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Conway, Santner, Rayudu reunite with coach Fleming at Texas Super Kings
Ashwin sees WTC final omission as 'stumbling block', not 'setback'
"For me, it's not a setback," Ashwin told the Indian Express and Hindu. "It's just a stumbling block, I'll move on because I have gone through that. When somebody knocks you down for the first time, you have a knee-jerk reaction. I think you should be knocked down once in a while along your life so that you are used to it and will know how to bounce back. That's what life is. Whether you are at your peak or not, it is still a setback. The fact that you need to learn how to deal with it is very important.
"To look inwards and say 'okay, somebody is judging me' is foolishness. I think I'm not at the stage of my career to think what others are thinking of me. I know what I am capable of. If I'm not good at something, I'll be my first best critic. And I will work on it and I'm not someone who will sit on my laurels. I've never been made that way. So to think of who's judging me is immaterial."
Ashwin last played a Test in England in 2021, the first WTC final, against New Zealand in Southampton. He took two wickets in each innings to finish with match figures of 4 for 45 from 25 overs, including ten maidens.
For the WTC final this time, Ashwin said he knew about his omission 48 hours before the game started, but he said he is a lot more "chilled" and "relaxed" at this stage of his life and career.
"I'm a lot more chilled than I used to be," he said. "A lot more relaxed in my life than I ever have been. Sitting here today, I realise how much of a toll it had taken on me mentally to the point where I was traumatised. But I am very glad to have come through that and discovered a new me.
"A lot of people marketed me and positioned me that I am an overthinker. A person who will get 15-20 matches on the go doesn't have to be mentally overthinking. A person who knows that they will get only two games will be traumatised and will be overthinking because it's my job. It's my journey. So this is what suits me."
Mark Steketee joins Yorkshire for County Championship stint
Steketee, 29, will be available for Yorkshire's next game in Division Two, against Gloucestershire at Headingley starting on June 25, and three other fixtures during July - although the club have said there is scope to extend the deal into the back end of the season.
The Queenslander, who was a member of Australia's Test squad in Pakistan last year, has previously played county cricket with Essex. He was the third-highest wicket-taker in the 2022-23 Sheffield Shield, and has 248 at 25.34 in his first-class career.
"Mark is a very talented young player and has performed well in Australia," Darren Gough, Yorkshire's managing director of cricket, said. "With the schedule Yorkshire has - the Blast games followed quickly by Championship cricket - and current injuries in our ranks it was important that we strengthen the side in our bowling resources.
"Mark will be a wonderful addition to our current squad and help give a further boost to our Championship campaign. We have our first Championship win under our belt, and we want to push on from here. Mark can bring something more to our bowling line-up.
"Here at Yorkshire, we are still working hard on getting the balance right between youth and experience and we now feel we have got a squad where we have plenty of opportunities for everyone."
Yorkshire were expected to be challenging for promotion this season, after being relegated on the final day of the Championship in 2022, but were winless in their first five games before holding off Derbyshire's comeback for a three-wicket victory at Chesterfield this week.
Ashley Giles appointed Worcestershire chief executive
Giles was linked with the county when they advertised for a director of cricket last year but will instead take on the top job from July 3. The position has been vacant since 2019, with chair Fanos Hira taking an active role in the running of the club.
Giles spent his entire playing career with Warwickshire, Worcestershire's local rivals, and also had two stints as director of cricket at Edgbaston - but has emphasised his desire to "make a meaningful contribution" to his new club.
"Having resided in Worcestershire for 25 years, having married and raised my children here, I have developed a deep appreciation for the club's rich history and recognise the immense potential for an exciting and promising future," Giles said.
"I am eager to make a meaningful contribution to the club's growth and success and am looking forward to the opportunity to connect with our passionate members and supporters, and collaborate with the entire club community to ensure exceptional performance both on and off the field."
Hira said that the club's board - who approved Giles' appointment unanimously - were "delighted" to announce his arrival. "His unparalleled expertise and exceptional track record in cricket administration make him the definitive choice to lead our organisation into a transformative era," Hira said.
