The NBA will not penalize Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield for hand gestures that can be construed as shooting a gun, a person with knowledge of the league’s decision told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the league’s decision.

Both teams and players were warned that the gesture is inappropriate and urged not to make those gestures moving forward. The Grizzlies have been doing that gesture as a celebration all season, and other players make similar gestures, especially after making a 3-point shot.

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler had just made the second of two free throws giving the Warriors a 132-125 lead with 20.8 seconds left, and Memphis called timeout. As both teams headed to their respective benches, Morant made the gesture at Golden State’s bench.

Hield made a similar gesture from the bench just before Butler made the second free throw. Hield and Morant were both given technical fouls, and NBA executive vice president and head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars and his staff reviewed and talked to the teams and players Wednesday.

The players and teams involved said they were not making violent gestures.

Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels does a similar gesture after making 3-pointers and was not fined for making the gesture toward New Orleans’ bench during a game earlier this season. Other players have been fined for mimicking gun gestures, including Gerald Green and Josh Jackson.

Morant’s involvement draws closer scrutiny because he has been suspended twice by the league for showing a handgun on social media.

Morant was suspended 25 games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league in 2023. ‘Morant posed with a firearm in a car during a live-streamed video on May 13, less than two months after he was suspended eight games without pay for the live streaming of a video on March 4 in which he displayed a firearm while in an intoxicated state at a Denver area nightclub,’ the league said in a statement on June 16, 2023.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said at the time: ‘Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games. The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning.  Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.’

Eleven women filed a class action lawsuit against the University of Michigan and former offensive coordinator Matthew Weiss, who authorities say hacked into computers at more than 100 universities and stole the identity of more than 3,000 students.

According to the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Michigan and obtained by USA TODAY Sports, the 11 women are identified as Jane Does, including seven soccer players, two gymnasts and a cheerleader.

The Regents of the University of Michigan and Keffer Development Services are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.

‘This case marks yet another disturbing failure by the University of Michigan to protect its students – particularly student-athletes – from serious breaches of privacy and trust. For nearly a decade, individuals connected to the University have suffered the unauthorized access and misuse of their personal information, allegedly by former football co-offensive coordinator Matthew Weiss and enabled by institutional negligence,’ attorneys Megan Bonanni and Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller said in a statement.

The women say they have suffered significant and severe damages and seek compensation, which the lawsuit says could exceed $50 million.

Last month, Weiss was charged with 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft, and faces a maximum of five years imprisonment on each count of unauthorized access to computers and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft. Weiss’s alleged crimes spanned from 2015-2023, and authorities say he is accused of downloading confidential information of more than 150,000 student-athletes, targeting mostly female college athletes.

‘Through this scheme, unknown to account holders, Weiss downloaded personal, intimate digital photographs and videos,’ the indictment said. ‘His goal was to obtain private photographs and videos never intended to be shared beyond intimate partners’ and ‘kept notes on individuals whose photographs and videos that he viewed, including notes commenting on their bodies and sexual preferences.’

A total of five federal lawsuits have been filed against Michigan and Weiss, who worked for the Baltimore Ravens before becoming Michigan’s quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.

(This story was updated with new information.)

The New England Patriots selected Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Less than a year later, they are trading Milton to the Dallas Cowboys, according to reports.

Milton being traded isn’t a major surprise. The swap comes shortly after the Patriots signed veteran quarterback Josh Dobbs to a two-year deal in free agency. The 30-year-old is expected to back up Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft who established himself as a starter during his rookie season.

That left Milton as the odd man out. It also made him an intriguing trade candidate, as the 25-year-old flashed in limited action as a rookie and possesses a high-upside combination of elite arm strength and strong athleticism.

Here’s what to know about the Milton trade and why the Patriots ultimately moved on from him ahead of the 2025 NFL season.

Joe Milton trade details

Cowboys get: QB Joe Milton, 7th round pick
Patriots get: 5th round pick

The Cowboys are adding Milton to its quarterback room in the hopes of potentially shaping the 25-year-old into a long-term starter. For now, he’ll serve as a backup to Dak Prescott and give Dallas some insurance behind their franchise quarterback.

Prescott’s former backup, Cooper Rush, departed for the Baltimore Ravens in free agency.

Milton didn’t make any starts as a rookie, but he played most of the Patriots’ Week 18 game against the Buffalo Bills. He comported himself well in that victory, completing 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. He also added 16 yards and a score on 10 carries.

Despite Milton’s strong performance, he didn’t have a clear path to a role with the Patriots. Maye was entrenched as the starter, so Milton would only have been able to battle Dobbs for the backup job.

Instead, the Patriots saw an opportunity to sell high on Milton ahead of a weak 2025 NFL draft quarterback class. Milton’s combination of NFL-level success and his overall athletic skill set made him more appealing to teams than many of the mid-round quarterback prospects in this year’s draft.

