LEBRON JAMES (MIAMI HEAT)
James is the most dominant and scrutinized player in the NBA. A two-time league MVP and seven-time All-Star, he has achieved virtually every individual honor the game has to offer. He won an Olympic gold medal with the US team at Beijing, but the one big thing still missing from his resume is an NBA championship. He made the finals with Cleveland in 2007 and with Miami last season, but nothing less than winning the title this year will satisfy King James.
Photo: Reuters
DIRK NOWITZKI (DALLAS MAVERICKS)
Nowitzki has been a revelation in the NBA since leaving his homeland in Germany to ply his trade in the US. Initially drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, he has spent his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks, leading them to the playoffs in each of the past 11 seasons. In 2007, the power forward was named the NBA’s MVP, becoming the first European to win the award, and last season, he was named MVP in the NBA Finals after leading the Mavericks to their first championship.
Photo: AFP
DERRICK ROSE (CHICAGO BULLS)
Rose upstaged LeBron James last season to win the league’s MVP award, becoming the youngest player to win the coveted prize after averaging 25 points a game. Two years earlier, the points guard was named Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Bulls as the first pick overall in the draft. He led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference finals, but, despite averaging 27.1 points a game during the playoffs, they lost out to the Heat.
Photo: AFP
KOBE BRYANT (LA LAKERS)
One of the most accomplished players the NBA has produced, Bryant has achieved it all. He has won five championships with the Lakers and an Olympic gold medal for the US as well as a string of individual awards, including the MVP in 2008 and the NBA Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010. At 33, he is showing no signs of slowing down, but there are questions about the Lakers after their limp exit from last year’s playoffs.
BLAKE GRIFFIN (LA CLIPPERS)
Griffin was selected as the first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, but missed the entire 2009-2010 season because of injury. He made up for lost time last season, averaging 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds a game, to unanimously win the Rookie of the Year award and establish himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the sport.
SOURCE: REUTERS
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level.” Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not overcome his physical issues. “Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement. “But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.” Axelsen retires as one
Italian soccer is at its lowest ebb in nearly 40 years after a wholesale European exodus at club level followed the nation’s failure for the third successive time to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and compounded a leadership and structural crisis. The exits suffered by Bologna and ACF Fiorentina on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League respectively meant no Italian teams are left in European competition this season. Italy’s last remaining UEFA Champions League contenders, Atalanta BC, went out in the round of 16 last month. It is the first time since the 1986-1987 campaign that Italian clubs
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