Former New York Giants tight end Aaron Thomas died on April 26 at his home in Corvallis, Oregon, after a long illness, the team announced. He was 86.

Thomas had 247 catches for 4,253 yards with 35 touchdowns in 117 career games with the Giants (1962-70). He ranked sixth in franchise history in touchdown catches.

‘He’s almost like the early version of (Kansas City Chiefs tight end) Travis Kelce,’ his son, Robb Thomas, told the team’s website. ‘He was a tight end and flanker, but he really ran good routes and had a good feel about getting into open space.’

Thomas was selected by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 1961 draft before the 49ers traded him to the Giants two games into the 1962 season. He was named to the Pro Bowl during the 1964 season after getting 43 catches for 624 yards and six touchdowns. He retired after the 1970 season.

‘He was very proud of and loved his years with the Giants,’ Robb Thomas said. ‘He really liked the Mara family. They were good to him. He was always a Giants fan.’

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Aaron Thomas is survived by his wife, Joan, and children Robb, Troy, Lance and Leslie.

The Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham on Friday, four days after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets for the second consecutive season.

He spent two seasons with the Lakers, going 90-74 in the regular season and 9-12 in the playoffs. The Lakers reached the Western Conference finals as the No. 7 seed last season and were swept by Denver. They were the No. 7 seed again this season and lost to the Nuggets 4-1 in the first round.

‘It’s an unbelievable franchise to represent,’ Ham said after Denver ended the Lakers’ season with a 108-106 victory Monday. ‘I couldn’t ask for a better governor (and) a better president of (basketball operations) in Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss. But I’ve seen a lot in my first two years in this seat. I’ll continue to work, to get better and to control what I can control.’

Ham will not be given the chance at a third season at the helm.

Pelinka, the Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager, said we ‘recognize the many accomplishments achieved over the past two seasons including last year’s remarkable run to the Western Conference Finals,’ in a statement released via social media.

ESPN was first to report the news.

Ham had ups and downs, and at times, the Lakers played solid basketball. There were stretches of the season where the Lakers were a top-five team. Despite a slow start, they won the In-Season Tournament and were 15-10 in mid-December. They were under .500 in late January but started winning games, enhanced their playoff chances and finished the regular season by winning 19 of 29 games.

They faced a Denver team that is just better. The Nuggets, who won the NBA title last season, had better execution in the second half and made plays with the game on the line. While games were close, the best-of-7 series showed how far the Lakers are from contending.

Ham dealt with roster fluctuations related to injuries in both seasons. LeBron James played in just 55 games and Anthony Davis in just 56 in 2022-23, and while both were in at least 71 games this season, injuries to Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood and Cam Reddish had Ham and the coaching staff scrambling for lineups that worked. However, Austin Reaves and Jaxson Hayes were among players who mentioned odd rotations and lineup changes in the exit interviews late Monday.

‘Stay healthy. Stay healthy. You take a lot of flak for your rotations, but rotations are secondary. Primary is health,’ Ham told reporters after Game 5 against Denver.

Ham’s use of timeouts and challenges were scrutinized. In Game 5, he challenged a call where Davis was whistled for a foul on Denver’s Nikola Jokic. The Lakers won the challenge, however, they used their final timeout and didn’t have a timeout to use after Jamal Murray gave the Nuggets a 108-106 lead with four seconds remaining. The Lakers were unable to get off a good shot on their final possession. Had they had a timeout, they would’ve been able to advance the in-bound to halfcourt and run a play for a better shot.

But one play doesn’t determine a coach’s future.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

The Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 1-0 in Game 6 of the first round on Friday night after Pius Suter scored a late go-ahead goal with 1:39 left.

The loss ends the Predators’ run in the NHL playoffs, with the Canucks winning the series 4-2. Vancouver will face the Edmonton Oilers in the second round.

The Predators were the faster team early, pressing the puck into the Canucks’ zone at will. Two early chances, one by Anthony Beauvillier, one by Filip Forsberg, forced goaltender Arturs Silovs to react quickly.

