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Nneka Ogwumike to return to the Los Angeles Sparks, where she spent first 12 years of her career

Nneka Ogwumike is headed back to the Los Angeles Sparks. Ogwumike spent the first 12 seasons of her career in Los Angeles after she was drafted No. 1 by the team in 2012. She won the MVP in 2016 and helped the franchise win the WNBA championship that season. The veteran forward posted on social media a 45-second video that showed her intentions to return to the Sparks, which her agent confirmed was accurate. Free agents can't sign until Saturday. "It was always see you later, now I'll see you soon…" Ogwumike wrote in the post. The video showed highlights of her time in Los ...

Fewer players from outside the Power Four are being selected in the NFL draft

Just like Cinderella teams have become less of a factor at the NCAA men's basketball tournament, fewer longshots are reaching the NFL draft from small schools. Blame NIL riches and the crowded transfer portal, a combination that has led to a concentration of talent in the power conferences. The SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 dominate college football, commanding higher revenue, better television ratings and bigger budgets. And more and more, they're siphoning stars from the nonpower leagues. "Jerry Rice still gets drafted by the 49ers, but I don't know that it's from Mississippi ...

Sue Bird to serve as an NBC studio analyst for WNBA broadcasts this season

NEW YORK — Hall of Famer Sue Bird watched the W NBA on NBC growing up and now she'll be part of the network's broadcasts of the league. The four-time WNBA champion will be a studio analyst and also host a series of feature stories on NBC and Peacock throughout the league's 30th season which begins on May 8. "I've been circling broadcasting for a long time now," Bird told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday. "Given NBC's history and legacy and where the WNBA is now, I am excited to be part of it. "It needed to be the right fit, the right people, the right ...

Kirk Cousins says best QB should start if Raiders draft Fernando Mendoza

HENDERSON, Nev. — Kirk Cousins was blindsided when Atlanta drafted Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in 2024 — just a month after he signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons. He comes to Las Vegas with a firmer sense of his role, and if Fernando Mendoza is selected by the Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick and beats out Cousins for the starting quarterback job, then so be it. "We all want to play," Cousins said Wednesday at his introductory news conference. "I made this clear to (coach) Klint (Kubiak) that the best player needs to play. If that's not me, I don't ...