"We possess utmost confidence that his dynamic leadership and unwavering passion for the sport will serve as indispensable assets in propelling us towards success on and off the field."
A club statement said that Giles would provide support to Worcestershire's coaching teams as well as overseeing the management of the club more widely.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The most notable development of this week's Kansas City Chiefs minicamp was the absence of defensive tackle Chris Jones. The Chiefs were planning for his arrival at training camp, whether that's for the start on July 23 or sometime later.
"It's part of the business,'' quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. "I think Chris knows that we love him here. He's been a part of this team for a long time. He's one of the main reasons that we've had the success that we've had. He's been that leader on the defense. He's made a lot of big plays, and it seems like in the biggest moments, and you want those guys in your team.
"I'm sure Chris is working, and he knows the defense that he needs to do, and the hope is that everything's good by training camp and we're able to come in and just roll and that's just part of it. And that's what makes this team ... so great is whenever guys that have to go handle their business, we let them handle it when they jump back in the building, and we get back to right where we left off."
Jones is headed into the final season of the four-year, $80 million contract he signed in 2020. The $20 million average makes him the eighth-highest-paid defensive tackle.
Jones was tied for fourth in the NFL in sacks last season with 15.5, which tied his career high set in 2018. He also had two sacks in three postseason games. Asked about Jones' situation, coach Andy Reid initially said he was sure Jones would be there for camp. He later backed off, saying, "I'm not sure about any of that. ... I wish I could predict that, but I think there's a chance [and a] chance he's not. We'll see.''
Reid said he leaves the contract negotiations to general manager Brett Veach and the front office. As for what he has communicated recently to Jones, Reid said, "'Make sure you're in shape.'"
Reign on: Nuggets soak up first NBA title parade
DENVER -- Nikola Jokic rode atop a firetruck with people who mean the world to him -- his teammate Jamal Murray, his young daughter -- and the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Jokic and the Denver Nuggets soaked in the moment and were soaked, too, by champagne spray on Thursday during a parade through downtown Denver to celebrate their first NBA title.
His daughter, Ognjena, stole the show as she sat in front of him, at times wearing Jokic's championship hat. Jokic turned in some big assists, too, shielding her from champagne spray.
This celebration has been a long time in the making and swarms of fans showed up. It took 47 seasons in the NBA for the franchise to finally make Denver the home of the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Near the end of the parade route, an officer was struck by a firetruck, the Denver Police Department announced on social media. The officer was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
The Nuggets capped an impressive postseason by beating the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Denver finished 16-4 in the playoffs, which was tied for the second-best mark by an NBA champion since the first round was expanded to best-of-seven in 2003. San Antonio also was 16-4 in 2007, and Golden State went 16-1 in 2017.
"It's hitting me right now," said coach Michael Malone, who was choking up as he was interviewed shortly after climbing off his firetruck for the parade. "This is an amazing experience.
"I've got a crazy idea," added Malone, who was wearing a shirt that read, "Put this in your pipe and smoke it" with a picture of the trophy under it. "Let's do this again. I want to be on another float. I want to be at another parade and do this thing again."
So many scenes to absorb.
There was rookie Christian Braun tossing his shirt into the crowd. And veteran DeAndre Jordan mingling with the fans, giving them high-fives. And Murray signing a painting of himself. And Kentavious Caldwell-Pope playing the role of TV broadcaster when he interviewed teammate Aaron Gordon.
"KCP, reporting live," he said, turning to Gordon on the Denver 7 broadcast. "How does it feel to be a champion?"
"You would know, champ," Gordon responded to Caldwell-Pope.
Caldwell-Pope was the lone Nuggets player to have earned a championship, courtesy of his title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Jokic is coming off a historic playoff performance where he became the first player to lead the league in total points (600), rebounds (269) and assists (190) in a single postseason. The two-time NBA MVP added more hardware to his resume, too, capturing the Finals MVP.
He had that trophy next to him, too. Jokic momentarily misplaced it Monday night in the chaos of winning a title.
Jokic was called up to the microphone to speak and serenaded with thunderous chants of "MVP," "MVP" from the crowd.
