers Taylor could celebrate together.
That silver adds to Meyers Taylor’s stack of Olympic medals, including a silver from 2018, a silver from 2014 and a bronze from 2010, all in the two-woman competition. She has the opportunity to add one more to that list in the two-woman event in Beijing, which concludes Saturday.
This Olympics has been more dramatic than most as Meyers Taylor had to spend about a week in isolation, which she called “rough.” She had traveled to Beijing along with her husband and young son, who is still nursing, and had to separate from them to isolate.
In order to compete, she had to test negative two times and she managed to do so before the monobob event began but competed without as many practices as other athletes.
“No words … only gratitude,” she wrote on Instagram after taking the monobob silver.
In addition to her athleticism, Meyers Taylor has been recognized for her efforts off the ice. Her son, Nico, has Down syndrome, and she has been an advocate for families of children with special needs, as well as one of the many athletes who continued competing after becoming mothers.
“I knew I wanted to continue and show that it’s possible to overcome any adversity and continue pursuing your goals,” she previously told Good Morning America about the inspiration she gained after giving birth.
Meyers Taylor, who is biracial, has also been an advocate for Black athletes in winter sports.
“My job now, just like any parent, is to ensure my son has a better life than I do,” she wrote in a 2020 piece for Team USA. “Part of that is to do what I can to make a change, such that hopefully he is never judged by the color of his skin. That’s a lofty goal, but an important one to never give up on.”
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 117, Brooklyn 103
Miami111, Charlotte 107 (2OT)
Dallas 125, New Orleans 118
Philadelphia 123, Milwaukee 120
LA Clippers 142, Houston 111
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Ottawa 3, Buffalo 1
Toronto 4, Pittsburgh 1
Washington 5, Philadelphia 3
Montreal3, St. Louis 2 (OT)
Detroit 3, NY Rangers 2 (SO)
NY Islanders 4, Boston 1
Winnipeg 5, Seattle 3
Columbus 7, Chicago 4
Edmonton 7, Anaheim 3
Vancouver 5, San Jose 4 (OT)
TOP 25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Arizona 83, Oregon St. 69
UCLA 76, Washington St. 56
Houston 70, UCF 52
Southern Cal 79, Washington 69
Murray St. 91, Austin Peay 56
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(NEW YORK) — Former athletes reacted online to the results of the women’s figure skating individual event with sympathy for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and frustration with the sporting officials that allowed her to skate.
In an unexpected turn of events, 15-year-old Valieva placed fourth in the event which ended on Thursday after falling several times. Valieva was seen crying after her performance.
The event has been overshadowed by controversy after Valieva tested positive for a banned drug in December, ahead of the Russian Figure Skating Championships.
After ROC skater Anna Shcherbakova finished her program, Team USA members sitting in the arena got up and walked out, before Kamila Valieva took the ice as the last skater in the event, according to ABC’s Alexandra Faul.
Shcherbakova won the gold medal, ROC skater Aleksandra Trusova won the silver medal and Japanese skater Kaori Sakamoto won the bronze medal.
Former figure skater and Olympic bronze medalist Ashley Wagner weighed in on Twitter, criticizing the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to allow Valieva to skate in the event.
“This is a moment where you genuinely have to say- that poor kid. She should not have ever been put in this position. She shouldn’t have been out on that ice, she shouldn’t have been put in a position where she became the face of a problem bigger than her,” Wagner said in a tweet.
Wagner also expressed frustration with Valieva becoming the center of attention of the entire event, overshadowing the other skaters.
Valieva, who was expected to win gold, became the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the winter Olympics during this year’s team event. Medals for the team event have not yet been awarded, pending the results of an investigation that could lead to Valieva’s disqualification from the Olympics.
U.S. Olympian Polina Edmunds also expressed sympathy for Valieva.
“Very traumatizing Olympic experience for Kamila Valieva. She should not have been allowed to compete, it’s devastating that she was put in this situation, on all levels,” Edmunds said on twitter.
Edmunds also criticized the judging system and coaches for their “abuse” of athletes.
“If you’re going to mad at someone, be mad at the judging system. They are the ones that have caused all this. Be mad at coaching team’s that prioritize medals over health, not entire countries. There are many clean athletes who have also suffered from the monopoly of this team,” Edmunds said in another tweet.
