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June 29 – The Atlanta Hawks have declined the $23.4 million team option on forward Jonathan ​Kuminga, ESPN reported on Monday.

The decision ‌makes Kuminga an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

Kuminga, 23, ​was traded to Atlanta from Golden ​State on Feb. 5 in exchange ⁠for Kristaps Porzingis. The Hawks also ​received Buddy Hield in the deal.

Kuminga appeared ​in 16 games for Atlanta with one start, averaging 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. He ​played all six games of the ​Hawks’ first-round playoff loss to the New York ‌Knicks, ⁠averaging 13.7 points and 3.3 rebounds against the eventual champions.

The Warriors selected Kuminga with the seventh overall pick of ​the 2021 ​NBA draft. ⁠He averaged 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game ​from 2021-26 with Golden State and ​contributed ⁠to a championship-winning team during his rookie season. He signed a two-year deal ⁠worth $48.5 ​million with the Warriors ​in September but requested a trade in January ​as his playing time diminished.

The New York Knicks are signing pending free agent guard Landry Shamet to a new four-year, $24 million contract, ESPN reported Monday.

Shamet, 29, was a key depth piece for the Knicks’ championship run this season. Shamet averaged 9.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 51 games (12 starts) during the regular season and 6.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 47.5% 3-point shooting in the playoffs for New York.

In eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards and Knicks, Shamet has averaged 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Shamet was picked in the first round (26th overall) by the 76ers in 2018.

The Golden State Warriors are bringing back veteran center Kristaps Porzingis on a two-year, $40 million contract with a player option on the second season,agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management told ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Porzingis is extending his current contract, allowing him to negotiate and agree with the Warriors before hitting the open market on Tuesday afternoon. The Warriors acquired Porzingis at February’s trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.

The Porzingis signing makes the math trickier for the Warriors to clear enough space to offer unrestricted free agent LeBron James the full $15.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception, but there remain paths for them to clear enough financial room, particularly given Draymond Green’s decision to decline his $27.6 million player option and deliver the Warriors flexibility in the coming days.

Green and the Warriors are expected to reunite, team sources said, with his exact contract — length, first-year salary and full contract amount — to be determined after the Warriors determine other business. They are still expected to pursue James, among other unrestricted free agents, once the market opens.

That could also mean exploring a trade for Washington center Anthony Davis to help lure James, though there has yet to be tangible movement on that front, league sources said.

Porzingis, 30, was a major help for the Warriors when on the floor down the stretch of the season, averaging 16.1 points in 23.7 minutes in his 15 games played. But availability has been a concern for Porzingis in recent years, as he has dealt with a mysterious illness along with Achilles tendinitis. He was limited to 32 games total with the Warriors and Hawks this season and 42 games with the Boston Celtics the season prior.

The Warriors view him as an ideal floor-spacing rim protector next to Green in the frontcourt, capitalizing on the space provided by Steph Curry and, if Porzingis can stay on the floor, believe they brought him back at a bargain. Porzingis made $30.7 million last season.br/]

WEST SACRAMENTO – What seemed like good fortune for the Athletics when they left Spring Training in Arizona free of any major injuries is starting to feel more like an ominous precursor to what they’re now dealing with on the health front.

The difficulty of this recent six-game road trip went beyond the 2-4 record posted by the A’s. They also lost three key players to the injured list during that stretch, starting with Zack Gelof (right hand contusion) earlier in the week and continuing with Jacob Wilson (right thumb inflammation) and Tyler Soderstrom (left hip impingement), both of whom were placed on the 10-day IL prior to Monday’s 9-4 loss to the Dodgers at Sutter Health Park.

The A’s pride themselves in having a deep lineup that does not rely on one or two big bats to get them going. But there’s only so many hits an offense can take. In addition to Gelof, Wilson and Soderstrom, there’s also Brent Rooker, who has been sidelined on the 10-day IL since June 9 with a left knee bone bruise.

“We had a great Spring Training, health-wise,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “We got out of there crystal clean. I’m not sure if that was a bad omen or what has led to the injuries, but it definitely has hit us at an inopportune time. We have to keep grinding. Guys are coming here to fill roles that maybe weren’t anticipated to be here yet.”

LONDON, June 30 : Excitement was building at Wimbledon on Tuesday ahead of the return of American great Serena Williams, with fans eager to see if the 23-times Grand Slam champion can roll back the years and thrill the Centre Court crowd once again.

Williams, 44, last played a competitive singles match at the 2022 U.S. Open, having said she was “evolving away” from tennis, and her surprise return as a wildcard at the All England Club has gripped fans and players alike in the run-up to the tournament.

“Everyone is so excited to see Serena back. She’s the best player there’s ever been,” Lorraine, a fan from Ireland, told Reuters. “Even when we were travelling here, we heard so many people talking about her.”