But the Canucks responded in the second half of the period, generating a few chances on Juuse Saros to balance out the shots.

At the end of the first, the Predators owned a narrow shot advantage (6-5), but had three high danger chances to Vancouver’s one.

Nashville Predators squander four minute power play in second period

At the 13:28 mark of the second period, Brock Boeser high-sticked Nashville’s Jeremy Lauzon. The infraction drew blood, which gave the Predators a four minute power play.

While playing with the man advantage, the Predators managed just two shots on goal. Three other shot attempts were blocked by the Canucks.

It was a missed opportunity for Nashville, which saw its power play drop to 2-for-21 in the series. The lead – and the momentum – in the game was theirs for the taking, but they couldn’t take advantage.

Predators waste Juuse Saros’ outstanding night in net

The goaltending story of the series entering Friday was the Canucks’ injury situation. Coach Rick Tocchet was forced to play his backup goaltender in every game after Thatcher Demko’s injury in Game 1.

Then in Game 6, Saros made the goaltending story about him.

He was fantastic in net for Nashville, making 28 saves on 29 shots, including some incredible highlight reel stops.

But the Predators were unable to get anything by Saros’ counterpart Silovs. The late goal by Suter, set up by a pass from Boeser, was all that was needed for Vancouver to win the series.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders stepped into something this week on social media, triggering commentaries about him on ESPN’s SportsCenter and “Undisputed” on Fox Sports.

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith even offered his advice to Sanders’ sons at Colorado:

“How you communicate and how you come across matters,” he said.

Other critics questioned Deion Sanders’ judgment.

“As the leader of a program looking to ascend, I don’t believe that any of this serves to elevate,” ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt said on SportsCenter this week.

But did “Coach Prime” really breach any kind of standard of ethics or manners here? Or was he just being himself  − stoking the social media embers on a  “slow news day” after the NFL draft and keeping the spotlight on himself without even really trying?

In the end, two of his social media posts got more than 37 million views combined, in addition to all that other media and television coverage.

No other major college football coach could get that kind of free marketing on a Wednesday in May, four months before the start of the season.

For Colorado, that’s the reward of having Sanders as head coach after being mostly irrelevant in football for the previous 20 years. In this case, there’s also risk, depending on the viewpoint, which varies widely.

The university declined comment.

What did Deion Sanders say on social media?

In one case, he defended his quarterback son Shedeur from a social media user named “KB,’ who has fewer than 300 followers on X, formerly Twitter. This person instructed Deion Sanders to “Tell yo son stop act like he the coldest out here then put up a 4-8 season.”

Sanders responded to that remark Wednesday in front of his 1.8 million followers.

“He will be a top 5 pick,” wrote Sanders, whose team finished with a 4-8 record in his first year last year at Colorado. “Where yo son going ? Lololol I got time today. Lololol.”

As of Thursday evening, that post had 14.4 million views, according to X.

Shedeur Sanders had an audacious debut at Colorado last year before finishing the season with injuries, including a fractured back. He is still expected to be a NFL first-round draft pick next year after his final college season this fall.

What was wrong with what Deion Sanders said?

There are two viewpoints. It was kind of a funny response unless you subscribe to the notion that major college football coaches should be above the fray and ignore the trolls, lest the coaches risk getting sullied by stooping to their level. Few if any other head coaches would wade into the swamp like this, but there’s something to be said for pushing back sometimes at ugliness and ineptitude.

What was the deal with Sanders saying ‘Lawd Jesus?’

In another case, Sanders appeared to express amusement with a put-down remark made by somebody else (not Deion Sanders) to a player at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee.

“Lawd Jesus,” Sanders wrote in a response on Wednesday.

As of Thursday evening that post had 23 million views, according to X.

