Sports

(NEW YORK) — WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was released from Russian detention in a prisoner swap in December 2022, shared her story for the first time and reflected on the hopelessness she experienced during her monthslong confinement in an exclusive interview that will air May 1 on a special edition of ABC News’ 20/20. ABC’s Good Morning America will have a first look earlier that day.

“I was just so scared for everything because there’s so much unknown,” Griner told GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts.

Griner, 33, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a nine-time WNBA All-Star who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was detained on Feb. 17, 2022, at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Khimki after she was accused of having vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in the country. Griner was returning to Russia to play during the WNBA’s off-season.

“My life is over right here,” Griner said when asked by Roberts what she was thinking when she realized that she had left the cartridges in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges on July 7, 2022, saying that the vape cartridges containing hashish oil were in her luggage unintentionally. She testified that she had “no intention” of breaking Russian law and packed the cartridges by accident.

The U.S. classified Griner’s case as “wrongfully detained” in May 2022 and worked for months to secure her freedom. Throughout the Houston native’s detention, top athletes in the WNBA and NBA rallied for Griner on and off the court, raising awareness about her case through public statements, putting pressure on the Biden White House to secure her release.

Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison. Her attorneys filed an appeal but a judge rejected it on Oct. 25, 2022.

After her sentencing, Griner was transferred to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia.

“The mattress had a huge blood stain on it. I had no soap, no toilet paper. That was the moment where I just felt less than a human,” Griner told Roberts as she reflected on her time in prison.

Griner said in her interview with Roberts that there were times when she thought about ending her life.

“I just didn’t think I could get through what I needed to get through,” she said.

Griner was released on Dec. 8, 2022, in a prisoner exchange. The U.S. agreed to swap Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Since her release, Griner has become an outspoken advocate for other Americans wrongfully detained overseas, including Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich who are imprisoned in Russia.

Griner broke her silence following her release in a heartfelt Instagram post on Dec. 16, 2022, where she thanked those who advocated for her release, including her wife Cherelle Griner and her WNBA family.

Griner announced exclusively to GMA on Feb. 6 that she is set to release a new memoir on May 7 titled, Coming Home — a book that will detail her harrowing incarceration in Russia and subsequent release.

“Coming Home begins in a land where my roots developed and is the diary of my heartaches and regrets,” Griner said in a statement. “But, ultimately, the book is also a story of how my family, my faith, and the support of millions who rallied for my rescue helped me endure a nightmare.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Oakland 2, NY Yankees 0
Detroit 7, Tampa Bay 1
Minnesota 7, Chi White Sox 0
Toronto 5, Kansas City 3
Baltimore 4, LA Angels 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 7, Cincinnati 0
Pittsburgh 4, Milwaukee 2
Atlanta 3, Miami 0
St. Louis 5, Arizona 3
San Diego 3, Colorado 1
San Francisco 5, NY Mets 2

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Denver 101, LA Lakers 99 (Denver leads series 2-0)
Cleveland 96, Orlando 86 (Cleveland leads series 2-0)
New York 104, Philadelphia 101 (New York leads series 2-0)

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Vegas 4, Dallas 3 (Vegas leads series 1-0)
Edmonton 7, Los Angeles 4 (Edmonton leads series 1-0)
Toronto 3, Boston 2 (Series tied 1-1)
Carolina 5, NY Islanders 3 (Carolina leads series 2-0)

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Washington 6, Houston 0
Philadelphia 8, Chi White Sox 2
Cincinnati 3, LA Angels 0
Boston 6, Pittsburgh 1
Colorado 2, Seattle 1
San Diego 6, Toronto 3
Texas 6, Atlanta 4
Seattle 10, Colorado 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees 5, Tampa Bay 4
Cleveland 6, Oakland 2
Detroit 6, Minnesota 1
Baltimore 5, Kansas City 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 2, St. Louis 0
Miami 6, Chi Cubs 3
LA Dodgers 10, NY Mets 0
Arizona 5, San Francisco 3

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Boston 114, Miami 94 (Boston leads series 1-0)
LA Clippers, 109, Dallas 97 (Los Angeles leads series 1-0)
Milwaukee 109, Indiana 94 (Milwaukee leads series 1-0)
Oklahoma City 94, New Orleans 92 (Oklahoma leads series 1-0)

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Vancouver 4, Nashville 2 (Vancouver leads series 1-0))
Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 (Florida leads series 1-0)
NY Rangers 4, Washington 1 (New York leads series 1-0)
Winnipeg 7, Colorado 6 (Winnipeg leads series 1-0)

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Minnesota 3, Charlotte FC 0
LA Galaxy 4, San Jose 3

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 2, LA Angels 1
Cleveland 5, Boston 4
Texas 9, Detroit 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami at Chi Cubs (Postponed)
San Francisco 5, Arizona 0

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Los Angeles 5, Chicago 4 (OT)
Seattle 4, Minnesota 3
Winnipeg 4, Vancouver 2
Calgary 5, San Jose 1
Colorado 5, Edmonton 1
Anaheim 4, Vegas 1

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A college football player from the University of Oregon has been arrested in connection to a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a 46-year-old man, police say.