Diarmuid, another Irish fan, added her return was an opportunity to see a sporting champion again. “She’s done everything and obviously loves it so much she wants to come back and play,” he said.

“I’ve heard some stuff online and people being negative that she doesn’t deserve it. They’re saying she’s too old or whatever. But she’s one of the greatest players we’ve ever had so anybody, whoever gets to see her play here is very lucky,” he said.

AGE IS A ‘BIG RISK’, FAN SAYS

Williams made her Wimbledon debut in 1998 and won the last of her seven Wimbledon singles crowns 10 years ago. She is also due to play doubles at the championships with her older sister Venus.

And whatever the outcome on Tuesday against 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint in the third match of the day on Wimbledon’s biggest stage, her return guarantees one thing — unmissable sporting theatre.

But some fans questioned whether Williams can still compete with younger opponents in singles after the time away from the court and just two competitive grasscourt doubles matches in the run-in to Wimbledon.

Williams lost in the first round to Harmony Tan in 2022, also as a wildcard, and last won a singles match at Wimbledon in 2019 when she was runner-up to Simona Halep.

“Obviously a big risk I guess is her age,” Daniel, from south London, said.

“Doubles is a little bit safer for her but singles is going to be unknown. But she’s got such a powerful game as long as her movement is still fairly good, I think she can still hit a few players off the court.”

Bianca, a Brazilian fan, said: “I don’t think she’ll do well. I mean there’s a lot of routine, there’s a lot of practice leading up to this. If it gets to a very long match, probably she will get tired more easily than before, but maybe she can do it though.”

‘CRAZY’ TO PLAY SERENA, OPPONENT JOINT SAYS

However, others were sure the aura of Serena — and Venus — would prevail.

Claire, from the Midlands area of England, said: “She’s one of the Williams girls isn’t she. She’s still got strength.”

For Joint, the meeting with Williams in only her second main draw appearance at the All England Club marks the culmination of a long-held dream.

“It’s an honour,” the American-born Joint said on Friday.

“I always dreamed about playing Serena Williams, and if you’d told me 10 years ago that I’d be playing her first round at Wimbledon, that’s just crazy.

“I have so much respect for her, and she was one of my idols growing up. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to play against her.”

NOTTINGHAM, England, June 29 : New Zealand demonstrated again on Monday the resilience and grit which make them such redoubtable opponents by defeating England by 160 runs in the third test despite being without two of the match winners from the side who levelled the series last week.

Missing Kane Williamson, the finest batsman in their history who retired unexpectedly after the first test loss at Lord’s, the Kiwis took the field without their premier pace bowler Matt Henry and all-rounder Glenn Phillips who scored his maiden test century at The Oval.

Both players were late injury withdrawals while towering fast bowler Kyle Jamieson was also stood down as he continues to recuperate from a back stress fracture.

Nathan Smith, Will O’Rourke and Zak Foulkes, New Zealand’s first concussion substitute after Blair Tickner took a blow to his helmet from Jofra Archer, stepped up on a Trent Bridge pitch which became increasingly unpredictable during a fierce English heat wave over the first four days of the match.

On Sunday during the furore which accompanied the shock announcement from England captain Ben Stokes that he was to retire from test cricket at the conclusion of the match, New Zealand batter Darryl Mitchell was playing an innings of immense character, concentration and courage.

Player-of-the-match Mitchell was rapped on the head, forearms and hands during seven hours at the crease, finishing on 100 not out in New Zealand’s 288 for nine declared which effectively played the home side out of the match.

“This is very special for our group, we came over here with a goal of winning and doing it in a style that suits us as Black Caps,” Mitchell said.

“I’ve got a couple of bruises here and there but that makes it worth it, we were pleased how calm we were after the loss at Lord’s then we got to business at the Oval and here.”

Smith, who was named New Zealand player of the series, praised wicketkeeper Tom Blundell who forced the England batsmen to stay in their crease by standing up to the wicket for the pace bowlers. 

“It’s a shame we got stuck with injuries but it shows the strength of the side with guys on the sideline who can do a good job,” Smith added.

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Houston Astros by a final score of 5-4 on Monday. Minnesota’s offense performed well, but it was starting pitcher Zebby Matthews who led the way on the mound.

Matthews allowed only one earned run across seven innings of work. He struck out seven while surrendering only four hits and one walk in the outing. The bullpen took care of the rest as the Twins earned an impressive win on the road in Houston.

Matthews, 26, now holds a 4.15 ERA. He has made nine starts overall. While Matthews has endured ups and downs during that span, the right-handed hurler has certainly displayed potential at times. Matthews has been especially impressive in recent action.

