Sports

6:16 AM ET Associated Press KAWAGOE, Japan — Xander Schauffele has been pointing to the Olympics ever since he began his rise into the elite of American golf three years ago. Now that he’s here, in the country where his mother was raised and enjoying an Olympic experience his father could only dream about, he

8:00 AM ET The 2021 NBA draft has finally arrived! Who’s rising? Who’s falling? Will the Detroit Pistons take Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham at No. 1? Is Cunningham more Khris Middleton … or Luka Doncic? Where will USC big man Evan Mobley get selected? Will the Oklahoma City Thunder begin to spend its considerable

6:08 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Belinda Bencic and Swiss tennis are doing just fine without Roger Federer at the Olympics. The 12th-ranked Bencic beat Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the gold-medal match at the Tokyo Games. And that wasn’t all. After a short rest, Bencic was

7:00 AM ET NFL NationESPN NFL training camp for the 2021 season opened last week for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, who will play in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 5. The reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened camp Sunday, while the rest of the league followed Tuesday. The NFL got back

5:40 PM ET Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Churchill Downs announced three capital improvement projects over the next three years Wednesday, including two totaling $135 million, for the home of the Kentucky Derby. The Homestretch Club will undergo a $45 million renovation and upgrade of areas adjacent to the Twin Spires and is scheduled for

9:00 AM ET The words “college football” and “stability” don’t go together all that well. Such is life when your livelihood is based on the whims of a pointy ball, eccentric boosters and a bunch of 18- to 22-year-old players. In this sport, drama is never far from the surface and a conference realignment earthquake

6:55 PM ET Associated Press IndyCar rookie Jimmie Johnson is hopeful of testing in August on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of a path toward running in next year’s Indianapolis 500. Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR champion, jumped this season to IndyCar and has competed in seven races for team owner Chip Ganassi. He’s

7:00 AM ET The Olympics have always had a love-hate relationship with baseball. In the early decades of the games, host cities organized various exhibitions, including a contest in 1956 in Melbourne that drew 114,000 spectators, but it wasn’t until 1984 in Los Angeles that we saw the first Olympic baseball tournament, although it wasn’t

7:00 AM ET After 16 months of uncertainty, the hockey world is beginning to return to some sense of normalcy as the free-agent market ahead of the 2021-22 NHL season is set to open on Wednesday, July 28. Of course, there’s been nothing too normal about this summer thus far: In an effort to get

1:44 AM ET Matthew Hoppe rose up, got his head on a deflected cross and, by the time his feet hit the ground, the United States had a 1-0 lead against Jamaica in the Gold Cup quarterfinals. The decisive 83rd-minute goal was Hoppe’s final involvement in the game, capping his first breakthrough international performance. At

7:07 PM BST Dan Biggar’s boot proved the difference as the British & Irish Lions came from behind to beat South Africa 22-17 in an attritional first test in Cape Town on Saturday. Biggar kicked four penalties and a conversion for a 14-point personal tally to take the Lions to victory after they were 12-3

12:17 AM ET Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event between TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen lived up to the lofty expectations surrounding one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Dillashaw emerged victorious by split decision, potentially setting himself up for a future shot to reclaim a title he never lost inside the cage.

11:19 AM ET Associated Press Tennis star Naomi Osaka has lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games, ending the flame’s long journey from Greece to these delayed Olympics. The cauldron sat atop a peak inspired by Mount Fuji. It’s a sphere that opened like a flower, “to embody vitality and hope,”

6:31 AM ET Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show As the Olympic boxing tournament in Tokyo starts on Saturday, Britain’s Joe Joyce will watch closely as he aims to build on his success

3:55 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The New Orleans Pelicans officially named Willie Green as their next head coach Thursday. Green is coming off a stint as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns, who just made a run to the NBA Finals, which delayed the timing of the Pelicans’ announcement. “After an extensive and collaborative search,

6:00 AM ET MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross stood at the lectern, exuding the confidence of a proud father bragging about his child who is the star quarterback. His newest baby, the Dolphins’ $135 million practice facility, was officially put on display Tuesday as corporate partners, employees and media members toured