"Ok, OK, OK, OK," he said to quiet them down. "Thank you. Thank you, though. ... This is amazing. We're all going to remember this our whole lives."
With the season now officially closed, Jokic will soon head home to Sombor, Serbia, to spend time with his family and return to his other passion -- horse racing. He's hoping to make it back in time to attend a harness race Sunday.
This is the second straight June the city has held a parade. The NHL's Colorado Avalanche were the guests of honor last year after hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Gallinari opts in for Celtics return in 2023-24
Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari has exercised his $6.8 million player option to return to the Boston Celtics for the 2023-24 season, his agent, Michael Tellem of Excel Sports Management, told ESPN on Thursday.
Having nearly reached a full recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee that caused him to miss the 2022-23 season, Gallinari will get to make his franchise debut this year in what is expected to be a sizable role for the Celtics.
Gallinari was injured playing for his native Italy in a FIBA qualifying game in August. He had signed a two-year, $13.3 million deal with the Celtics last offseason that included the player option for the second season.
It was the second time Gallinari had torn his left ACL, including an April 2013 injury that caused him to miss the 2013-14 season.
Gallinari, 34, averaged 11.7 points per game on 38.1% 3-point shooting for the Atlanta Hawks in 2021-22. In 13 NBA seasons, he has averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and has made 1,426 career 3-pointers -- the fifth most by a player 6-foot-10 or taller, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Best moments from the Nuggets' championship parade
It's parade time in the Mile High City. The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games earlier this week to win the franchise's first title, with star Nikola Jokic capturing Finals MVP honors. Now, despite Jokic's well-documented wishes of returning home to Serbia, the Nuggets are taking the morning to tour Denver and celebrate with their fans.
The parade route snakes through downtown before ending in Civic Center Park.
The celebratory scenes are especially sweet for a Nuggets roster that only contains one player who has won multiple titles (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope). Four players on Denver's roster will be donning their first championship ring in careers spanning 10 years or longer (Jeff Green, Ish Smith, DeAndre Jordan, and Reggie Jackson).
Here are some of the most memorable moments from the Nuggets' celebration:
More on Denver's title run
Braun brings energy early
Christian Braun ENERGIZED as the Nuggets celebrate their NBA Championship!
? Live on NBA TV
Follow the parade on the NBA App:
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2023
? https://t.co/Y9eOWIeBoi pic.twitter.com/e8zJOWlyuq
Green takes in the atmosphere
"First ever championship, I'm just enjoying being a part of history."
KCP goes on to thank the "unbelievable fans" as Jeff Green interacts with the crowd during Denver's championship parade, live on NBA TV!
Follow the parade in the NBA App: https://t.co/Y9eOWIeBoi pic.twitter.com/Rwb28VORJT
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2023
Malone says the Nuggets aren't finished
"We're not done yet."
Coach Malone thanks the Denver fans as the parade rolls on... live on NBA TV and the NBA App!
? https://t.co/Y9eOWIeBoi pic.twitter.com/r7aRrOiQWE
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2023
GM Booth fires up the crowd
"It's been 47 long years...we're world champions!
Nuggets GM Calvin Booth addresses the crowd during the championship parade, LIVE on NBA TV and the NBA App.
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2023
?https://t.co/Y9eOWIeBoi pic.twitter.com/i28d97T0Ln
Jokic speaks up
"We love you Denver, this one is for you!"
Nikola Jokic rallies Nuggets fans with his speech at the championship parade! #bRINGItIn
Watch on NBA TV and the NBA App: https://t.co/Y9eOWIeBoi pic.twitter.com/kLM5V69EnT
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2023
... and addresses any concerns about his parade enthusiasm
Murray shows off some new swag
JUST CALL HIM CHAMP MAL pic.twitter.com/cbUjAglA3l
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 15, 2023
'Man, we champs!': Why Denver's NBA title means more for these four vets
DENVER -- Reggie Jackson could see the tears beginning to well up in Jeff Green's eyes. DeAndre Jordan and Ish Smith went over to hug Green and stand by him. Smith began choking back tears. A few steps away, Jackson stood toward the end of the Nuggets bench, where he was crying too.
