INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been absent from the early WNBA All-Star Game festivities, not participating in the orange carpet on Thursday night or media availability on Friday morning.

The WNBA announced on Thursday that Clark would not play in the All-Star Game on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse because of a right groin injury sustained against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.

Fever teammate, guard Kelsey Mitchell, said even without Clark on the court, her presence will still be felt.

‘Caitlin is going to be Caitlin guys, trust me.’ Mitchel said Friday morning. ‘She is going to be coaching. You will definitely see the competitive nature. But her body deserves what it deserves, from a break standpoint.

‘This weekend will still be about what her and other individuals have brought to this league.’

Clark, who is a team captain, was supposed to participate in the 3-point contest at 8 p.m. ET Friday night. She has been replaced by Fever teammate Lexi Hull. Her replacement for the All-Star game is Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes.

Team Clark coach Sandy Brondello said she plans to let Clark do as much coaching as she wishes.

‘Obviously, it’s unfortunate about Caitlin not being in this game,’ Brondello said Friday. ‘But she is still going to have a great impact on this team. I will give the coaching hat to her and much as she wants. We will play around with it a little and have fun.

‘You have seen it with the Fever, she’s been very active on the sideline when she wasn’t playing, so we will utilize that as well.’

Fever teammate Aliyah Boston said they are all supporting Clark, who has missed time this season with left quad, left groin and now a right groin injuries. She has missed 11 of the Fever’s 23 games.

‘Just continuing to be in her corner and cheering her on,’ Boston said. ‘The biggest thing as a player and a competitor, it’s super hard when you have to sit out.

‘(She knows) we got your back, take your time, but we got you.’

Team Clark’s Sabrina Ionescu said she has been sharing her experience with Clark. The New York Liberty guard fought though her share of injuries during her sophomore season in the league.

‘The second year, I had three to four soft tissue injuries that I was dealing with,’ Ionescu said Friday. ‘You look back and it is kind of blessing in disguise. You are able to learn and grow and understand the game more. It is all part of your journey.’

In April, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers was calmly sitting at a table in New York and eagerly waiting for commissioner Cathy Engelbert to call her name.

‘With the first pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, the Dallas Wings select Paige Bueckers, University of Connecticut,’ Engelbert eventually crooned.

Bueckers rose from her chair, smiled and put her left hand over her heart, seemingly to steady herself as she realized the gravity of the moment. For all the expectations placed on her shoulders, the class of 2025 silently also carried some of the weight. They would have to follow in the footsteps of the class of 2024, spearheaded by two players who often ripped out entire sections of WNBA history books.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese created immediate impact when they entered the league, earning All-Star nods during their first season as pros. Clark and Reese might have set a new benchmark for first-year players. Walking in their footsteps would be no easy feat. However, the class of 2025 wasn’t daunted. It met the moment this season with three WNBA All-Stars: Bueckers and Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen. The trio will play in their first All-Star Game on July 19 in Indianapolis.

This new crop of players doesn’t seem to be bothered by the pressure to produce; they thrive on it.

Bueckers redefines WNBA history with rookie season

Despite missing five games because of injuries, Bueckers is currently ranked top 10 or better in the WNBA in points, assists and steals per game. All the things she excelled at during her time at UConn – efficient shots, top-tier vision and passing, plus sweltering defense – immediately translated to the pro level. Her blazing fast start includes several league records.

The Wings guard is the first player in WNBA history with 60 points and 30 assists through the first five games, fastest player in league history to reach 200 points and 50 assists and first player in WNBA history to record a game with 25 or more points, five-plus assists, two-plus steals and two or more blocks with zero turnovers. As fate would have it (and history repeats), there’s a connection to the class of 2024. En route to June Rookie of the Month honors, Bueckers joined Clark as the only rookies to ever score 35-plus points and five or more made 3-pointers in a single matchup.

‘Paige (Bueckers) is a bucket. She’s deserving of everything,’ Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale recently told USA TODAY about Bueckers’ All-Star nod. ‘She’s just been a great player. I mean, everything you guys see, that’s what we see every day. … She just has an all-around game – all-around good person.’

Citron and Iriafen are WNBA’s best rookie duo

Bueckers isn’t the only first-year player who turned heads upon stepping onto the hardwood. Her colleagues across the country, Citron and Iriafen, are the first pair of rookie teammates since 1999 to make the WNBA All-Star team.