That’s why New England was able to land a fifth-round pick for him less than a year after choosing him with the draft’s 193rd overall selection.

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If the Cincinnati Bengals’ lease for Paycor Stadium is taking a long time to negotiate with Hamilton County, don’t blame the county, Commissioner Alicia Reece said Thursday.

Reece said the county has been ready to hash out a new lease for over a year.

A little more than a week ago, North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Aidan Haugh threw a 96-pitch no-hitter against Boston College, getting the final out in a very weird way. After a walk put the Eagles’ Jack Toomey on base, Nick Wang drilled a line drive into his teammate, automatically labeling the runner out.

Haugh’s teammates were ecstatic. After all, the Tar Heels’ baseball program hadn’t seen a no-hitter yet in the 21st century, making Haugh’s performance a piece of history. However, it wasn’t a no-hitter. See, despite Wang never reaching base, the rules indicated that the final out needed to be ruled a hit as the ball had gotten past the first baseman before hitting the runner.

The rule was so obscure that nobody in the stadium knew the no-hitter had been broken up. Haugh’s teammates stormed the field, mobbing their pitcher in excitement, but it wasn’t until after the game, when official scoring was released, that everyone realized what had happened.

Alas, history had not been made, but the team wouldn’t have to wait long for it again.

Just a week later, on April 1 in a game against Gardner-Webb, UNC’s Folger Boaz, Olin Johnson, and Camron Seagraves, combined for the team’s first legitimate no-hitter of the 21st century en route to an 11-1 win in seven innings.

As the kids say, ball don’t lie.

The only question left is ‘How in the world did Gardner-Webb score a run?’ It came in the second inning after Gardner-Webb’s Dale Francis Jr. led off the inning by reaching first base via an error. A wild pitch, ground ball, and second error later, Gardner-Webb was on the scoreboard with a 1-0 lead.

This isn’t something we’ve never seen before. As recently as 2011 in Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ervin Santana tossed a one-run no-hitter against Cleveland. Similarly to UNC, the one run came after an error put the runner on base, he stole second, and finally scored on a wild pitch.

Regardless of that blemish though, UNC baseball is likely just happy to have that weight off their backs. They thought they’d made history only to have it pried away from them. Thankfully, they got another opportunity soon after and didn’t waste it.

TAMPA, Fla. — Cori Close still gets emotional when she thinks about coaching USA Basketball at the U19 FIBA World Cup in 2021, and it has nothing to do with the games.

There were two players — one that eventually became her own at UCLA — who carried her a bit through that tournament. UCLA star center Lauren Betts and UConn standout Azzi Fudd weren’t just her players. They were her rocks as she handled the loss of her father, who died while Close was at the World Cup.

Close gathered the team to tell them, and she remembers the circle of players sharing the grief she was navigating.

‘Their response to me was just tremendous,’ Close said Thursday during a media day ahead of the women’s NCAA Tournament Final Four. ‘Azzi, she just has incredible work ethic. She’s an elite player and she has a very tender heart. And I was the beneficiary of that on that trip, and I’ll be forever grateful.’

Close recruited both Fudd and Betts. Both turned her down coming out of high school, although Betts ended up transferring to UCLA after her freshman season. Now No. 1 seed UCLA (34-2) will face No. 2 seed UConn (35-3) in the Final Four at Amalie Arena on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Fudd said Close was one of her favorite coaches to be recruited by, and having her as a coach with USA Basketball was ‘incredible.’ It stuck with Fudd, the fact that Close chose to be with them and coach them that August even though her father was sick. It showed Fudd what kind of person Close was and the loyalty she had.

‘If there was something going on with us, I knew that she would be there for us,’ Fudd said Thursday. ‘I just wanted to make sure that she felt the love from us, because it’s not one-sided, it’s definitely a two-way street, having that player-coach relationship.’

When they won the championship at the U19 FIBA World Cup, Betts and Fudd went straight to Close.

‘This is for your dad,’ they told her. ‘We’re just so grateful for you still showing up for us.’

That experience created ‘a huge bond’ for Betts and Close, who still brings it up on occasion.

Even though it was only a month that they were together, Fudd felt like they were Close’s second family. She wanted Close to know they were there to support her and wanted to give her enough love to carry her through. They did everything they could to be there for Close.

‘Even though I wasn’t committed to her at the time, I still have a heart and I still understand how hard that moment was for her,’ Betts said. ‘For her to still be there as a coach and show up and do her job, I just felt, you know, so much love for her in that moment.’

Want tickets to the FIFA World Cup in 2026? Buying tickets to this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup could get you into next summer’s tournament. 

FIFA announced two options for ticket packages that grant access to both tournaments. Tickets went on sale Thursday, and will be available until April 28. 

