Sports
Clippers hit the road for back-to-back with soaring Pelicans
Mar 14, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard Darius Garland (10) points against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images After an extended homestand ended with a thud, the Los Angeles Clippers will be out to solidify their play-in tournament status with back-to-back road games against the New Orleans Pelicans starting Wednesday.
The Pelicans enter with a five-game home winning streak that is part of an 8-4 record since Feb. 21.
The Clippers were on a 7-1 run before losing consecutive home games, including a 119-115 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday while playing without leading scorer Kawhi Leonard. In a 118-109 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, Leonard departed in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle.
Listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, Leonard will be on Los Angeles’ three-game road trip that includes a stop at Dallas. His presence on the court has proved vital with the Clippers, who rank eighth in the Western Conference, now 4-11 when he does not play.
The Clippers showed high energy at the start and the end of Monday’s loss but in between, they fell behind by as many as 24 points and ran out of time to complete a late rally.
Darius Garland scored 25 points with 10 assists in his seventh game with the Clippers, who acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline. Bennedict Mathurin, who was acquired from the Indiana Pacers at the deadline, scored 16 points.
“I thought he made the right decisions, made the right reads,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said of Garland. “He’s getting his feel, getting his timing. (He) missed a few layups around the basket that he normally makes, but he’s only going to get better.”
Garland was still recovering from a toe injury when the Clippers earned a 137-117 home victory over the Pelicans on March 1. Leonard scored 23 points as the Clippers had at least 30 points in every quarter.
Rookie Jeremiah Fears scored a career-high 28 points off the bench for the Pelicans in the defeat. New Orleans was without Zion Williamson in what was essentially a day of rest to close a back-to-back scenario, ending his career-best run of 35 consecutive games played.
Williamson has played in 42 of the past 43 games, though, and scored 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting in a 129-111 home victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Saddiq Bey added 23 points as New Orleans shot 50.5% from the floor.
Dejounte Murray, who has played just eight games this season after recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, missed the victory with an illness.
New Orleans had 31 assists, its seventh most in a game this season and above the team’s average of 25.1.
“It felt like within the flow, the ball was moving, we were finding the right guy, playing together, sharing it, moving it,” Pelicans head coach James Borrego said. “We’ve grown in that area a tremendous amount and we still have a ways to go.
“We should be knocking on the doorstep of 30-plus every night. … Now we have another challenge here on Wednesday against a very good (Clippers) defense. Can we do it again?”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kansas coach Bill Self will take time to evaluate future
Mar 19, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self speaks at a press conference ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Bill Self was noncommittal about his future as Kansas coach after the Jayhawks’ season-ending loss in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, saying he plans to meet with his family to discuss what comes next.
“I haven’t really gone through much on the court,” Self said after No. 4 seed Kansas fell to No. 5 seed St. John’s on a buzzer-beater in the second round. “I’ve gone through some stuff off the court. So I’ll get back and get with family and visit and see what’s going on.
“I love what I do. I need to be able to do it where I’m feeling good and healthy to do it fairly well. I’ll get back home, and it will all be discussed.”
Self’s comments indicate his decision will be made based more on his own health than the turbulent season his team just completed, which was marked throughout by instability around freshman phenom Darryn Peterson’s availability. Peterson, one of the frontrunners to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft this June, missed 11 games with multiple ailments, including quad and hamstring injuries, an issue that became a near-constant point of discussion.
Self’s own health issues first cropped up in 2023, when he was hospitalized with chest tightness and had two stents inserted to treat blocked arteries in his heart, causing him to miss the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. He had another two stents inserted in July 2025.
In mid-January, he was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital after he felt unwell and ultimately received IV fluids and did not travel with the team for a game at Colorado.
“I don’t know about completely,” Self said Sunday about his health, “but I’m feeling — I feel as good as I’ve felt in a long time. I’m not making any statements whatsoever.
“When you get to be doing it as long as I’ve done it, I look at it in five-year increments. Now I’m probably looking at it in more two-year increments, so to speak. So I try to focus on this season and try to get us to a second weekend, which we failed at. So I’ll go back now and break it down and see where that leads.”