Citron was the first rookie in 2025 to score 100 points and is the only player from the class of 2025 to have multiple 20-point double-doubles. Per ESPN, the rookie has an effective field goal percentage of 53%, factoring in 3-pointers and shooting almost 90% from the free throw line. Additionally, alongside Iriafen, she became the first rookie since Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson in 2018 to open their career with eight or more double-digit scoring stat lines.

‘Big fan of her game. Been a big fan of her since she’s been in college,’ Clark said after adding Citron to her roster for the 2025 All-Star Game. ‘I’ve been telling everybody I thought she would be a tremendous player when she got into the league, and she hasn’t let me down.’

Citron’s game is not considered flashy by most standards, but her patience in nailing clutch shots and playing shutdown defense in the big moments is hard to overlook. She rarely panics, which translates to smooth and fluid movements of a player beyond her years.

Citron’s teammate, Iriafen, has also carved out a lane for herself, becoming one of the best young players in the league. Her undeniable motor and footwork have been noteworthy, particularly because the opening slate of post players she faced was filled with future hall of famers, including Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner, Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles, Wilson in Las Vegas and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. Still, Iriafen didn’t flinch.

‘Kiki (Iriafen) came in, and she’s not playing like a rookie,’ Griner said in June. ‘She wasn’t scared of any of us out there; she’s coming right at us. You see her working. … So I’ve been very impressed with her.’

As the early days of her season went on, Iriafen joined more elite company by adding her name to a list that includes Clark, Reese and Phoenix forward Satou Sabally. They are the only rookies since 2020 to record three consecutive double-doubles. Iriafen had four straight double-doubles and earned May Rookie of the Month honors.

When considering Iriafen’s and Citron’s impact along with Bueckers, there’s a resounding theme: the class of 2025 has no dropoff in talent. This year’s class potentially sets the stage for 2026 and beyond.

Next year’s group of league hopefuls includes Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Olivia Miles, UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts, LSU Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson and UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd. In 2027, USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo will lead a class with Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker and several other high-profile prospects.

The tide is shifting in the WNBA, and as more talent enters, having three or more rookie All-Stars suddenly doesn’t feel like a fantasy. It’s reality, and soon, it could be the standard. The torch has been passed.

Goaltender Jaroslav Halak officially announced his retirement from the NHL after 17 seasons on July 18, more than two years removed from his last game.

Halak, 40, last played a game on April 13, 2023, with the New York Rangers. He then spent time with the Carolina Hurricanes early in the 2023-24 season on a professional tryout but was released before competing in a game.

‘Last year I completed summer training … but when nothing came of it, I told myself it was pointless. After that I didn’t even try anymore,’ Halak told Slovakia’s Dennik Sport, per a translation. ‘I’m officially ending my career. I would like to thank my family, friends, fans and especially my wife Petra, who has been by my side my entire career.’

A two-time William M. Jennings Trophy Award winner as the goalie on the team that allowed the fewest goals in a season, Halak posted a 295-189-69 record with 53 shutouts, a 2.50 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 581 career games (555 starts).

He has played with the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks and Rangers.

During the 2010 playoffs, he led the Canadiens to upsets of the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in the first two rounds.

‘It’s been two years and I’ve come to terms with not reaching 300 (wins),’ Halak said. ‘Looking back on my career, it’s been a good one. It would have been nicer with 300 wins, but I’ll be happy with 295.’

Halak played for his native Slovakia at the Olympics in 2010 and 2014 and guided Team Europe to the championship game at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

It appears Bill Belichick’s first season with North Carolina football will find its way on TV after all.

A docuseries featuring Belichick and the Tar Heels is reportedly coming to Hulu, according to Front Office Sports on Friday, July 18.

North Carolina was nearly the team to be featured this offseason on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks,’ a series that chronicles one NFL team during training camp each season. The Tar Heels would’ve been the first college program ever featured on the show, although the plans reportedly fell through just days before the show was set to be announced.

Multiple reports added Belichick’s girlfriend, 24-year-old Jordon Hudson, played an ‘instrumental role’ in HBO moving away from North Carolina for ‘Hard Knocks,’ as she requested to be heavily involved in the docuseries. Belichick recently gave his answer on the potential ‘Hard Knocks’ series during a podcast appearance with Ryan Clark on the ‘Pivot Podcast.’

“Hard Knocks is training camp, and we’re not training camp. We’re just not,” Belichick said. “That’s not what we are. The drama of training camp, who’s a cut and all that. Like, we’re a season, and they don’t want that. Yeah, there are film issues too, but forget about the film issues. Just say you could straighten all those out, Hard Knocks just didn’t fit for us.”