Sanders’ “Lawd Jesus” remark is open for interpretation amid the larger context of a back-and-forth social media spat. Sanders, 56, arguably was defending one of his own players, Kaleb Mathis, whose statistical production as a walk-on receiver was being criticized by Jaheim Ward, a defensive back at Austin Peay.

Ward previously had mocked Mathis by saying, “Bruh you had 38 yards last year stop trying to down play somebody.”

In response, a Colorado supporter identified as “Dalvin truth” posted Ward’s own stats from 2023, which included only eight solo tackles.

“Man go take a seat,” the Colorado supporter wrote as he posted Ward’s stats.

That’s when Sanders jumped in and responded to that clapback.

“Lawd Jesus,” he wrote, apparently amused by it.

What was the context to that?

It’s sort of like a pro-wrestling storyline full of grudges and slights. One of Ward’s former teammates at Austin Peay, Xavier Smith, made some critical remarks about Deion Sanders in an article from The Athletic published Monday. Smith previously played at Colorado before Sanders overhauled the roster and pushed Smith and dozens of other players to leave Colorado after they finished 1-11 in 2022, before Sanders arrived in Boulder.

Smith left Colorado for Austin Peay and said Deion Sanders handled the situation coldly. “He was destroying guys’ confidence and belief in themselves,’ Smith said in the article.

On Tuesday, Shedeur Sanders responded to these remarks on X, saying he doesn’t even remember Smith and that “Bro had to be very mid (average) at best.”

That post got more than 17 million views as of Thursday night, according to X.

Mathis of Colorado then came to his team’s’ defense on social media and criticized Smith, which led Ward of Austin Peay to make fun of Mathis’ stats in 2023. ‘Dalvin truth’ then returned the volley on behalf of Colorado, eliciting the ‘Lawd Jesus’ remark from Deion Sanders.

What did Sanders do wrong here?

To some, Sanders was partaking in putting down a college kid for not having great football stats. Another interpretation is he was just amused by the back-and-forth and the irony of Ward mocking the stats of Mathis. “Lawd Jesus” is all he said. That could also be read as a chuckle at what he just read.

In this case again, he arguably should have just stayed out of it. and avoided the risk of turning people off with behavior some might consider to be rude and unbecoming. “Just ignore the noise,” Van Pelt said on ESPN.

What’s the final verdict?

Shedeur’s putdown of a former Colorado player who got run out of Boulder wasn’t necessary.  That’s why Stephen A. Smith urged him to be more careful with how he communicates.  It seemed like he was punching down, though from Shedeur’s viewpoint, he was coming to the defense of his dad, whose roster overhaul in 2023 has been criticized and discussed for more than a year.

In the case of his dad, Deion Sanders is unlike any other coach in America at a time of great upheaval in college football, including a wide-open transfer portal and constant criticism on social media. He has embraced the portal and mastered social media far more than others in his profession.

Former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson likened the situation to feuding rappers drumming up publicity for themselves with drama and conflict.

‘Rappers, that’s what they do,’ Johnson said on ‘Undisputed.’ ‘They make tracks on one another.’

It captivated a large audience, for better or worse. Two of Deion Sanders’ posts gained 37 million views, plus a segment on SportsCenter and a debate on “Undisputed.” Shedeur’s post gained another 17 million-plus views.

All in the middle of a week in May at Colorado − a program with only two winning seasons in the past 18 years.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Paolo Banchero scored 27 points and Franz Wagner added 26 as the Orlando Magic forced a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference first-round series with a 103-96 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

Jalen Suggs sank six 3-pointers to highlight his 22-point performance for the fifth-seeded Magic, who overcame 50 points by Donovan Mitchell to even the best-of-seven series at three wins apiece. Orlando forced its first Game 7 since the 2009 playoffs.

The Magic will visit Cleveland on Sunday afternoon for Game 7 in a series that has featured the home team winning the first six games. The winner of Sunday’s game will advance to the conference semifinals to square off against the top-seeded Boston Celtics.