Self, 63, has won two national championships (2008, 2022) and taken Kansas to four Final Fours since being hired in 2003, compiling a remarkable 648-167 (.795) record. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
–Field Level Media
Sports
World No. 3 Iga Swiatek splits with coach after just 18 months
Jul 12, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek of Poland poses with the trophy after winning the women’s final match against Amanda Anisimova of the United States on day 13 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images World No. 3 Iga Swiatek has parted ways with coach Wim Fissette following last week’s abrupt second-round exit at the Miami Open.
The 24-year-old tennis star announced the split on social media Monday, ending their partnership after an 18-month tenure highlighted by her sixth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last July.
Swiatek, who was eliminated by Polish compatriot (and World No. 50) Magda Linette in Miami last Thursday, said the rest of her team will remain in place. The loss snapped her streak of 73 consecutive opening-match wins.
“Sometimes life and sport bring moments like this,” Swiatek posted on Instagram, translated from Polish. “Miami was challenging for me. I feel disappointment, bitterness and responsibility for my performance on the court of course. I’ve also learned a lot of important lessons and I think that’s very human.
“That being said, after many months of working together with my coach Wim Fissette, I’ve decided to take a different path. It was an intense time full of challenges and many important experiences. I’m grateful for his support, experience, and everything we achieved together — including one of my biggest dreams in sport.”
Swiatek worked with former coach Tomasz Wiktorowski for three years before hiring Fissette in October 2024.
Fissette, 46, of Belgium, previously coached Kim Clijsters, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka to Grand slam titles. He also worked with Simona Halep and Sabine Lisicki.
“We both wanted and worked for more but shared important moments and lessons,” Fissette posted on Instagram. “Iga, I now wish you good luck and success in what’s next. I’m sure you will have it.”
Swiatek has won 25 career WTA Tour titles. In addition to Wimbledon in 2025, her major championships include the 2022 U.S. Open and four wins at the French Open (2020, 2022-24).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Union Prez: WNBA players nearly unanimous yes on CBA
Sep 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) shoots the ball against the Golden State Valkyries during the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images The WNBA labor dispute moved one step closer to a final resolution with players voting to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement with the league, according to the players’ union president on ESPN’s “First Take” on Monday.
Women’s National Basketball Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike said the results of the ratification vote were a near-unanimous yes with 90% of players taking part in the voting.
The CBA will now go back to the league for its approval.
The league, in partnership with the Players Association, officially announced on Friday that a seven-year CBA had been agreed upon.
The agreement will run through the 2032 season.
The revenue-sharing deal will increase the average salary to $583,000 this season and the maximum salary to $1.4 million, while providing over $1 billion in salaries and benefits over the contract.
“This Collective Bargaining Agreement represents a defining moment in the WNBA’s 30-year history and all of women’s professional sports,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Friday in a news release. “Since its inception, the WNBA has been shaped by extraordinary athletes who believed in the league’s future. The agreement is a testament to that belief and to the tremendous progress we have achieved together.”
The salary increases represent a significant jump for WNBA players. Team salary caps will be $7 million this season — a huge leap from $1.5 million in 2025 — and will be adjusted annually based on teams and league revenue growth.
The deal projects the maximum salary to reach $2.4 million by 2032, and the average salary to surpass $1 million by then.
The minimum salary this season will range from $270,000 to $300,000, depending on service time. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft will earn approximately $500,000.
“We’ve always believed that as this league grows, the players who power it must grow with it, and we’re proud to see that belief shared,” Ogwumike, the league MVP in 2016, said Friday. “We love this game enough to push for what it can become, not just for ourselves, but for those who built this league and those who will carry it forward.
“This agreement reflects that shared commitment, with players owning their value and future alongside a league growing stronger because of it.”
The players have been without a collective bargaining agreement since they opted out of their existing agreement in October 2024, a year before its Oct. 31, 2025, expiration.
All players on the WNBA championship team will receive $60,000 — the payout was $22,908 in 2025 — and the runner-ups will receive $20,000 (up from $8,521). The WNBA Finals MVP will get a $30,000 bonus (up from $5,000).
The season MVP will receive a $60,000 bonus, the Defensive Player of the Year will get $30,000 and the Rookie of the Year will receive $15,000.
The All-Star Game MVP will receive $20,000.
The length of the regular season will increase to 50 games in 2027 and 2028 and 52 from 2029-32.
The WNBA Draft is slated for April 13 with training camps opening six days later.
–Field Level Media
Kansas coach Bill Self will take time to evaluate future
World No. 3 Iga Swiatek splits with coach after just 18 months