Belichick, 73, is a six-time Super Bowl champion head coach with the New England Patriots, which he coached from 2000-23. The 2025 season marks his first year coaching in college football, despite being the oldest head coach in Division I FBS.

Belichick has been one of the largest subjects of discussion of the college football offseason, from his decision to coach at North Carolina to his relationship with Hudson. A docuseries by Disney-owned Hulu featuring Belichick and the Tar Heels is set to be appointment viewing for numerous college football fans.

A request for comment to North Carolina was not immediately returned to the USA TODAY Sports Network.

Former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne says that an ankle injury derailed her chances at competing for the United States at the Olympics.

‘I was actually competing on a hurt ankle at the 2018 USA Championships and, yeah, part of my ankle bone died. Dunne said on the podcast, ‘What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon.’ 

‘Yeah, it just died. So, my Olympic dreams died with it,’ she said. ‘It kind of healed a little bit. It stopped bothering me. I went to college after that, but it was so painful. That was kind of my first real injuries. 

‘I’ve actually never gotten any surgery, which is kind of crazy for a gymnast. And I was like, I think if I just give myself time to heal, I can heal without surgery. But that’s something I take pride in. I have never needed surgery as a gymnast, which is very uncommon.’

After helping the Tigers win the school’s first-ever gymnastics national championship in 2024, Dunne, now 22, was limited by injuries in her final collegiate season before announcing her retirement from the sport in April.

The NFL Players Association is void of an executive director as training camps get underway.

Lloyd Howell Jr. announced his resignation as NFLPA executive director “effective immediately” on Thursday evening. Howell’s decision to step down came amid scrutiny following the ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out’ podcast’s release of a 61-page arbitration report. The report included a revelation that the NFL encouraged owners ‘to reduce guarantees in future contracts with players at the March 2022 annual meeting.’

ESPN had reported that the NFL and NFLPA made an ‘unusual confidentiality agreement’ to keep the findings of the arbitration report secret.

The next step for the union is clear. It has to immediately hire a replacement.

“The board of player representatives will meet as soon as possible to determine next steps,” a person close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Whoever replaces Howell must also be far less controversial than Howell was.

Howell was elected as head of the NFLPA on June 28, 2023. His two-year stint as executive editor comes far short of his predecessors Ed Garvey (1971-1983), Gene Upshaw (1983-2008) and DeMaurice Smith (2009-2023).

The reason for Howell’s short stint was because of the problematic issues that surrounded him. ESPN reported that Howell was working as a ‘paid, part-time consultant for The Carlyle Group,’ a private equity firm that the NFL approved to seek minority ownership stakes in its teams in addition to his job as executive director of the players’ union. Howell had started the consulting job months before starting his role as the NFLPA’s executive director.

“It’s clear that my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day. For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately,” Howell said in a statement Thursday. “I hope this will allow the NFLPA to maintain its focus on its player members ahead of the upcoming season.”

USA TODAY Sports obtained a message sent from the NFLPA executive committee to its membership after Powell’s resignation.

“(Thursday) evening, Lloyd Howell informed us that he is stepping down as Executive Director of the union. We accepted his resignation and are grateful for his service,” the statement read. “The Board will convene as soon as possible for a meeting on next steps and will be in touch with our membership soon.”

Howell’s short but controversial tenure must serve as learning experience for the board of player representatives who elect the executive director. Recent findings compromised the trust between Howell and the players.

There’s also now a sense of urgency. Training camp is already here, and the regular season is in less than 50 days. The NFLPA could name an interim executive director. But the controversy surrounding Howell’s exit serves as evidence that it’s imperative for the board of player representatives to go through a thorough vetting process before they select someone who they deem is fully committed to the players and void of any conflicts of interests.

LOS ANGELES – Manny Pacquiao stood near a thin, rectangular crate almost as tall as the legendary, 5-5 1/2 Filipino boxer.

It was a week before he was set to return to the boxing ring at 46 against reigning WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 19.

Inside the Wild Card boxing gym, where Pacquiao has trained for virtually every fight of his storied career, someone tore away construction paper from the thin crate and revealed the contents.

It was a framed photo of Pacquiao standing next to his longtime trainer, Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao beamed, and with surprise said, “For me?’ According to the photographer, Miguel Salazar, the boxer had been asking for a copy of the photo for more than a year. When Pacquiao realized it was for him, he embraced Roach.