With about a minute to go in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as the Nuggets were nearing their first championship Monday night, the four veterans began to realize that the dream they had been chasing all their basketball lives would finally be realized.
It is no coincidence that the first three Nuggets whom Jackson hugged as the confetti began to fall at Ball Arena were Green, Jordan and Smith.
Jackson looked at Smith and said, "Man, we champs!"
As the Nuggets celebrate when they take over downtown Denver for their parade on Thursday, those four will savor every moment, every sip out of champagne, every puff out of the cigars and every wave to the appreciative fans on hand.
It doesn't matter that Green was the only one of the four who played meaningful postseason minutes off the bench. All of them played a role in the locker room and on the sideline to help Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets vanquish the Miami Heat and become world champions.
"Ish, Jeff and [Jordan] are kind of all old hats," Jokic said prior to Game 2 of the Finals. "When they talk, I think everybody listens, because if you listen to them, you can hear some really smart things that can help you play the game. I really appreciate and am really thankful for them."
Green, Jordan, Jackson and Smith are the epitome of wise NBA journeymen. They spent years getting to this point, bouncing from franchise to franchise, playing with countless teammates and constantly wondering not only if it might be the stop where they can win a championship but, in some cases, if it might be their last shot.
Add into the equation Bruce Brown, who had to build himself into a valuable NBA championship contributor, and the Nuggets had a bench full of players who weren't sure if this moment would ever come.
"It starts getting harder," Jackson told ESPN. He said he thought about retiring due to injuries when he was with the Detroit Pistons from 2014 to 2020. "You start having more doubt that you'll ever get this moment."
Between Green, Jordan, Smith and Jackson, the four have played for 35 teams over a combined total of 55 seasons.
Green and Jordan are the first pair of teammates to each play 1,000-plus regular-season games and win their first titles together, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
"It's everything," Green said of what winning a title meant to him before the NBA Finals began. "This is what I play for. For me, I always play for team first, and the ultimate goal was to always win a championship.
"With everything I've been through in my career, to win a championship is everything."
Green, 36, knows how fortunate he is to have even been able to still play in the NBA, better yet return to the Finals. The forward started his career with the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007, but did not play during the 2011-12 season due to major heart surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. Green came back and would reach the Finals in 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, only to be swept by the Golden State Warriors.
He has played for the SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, LA Clippers, Orlando Magic, Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and Nuggets.
Green played the sixth-most regular-season games (1,107) before winning his first championship, according to ESPN Stats & Information data.
In his 10th postseason, he averaged 4.1 points and hit a big 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Finals to help the Nuggets win at Miami.
"I'm proud of myself, from all the obstacles that I've been through in my career," Green said. "The obstacle that I faced 10-plus years ago, not allowing those type of things to hold me back, breaking barriers down, multiple teams, adapting to every circumstance.
"With all I've been through, which everybody knows, to be at this point, being productive, giving something on a great team in the Finals, I think it's amazing."
Jordan, 34, played sparingly, only appearing in four postseason games. But Jokic and other Nuggets said Jordan contributed the most with his voice and experience. During Game 5 of the Finals, Jordan gave Murray a pep talk during a timeout, imploring the point guard to give everything he had in the final 12 minutes to make history and reach basketball immortality.
The veteran center wasn't going to let the chance to win a championship slip away, even if he wasn't playing. He had waited too long after playing for the Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Nuggets in his 15 seasons.
"DJ, coming in [from] 'Lob City,' everybody's excited about it, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, him," Smith recalled of Jordan's career high point with the Clippers. "Everybody just knows they're going to at least be to the Western Conference finals, and he doesn't get past the second round. And then from there, he goes to Brooklyn. And then from there, you kind of just move around. So it's truly gratifying."
Smith, 34, said that at one point he thought about quitting basketball while at Wake Forest after suffering a thumb injury during his freshman year in 2006-07.
"I was ready to wrap it up," Smith told ESPN. "Once I got to the league though, I just kept pushing. My mantra was the next move was the best move, and that's how I kind of hung my hat."