“This is the moment that you play for,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said about Game 7. “It’s why you do it. You do it for these moments. So being on the road, Game 7, the ability to come together to continue to grow in each game. I think that what this group is looking forward to.”

Mitchell made 22 of 36 shots from the floor and fellow guard Darius Garland added 21 points for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers.

Despite missing a chance to advance in Game 6, Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff was confident heading into Sunday’s win-or-go-home matchup.

“Our guys will be ready for the moment,” Bickerstaff said. “Our guys have been really good at home. We don’t expect that to change.”

Mitchell scored all 18 of his team’s fourth-quarter points, highlighted by a 3-pointer to forge an 89-89 tie with 4:01 to play. Banchero made a 3-pointer and a layup and Cole Anthony answered Mitchell’s short jumper with a tip-in with 1:57 left to boost Orlando’s lead to 96-91.

Mitchell scored from the interior and sank a 3-pointer to pull Cleveland within four at 100-96 with 20.6 seconds left. Suggs made a free throw to extend the Magic’s advantage and Evan Mobley failed to convert at the other end to effectively end the game.

“Everybody kept their head up; everybody was talking in every huddle,” Banchero told Bally Sports Florida. “Gotta give credit to the whole team. It was such a special night. And we want to do it again.”

Suggs converted a four-point play to stake Orlando to a 53-46 lead with 34.8 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Mitchell answered by scoring the final three points of the first half and nine of the first 13 for his team in the third quarter to give Cleveland a 62-55 advantage.

The Magic closed within one at 74-73 before Mitchell made a driving layup and a short jumper to end the third quarter.

Mavericks eliminate Clippers

Kyrie Irving scored 28 of his 30 points in the second half and the Dallas Mavericks advanced to the second round with a resounding 114-101 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 of the Western Conference series on Friday night.

Luka Doncic recorded 28 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds as the fifth-seeded Mavericks won the series in six games. Dallas will meet the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round.

P.J. Washington added 14 points, Daniel Gafford had 13 and reserve Dereck Lively II contributed 10 points and nine rebounds for the Mavericks.

Norman Powell scored 20 points off the bench and Paul George added 18 for the fourth-seeded Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard (knee) for the third straight game and fourth time in the series.

Ivica Zubac tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds, James Harden added 16 points, 13 assists and seven boards, and Terance Mann had 14 points for Los Angeles.

Dallas lost forward Maxi Kleber to a right shoulder sprain early in the second quarter.

The Mavericks shot 48.2% from the field, including 12 of 36 from 3-point range. Irving made five 3-pointers and Washington added four.

Los Angeles connected on 41.5% of its attempts and was just 8 of 31 from behind the arc.

The Clippers eliminated Dallas in the first round of the 2020 and 2021 playoffs but barely put up a fight over the first 6½ minutes of the fourth quarter.

Dallas had a 15-point advantage to open the period and soon pushed it to 100-78 with 7:36 left after back-to-back baskets by Doncic and Derrick Jones Jr.

A short time later, Irving was dancing and prancing around the coverage of P.J. Tucker. He drove toward the right corner and swished a 3-pointer. Tucker fouled him and Irving hit the free throw for a four-point play and a 106-82 lead with 5:38 remaining.

The electric play had Dallas in celebration mode, but Los Angeles began making a charge. Harden’s three-point play capped a 13-2 burst that saw the Clippers move within 108-95 with 3:11 to go.

But with the margin at 14 with 1:14 left, both teams emptied the benches.

Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez said he wouldn’t fight another Mexican boxer, but he will now face Tijuana-born fighter Jaime Munguía over Cinco de Mayo weekend, Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Álvarez (60-2-2), who is the undisputed super middleweight champion, said he wants to continue making history for Mexico, and that’s why he’s taking on undefeated (43-0) Munguía, 27.

‘I think it’s the best fight out there. I think he’s the most interesting fight right now and he comes in with good wins and I think he deserves it,’ Álvarez, 33, told USA TODAY Sports during an April interview. ‘I feel very proud about two Mexicans in the Mexican weekend in Las Vegas. Everybody’s gonna be watching, so I feel proud about it. So it’s gonna be a big fight for Mexico.’