Here are the options: 

Ticket Pack: This package involves one ticket per match to two Club World Cup 2025 matches, with the option to add one ticket to a third match at an additional cost. The purchaser of a Ticket Pack who uses all tickets to attend all matches included in their Ticket Pack will be granted a guaranteed option to buy one ticket to a FIFA World Cup 26 match in the United States (excluding the final).
Super Ticket Pack: This package includes one ticket per match to 20 Club World Cup 2025 matches, which must include a semifinal and either the opening match or the final. The purchaser of a Super Ticket Pack who uses all tickets to attend all matches included in their Super Ticket Pack will be granted a guaranteed option to buy one ticket for the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. 

Buy FIFA Club World Cup tickets now

The Club World Cup and World Cup ticket promotion applies only to ticket packages sold on FIFA.com/tickets, not to any other FIFA Club World Cup 2025 tickets. Fans should visit the FIFA ticketing portal for details on match combinations and the terms and conditions to purchase a ticket for World Cup 2026.

Fans are responsible for their own travel arrangements, including obtaining visas and gaining entry to the United States, according to FIFA’s announcement.

CLUB WORLD CUP TICKETS: Schedule, prices for revamped 2025 FIFA tournament

The 2025 Club World Cup begins with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on center stage against Egyptian club Al Alhy on June 14 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The final will be July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The 2026 World Cup begins June 11, 2026 in Mexico and ends with the final at MetLife Stadium July 19, 2026. 

In two more days, basketball fans will officially find out what Carmelo Anthony apparently already knows, the 19-year NBA veteran is bound for the Hall of Fame.

Anthony was the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA draft, the same draft in which LeBron James went first overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James was one of many to pay tribute to Anthony when the news first broke, exclaiming ‘CONGRATULATIONS MY BROTHER!’ on social media.

Over his 19 seasons with six NBA teams, Anthony amassed 28,289 points, averaging 22.5 per game. He was a 10-time All-Star, a six-time All-NBA selection and was the league scoring champion in 2012-13 as a member of the New York Knicks.

When the NBA named its 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, Anthony was one of the 75 players who were honored.

And when the 2025 induction ceremonies take place Sept. 6 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Anthony will be at the head of the class.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Chicago Cubs, who arrived at spring training before everyone else, traveled to Tokyo and back, spent two different stints in Arizona and initiated a new ballpark in Sacramento, packed their suitcases Wednesday afternoon after sweeping the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.

Finally, they are heading home.

The freezing temperatures and 70% chance of rain in the forecast that await the Cubs for their Wrigley Field opener will never feel so good.

“This feels like the longest spring training in the world,’ Cubs closer Ryan Pressly told USA TODAY Sports. “You go all of the way across the world to Japan, come back, play a couple more spring training games, and then start the season in Arizona.

“It was nice being on the same sleep schedule, but you know, I would like to go back to Chicago every once in awhile.’

The Cubs, 10-2 winners on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep, have been gone for so long that they’ve already experienced six pregame ceremonies — four in Tokyo, one in Arizona, one in Sacramento – and now they’re about to get another one at home.

“That’s got to be a record, right?’ Cubs reliever Eli Morgan said.

Well, it’s certainly a record for a team to spend nearly five weeks in spring training in Mesa, Arizona, fly to Japan for a week, spend another week in spring training in Mesa, move to a downtown Phoenix hotel to open the domestic season with a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and then travel to Sacramento to play in the Athletics’ first games at their new temporary ballpark.

“It felt like we were in Arizona for four months,’’ says Cubs catcher Carson Kelly. “It was definitely a little weird when we go to Tokyo, come back, play some spring training games, and then open in Arizona. It was a little disorienting.

“It was almost like we needed to get on the plane, fly around Arizona a couple of times, and then land. We did our trip, now we’re here. And now this season starts. The time change was a little rough when we get back, but I think guys are starting to get into their rhythm.’’

Certainly, no one found their groove more than the combo of DH Seiya Suzuki and right fielder Kyle Tucker.

Suzuki, who was batting .095 with one extra-base in the first five games, then went 11-for-19 (.579) with four home runs and 11 RBI the last four games, including two homers and five RBI Wednesday.

“Seiya, pound for pound, some of the most juice in the league,’ Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “I think it was a bit of a tough start for him this year, but he’s made these last games look pretty easy. That’s going to be a regular thing for Seiya. We’ve all seen it before, and he’s going to continue to do that.’

Tucker, the Cubs’ marquee acquisition during the winter, couldn’t hit in spring training, going 0-for-19 to open his spring. He hit .125 (2-for-16) his first four games of the season with only one extra-base. Now, he looks like Andre Dawson, the pure power hitter the Cubs envisioned all along when they acquired him from the Houston Astros. He’s hitting .476 with three doubles, four homers and nine RBI in his last five games.