The Eugene Police Department is investigating 19-year-old University of Oregon defensive back Daylen Amir Austin after a fatal hit-and-run crash took place a W. 4th Avenue and Polk Street in Eugene, Oregon, on Monday night at approximately 9:10 p.m just three miles from the college campus.

“Daylen Amir Austin, age 19, was arrested at 11:45 p.m. on April 15 and has initially been charged with felony Hit and Run,” said the Eugene Police Department in a statement released on Wednesday. “This is a complex investigation and EPD is still gathering information to be submitted to the Lane County District Attorney’s Office for a final charging decision.”

The person struck by the car, confirmed to be a 46-year-old man by police, has not yet been identified and no other details on him have been released.

A hit-and-run with a vehicle is a Class C felony in Oregon and is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Austin appeared in three games as a freshman in 2023, after coming to the University of Oregon from Long Beach Poly High in Southern California where he was ESPN’s No. 142-ranked player in the class of 2023 and the No. 11 player in California, according to ESPN.

The investigation into the circumstances that led up to and caused the accident is currently ongoing.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Atlanta 5, Houston 4
Oakland 6, St. Louis 3
Seattle 5, Cincinnati 1

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 4, Minnesota 2
Texas 5, Detroit 4
Kansas City 4, Chi White Sox 2
NY Yankees 6, Toronto 4
Chi White Sox 2, Kansas City 1
Boston 2, Cleveland 0
LA Angels 5, Tampa Bay 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco 3, Miami 1
Milwaukee 1, San Diego 0
NY Mets 9, Pittsburgh 1
Washington 2, LA Dodgers 0
Chi Cubs 5, Arizona 3
Philadelphia 7, Colorado 6

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Philadelphia 105, Miami 104
Chicago 131, Atlanta 116

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 6, Toronto 4
NY Islanders 5, Pittsburgh 4
Dallas 2 St. Louis 1 (SO)
Arizona 5, Edmonton 2

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A federal appeals court has voted to overturn West Virginia’s law that bans transgender athletes from playing on teams consistent with their gender identity.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling argues that the law violates Title IX, which protects against sex-based discrimination in schools.

The judges argued that the restrictions cannot be lawfully applied to prevent a 13-year-old girl taking puberty-blockers and who has openly identified as a girl for years from participating in sports.

“Offering B.P.J. a ‘choice’ between not participating in sports and participating only on boys teams is no real choice at all,” the opinion stated.

It continued, “The defendants cannot expect that B.P.J. will countermand her social transition, her medical treatment, and all the work she has done with her schools, teachers, and coaches for nearly half her life by introducing herself to teammates, coaches, and even opponents as a boy.”

The defendants in the case — including the West Virginia State Board Of Education and the State Of West Virginia — argued that sports are separated based on the physiological differences of people assigned male or female at birth.

They added that it would not be “strange” for the trans teen to play on a boys team: “Many women and girls throughout West Virginia and the country have long sought to compete on boys’ teams because they desire a higher level of competition,” one court filing from the state read.

It continued: “A girl competing on the boys’ team need not be strange or uncomfortable because it is far from a unique occurrence.”

LGBTQ rights and civil rights advocates applauded the decision from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“This is a tremendous victory for our client, transgender West Virginians, and the freedom of all youth to play as who they are,” said Joshua Block, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project. “It also continues a string of federal courts ruling against bans on the participation of transgender athletes and in favor of their equal participation as the gender they know themselves to be. This case is fundamentally about the equality of transgender youth in our schools and our communities and we’re thankful the Fourth Circuit agreed.”

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed the trans sport ban into law in 2021. It is one of 25 states that restrict transgender participation in sports, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
Seattle 3, Cincinnati 1
Atlanta 6, Houston 2
St. Louis 3, Oakland 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kansas City at Chi White Sox (Postponed)
Detroit 4, Texas 2
Baltimore 11, Minnesota 3
Toronto 5, NY. Yankees 4
Tampa Bay 7, LA Angels 6
Cleveland 10, Boston 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona 12, Chi Cubs 11
LA Dodgers 6, Washington 2
Philadelphia 5, Colorado 0
Miami 6, San Francisco 3
NY Mets 3, Pittsburgh 1
San Diego 6, Milwaukee 3

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Sacramento 118, Golden State 94
LA Lakers 110, New Orleans 106

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Vancouver 4, Calgary 1
Vegas 3, Chicago 1
Columbus 6, Carolina 3
Ottawa 3, Boston 1
Washington 2, Philadelphia 1
Detroit 5, Montreal 4 (SO)
Florida 5, Toronto 2
Winnipeg 4, Seattle 3

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Caitlin Clark, the University of Iowa star, was selected as the first overall pick for the 2024 WNBA draft Monday night by the Indiana Fever in New York that was broadcast on ESPN.

Known for her jaw-dropping 3-pointers and record-breaking scoring, Clark was projected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever prior to the announcement, according to ESPN.

This season alone, Clark, a 22-year-old Iowa native, broke the NCAA all-time scoring record which was untouched for more than 50 years, and became the NCAA women’s basketball career scoring leader.