Now that he’s a global superstar, Álvarez continues to use his platform to celebrate his Mexican heritage. Last year, Álvarez took on Great Britain’s John Ryder for his homecoming fight in Guadalajara. He returned to Las Vegas for his next fight against Jermell Charlo. For that matchup, he walked out with Santa Fe Klan and Tornillo, two rising artists from Mexico who performed ‘Por Mi México,’ a song by Sonoran rapper Lefty SM, who was shot and killed just weeks before the fight.

‘It was very emotional and I was very happy,’ Santa Fe Klan told InsideFighting through an interpreter in Spanish after Álvarez won.

‘They have a really good song, they mention Mexico and I really like it,’ Álvarez said of wanting the duo to walk him to the ring. ‘And I just called them and I said, you know, ‘I want you to come with me and walk me to the ring.”

Álvarez has had many cinematic ring entrances throughout his career, including walking with Colombian superstar J Balvin to face Avni Yildirim and having a full mariachi band perform as he entered the ring against Billy Joe Saunders. But the one with Santa Fe Klan and Tornillo stands out.

‘I think it’s one of the best (entrances) in my career,’ he said. ‘I really enjoy it, I really loved it.’

Outside of the ring, Álvarez is building his portfolio as an entrepreneur. Beyond his extensive list of partnerships and founding his own beverage companies, he is an executive producer on the new movie, ‘The Long Game.’ It’s a film about Mexican caddies in the 1950s who built their own golf course to learn the game.

The boxer is an avid golfer himself and said this venture combined two of his passions.

‘I love golf and I love (to) help my people,’ he said while watching the live stream of the Masters. ‘And I think this is a perfect moment to raise our voice and say, ‘We are here.’ We are here, and that’s why I support this movie. Because I think it’s good for us.’

Looking back on his legacy in boxing, Álvarez admits to wishing he could have had a rematch against Floyd Mayweather. The 2013 fight was his first loss of his career and came when he was only 23.

Álvarez said he’s thought about a rematch, ‘but it never happened and it’s fine. I take that loss like I learned a lot from that fight and that’s it. … I wish many times, but it is what it is.’

‘I don’t really pay attention (to) that because they have their own business. They are their own minds and it’s fine for me,’ he said. ‘But I don’t pay attention to that and that not motivate myself, really. I’m just here to make my own career, my own history, my own fights and I think I did really good.’

Álvarez said that he has his own motivations for continuing to fight.

‘I love what I do and I still enjoy it a lot, so that’s why I’m here,’ he said. ‘I wanted to continue to make history and the most I think is because I love boxing. I love what I do and I enjoy this.’

After a spring-long controversy, Major League Baseball announced uniform changes for the 2025 season that seek to address many of the complaints from players and fans alike.

According to MLB, the Nike-designed uniforms for 2025 will include larger lettering on the back and pants customization available to players, two of the biggest concerns from a saga that began early in spring training and drew responses from all the brands involved and the players’ association.

“Player and club feedback is extremely important to us,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement Friday. “Together with Nike, we listened to our players and as a result, we are addressing their concerns.”

The new uniforms for this season were criticized for looking cheap, the nameplate and numbers for being too small and for pants that could be somewhat translucent.

Fanatics produced the uniforms for Nike, and fans were quick to point the finger at the sports merchandise behemoth. Founder Michael Rubin thought his company was being unfairly blamed.

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“Nike designs everything. Hands us a spec and says, ‘Make this,’” Rubin said. “We have made everything exactly to the spec. And Nike and baseball would say, ‘Yes, you’ve done everything we’ve asked you do to.’”

Nike has had the MLB uniform contract since 2020.

“We will continue to work with Nike to make adjustments with the goal of delivering a uniform that looks good and helps MLB players perform at their best,” said Manfred.