BASKETBALL
Bulls fire head coach
The Chicago Bulls fired Tom Thibodeau as head coach on Thursday, ending a five-year tenure marked by a deteriorating relationship with the front office. The defensive-minded Thibodeau, who had US$9 million remaining on his contract, compiled a strong .647 winning percentage, but his Bulls went 23-28 in five trips to the playoffs. Chicago went 52-32 this past season, finishing second in the Central Division to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who eliminated them from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg is believed to be a leading candidate for the job. Friction between Thibodeau, team president John Paxson and general manager Gar Forman had escalated over the past two seasons. Chicago Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said there had been a breakdown in the team’s “organizational culture.”
BASKETBALL
Thompson recovering: dad
Golden State guard Klay Thompson was recovering well from a blow to the head that caused headaches and vomiting and should be ready for the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, his father has said. Thompson suffered concussion-like symptoms after he received a knee in the head during Golden State’s Western Conference-clinching victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. He had bleeding from a cut to his ear and later vomited, forcing his father Mychal — a former NBA player — to drive him home, though the elder Thompson said his son was recovering well, even if he still needs to pass neurological tests before resuming practice. “He’s looking like his old self, he has a healthy appetite again and that’s always a good sign,” Mychal told the San Jose Mercury News.
ICE HOCKEY
New coach for Sharks
The San Jose Sharks, who failed to make the playoffs this season for the first time since 2003, appointed Peter DeBoer as the franchise’s eighth head coach on Thursday. DeBoer, 46, replaces Todd McLellan, whose departure from the team last month after seven seasons behind the Sharks bench was described as a mutual agreement. “Peter is a well-respected leader who possesses all of the characteristics we were looking for in our next head coach,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. DeBoer was fired by the New Jersey Devils after 36 games last season, his fourth as head coach with the team. In 2012, he guided the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks, who have won six division championships, but have yet to claim a conference title, finished this season 12th in the 14-team Western Conference with a 40-33-9 record.
ICE HOCKEY
Sabres hire Bylsma as coach
Former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma was appointed head coach of the struggling Buffalo Sabres, the team said on Thursday. Bylsma, 44, joins the Sabres after spending six seasons in Pittsburgh where he led the Penguins to the 2009 Stanley Cup and an impressive regular season record of 252-117-32. His career record gives him the best points percentage (.668) of any head coach in the NHL who has worked in that role for at least three full seasons. Pittsburgh qualified for the playoffs in all six seasons under Bylsma’s leadership, winning two division titles and posting the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2012-2013. He was fired as Penguins coach after the 2013-2014 season. Bylsma faces a big challenge with the Sabres who ended this season stone-last in the 30-team National Hockey League with a dismal 23-51-8 record.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
US President Donald Trump said he would attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he does not have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who cannot afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same. “They can watch it on television,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Friday as he flew to Wisconsin for an event with farmers, after he was asked about tickets that have climbed as high as US$8,000 each when the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs square off in Manhattan for the first time in the series. “It’s sorta
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