The Fever has also reported an increase in ticket sales and the league will broadcast 36 of their 40 games this season.

Earlier this year, Clark announced that she planned to forego her last season of college hoops to enter the WNBA draft.

“I’m just kind of ready for the next chapter and a new challenge in my life,” Clark told ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in March. “And what I’ve been able to do here has been very, very special. But I think the reason I decided to announce it when I did was just to have that closure.”

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Sparks selected Cameron Brink as the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. Hailing from Beaverton, Oregon, the 22-year-old became the first women’s basketball player to sign an NIL deal with New Balance in 2023.

Brink broke the program record for career blocks as a junior and won an NCAA championship with Stanford in 2021 under Tara VanDerveer, the winningest coach of all time who also announced her retirement after this season.

Kamilla Cardoso, hailing from Brazil, was the No. 3 overall draft, selected by Chicago Sky.

The 6-foot-7 star began her basketball career at Syracuse and later transferred to South Carolina, where she won two NCAA national championships. After a masterful performance in the NCAA Tournament, the 22-year-old was awarded the most outstanding player in this year’s championship game.

Rickea Jackson, 23, was selected by Los Angeles Spark at No. 4. Hailing from Detroit, Jackson was a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award as Division I’s best small forward while playing for Tennessee, according to the WNBA, and is the fourth-leading scorer in Lady Vol’s program history.

Dallas Wings has selected Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon at No. 5.

Aaliyah Edwards of UConn was the overall 6th pick drafted by the Washington Mystics. The 6-foot-4 forward from Kingston, Ontario, helped UConn to three NCAA Final Four appearances. Edwards was the youngest member of the Canadian women’s national team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to the WNBA.

Angel Reese, the celebrated Baltimore native turned “Bayou Barbie,” was selected at No. 7 by the Chicago Sky. Reese, 21, became a sensation following Louisiana State University’s victory over Iowa in the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball championship.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, “Good Morning America” and ESPN. 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Nike unveiled its 2024 Paris Summer Olympics track uniforms for women and the designs received criticism online from athletes and fans amid claims of sexism.

Concerns were brought up after the image of the designs was posted last week by Citius Magazine on its social platforms, which shows a women’s unitard featuring a high-cut bikini line.

The post led to thousands of comments including some from former U.S. athletes.

Former U.S. track and field athlete Lauren Fleshman posted the image of the men’s and women’s outfit which were dressed on mannequins on her Instagram account, calling out the brand over sexism concerns in her lengthy caption.

“I’m sorry, but show me one WNBA or NWSL team who would enthusiastically support this kit,” she wrote. “This is for Olympic Track and Field. Professional athletes should be able to compete without dedicating brain space to constant pube vigilance or the mental gymnastics of having every vulnerable piece of your body on display.”

She continued, “Women’s kits should be in service to performance, mentally and physically. If this outfit was truly beneficial to physical performance, men would wear it.”

Noting that the design “is not an elite athletic kit,” Fleshman added, “This is a costume born of patriarchal forces that are no longer welcome or needed to get eyes on women’s sports.”

Olympic champion pole vaulter Katie Moon also took the issue to her Instagram account, citing the image of the outfit “shown on the mannequin was concerning, and warranted the response it received.”

In the post, Moon, however, shared that female athletes have “at least 20 different combinations of a uniform to compete in” including men’s options available to them.

“And if you honestly think that on the most important days of our careers we’re choosing what we wear to appease the men watching over what we’re most comfortable and confident in, to execute to the best of our abilities, that’s pretty offensive,” she added.

In a statement to ABC News, Nike said the outfit is one of the “range of styles” that it offers for athletes to choose from. The brand said it “will also have tailoring options available for Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the games.”

Meanwhile, Nike Chief Innovation Officer, John Hoke, said in a press release last week that the brand “designed the Paris 2024 track and field kits to offer athletes a range of silhouettes tailored for various sport disciplines, body types and sizes, prioritizing performance and maximum breathability.”

The USA Track & Field team also issued its own statement to ABC News regarding the Nike uniform reveal, saying the outfits “are only two of many options, including 50 unique pieces, that athletes will be able to choose from for the upcoming Olympic Games.”

“Athlete options and choices were the driving force for USATF in the planning process with Nike,” the statement continued. “USATF is also aware that Nike consulted with athletes throughout the design process to ensure that all athletes are comfortable and that the uniforms are well-suited for their respective events.”

The criticism over Nike’s design for the women’s track uniforms comes less than two months after the brand received a backlash over its league-wide uniform overhaul for Major League Baseball players which some fans and players called the jersey and pants too transparent.

The MLB said in a statement in February that it would work with Nike to have adjustments made to the uniforms and that the league was in “close contact with our Clubs and uniform partners to ensure Clubs have what they need for Opening Day.”

Nike also said in a statement that they would work closely with the MLB and its players.

“The quality and the performance of our product is of the utmost importance to us. We will continue to work with MLB, the players and our manufacturing partner to address player uniforms,” Nike said in a statement at the time.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.