“Don’t tell him this,’ said Pressly, also teammates with Tucker in Houston, “but he’s a special player. He really is special. Watching him come up, and how he swings it, is really fun. I’ve had a front row seat to it for a couple of years now.

“Every time he comes up to the plate, something pretty cool could happen.’

It’s hard to believe this was the same guy that had fans freaking out in spring training that perhaps the Cubs surrendered too much in prospect Cam Smith and third baseman Isaac Paredes to acquire him.

“I didn’t necessarily worry about it,’ said Tucker, who’s now hitting .324 with a 1.228 OPS, “but at the end of the day it was spring training. I felt good in spring training. I hit some balls that I thought were hit well, and they just didn’t fall for a hit. So, I didn’t care too much.

“Besides, I’d rather show them during the season.’

Oh, is he ever, showing the rest of team his disciplined – yet aggressive – approach at the plate.

“That’s what other players have definitely commented on,’ Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, “is watching a great hitter’s approach and how it’s just a little bit different. And you learn something from that. It’s a confidence he has in himself, and he executes it.’

Says Suzuki, who’s hitting .275 with a .958 OPS: “I think for pitchers, they want to get ahead and get that first strike. And now, I’m swinging and staying aggressive. Those pitches I can hit, early on I was taking them. As long as I’m able to continue to do that, the results will be there.’

The Cubs, the first visiting team to play at Sutter Health Park, are excited to finally get home, but, honestly, they’re going to kind of miss these minor-league digs in Sacramento. Sure, the visiting clubhouse is tiny, and it’s located outside the center-field fence, but hey, they joked, at least the showers worked. There actually was hot water. There was no raw sewage seeping through the floors. And not a single rat or stray cat was spotted.

“The clubhouse is way better, it’s really nice in here,’ Pressly said. “It’s just the stadium. You know, you’re playing in a Triple-A stadium. That’s the only downfall of it.

“I feel bad for the guys who get called up and then you got to play in a Triple-A stadium. I mean, the Coliseum was a pretty special place, even though it had its flaws. I always liked playing there. The fans were great. They always got on you pretty good, especially being on the Astros, they really got on you. But I always liked playing in Oakland, staying in San Francisco, and you couldn’t beat the weather.’

While the Cubs destroyed the A’s, outscoring them 35-9, while hitting .337 with eight homers in the three-game series, it’s still too early to know just how the ballpark will play during the season. The prevailing sentiment is that it will be quite hitter-friendly, particularly in the hot summer months, with the Cubs predicting that the A’s slugger Brent Rooker will be a 50-homer hitter.

“It’ll be interesting later on in the year to see what teams do,’ Pressly said. “Obviously, Rooker is a good hitter.  [Shea] Langeliers is a good hitter. It’s going to be pretty impressive to see the number they put up.’

If the opening series was any indication, Sutter Health Park could turn into Coors Field West.

There was a total of 42 runs, 64 hits and 12 homers in the three-game series, with the Cubs wishing the Athletics all the best moving forward, knowing they’ll pitching at a place where there’s no forgiveness for mistakes.

There’s no second and third upper decks to cut down the wind, and the ball is already carrying without the temperature rising above 65 degrees.

Still, as winning Cubs starter Jameson Taillon proved Wednesday, giving up just four hits and two runs in six innings while striking out seven, it’s not as if every pitcher has no chance to dominate in a minor-league park.

“I’ve heard the stories of the PCL [Pacific Coast League], I never played in it, but I know the ball flies in that league,’ Taillon said. “But I felt it was pretty fair. I know we scored a lot of runs, but I also feel like that was a lot on our hitters putting up great at-bats.’

Then again, as Taillon noted, there were strong winds gusting 12-20 mph the first two nights, but only about 5 mph Wednesday. The 385-foot homer to left field that he allowed to Rooker would have gone out anywhere.

“The park still plays like a minor-league park,’ Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar said, “much more exposed to the wind factor and all of that stuff. Once it gets hot, especially if the wind keeps up like it has been here, there’s going to be some high-scoring games here. It’s not the ideal situation, but they have to deal with it, I guess.

“It’s going to be a big adjustment for those guys having pitching in the Coliseum. They never had a batting champion for a reason. But there’s definitely going to be some guys who have some breakout seasons here.

“I’m just glad we got here early and don’t have worry about 110 (degrees).’

Instead, the Cubs will just have to worry about staying dry and warm in Chicago, knowing that summer is still two months away.

“Is Chicago warm yet?’ Suzuki said, laughing. “I’ll be ready to have a lot of hot packs all over my body.’

But no matter how cold, windy or wet the conditions are when they play the San Diego Padres this weekend, for the first time in 2025, they’ll finally be home.

“I’m really excited to get back to Wrigley,’ Taillon said. “I’m really excited for all of our new players to experience Wrigley. And the fans.

“And I’m real excited to sleep in my own bed.’

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