Roach has joked that he and Pacquiao have been together longer than most married couples. Thirty years and counting.

‘Teamwork,” Pacquiao explained of the relationship. ‘Respect.”

Now, the boxer and trainer are trying to pull off something unprecedented.

On Saturday, Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) can become the first fighter to win a world title after being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Pacquiao, 46, was inducted in June. Roach, 65, was inducted in 2012. But the venerated boxer and trainer will head to the fight as underdogs – and for good reason.

Pacquiao, the only boxer to win titles in eight divisions, is 16 years older than Barrios, 30, and has not fought professionally in almost four years. He lost that bout to Yordenis Ugas by unanimous decision, and a year ago, he looked unimpressive during an exhibition against kickboxer named Rukiya Anpo.

Roach has lived with Parkinson’s disease for almost 40 years, and his symptoms have worsened to the point where Pacquiao fears hitting Roach full force when he works the mitts, a staple of training for boxers.

Yet, with uncharted territory looming, Pacquiao and Roach stand side-by-side.

Look who’s here: Roach rekindles training

In mid-May and on short notice, Pacquiao and a small entourage walked into Wild Card, Roach’s gym, according to Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao’s manager.

Video captured Pacquiao embracing Roach and holding on even when a smiling Roach tried to let go. Roach said he knew Pacquiao had agreed to fight Barrios but was surprised when Pacquiao said he wanted to hit the padded mitts – a staple for boxers – and their work began.

The first time in four years.

“Everyone was just kind of quiet and emotional,” Marie Spivey, Roach’s wife, told USA TODAY Sports. ‘It was like everyone was on the verge of tears.”

It’s a relationship that has endured strain.

In 2017, after Pacquiao lost to Australian Jeff Horn by unanimous decision, Roach suggested Pacquiao, then 38, should consider retirement.

Instead, Pacquiao left Roach.

Before his next fight, Pacquiao trained with longtime friend and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez. Roach was hurt because he learned of Pacquiao’s decision not from the boxer but from media reports, according to his wife, Spivey.

‘And Freddy’s feelings, they don’t get hurt like that because he’ll be the first one to say, fighters come and go,” Spivey said. ‘With Manny, it was different.”

Fighting without Roach for the first time since his pro debut in 1995, Pacquiao beat Lucas Matthysse by seventh-round TKO. Then, he returned to Wild Card, resumed his work with Roach and the duo was clicking again.

At 40, Pacquiao beat Adrien Broner by unanimous decision. Later that year, Pacquiao fought Keith Thurman, then the reigning WBA super welterweight champion, and at 40 became the oldest boxer to win a welterweight world title.

But the loss to Ugas in 2021 sent Pacquiao into retirement and back to the Philippines, where he’d won a Senate seat in 2016. He launched a campaign for the presidency two months later after losing to Ugas, and he placed third in the 2022 election. In May, Pacquiao ran for Senate again and finished well out of the running for one of 12 spots.

Then it was back to Wild Card. And on to uncharted territory.

Pacquiao: A better person when he’s boxing

After working together for two weeks starting in May, Roach said, it became clear he’d be training Pacquiao for the Barrios fight. Less clear was how, eight years after suggesting Pacquiao should consider retiring, Roach agreed to train a 46-year-old boxer who has not fought in four years.

‘I talked to his wife, and his wife was always against him fighting,’ Roach said. ‘This is the first time ever that she told me she wanted him to fight. Very badly.”

”He’s a better person (when he’s boxing),” Roach said Pacquiao’s wife told him.

Gibbons, Pacquiao’s manager, cited Al Haymon, founder of Premier Boxing Champions.

‘All this stuff going on in boxing, you see all these big fights,” Gibbons said. ‘You see all this money thrown around. Only one guy stepped up with an offer again, and that was Al Haymon. …”

Haymon began lining up fights for Pacquiao after the loss to Horn, and Gibbons speculated how working with Haymon for his whole career would have impacted the boxer.

‘He probably wouldn’t be fighting because he wouldn’t need to,” Gibbons said. ‘But I’m saying he needs to. He wants to.”

Ultimately, Pacquiao said, the decision was up to him.

“One thing that I remember (Roach) told me is you can manage your body and (determine) if you can still fight or not,” Pacquiao said.

On Wednesday, Pacquiao visited the Raiders’ facility near Las Vegas. Roach was there too. They’ll be together yet again Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where Pacquiao will be fighting for the 16th time, and Roach again in his corner.

That’s how it’ll end, too — regardless of how the fight ends.