Matthews has now recorded quality starts in three consecutive outings. He has allowed only five total runs across his past three starts. Matthews’ ERA sat at 5.20 before these past few starts. He is clearly finding his rhythm on the mound.

Minnesota is hopeful that Matthews will continue to perform at a high level. He is establishing himself as a reliable starter in the ball club’s rotation.

As mentioned, Matthews had help from his offense in the contest.

The Twins scored five runs on eight hits. Brooks Lee led the way with a two-hit performance, while Royce Lewis, Victor Caratini and Josh Bell all hit home runs in the ball game.

Twins Could Become True Contender in American League
The Twins were not expected to compete this year. At just 41-45 overall, Minnesota still does not exactly look like a playoff team. However, they are only 4.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central standings. Of course, the AL Wild Card remains a possibility as well.

Minnesota’s lineup has performed at a respectable level, but the pitching has been a question mark for the most part. Joe Ryan is an ace, but the rest of the rotation has had uncertainty. However, Matthews’ recent performance will certainly give fans hope for the remainder of the ’26 campaign.

The Twins are set to play the Astros once again on Tuesday night in the second contest of a three-game series in Houston. Minnesota is looking to earn a third consecutive victory overall. First pitch for the ball game on Tuesday night between the Twins and Astros is scheduled for 8:10 PM EST as Minnesota looks to continue playing well.

WASHINGTON, June 30 – The U.S. Supreme Court is set on Tuesday ⁠to ⁠decide the legality of state laws in ⁠West Virginia and Idaho banning transgender student athletes from female sports teams at public schools including universities, ​a contentious issue enmeshed in the nation’s culture wars.

Lower courts sided with transgender students who challenged the bans as violating the U.S. Constitution and a federal ‌anti-discrimination law.

Tuesday is the final day of ‌rulings for the court’s current term, which began in October.

The Idaho and West Virginia laws designate sports teams at public schools including universities according to “biological ⁠sex” and bar “students ⁠of the male sex” from female teams. Twenty-five other states have similar laws on the ​books. 

Republican President Donald Trump’s administration, which has cracked down on transgender rights, has backed the states in the litigation. 

Idaho and West Virginia said the laws preserve fair and safe competition for women and girls, while critics see the measures as part of a broader assault on the rights of transgender Americans.

The students who challenged ​the measures said they discriminate based on a person’s sex or status as transgender in violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment guarantee ⁠of ⁠equal protection under the law, as ⁠well as the Title IX ​civil rights statute that bars discrimination in education “on the basis of sex.”

MAJOR 2025 RULING

In another major transgender rights ruling, the Supreme ​Court in a case from Tennessee last ⁠year let states ban medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormones for people under age 18 experiencing gender dysphoria. That term refers to the clinical diagnosis for significant distress that can result from an incongruence between a person’s gender identity and sex at birth.

The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has backed other restrictions on transgender people, letting Trump ban transgender people from the military and bar passport applicants from selecting the ⁠sex reflecting their gender identities for the document. 

The court in 2020 delivered a landmark ruling protecting transgender people from ⁠workplace discrimination under a federal law called Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that contains wording similar to Title IX. 

TRUMP’S POLICIES

The issue of transgender athletes playing on female sports teams has become part of the U.S. culture wars. 

Trump has taken a hard line on transgender rights since returning to office in January 2025. He has cast the gender identity of transgender people as a lie and issued multiple executive orders to limit their rights including one involving sports participation.

The challenge to West Virginia’s law was brought by Becky Pepper-Jackson and her mother Heather Jackson. Pepper-Jackson attends high school in Bridgeport, West Virginia and participates in shot put and discus. 

The Idaho challenge was brought by Lindsay Hecox, a transgender student who previously participated in soccer and ⁠running clubs at Boise State University, a public university. 

Hecox decided to quit playing sports and sought to dismiss the case in part due to a fear of harassment and growing intolerance toward transgender people. Hecox’s lawyers argued that the development rendered this challenge moot. 

The Supreme Court heard arguments in January. Its conservative justices raised concerns about imposing a uniform rule on the entire ​country amid disagreement and uncertainty over whether medications like puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones eliminate male physiological advantages in ​sports. 

SAN JOSE, California, June 30 (Reuters) – Flying high in their best-ever start to a season, the San Jose Earthquakes rule soccer in these parts of California, but they’re making way for new kings as the United States prepare for a World Cup knockout match against Bosnia on Wednesday. 

The clash in the San Francisco Bay Area marks the third of what could be four games in California for the U.S. team, carrying the hopes of millions giddy at the prospect of their deepest run in the showpiece event for 24 years.  

For the fans, players and clubs in soccer stronghold California, hosting World Cup matches offers a chance to show mainstream America that football is no niche sport, but a global phenomenon.

