Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird will share a basketball court for what is likely the final time Friday night when Taurasi's Mercury host Bird's Storm.
Why it matters: Two of the greatest women's basketball players to ever live — friends who've been linked for more than two decades — may never compete against each other again. It's a historic night.
Georgia's Kirby Smart has agreed to a new 10-year, $112.5 million deal that makes him the highest-paid coach in college football, ESPN reports.
The backdrop: Smart's historic deal — which has an average annual value of $11.25 million — comes on the heels of his peers signing their own enormous contracts.
Fewer and fewer people are tuning in to watch All-Star Games across the Big Four sports leagues.
Driving the news: MLB's Midsummer Classic drew a record-low 7.51 million viewers on Tuesday. And yet, that's still the largest audience among Big Four All-Star Games, all of which have seen their audiences dwindle over the past two decades.
Sports great Bo Jackson has revealed that he helped pay for the funerals of the victims of the elementary school mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, AP reported Thursday.
Driving the news: The former MLB and NFL star told AP he and a friend flew to Uvalde three days after the 19 children and two teachers were killed in May's Robb Elementary School massacre and offered to pay for "all funeral expenses," giving Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) a check for $170,000.
Russia's Foreign Ministry criticized the U.S. on Thursday for describing WNBA star Brittney Griner as "wrongfully detained," saying the claim shows disrespect for Russian law, according to AP.
Why it matters: Griner, who has been imprisoned since February, pleaded guilty this month to drug charges that carry up to 10 years in prison. Her trial is set to resume Tuesday; it's unclear how long it will last.