In a video he posted on twitter, two-time Olympian figure skater and NBC Olympic Analyst Johnny Weir called the event heartbreaking.
“That was the most bizarre and heartbreaking event I have seen in my entire life and I hope that it is never repeated,” said Weir.
Former American figure skater Adam Rippon weighed in as well, tweeting “What a s*&$ show omg.”
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(BEIJING) — After making several mistakes, including falling, Russian skater Kamila Valieva missed the podium in the women’s figure skating individual event, amid controversy over her testing positive for a banned drug in December.
Valieva, who placed fourth, was last on the ice. She fell several times and was visibly upset after her performance.
Her teammate, Russian skater Anna Shcherbakova, won the gold medal, earning the highest total score, with 255.95. Russian skater Aleksandra Trusova won the silver medal, with a total score of 251.73 and Japanese skater Kaori Sakamoto won bronze medal with a score of 233.13.
The International Testing Agency revealed last week that Valieva, 15, of the Russian Olympic Committee, the gold medal favorite, tested positive for a banned substance in a sample taken in December during the Russian Figure Skating Championships.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Monday that Valieva could compete, despite the news, saying it was because she was a minor and the full appeal process, including the testing of her B sample, had yet to take place.
The question of what will happen to the ROC’s gold in the team event — won with Valieva leading the way — will be determined by the International Skating Union once a full appeal of the test can be conducted, according to the International Testing Agency.
Valieva leads the competition with the highest score out of Tuesday’s short program, earning 82.16. In second place is Anna Shcherbakova of the ROC, scoring 80.20, followed by Kaori Sakamoto of Japan in third place, scoring 79.84.
The gold medal will be awarded to the skater who scores the highest total score, comprised of the combined scores for the short program and the free skate.
Should Valieva be on the podium, as is expected, the IOC said it will not hold a medal ceremony.
Valieva became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump at the Winter Olympics during the team event, and she did so twice. She’s expected to pack her program in Thursday’s free skate with multiple quads as well.
Russian athletes are competing under the name “Russian Olympic Committee” due to the ban against Russia participating in the games, put in place because of a systemic doping program from the 2014 Sochi Games.
This is the second Olympics in a row that Russia has competed under the ROC name. The country is banned from participating in all international sporting events due to the doping allegations.
Russian athletes who could prove they were clean and unconnected to the cover-up were allowed to compete.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(BEIJING) — After making several mistakes, including falling, Russian skater Kamila Valieva missed the podium in the women’s figure skating individual event, amid controversy over her testing positive for a banned drug in December.
Valieva, who placed fourth, was last on the ice. She fell several times during her performance.
Her teammate, Russian skater Anna Shcherbakova, won the gold medal, earning the highest total score, with 255.95.
The International Testing Agency revealed last week that Valieva, 15, of the Russian Olympic Committee, the gold medal favorite, tested positive for a banned substance in a sample taken in December during the Russian Figure Skating Championships.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Monday that Valieva could compete, despite the news, saying it was because she was a minor and the full appeal process, including the testing of her B sample, had yet to take place.
The question of what will happen to the ROC’s gold in the team event — won with Valieva leading the way — will be determined by the International Skating Union once a full appeal of the test can be conducted, according to the International Testing Agency.
Valieva leads the competition with the highest score out of Tuesday’s short program, earning 82.16. In second place is Anna Shcherbakova of the ROC, scoring 80.20, followed by Kaori Sakamoto of Japan in third place, scoring 79.84.
The gold medal will be awarded to the skater who scores the highest total score, comprised of the combined scores for the short program and the free skate.
Should Valieva be on the podium, as is expected, the IOC said it will not hold a medal ceremony.
Valieva became the first female skater to land a quadruple jump at the Winter Olympics during the team event, and she did so twice. She’s expected to pack her program in Thursday’s free skate with multiple quads as well.
Russian athletes are competing under the name “Russian Olympic Committee” due to the ban against Russia participating in the games, put in place because of a systemic doping program from the 2014 Sochi Games.
This is the second Olympics in a row that Russia has competed under the ROC name. The country is banned from participating in all international sporting events due to the doping allegations.
Russian athletes who could prove they were clean and unconnected to the cover-up were allowed to compete.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.