Lauri Markkanen just completed the best season of his career, but the Utah Jazz forward is spending his offseason very differently from his National Basketball Association peers: training in the Finnish military.
State of play: Markkanen, 25, reported on Monday for the mandatory military service that all Finnish men must complete before turning 30.
Driving the news: The A's have signed a binding agreement to purchase land near the Las Vegas Strip, where they intend to build a $1.5 billion ballpark, team president Dave Kaval told the Las Vegas Review-Journal Wednesday night.
The National Football League draft begins in eight days, and Alabama's Bryce Young is now the runaway favorite (-1000) to be taken No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers.
Why it matters: If Young goes No. 1 as expected, he'll be the seventh Heisman-winning quarterback to do so in the past 14 drafts after just three such QBs did so in the previous 39.
After 13 consecutive losses, Chris Paul has finally vanquished his nemesis.
Driving the news: Paul's Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 123-109, on Tuesday in a game officiated by Scott Foster. Paul finished with 16 points (8-14 shooting), eight assists and three personal fouls.