“You see it in the fans, you see it in the stadiums, the crowds, when there’s goals, when there’s big moments that happen, just how big the sport really is across the world,” Earthquakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris told Reuters by the pristine pitch of their modern, 18,000-seat stadium. 

“To bring that here and for us to get a taste of that I think is massive. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about … the passion and the joy that it brings people.” 

“It’ll be really special for the country, most importantly for the Bay Area, to really just show, like, ‘hey listen, soccer has been a thing here and it’s still continuing to grow’.”

LATIN ROOTS

And that growth has been big.

California boasts by far the most teams of any U.S. state in national leagues, with four Major League Soccer clubs, three National Women’s Soccer League teams and five teams in the United Soccer League, plus multiple academies and university teams. 

The San Diego Wave top the NWSL, Orange County lead the USL West and the San Jose Earthquakes are level on points at the top of the MLS Western Conference, for the first time in 14 years. 

The conditions are ripe for soccer to thrive in California, where the climate is warm year-round and the ethnic makeup is diverse, with about 40% of the population Latino, hailing from countries where football dominates. 

The Earthquakes’ academy director Luchi Gonzalez, a U.S. assistant coach at the 2022 World Cup,  said the area had a “soccer-rich” population, partly due to Latin American roots shaping its football culture and local player base.

Hosting six World Cup matches and the U.S. team in the Bay Area could add more impetus to developing home-grown players who he hopes could one day be sold to European clubs, generating vital revenue. 

“That’s going to be a direct impact, a spark plug for the game to keep growing and the motivation to keep growing, and clubs to get better and parents to get more understanding of the game and make more sacrifices,” he said of the World Cup. 

WORLD CUP A CATALYST 

The Earthquakes are in the midst of a turnaround under Bruce Arena, a four-times MLS coach of the year who led the U.S. to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals.

They won nine of their first 10 games this season, an MLS record, and in January signed Germany’s Timo Werner, a Champions League winner with Chelsea, who has scored four times in his seven matches since joining.

“Watching (Arena) bring the Earthquakes back up to the top of the table this year, matching that with the U.S. having the success they’re having … it’s just been amazing to see,” Earthquakes president Jared Shawlee said. 

Ousseni Bouda, a Burkina Faso international scouted by the Earthquakes at nearby Stanford University, said the energy around the World Cup could be inspirational.

“Already a lot of people love soccer here and watch soccer, but now it’s going to get more fans involved,” he said. “They’re going to see the people in the Bay Area really love soccer.” 

Academy coach Gonzalez feels a “calm excitement” about this World Cup, that it could be a catalyst for soccer to eventually become a top-tier sport for Americans. 

“The game is not our game yet in the U.S.,” he said. “But it will be our game one day.”

LONDON, June 30 : Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey hopes a major car upgrade planned for next month’s Hungarian Grand Prix will keep Fernando Alonso racing for the Formula One team next season.

Alonso, a double world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, will be 45 next month and is already the oldest driver on the grid.

“Fernando is really looking forward to the upgrade and, if it performs, we hope he’ll be in the cockpit for another season,” Newey said in a Q&A posted on the team’s website.

“Given his experience, his feel for the car, his ability to guide development, he’s a tremendous asset. But he wants to see clear, tangible progress. If we can show that we’re moving decisively in the right direction, he’s absolutely committed to being behind the wheel.”

EXTREMELY CHALLENGING SEASON SO FAR

Aston have had what Newey called an “extremely challenging” season so far, scoring only one point in eight rounds and struggling even to finish races with an uncompetitive Honda engine and overweight car.

The sport’s most acclaimed designer took over as principal this season after joining from Red Bull last year.

The 67-year-old said both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, would get the upgrade for the July 26 race at the Hungaroring.

The main structural elements will stay the same but weight has been taken out of the gearbox and the chassis, which required a fresh crash test. More parts that were previously outsourced are now being made in-house.

“The front suspension is unchanged. The rear suspension is slightly revised,” said Newey.

“We’ve developed a new nose and substantially revised aerodynamic surfaces. So, while the core structure is similar, it’s a big aerodynamic package coupled with significant weight reduction. The target is to get very close to the weight limit.

“We’re predicting a large step, but I’m reluctant to put specific numbers out there because our simulation tools aren’t yet as sophisticated or well correlated as they need to be.”

Newey said Aston Martin was investing in engineering simulation tools but real gains would only be seen later in the year.

The Briton also touched on health issues that had distracted him.

“I’m OK now, but it’s been a difficult period,” he said. “In truth, I was not 100 per cent last year. I had to balance health and work much more carefully. The team handled it incredibly well. I kept a very good relationship with the engineers and I don’t feel it caused too much of a blip.”