BASKETBALL

USA Basketball pick: Spoelstra

Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat has emerged as the choice to become the next coach of the U.S. men’s basketball team for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, two people with knowledge of the situation said Thursday. Spoelstra and USA Basketball have yet to completely finalize any agreement, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no public announcement has been scheduled. Such moves typically follow USA Basketball board of director meetings, and one of those is set for later this month. Spoelstra would be replacing Steve Kerr, who coached the Americans in the last Olympic cycle and led the team to a gold medal at the Paris Games. The U.S. men have won the last five Olympic gold medals, and Spoelstra was on the staff that won in Paris last summer. He told The Associated Press after the gold-medal game in Paris that he “would be honored” if USA Basketball asked him to take over the program. Spoelstra would also become the first Heat coach to have the distinction of being the Olympic coach. The 54-year-old Spoelstra is 787-572 in his 17 seasons with Miami.

James out for opener

LeBron James will miss opening night of his record 23rd NBA season due to sciatica that will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday. The 40-year-old superstar will be sidelined at least until the end of October with sciatica — pain in the nerves running from the buttocks and down the back of the legs — on his right side. James has yet to participate in a full practice since the Lakers opened training camp last week, and Coach JJ Redick said James was “on his own timeline” Thursday after practice. An hour later, the Lakers announced an injury timeline that means James is likely to miss at least their first five or six games, and possibly several more. The Lakers open the regular season at home Oct. 21 against Golden State.

Pierce arrested for DUI

Former NBA player Paul Pierce was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of driving under the influence on a Los Angeles highway after he was found asleep behind the wheel, state police said. California Highway Patrol officers responded at about 10:40 p.m. to an unrelated car crash involving multiple vehicles on the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101, closing four of the six lanes to investigate, the agency said in a press release. When they reopened the lanes about an hour later, they saw a Range Rover SUV stopped in the road, south of the crash. Officers saw Pierce asleep at the wheel and “noticed signs of alcohol impairment” so they conducted a DUI investigation, the press release said. He was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, which will be reviewed by the Los Angeles city attorney. The 10-time All-Star and the MVP of the 2008 NBA finals was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

GOLF

Three share lead in Japan

Americans Max Greyserman, Bud Cauley and Brian Campbell each shot 4-under 67 on Thursday to sit atop the leaderboard after the first round of the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. This is the only PGA Tour tournament played in Japan, and it was moved this year to the Yokohama Country Club after being staged east of Tokyo since 2019 as the Zozo Championship. Eight players were a shot off the lead, including Australian Adam Scott. Seven more were two shots back. Two players from the losing U.S. Ryder Cup team — Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa — each finished on even-par 71. Defending champion Nico Echavarria (Arkansas Razorbacks) of Colombia finished with a 70.

TENNIS

Sabalenka’s streak reaches 19

U.S. Open champion Aryna Sabalenka’s winning streak at the Wuhan Open rolled on to 19 matches when she beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-2 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000-level tournament. Top-ranked Sabalenka’s streak includes winning titles at Wuhan in 2018, ’19 and ’24. No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek also advanced, winning 7-6 (2), 6-4 against Belinda Bencic, the former Olympic champion. Swiatek improved to a 5-1 career record over Bencic, including a straight-set win in the Wimbledon semifinals in July.

BASEBALL

Former Red Sox OF dies

Mike Greenwell, an outfielder who played 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and finished second in the 1988 American League MVP voting, died Thursday, his wife said. He was 62. The Boston Globe reported in mid-August that Greenwell had medullary thyroid cancer. Tracy Greenwell told WINK, a radio station in Lee County, Fla., that her husband died in Boston. Greenwell played his entire major league career for Boston, making two All-Star appearances, winning the 1988 Silver Slugger Award and finishing second in that year’s MVP voting to Oakland Athletics outfielder Jose Canseco. Greenwell was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008. He made his big league debut in 1985 and appeared in 31 games on the 1986 American League champions, who lost 4-3 to the New York Mets in a World Series filled with heartbreak for the Red Sox. The left-handed-hitting Greenwell had a solid career, finishing with a lifetime batting average of .303, 130 home runs, 726 RBI and 80 stolen bases.

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches from courtside during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches from courtside during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra reacts during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)