Friday Sports in Brief | AP News

NBA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A person with knowledge of the decision says Darvin Ham has accepted an offer to be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The person spoke with The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been publicly announced.

The 48-year-old Ham is getting his first head coaching job as the 28th coach in Lakers history. He has been an assistant to Mike Budenholzer with the Milwaukee Bucks since 2018, and he played a significant role in their run to the 2021 NBA title.

Ham will be the successor to Frank Vogel, who was fired one day after the Lakers wrapped up one of the most disappointing seasons in NBA history by going 33-49 and missing the playoffs.

— By AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham.

MLB

CINCINNATI (AP) — San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Friday he will refuse to take the field for the national anthem in a protest over the nation’s political direction following this week’s school shooting in Texas.

“I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country,” Kapler said before a series opener at Cincinnati. “I don’t expect it to move the needle necessarily. It’s just something that I feel strongly enough about to take that step.”

Kapler said he needs more time to consider specific actions he might suggest be taken to prevent more tragedies of this type, such as stronger gun control laws.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former All-Star pitcher Carlos Martínez was suspended for 80 games Friday under baseball’s minor league drug program following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Ibutamoren, which increases Human Growth Hormone.

The 30-year-old right-hander signed a minor league contract with San Francisco on March 19. He was released and signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox on May 7.

Martínez made a pair of starts for Triple-A Worcester, at Toledo on May 8 and against Rochester on May 14, going 0-2 with a 20.77 ERA in 4 1/3 innings. He was released on May 17.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gil Hodges, who helped the Dodgers win World Series titles in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, will have his No. 14 jersey retired.

The pregame ceremony will take place on June 4, when the New York Mets visit Dodger Stadium. Hodges played his final two seasons with the Mets in 1962 and ’63. His 96-year-old widow, Joan, still lives in Brooklyn.

He joins Walter Alston, Roy Campanella, Don Drysdale, Jim Gilliam, Sandy Koufax, Tommy Lasorda, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Don Sutton and Pee Wee Reese among Dodgers players and managers to have their numbers retired in left field.

NFL

CLEVELAND (AP) — David Njoku committed to Cleveland, and the Browns followed suit.

Two years after asking to be traded, Njoku got the long-term commitment he wanted from the Browns, agreeing Friday to a four-year contract extension, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

Njoku, who figures to have a more prominent role in Cleveland’s offense this season, will be among the NFL’s highest-paid tight ends, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the sides were still finalizing the package. Financial terms were not immediately known.

— By AP Sports Writer Tom Withers.

NHL

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Darren Helm scored with 5.6 seconds left and Darcy Kuemper stopped 17 shots as the Colorado Avalanche finished off their second-round series with a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 on Friday night.

J.T. Compher scored twice for Colorado, which advanced to the Western Conference finals for first time since 2002. The Avalanche had been eliminated in the second round each of the past three years.

Colorado opens the series against Edmonton on Tuesday night in Denver.

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins leading scorer Brad Marchand had surgery on both hips on Friday and is expected to be out six months, meaning he would miss the start of next season.

The team said Marchand had arthroscopic surgery to repair the cartilage in his hips.

Marchand had 32 goals and 48 assists last season. He added four goals and seven assists in the playoffs, when the Bruins lost in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes.

TENNIS

Chris Evert, Serena Williams and other Wimbledon women’s singles champions will now be listed on the All England Club’s honor boards in a Centre Court hallway simply by their first initial and last name instead of including “Miss” or “Mrs.”

A spokeswoman for the All England Club confirmed Friday the switch to the women’s honor board has been completed.

Williams is a seven-time champion at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament and her name now will appear as “S. Williams” instead of “Miss S. Williams.”

Men’s champions always have been listed that way.

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