The legendary guard, coach and general manager, who died at age 86 on Wednesday, endured early-life torments that never quite dissipated; but he managed to overcome both on and off-the-court grief to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to prominence and earn a spot among the all-time basketball greats.

Seven-time Olympic gold medallist Caeleb Dressel brings a new perspective to the pressure-packed US Olympic swimming trials on Saturday, where he and freestyle phenomenon Katie Ledecky are set to star again in the fierce fight for Paris Games berths. Dressel and Ledecky bring formidable credentials to the nine-day meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, where only a top-two finish can secure an individual race berth in Paris.

Six-time Olympic medalist Max Whitlock has been diligently researching online to confirm that he is indeed aiming for a record at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics this summer.

No surprises on the second day of the ECA Canoe Sprint European Championships in Szeged. The favorites, for whom these championships are a final test before the Olympic Games in Paris, have all come out unscathed.

Two-time champion Rafael Nadal will not participate in Wimbledon this year to focus on the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, which take place from 26 July until 14 August.

The talented Ineos rider will compete in the road race at the Olympic Games, the Colombian cycling federation has confirmed. Bernal suffered a serious crash in 2022 that put a stop to his spectacular progress. He has now recovered and will race the Tour de France before the Olympics. He will share the team with Daniel Felipe Martínez.

The American boxer is one of the most talented fighters to emerge in recent years. He has been arrested for vandalism, tested positive for banned substances, consumed alcohol in public and even had a controversial weigh-in.  "It's been three days of hell," he said on his social media.

Taekwondo athlete Jack Woolley has been officially selected to compete for Ireland at Paris 2024, the Irish Independent reports.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 62 points for the Mavericks but Boston capitalized on 61 by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and a killer third quarter to defeat the home team by 99-106. The C’s could now sweep the series for the first time since 2018.

Pascal Gentil, member of the French Taekwondo team for the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games and former co-Chair of the WT Athletes Committee, has been named by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a "Believe in Sport" ambassador for Paris 2024.

Lionel Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, has confirmed in an interview with US broadcaster ESPN that he will not attempt to win a second gold medal with Argentina at the Paris Olympics this summer, citing that the commitment is too demanding.

Japan's tennis association announced Thursday that Naomi Osaka, a former world number one, has received approval to represent Japan at the upcoming Paris Olympics.  The Japan Tennis Association confirmed that former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori has also been granted approval to participate.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen achieved the title of the most successful male European athlete, alongside Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis securing his third pole vault championship and Marcell Jacobs thrilling the crowd with a second gold as part of the Italian relay team, at the 2024 European Championships in Rome on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi plans to finish his career with Inter Miami, but he isn't looking to retire just yet. While he remains committed to his club, it is still uncertain whether he will participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics with the Argentinian football team.