Smith now holds the record for most teams played for at the time of winning a first championship with 13 franchises.
"It hit me at the end of the game," Smith said of finally becoming a champion, in between spraying teammates with champagne in the Nuggets locker room. "I don't know why I just got emotional, but this is gratifying, man. This is great. I'm so happy for the city. Denver, our teammates, man, we all got a story. So it's been a blessing."
Smith, who appeared in four playoff games this postseason, could be seen wandering around the locker room and hallways of Ball Arena after the game was over, soaking in the moment.
For Jackson, he celebrated with a cigar and champagne but the idea that he is a champion still hasn't sunk in. Jackson said it likely would take a week before it really hits him.
After Jackson thought about retiring due to injuries during his time in Detroit, the 33-year-old point guard credited close friend Paul George and the Clippers with reviving his career in 2019-20. The former Clippers fan favorite, who was dealt to the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline before being bought out and signing with Denver, probably is still pinching himself.
Brian Windhorst looks back at how the Denver Nuggets captured their first NBA championship.
Jackson made the NBA Finals in his rookie season with Oklahoma City in 2011-12, before the Thunder lost to the Heat. Jackson thought he would return to the Finals several times with that talented Thunder team, before the core of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook split. Instead, he began to wonder if he would ever get back there again.
"I was just talking to Ish about it," Jackson, who played for the Thunder, Pistons, Clippers and Nuggets, told ESPN. "I thought [OKC would have] four titles in six years. We were stacked ... I never thought I'd only be in my second NBA Finals in 12 years."
Even though he didn't play much, this championship run seemed to be almost like a fairy tale for Jackson. He played high school basketball in Colorado Springs, helped the Nuggets win Denver's first-ever championship and won at the expense of the franchise that denied him and the Thunder over a decade ago.
Jackson only appeared in six playoff games for the Nuggets, but he enjoyed the ride -- and is glad he didn't retire when he was tempted to.
"I finally got something I've been chasing," Jackson said. "It took a while."
ESPN's Nick Friedell contributed to this story.
Arrests made in thefts of Yogi's rings, Maris MVP
Federal authorities announced charges against a ring of nine people for thefts of millions of dollars worth of paintings, sports memorabilia and other valuables including World Series rings belonging to baseball legend Yogi Berra and an MVP trophy awarded to New York Yankees teammate Roger Maris.
The thefts took place over more than two decades at 20 different museums and institutions across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and North Dakota, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said Thursday.
Investigators believe some of the sports memorabilia had been melted down, including nine of Berra's 10 World Series rings, U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam said at a news conference.
The theft ring also allegedly stole an Andy Warhol silkscreen, a Jackson Pollock painting and the Hickok Belt awarded to Maris in 1961, when he set Major League Baseball's single-season record with 61 home runs. The Hickok Belt was given to the top athlete in the United States from 1950 to 1976.
It is unclear which items would be returned to their owners or to the museums, but authorities said some of those valuables had been recovered.
Eight of the nine people named as part of the theft ring have turned themselves in, Karam said. At least five had already entered into preliminary plea agreements on charges including theft of major artwork and conspiracy to dispose of major objects of cultural heritage, according to court records. The suspects are in their late 40s to early 50s and are Pennsylvania residents.
Karam said the ninth suspect, Nicholas Dombek, 53, is considered a fugitive.
The indictments allege the thieves transported the memorabilia and valuables and would melt the gold items down into transportable discs that were sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars -- but for way less than many of the items were worth.
Court documents also allege that Dombeck destroyed a painting by Jasper Cropsey by burning it, to avoid the stolen artwork titled "Upper Hudson" from being used as evidence against him.
Some of the thefts happened nearly 20 years ago including the 2005 theft from the Everhart Museum in Scranton, where the thieves shattered a glass door in the back of the building. They stole a 1949 oil-on-canvas painting by Pollock, "Springs Winter," then worth an estimated $11.6 million and a silkscreen by Warhol titled "Le Grande Passion," then worth an estimated $15,000.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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